How does the Aztec death whistle affect the human brain?

For the first time, scientists have analyzed the impact of the skull-shaped whistle created by the ancient Aztecs on the human brain. IFL Science reported on November 15. New research conducted by expert Sascha Frühholz from the University of Zurich and colleagues, published in the journal Communications Psychology.

Scientists have found many examples of Aztec skull whistles in ancient tombs that existed from 1250 to 1521. They are small in size, made of clay, often shaped like human skulls. Their design allows multiple air streams to collide, creating a harsh, piercing, scream-like sound.

Sometimes called “death whistles,” these ancient whistles were believed to have been used in warfare to frighten opponents on the battlefield. However, the fact that they are often found next to the remains of sacrificial victims suggests that they may have served more as a ritual.

For example, some experts believe that the death whistle was meant to imitate the sharp winds of Mictlan – the underworld of the Aztecs, where the Aztecs believed sacrifices would go. Others think the whistle represents Ehecatl – the god of wind of the Aztecs, the god who created people from the bones of the dead.

In the new study, to understand more about how death whistles are used, the research team conducted a series of psychoacoustic experiments with modern European volunteers. They recorded the neurological and psychological reactions of volunteers when listening to the death scream and discovered that the brain had difficulty classifying the sound, which was perceived as having a hybrid natural-artificial origin.

“The sound of the skull whistle attracts mental attention by simulating startling and unpleasant sounds produced by nature and technology. Listeners in our experiments rated the sound of cranial horn is highly negative, frightening and unpleasant, can trigger emergency response tendencies and interfere with ongoing mental processes,” the team wrote.

The death whistle seems to stimulate the imagination as the brain has difficulty determining the meaning of the sound. Therefore, the research team concluded that the possibility of whistles being used for rituals is quite high, especially in sacrificial rituals and related to the dead. For example, they speculate that skull whistles may have been used to strike fear into sacrificial victims or bystanders.