No, this is not a horror film or one of Indiana Jones' adventures, but a scientific study. On November 11, several neuroscientists from the University of Zurich published an article in the journal Communications Psychologyin which they describe the effect of the sounds produced by a lost musical instrument: the “death whistle”, once used by the Aztecs.
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What does the death whistle sound like?
It is a small musical instrument carved from clay. It is shaped like a human skull, with a tube as a whistle.
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Who used this whistle?
The death whistle was used by the Aztecs. One such instrument was first discovered in 1999 in the Temple of Quetzalcoatl, Tlatelolco, in present-day Mexico City, Mexico.
What are its effects?
Neuroscientists from the University of Zurich carried out a series of psychoacoustic tests on volunteers in Europe. The human brain perceived the sound emitted by the death whistle as both artificial and natural, creating a feeling of ambiguity, which captures mental attention.
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Many people believed they recognized in the sound of the whistle the cry of a living being, and more precisely the cry of terror or pain of a man being tortured. The sound created a strong emotional charge for them, felt as frightening and repulsive.
The death whistle is considered one of the scariest musical instruments in history.
What is the use of the whistle?
Death whistles would have been used during human sacrifice ceremonies, undoubtedly to further frighten the victims and provide a more spectacular dimension to these macabre rituals.
