From a wolf howl to a blood-curdling scream, there are some sounds that send a chill down the spine of even the bravest horror movie fan.
But these chilling noises pale in comparison to a sound that has been described as “the scariest in the world.”
According to experts, the Aztec death whistle is halfway between an eerie gust of wind and “the scream of a thousand corpses.”
It was used by the Aztecs during sacrificial ceremonies and was said to honor the wind god, Ehecatl.
So are you brave enough to listen to it?
The Aztec Death Whistle is halfway between a spooky gust of wind and ‘the scream of a thousand corpses,’ according to experts
Brave experts recently recreated the noise of the Aztec Death Whistle by building a new version of the legendary instrument with a 3D printer.
They created their new whistles based on the design of the skull-shaped original, which was found next to a skeleton in Mexico in the late 1990s.
TO video The image of the 3D printed whistle was posted by Action Lab, an educational YouTube channel dedicated to conducting scientific experiments.
“This has been considered the scariest sound in the world,” says host James J. Orgill.
‘Believe it or not, this is not a human cry.
“The sound the death hiss makes innately strikes fear into your heart.”
It was in 1999 that the original Aztec Death Whistle was found in the hand of a headless skeleton during the excavation of an Aztec temple in Mexico City.
“Archaeologists first thought it was some kind of toy and didn’t think much about it,” Orgill says in the video.
‘It wasn’t until 15 years later, for some reason, a scientist blew into the hole at the top and this is the sound that came out.
“It was a surprising discovery because it sounded like a human screaming.”
Although the exact purpose of the death whistle has been lost to history, there are several leading theories.
In 1999, the original Aztec Death Whistle was found in the hand of a skeleton during the excavation of an Aztec temple in Mexico City.
Some experts believe that the Aztecs probably used noise to help people’s souls travel to the afterlife when they were sacrificed.
Perhaps the original skeleton was buried with the device as protection, to ward off evil spirits when they left this world.
But warriors may also have used whistles to “strike fear into the hearts of enemies” at the start of battle, Orgill says.
According to the expert, the shape of the whistle imitates the shape of the human larynx.
Once the user blows into it, the air splits in two, creating oscillating sound waves that circulate around a large chamber before escaping through a second hole.
Some of the whistles have a ball inside the chamber, often made of cork, which bounces around and further distorts the sound.
During the video, Orgill tests modern versions of the Aztec Death Whistle made with a 3D printer from the American company HeyGears.
They produce different sounds depending on the size of the object and where exactly they are placed on the lips when blown.
People can now buy their own death whistles on Amazon, made from a variety of materials such as resin, ceramic, and even carbon fiber.
According an Amazon product description“they make a scream that sounds like a woman in horrible agony” and are “perfect for Halloween.”
They are also a useful prop for dramatic productions, for example for scenes where characters hear a scream offstage.
“For some reason, the effect of making it sound like a shout is stronger when the person blowing the whistle is not observed,” Orgill says.
“(This is) probably because your brain knows it’s a whistle.”
The Aztec death whistle attracted the attention of archaeologists for the shape of its skull, but only recently has its fearsome noise been investigated.
Mexican musician Quijas Yxayotl believes that the death whistle was used in special ceremonies, including the Day of the Dead, and in war.
‘More than a hundred instruments played; “A hundred death whistles march to cause a great psychological effect to the enemy,” he said.
