these are all good points but sometimes I wonder if the rise of the interest in cannibalism isn't a sign that audiences have kind of grown too bored of more conventional stories because of how much media is available and long for something gruesome and shocking to evoke any kind of feeling in their numb hearts (or maybe im catastrophoizing idkk)
reading this feels like biting into a forbidden apple—sweet, dark, and thrilling. Every word drips with a weird tenderness, like love gnashing its teeth in the moonlight. I'm hooked.
fun fact, the albanian language has a lot of love and endearing phrases relating to cannibalism. the phrase ‘do te ha’ (idk how to simplify this in english to help you guys read it i’m sorry 😭) literally translates to ‘i’m gonna eat you’ and we tend to say this to anything cute like a baby for example.
we also have phrases which translate to eating someones heart or soul; ‘ta honksha zemren’ which means i’ll eat your heart and ‘ta honksha shpirtin’ which means i’ll eat your soul.
i promise you guys this isn’t weird to us it’s purely from a place of love and adoration 😭
I hope this doesn't sound weird, but recently at work, I met a lady who was speaking Albanian with her family (which I didn't know at the time). I wanted to tell her how beautiful it sounded, so I quietly piped up about it, and it turned into a really sweet and impactful interaction. Now, learning this as well has exponentially increased my newfound adoration for this language so thank you for sharing it!
yay cannibalism mentioned! thankyou for this gorgeous piece. it's always a pleasure to peek into someone else's interpretation of it. ive been fascinated with cannibalism since god knows when. and i dont relate to the notion of 'becoming one' with the subject of my affection. im not talking the refined method like Hannibal either. mine is more like Raw by Julia Ducournau, when that movie came out i feel so seen in my fascination with cannibalism. it's the act of lunging and biting and scratching and digging into my lover's skin like a wild animal. attacking straight for their jugular and feasting on their face. that's how i interpreted cannibalism. an act so feral and almost instinctual. will eat my lover if that’s what they wish for
This essay changed my life what the hell this is so good. I’m currently setting aside the novel around the same thing but this just it!!!!!! THANKS!!!!!!
This made me think about consumption/cannibalism’s connection to forgiveness/erasure of sin in western religion.. in the transubstantiation of communion bread and wine into the blood and body of Jesus, people literally believed they were consuming and digesting his pureness of character. In welsh culture as well there were “sin eaters—“ poor, outcast members of society who were hired at funerals to eat a small meal of ale and bread above the coffin of the deceased, taking on their sin and allowing them to enter heaven. Super eerie, super interesting.
I feel like cannibalism is one of the most materialistic ways of expressing extreme love. You bring down a person to their parts, whereas normally you’d see their real self in their spirit, and their body as a home for their spirit, a shell. I wonder if the materialism takeover of the culture has anything to do with the most recent spread of cannibalism themes in music, film and literature. Great writing!
There's a fascinating exhibit at the Museum of Us in San Diego all about cannibalism, its history and references in popular culture. Definitely worth a visit in my opinion!
I didn't start out trying to eat you, but I wasn't exactly surprised when it happened. I didn't eat you like a cannibal eats people, but like men have always eaten things they love. I hate the scraps I've left behind, hate my wasteful zeal. We both knew I was going to eat you when you asked if I wanted to make love. You were hungry to be eaten and shivered greedily with every bite I took. And now that you're gone I'm left with aromatic oils on my fingertips and lips, memories of large swallows, and the rising hunger for a new meal.
these are all good points but sometimes I wonder if the rise of the interest in cannibalism isn't a sign that audiences have kind of grown too bored of more conventional stories because of how much media is available and long for something gruesome and shocking to evoke any kind of feeling in their numb hearts (or maybe im catastrophoizing idkk)
yes this makes sense! i actually wrote a uni essay about “ugly art” and argued that shock factor was the main reason i said it became so common
reading this feels like biting into a forbidden apple—sweet, dark, and thrilling. Every word drips with a weird tenderness, like love gnashing its teeth in the moonlight. I'm hooked.
thank you so so much!!
fun fact, the albanian language has a lot of love and endearing phrases relating to cannibalism. the phrase ‘do te ha’ (idk how to simplify this in english to help you guys read it i’m sorry 😭) literally translates to ‘i’m gonna eat you’ and we tend to say this to anything cute like a baby for example.
we also have phrases which translate to eating someones heart or soul; ‘ta honksha zemren’ which means i’ll eat your heart and ‘ta honksha shpirtin’ which means i’ll eat your soul.
i promise you guys this isn’t weird to us it’s purely from a place of love and adoration 😭
I absolutely love this!!
I hope this doesn't sound weird, but recently at work, I met a lady who was speaking Albanian with her family (which I didn't know at the time). I wanted to tell her how beautiful it sounded, so I quietly piped up about it, and it turned into a really sweet and impactful interaction. Now, learning this as well has exponentially increased my newfound adoration for this language so thank you for sharing it!
Aw I’m so glad to hear that!
yay cannibalism mentioned! thankyou for this gorgeous piece. it's always a pleasure to peek into someone else's interpretation of it. ive been fascinated with cannibalism since god knows when. and i dont relate to the notion of 'becoming one' with the subject of my affection. im not talking the refined method like Hannibal either. mine is more like Raw by Julia Ducournau, when that movie came out i feel so seen in my fascination with cannibalism. it's the act of lunging and biting and scratching and digging into my lover's skin like a wild animal. attacking straight for their jugular and feasting on their face. that's how i interpreted cannibalism. an act so feral and almost instinctual. will eat my lover if that’s what they wish for
so good i started taking notes
going to cry this is so sweet 🥹
This essay changed my life what the hell this is so good. I’m currently setting aside the novel around the same thing but this just it!!!!!! THANKS!!!!!!
Aaaa this is such a big compliment thank you so much!! I’m really glad you enjoyed it <33
love this so much wish i could tip you all my money
🥹🥹
This made me think about consumption/cannibalism’s connection to forgiveness/erasure of sin in western religion.. in the transubstantiation of communion bread and wine into the blood and body of Jesus, people literally believed they were consuming and digesting his pureness of character. In welsh culture as well there were “sin eaters—“ poor, outcast members of society who were hired at funerals to eat a small meal of ale and bread above the coffin of the deceased, taking on their sin and allowing them to enter heaven. Super eerie, super interesting.
Wow that “sin eaters” tradition is super interesting - I’ll have to look into that!!
this is the type of deep dive that i love to see on this app, very well written piece
I feel like cannibalism is one of the most materialistic ways of expressing extreme love. You bring down a person to their parts, whereas normally you’d see their real self in their spirit, and their body as a home for their spirit, a shell. I wonder if the materialism takeover of the culture has anything to do with the most recent spread of cannibalism themes in music, film and literature. Great writing!
There's a fascinating exhibit at the Museum of Us in San Diego all about cannibalism, its history and references in popular culture. Definitely worth a visit in my opinion!
I’ve actually been there!!! many years ago when I was last in the US but yes!!
I loved that museum! small but so cool. As an Anth minor I loved it
I love this essay so much!!!
What the fuck this was so good, couldn’t stop reading
reminds me of this piece of nano fiction: https://nanofiction.org/archive/2019/01/eating-you
i condensed it to this:
I didn't start out trying to eat you, but I wasn't exactly surprised when it happened. I didn't eat you like a cannibal eats people, but like men have always eaten things they love. I hate the scraps I've left behind, hate my wasteful zeal. We both knew I was going to eat you when you asked if I wanted to make love. You were hungry to be eaten and shivered greedily with every bite I took. And now that you're gone I'm left with aromatic oils on my fingertips and lips, memories of large swallows, and the rising hunger for a new meal.
https://open.spotify.com/track/1AzzHx1ZlKpeou1PVVSKBW?si=B-vh24yCS4GK-0K8fR1vng
OMG I LOVEE IT