Ancient Baneful Rituals

Throughout history, many different cultures have practiced polytheism and done baneful rituals as either a means to appease certain gods, curse others, or as a form of punishment. Some of these rituals are still practiced today among communities descended from their baneful ancestors. An important distinction to make here is that these rituals are not inherently “evil”. Dark, yes, but within magick, there is no such thing as evil. Only different energies. With that in mind, let’s get into some of these rituals.

1. Tlacaxipehualiztli

The Aztecs are of course, infamous for their rituals. Typically, the Aztecs are plagued by judgement from western scholars and misinformation on how these rituals work. Now, let’s continue.

Tlacaxipehualiztli was a ritual used to honor their vegetation god, Xipe Totec. Many indigenous peoples of the Americas sacrificed to their gods in order to have plentiful crops, hunt, and a good harvest season. This practice included sacrificing captured warriors and skinning them, while priests wore the skins for twenty days. It’s important to note that the Aztecs weren’t the only ones who practiced human sacrifice, and often, many of their sacrifices were volunteers who were honored.

2. Celtic Offerings to Gods

Another culture that practiced human sacrifice during great times of stress and strife, was the Celts. Before having their culture nearly erased by the Romans, rituals were frequently done, though using humans for offerings was quite rare.

Offerings were typically given to gods such as Esus and Dagda. Many captured prisoners of war were sacrificed, but not always. Sometimes it’d be slaves or even members of the community. One of the more infamous methods were akin to the modern-day Burning Man- an obvious parallel. A large effigy would be placed near many different animals and humans, before being set ablaze, killing the living in its path.

3. Book of the Dead

The Book of the Dead is one of the most well-known aspects of Egyptian belief systems. It’s not exactly dark in the same sense other things on this list are, but as it deals with death and mummification, it’ll be included anyways. The Book of the Dead was essentially a guide on how to successfully enter the after life after death and preserve remains.

Certain spells, especially ones that discussed Ra or Osiris, were typically inscribed on coffins or within pyramids. The most complicated process of mummification involved using a tool to take out the brain through the nostrils while cutting the stomach to get out

2 / 2

other internal organs apart from the heart. The heart was considered the most sacred and a key to a successful departure to the afterlife, so it had to be kept inside.

4. Toltenfolge

Part of the Celts rare cases of human sacrifice included the practice of toltenfolge.

Toltenfolge was the practice of executing attendants, slaves, and occasionally family members of recently deceased political figures and other important people. They would then be buried among the deceased, as noted by Julius Ceasar. This practice seemed to be relatively rare though, and eventually died off.

Sources: https://www.historyonthenet.com/aztec-religious-ceremonies-and-rituals

https://www.worldhistory.org/article/1710/sacred-sites--rituals-in-the-ancient-celtic-religi/  

https://www.livescience.com/mummification.html