**update of previous entry
So... I found two scholarly sources concerning bog bodies and ergotism. One article provides evidence of ergot being found in the preserved stomach contents (amongst rye) of the Grauballe Man, a 2400 year old Iron Age body found in a Denmark bog(1952). The second source is actually a book containing portions linking ergotism to the tentative ritual killing of people prior to submerging them in bogs. The book also mentions Funeral of a Rus which I thought was quite interesting. It brings up the topic of "multiple deaths" and confusing the spirt/soul so that it stays within the body and does not leave at the time of death. The book also further sheds light upon the type of bodies typically found in bogs. Poisons and hallucinogens may have played a vital role in these deaths. "The transgressor, symbolically outcast from human society and made liminal, was taken to a liminal place, vexed beyond belief, and then thrust, body and soul at once, through into another world"(Taylor, 2002, p.167). I hope to write more about the idea of multiple death in a future entry:) I have also acquired a new love for bog bodies!
**might need to access UVIC library for the article, not the book
–Maia B
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