History’s hidden corners often conceal stories far more disturbing than any fiction. While modern media frequently focuses on individual killers, some of the most shocking tales of cannibalism involve entire groups driven by desperation, grim ritual, or unspeakable cruelty. These are not stories for the faint of heart. Prepare to delve into ten accounts of cannibalism that reveal some of the darkest chapters of human existence, instances where survival, tradition, or sheer malice led to the unthinkable.
10 The Nazino Prisoners
Joseph Stalin’s reign over the Soviet Union was marked by immense suffering and numerous horrific events. One of the most grim and regrettable incidents became known as the “Nazino tragedy.” This event stands as a stark testament to the brutality of the era.
The tragedy began with the forced deportation of around 6,000 Soviet citizens, deemed “undesirables,” to the remote Nazino Island in Siberia. These individuals were effectively abandoned and ordered to build a new settlement. Crucially, they were provided with virtually no food, only a meager supply of flour. The situation quickly devolved into unimaginable horror. Over thirteen weeks of extreme hardship and cruelty, widespread cannibalism became a desperate means of survival. By the end, only about 2,000 of the original 6,000 deportees remained alive.
9 Liver-Eating Johnson
The name John “Liver-Eating” Johnson itself hints at a brutal story. According to historical accounts, Johnson, a 19th-century mountain man, consumed the livers of many of his foes. By the end of his life, he had become a fearsome figure, known for his quest for revenge and acts of cannibalism.
Johnson was married to a Native American woman from the Salish tribe. Tragedy struck when a young warrior from the Crow tribe murdered his wife. This event ignited a years-long vendetta. Johnson reportedly hunted down and killed over 300 Crow warriors. As a final act of vengeance against each, he was said to have scalped them before removing and eating their livers, cementing his terrifying legend.
8 German Prisoners in Soviet Gulags
The Soviet Union’s treatment of prisoners of war during World War II was often harsh, and the fate of German POWs after the Battle of Stalingrad illustrates the horrific conditions. After the German defeat at Stalingrad, approximately 91,000 soldiers were captured by Soviet forces.
These prisoners endured unimaginable suffering in Soviet gulags and labor camps. They received so little food that cannibalism became a grim reality for survival. Two years later, when the war ended and prisoner exchanges were organized, fewer than 5,000 of those 91,000 German soldiers were still alive. Reports suggest that Hitler was furious with the German general’s decision to surrender rather than fight to the death, remarking that the general chose Moscow over “eternity and national immortality.”
7 The Fore People
Kuru, a fatal neurodegenerative disease also known as “laughing sickness,” is strongly linked to cannibalism. The name “kuru” originates from the Fore language, as the Fore people of Papua New Guinea brought the disease to global attention through their unique customs.
For generations, it was a tradition in Fore culture to cook and consume the flesh of deceased family members. This practice was believed to free the spirit of the departed. However, this ritual facilitated the transmission of prions—misfolded proteins that cause kuru—from the dead to the living. Between 1957 and 1960, an epidemic of kuru, fueled by ritualistic cannibalism, led to the deaths of around 1,000 Fore people.
6 Every Hungry Sailor
Stories of shipwrecked sailors resorting to cannibalism to survive are, by now, a grimly familiar trope of maritime history. The desperation of being lost at sea with no food has led to such acts numerous times. Indeed, the practice of drawing lots to decide who would be sacrificed for the survival of the others became a dark, unwritten rule known as one of the “Customs of the Sea.”
Perhaps the most infamous example is the crew of the whaling ship Essex. After a sperm whale rammed and sank their ship, the survivors drifted in small whaleboats for months. Seven crew members were eventually eaten. One was chosen by drawing lots. This harrowing tale later inspired Herman Melville’s renowned novel, Moby Dick.
5 Soviet Ukrainians during the Holodomor
Between 1932 and 1933, Soviet Ukraine endured the Holodomor, a catastrophic famine that remains one of the worst in the country’s history. This tragic event resulted in the deaths of an estimated five to ten million Ukrainians. An unknown number of these victims became food for their starving neighbors and even family members.
The Holodomor was not a natural disaster caused by blight or weather. Evidence suggests it was an engineered famine, orchestrated by the Soviet Union through a series of targeted policies against its own people. Survivor testimonies recount horrifying decisions made in the face of starvation, including the consumption of deceased family members. One survivor recalled a man admitting to eating his own mother, who had died of hunger, chillingly “thanking” Stalin for the conditions that led to such acts.
4 Suiyang’s Soldiers
The Battle of Suiyang was a pivotal and brutal conflict during China’s 8th-century An Lushan Rebellion. It is notorious primarily because it concluded with the city’s besieged soldiers resorting to cannibalizing an estimated 20,000 to 30,000 civilians to survive.
General Yin Ziqi’s armies laid a prolonged siege to the city of Suiyang. The defenders, led by Zhang Xun, held out heroically, but food supplies eventually ran out. Historical records state that after consuming their horses, the soldiers turned to eating women, the elderly, and children. Ironically, the prolonged defense, sustained by these horrific measures, bought crucial time for allied Tang forces to regroup and ultimately turn the tide of the war in their favor.
3 Poor Europeans during the Great Famine
Europe in the 1300s was a landscape of immense hardship. The continent faced a mini Ice Age, the Black Plague, mysterious livestock diseases, numerous wars, and peasant uprisings. One of its lowest points was the Great Famine of 1315-1317. As food became impossibly scarce, desperation led to widespread cannibalism.
Beginning in 1315, unusually cold weather and relentless rain caused massive crop failures across Europe. Livestock also perished in large numbers. This agricultural collapse triggered one of history’s most severe famines. Accounts from the time paint a horrifying picture. Officials in Bristol, England, wrote that the living struggled to bury the dead, horse and dog meat were considered delicacies, and some people even ate their own children. Prisoners were also reportedly torn apart and eaten by fellow inmates.
2 Rich Europeans and Medicinal Cannibalism
It’s a little-known but true fact that for centuries, wealthy Europeans engaged in a form of cannibalism for medicinal purposes. Specifically, powdered human mummies, often stolen from Egyptian tombs, were used as a supposed cure for ailments ranging from headaches to epilepsy.
King Charles II of England, for instance, regularly consumed a concoction known as “The King’s Drops,” which was made by mixing powdered human skull with alcohol. Those less affluent could sometimes purchase cups of blood from freshly executed criminals at public executions, believing it would restore vitality. While many of these practices faded by the 19th century, the use of mummy powder as medicine persisted in some areas into the early 20th century.
1 Neanderthals
The theory that Neanderthals practiced cannibalism has gained significant supporting evidence in recent years. Archaeologists have discovered multiple Neanderthal bones bearing cut marks from tools, indicating deliberate defleshing. But beyond simple cannibalism, a more recent hypothesis suggests their consumption of human meat might have contributed to their extinction.
It’s understood that Cro-Magnons (early modern humans) eventually outcompeted Neanderthals. Most modern humans have a genetic makeup that is predominantly Cro-Magnon, with only a small percentage of Neanderthal DNA. One theory posits that both groups practiced cannibalism, potentially on each other. This could have exposed both to deadly prion diseases. However, if Cro-Magnons possessed a specific gene offering resistance to these diseases—a gene Neanderthals lacked—it could explain why our ancestors thrived while Neanderthals vanished. If true, this means cannibalism is a very old part of the human story.
These ten stories, drawn from different corners of the world and various points in time, paint a grim picture. They show how hunger, war, misguided beliefs, or sheer cruelty can push humans to the very edge of what we consider civilized. While deeply unsettling, these accounts are a stark reminder of humanity’s capacity for both extreme suffering and shocking actions when faced with dire circumstances. History, in its entirety, is not always pretty, but it’s crucial to remember these darker chapters too.
What were your thoughts on these historical accounts? Which story did you find the most disturbing? Share your reflections in the comments below.
