cannibalism
Consuming one's own
Cannibalism is the practice of eating the flesh of one's own species.
Among humans, it carries extreme taboo in most cultures, though it has occurred in ritual contexts, survival situations, and serial killings.
The term extends to animals: Some spider species are known for sexual cannibalism.
Figuratively, corporate cannibalism describes a company's new product eating into sales of its existing ones.
Using up of resources
- fleshSoft body matter
- humanHomo sapiens individual
- meatAnimal tissue for food
- eatingIngesting sustenance
endocannibalism · man-eating · carnivore · ingestion · appetite · hunger · sustenance · proteins
Authoritative legal ban
- forbiddenNot allowed
- tabooCultural or social prohibition
- disgustIntense physical aversion
- revulsionIntense physical disgust
horror · stigma · abomination · transgression · morality · ethics · repugnance · deviance
Cannibalistic spirit from indigenous lore
- CronusTitan king, father-devourer
- TantalusMythic king eternally denied
- PolyphemusOne-eyed giant of myth
- LamiaCursed queen turned monster
Grendel · Cyclops · Minotaur · Baba Yaga · Titans · Hansel and Gretel · man-eater · giant
Ill-fated 1846 wagon train
- AndesSouth American western range
- starvationExtreme nutritional deprivation
- desperationUtter loss of hope
- strandedLeft without means to leave
famine · lifeboat · crisis · necessity · extremity · ordeal · trapped · isolation
Giving up something precious
- ceremonyFormal event marking occasions
- ritesFormal ceremonial acts
- tribalOf a clan
- ancestorPredecessor in lineage
initiation · shamanism · totemism · communion · transubstantiation · funerary · mortuary · spiritual
Recurring lone murderer
- murderDeliberate unlawful killing
- forensicPertaining to legal investigation
- prosecutionPursuing legal charges
- psychopathyEmpathy-absent personality disorder
Jeffrey Dahmer · deviant · predator · victim · investigation
consumption
Using up of resources
eating · endocannibalism · man-eating · carnivore · ingestion · appetite · hunger · sustenance · proteins · feasting
prohibition
Authoritative legal ban
revulsion · horror · stigma · abomination · transgression · morality · ethics · repugnance · deviance · shame
Wendigo
Cannibalistic spirit from indigenous lore
- CronusTitan king, father-devourer
- TantalusMythic king eternally denied
- PolyphemusOne-eyed giant of myth
Lamia · Grendel · Cyclops · Minotaur · Baba Yaga · Titans · Hansel and Gretel · man-eater · giant · folklore
Donner Party
Ill-fated 1846 wagon train
- AndesSouth American western range
- starvationExtreme nutritional deprivation
- desperationUtter loss of hope
stranded · famine · lifeboat · crisis · necessity · extremity · ordeal · trapped · isolation · rationing
sacrifice
Giving up something precious
ancestor · initiation · shamanism · totemism · communion · transubstantiation · funerary · mortuary · spiritual · cult
serial killer
Recurring lone murderer
- murderDeliberate unlawful killing
- forensicPertaining to legal investigation
- prosecutionPursuing legal charges
Jeffrey Dahmer · psychopathy · deviant · predator · victim · investigation
- anthropologyanthropology, fieldwork, ethnography, social anthropology, cultural anthropology
- Colonial VirginiaJamestown, James River, tobacco cultivation, Powhatan, Pocahontas
- forbidden foodspork, bacon, ham, shellfish, shrimp cocktail
- taboostaboo, incest, bestiality, necrophilia, pedophilia
- Leningrad Siegeblockade, encirclement, Leningrad, starvation, bread rations
- survival storiesescape story, wilderness survival, shipwreck tales, shipwreck, sea survival
cannibalismherbivory
Plant consumption by animals
vegetarianism · predation · grazing · veganism · hunting
cannibalismhumanitarianism
Promoting welfare through compassion
burial · cremation · funeral rites · ancestor veneration · sanctity of life
cannibalismself-sacrifice
Surrendering for others' benefit
altruism · starvation · fasting · martyrdom
- sexual cannibalismDevouring a partner after mating