Wikipedia is the place to go for quick research on most any topic. But, have you ever stumbled upon the dark, creepy areas of the online encyclopedia? You’ll never see honey the same away after viewing some of the strangest Wikipedia pages. You may find yourself checking for hidden traps in your next hotel room or even wondering if that old book at you grandma’s house might just be bound in human skin.
While you’re here, check out these M. Night Shyamalan movies.
Anthropodermic Bibliopegy
No clue what anthropodermic bibliopegy means? Us neither, until we stumbled upon this strange page about binding books in human skin. Yes, actual human skin as the cover of a book. Often, the skin comes from cadavers, especially those of murderers. For example, murderer William Burke’s skin is used on a notebook displayed at the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh.
According to this Wikipedia page, the most famous example is that of James Allen, who wanted his skin used on a copy of his deathbed confession. He wanted the book The Highwayman: Narrative of the Life of James Allen alias George Walton given to a man he once robbed. You can listen to the book at the Internet Archive.
Rat King
No, this isn’t the Nutcracker, though you might wish it was once you read one of the strangest Wikipedia pages. Rat King is a page about rats whose tails get stuck together due to sap, trash, hair, etc. As the rats try to get away, they tend to form a crown shape, hence the “king” part of the name. While not common, the rats do tend to die, still stuck together.
The largest known instance involved 32 rats and was found in 1828 in Buchheim. Even if you aren’t a fan of rats, this is still horrible.
H. H. Holmes
You might hesitate ever staying at a hotel again after reading about H. H. Holmes. He was the owner of what’s known as the Murder Castle. Technically, he was only convicted of one murder and executed for it. However, he confessed to 27 murders. There are also rumors he killed many more than that. Some supposed victims were later proven to be still alive.
It’s reported that the Murder Castle was a hotel built specifically for murder. With secret rooms, gas chambers, acid pits, and more. The hotel was set on fire after he was arrested, but was reused as a post office for a short time.
Scaphism
We’ve all seen movies with torture in them. But, you’ve probably never seen or heard of scaphism, which may be one of the worst and most creative types of torture. It takes a pretty sick mind to come up this torture progression.
- Trap the victim between two boats
- Feed and then cover the victim in honey and milk
- Leaving them there to fester in the sun and be eaten alive by insects and rats
Allegedly, it was used by ancient Persians as a punishment. One victim actually lasted for 17 days before he finally died. It’s considered one of the most barbaric tortures and one that no one ever wants to happen to themselves.
Salish Sea Human Foot Discoveries
The Salish Sea Human Foot Discoveries page is one of the strangest Wikipedia pages simply because there still isn’t any conclusive reason for why this event happened. Between 2007 and 2019, over 20 human feet washed up on the shores of Salish Sea (on the border between the US and Canada). Some have appeared in British Columbia, Canada and Washington, US. In 2017, investigators ruled out any type of foul play, saying it was likely just accidents or suicides.
However, it’s incredibly odd for so many feet to wash up out of that particular sea over that particular period of time. What’s even stranger is some of the feet have been matched pairs.
Armin Meiwes
There are two creepy parts about the Armin Meiwes Wikipedia page. First, it’s the fact that there was once a forum called Cannibal Cafe. Second, people volunteered to be eaten alive.
Armin Meiwes is known as the Rotenburg Cannibal. The computer technician met his victim on the cannibal forum. His advertisement was clear that he wanted to slaughter and consume a volunteer. Yes, some insane person volunteered and went through with it.
Then, it gets a bit funny (for a twisted mind, anyway). The first part is that both Meiwes and his volunteer, Brandes, tried to eat was Brandes’ penis. But, Meiwes burned it while trying to cook it. Later, Meiwes stabbed Brandes, killing him. And yes, he proceeded to eat him over the course of 10 months. He was later convicted of the crime.
Mellified Man
Wikipedia does a great job of making honey seem incredibly strange and creepy. This is especially true with the Mellified Man page. Also known as a human mummy confection, a mellified man is an ancient Chinese medicine that comes from a human soaked in honey for 100 years.
People near death would volunteer for what was considered almost an honor, because their death would help save others. The process starts by the person only eating honey and bathing in it. As they eventually die from the horrible diet, they’re sealed in a coffin filled with honey. The process takes a century.
The medicine made from the dead body was said to heal broken bones and more. The practice of mummifying bodies in honey was also used in Egypt and other ancient cultures.
If you’re not sufficiently creeped out yet, check out these incredibly weird subreddits and these spooky subreddits. Or, check out these found footage movies you probably shouldn’t watch alone.
Image credit: Unsplash
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