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In "Severed," anthropologist Frances Larson explores Western culture's long-standing fascination with decapitated human heads.


"A severed head, whether it is preserved whole or reduced to its skull, looks at us from another world where we are all destined to go," she writes.

Larson joined The Daily Circuit to talk about her book.

The history of severed heads with a message

1. People used heads of their enemies to exercise power and communicate during conflict.

William Wallace, one of the leaders in the Wars of Scottish Independence, was caught by English forces in 1305. He "was mutilated, disemboweled and, being accused of treason, he was probably emasculated," according to the BBC. While England used his body as a warning to others in the rebellion, he became a martyr for Scotland. 

2. The history of executions is a history of entertainment.


We try to distance ourselves from that past, but it's still very much a part of modern history, Larson said. Throughout time, watching executions has been a pastime and continue to garner viewers today through Internet video posted by terrorists killing hostages. 

Frances Larson on viral videos of beheadings by MPR News

3. Families of the dead kept heads as keepsakes.

In another famous beheading case, the head of Sir Thomas More became a memorial. 

After his head came down from the London Bridge, his daughter kept it the rest of her life as a personal relic and shrine, Larson said. 

4. When the guillotine was introduced as a more humane option, spectators were disappointed.

: "The guillotine, created during the French Revolution to be humane, terrifyingly accelerated the production line of execution and effected the Terror. The initial spectators felt cheated. Its action was too quick for the eye to see; there were no enjoyable writhings or screams. Larson relates how this led to a deep uneasiness about the exact moment of death, and urban legends about cheeks that blushed angrily, and eyes that swiveled after decapitation."

The speed and efficiency of the guillotine even took its toll on the executioners. Charles-Henri Sanson was an executioner in the city of Paris for more than 40 years, executing almost 3,000 people.

He wrote in his diary about one mass-execution in 1794. Excerpted in Larson's book:

6. Beheadings today get worldwide audiences online.

Now people can witness a beheading from the comfort of their homes on the Internet. 

7. Humans have a strong fascination with the body and removed ways of exploring it.

One caller told her story of working as a security guard at the Body Worlds traveling exhibit:

Caller: Body Worlds visitors wouldn't stop touching exhibit by MPR News

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The Thread® - Books and Literary News

Anthropologist Frances Larson delves into the history of decapitated human heads in her new book, 'Severed.'

What decapitation tells us about human nature

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