Songs from the Dead

I ran into a really neat article today about whistles found buried with Aztec remains. They have named them "Whistles of Death" and have a few theories as to what they were used for. They originally thought they were toys, or some ceremonial symbol or decoration, but then, someone blew into one, and it made a very chilling sound. They now believe that human sacrifices would blow into them before their deaths, that they were used to aid the deceased along their journey to the underworld, or perhaps they were used to warn off enemies. Some even believe that certain ones were used to lull people into a dream state to aid in healing certain illnesses. Apparently the Aztecs are known to have used conch shell horns at the start of ceremonies and in war to communicate strategies, and they are also believed to have used a type of horn as a deer-lore (like a bird-call for deer, I would imagine).

I think it's all really cool, the way they used sound (maybe even a good thing to file away for future creative use in my writings), but the COOLEST thing is this: A researcher named Roberto Velazquez has been working to re-create these whistles so we might know what they sound like. I found a video on YouTube of some of the whistles and their corresponding sounds. Some are very bird-like, others are soothings, and others...well, you be the judge:



And, while I'm at it, I found the article here, for those who may want to read it.