It has been described as the ‘scariest sound in the world’ – somewhere between an eerie gust of wind and ‘the scream of a thousand corpses’.
Now experts have recreated the sound of the Aztec Death Whistle by building a new version of the legendary instrument using a 3D printer.
They created their new whistles based on the design of the skull-shaped original, which was found with a skeleton in Mexico in the late 1990s.
It is thought that the skull-shaped whistle was used by the Aztecs before they were killed during ceremonies honoring the god of the wind, Ehecatl.
In the Aztec creation myth, two gods gathered in a sacrificial fire and became the sun and moon, but remained motionless until Ehecatl blew on them.
a new video of the 3D printed whistle was posted by the Action Lab, an educational YouTube channel dedicated to conducting science experiments.
“This is considered the most terrifying sound in the world,” says host James J. Orgill.
“Believe it or not, this is not a human scream.
“The sound the death whistle makes naturally strikes fear into your heart.”
It was in 1999 that the original Aztec Death Flute was found in the hand of a headless skeleton during the excavation of an Aztec temple in Mexico City.
“Archaeologists at first thought this must be some kind of toy, but they didn’t think much about it,” Orgill says in the new video.
‘It wasn’t until fifteen years later that for some reason a scientist blew into the hole above 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 is lost to history, there are several leading theories.
Some experts think the Aztecs probably used the sound to help people’s souls travel to the afterlife when they were sacrificed.
Now people can buy their own death whistle on Amazon, made from a variety of materials like resin, ceramic and even carbon fiber
In 1999, the original Aztec Death Flute was found in the hand of a skeleton during the excavation of an Aztec temple in Mexico City.
Spectrogram of the sound waves of the death whistle, which makes a sound like a screeching zombie
Perhaps the original skeleton was buried along with the device as protection, to scare away evil spirits as they left this world.
But the whistles may also have been used by warriors to “sow fear in the hearts of the enemies” at the start of battle, Orgill claims.
According to the expert, the shape of the whistle mimics the shape of a human larynx.
Once the user blows into it, the air is split in two, creating oscillating sound waves that circulate around a large chamber before escaping from a second hole.
Some whistles have a ball in the chamber, often made of cork, that 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 how large the object is and where exactly they are placed on the lips when blown into it.
People can already buy their own death whistles on Amazon, made from different materials such as resin, ceramic and even carbon fiber.
According to one Amazon product descriptionthey “emit a scream that sounds like a woman is in terrible pain” and are “perfect for Halloween.”
They also make a useful tool for dramatic productions, for example for scenes where characters hear a scream offstage.
It is thought that the death flutes were related to Ehecatl, the god of the wind. He is usually depicted wearing two masks through which the wind blew and his temple was cylindrical because the wind blew in all directions. Pictured is a statue in the Brooklyn Museum (New York City
“For some reason, the effect of making it sound like a scream is stronger if you’re not actually looking at the person blowing the whistle,” says Orgill.
“(This is) probably because your brain knows it’s a whistle.”
The Aztec Death Flute caught the attention of archaeologists because of their skull shape, but only recently has their terrifying sound been explored.
Mexican musician Quijas Yxayotl believes the death whistle was used for special ceremonies, including the Day of the Dead, and in warfare.
‘They played over a hundred instruments; Marching a hundred death whistles to cause a great psychological effect on the enemy,” he said.