What movie depicted a bull sacrifice with blood falling into a pit?
December 10, 2019 10:53 AM Subscribe
Taurobolium is a purported sacrifice of a bull in the Roman Empire, in which an initiate would stand under the bull and receive its blood as it falls into the pit. Contemporary scholars think that the specifics of this ritual is probably exaggerated or invented by Christians in order to smear rival religions.
However, I think there was a prominent Hollywood movie that depicted a ritual like this (or perhaps I've invented that). What movie depicted a ritual like this?
it's gotta be the Rome episode. Very vivid.
posted by fingersandtoes at 11:08 AM on December 10, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by fingersandtoes at 11:08 AM on December 10, 2019 [1 favorite]
There’s a water buffalo sacrifice scene in Apocalyse Now. Obviously not a Roman context, but it’s a hell of a visual.
posted by mumkin at 1:43 PM on December 10, 2019 [2 favorites]
posted by mumkin at 1:43 PM on December 10, 2019 [2 favorites]
Coming in to Nth "Rome." I was working in TV documentary research at the time and got into a h.u.g.e. argument with the documentary scriptwriter about this, because he put a similar scene in our documentary as a Mithras ritual. I pulled out SO MUCH research proving that it was wrong, but there was one not-very-great expert who described exactly this ritual in an interview. Fortunately, due to a lack of budget we never did shoot the scene and it didn't make it into the documentary.
A bull in those days cost about as much as a Porsche would today. So the idea that every initiate would do it for their ritual is, um, flawed. In actual Mithraeums the bones tend more towards goats, if I recall correctly.
posted by rednikki at 5:44 PM on December 10, 2019 [4 favorites]
A bull in those days cost about as much as a Porsche would today. So the idea that every initiate would do it for their ritual is, um, flawed. In actual Mithraeums the bones tend more towards goats, if I recall correctly.
posted by rednikki at 5:44 PM on December 10, 2019 [4 favorites]
Sleep No More kind of has a scene like this? Blood and livestock. And a mild orgy.
posted by nouvelle-personne at 8:09 PM on December 10, 2019
posted by nouvelle-personne at 8:09 PM on December 10, 2019
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posted by jedicus at 10:58 AM on December 10, 2019 [10 favorites]