Anthony Hopkins as a cannibal Na'vi

[MarkD]

Well in her story, who knows what new characters will pop up for this clan. I gave her the Hannibal bit as a good example of a scary villain. Qui pro quo.

[bluewpc]

You know interestingly enough there is a historical precedent for cannibalism in nearly all cultures. Europe has the tradition of the Eucharist, the sacrificing of the Christ figure on the rood (tree) and then the partaking of his flesh and blood. In Central America you had the Mayans playing a sort of hoop game in which the captain of the winning team was sacrificed and eaten. The Aztecs would often wage war for prisoners and then sacrifice them to their Gods so the sacrifices did not necessarily have to be voluntary.

Joseph Campbell recalls in interview with Bill Moyers an incident in which Jesuit missionaries witness the capturing of a Sioux brave. The boy is brought into the village and systematically tortured which he is expected to endure without any outward sign of pain. In fact he's expected to mock his tormentors and to sing his death song. Ultimately he's killed and his flesh distributed throughout the village for feasting. It's interesting because of the parallels to the passion but that's another story.

In a Hindu tale a monk goes out wandering and he passes on a road a woman who is heavy with child. As he walks by the woman goes into labor and he helps deliver the child which is a boy and which he says is a beautiful thing. Well no sooner than the child is born the mother snatches him up and stuffs him into her mouth and chews and swallows him which the monk says is also a beautiful thing.