Cannibalism is one subject about which nearly every modern person has very strong tabus, hence very easy to mask over with stereotypes generated from fear. So I just want to put in a few sign posts to generate some thinking.
Before trying to understand cannibalism we need to relocate our thinking.
We have to dismiss our everyday materialist perspective that separates the
realms and look at it from a sacred perspective that sees things to be
their essence not the cloak that separates us from it. Thus that idol, of
instance, is a manifestation of certain divine power. We can see it as a
symbol, which removes the reality from us; or as a vehicle that bears the
power to us. Our sacred vision lets us see through the vehicle to the
reality beyond.
Animism sees everything as being alive; theism recognizes the deity in
things; even sorcery recognizes a hidden more powerful element within the
mundane object. (At least for the unmixed portions of the world.)
Sacred gustation is communion with the spirit, divinity or power that lies
within the sacred object. Eating it releases the power to the digester.
This power might be contact with your ancestors, might be the power of
courage hidden in a heart or the mind power hidden in a liver. Thus
although these may include rites that seem grisly (eating ancestor soup)
they are in fact a powerful sacred act of worship.
What is wrong, though, is to eat people like food. This defines the
difference between the Cannibal Cult and Ogres. The former perform
cannibalism as a sacred act -- the fact that they are taking OUR powers is
of offensive of course, but the fact that they are eating people is less so
(ie- it is culturally offensive, but not divinely so). But the Ogres-- they
treat people like cattle and are thus terrible and evil.
The uz, being the Ultimate Digesters, do both.
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