You might not have heard of the Aztec Death Whistle, but one TikToker has demonstrated exactly why it's been described as one of the most terrifying sounds in existence.
The Death Whistle is a musical instrument that dates back centuries to ancient Mexican civilisations.
The first Aztec Death Whistle was discovered in 1999, and its use has confounded historians and scientists alike.
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There are no existing records of what the whistles were used for, and with only a few of the artefacts ever discovered, it's not clear how common they were at the time they were produced.
What we do know, though, is that the sound they make is absolutely bone chilling. The whistles replicate the screech of a howling wind, though some believe they're intended to resemble a human scream.
It's scary enough to hear the whistles used by a human, but TikToker @azst8n8iv decided to amplify the sound by attaching one to a leaf blower, and the results were enough to give viewers nightmares.
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'Sheer heart attack,' one person wrote, with another commenting, 'not going to be forgetting that sound for a while.'
'Idk what evil you unleashed but it's def on its way to you now,' someone else joked, as another viewer echoed, 'I feel like we shouldn't be doing this.'
Over the decades historians have come up with various explanations for the whistles, which are believed to have been used in both Aztec and Mayan society.
According to The Culture Trip, the relics were first discovered accompanying the skeletons of sacrificial victims, leading some to suggest they may have been placed with the bodies to help guide them to the afterlife, hence the name 'Aztec Death Whistle'.
Others have theorised that the sound may have been used by soldiers in battles in an attempt to frighten their enemies.
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Researchers have also learned that the first two discovered whistles – which were found together with a sacrificial victim in a temple dedicated to the wind god at Ehecatl Tlatelolco – when combined make an even stranger sound, generating a more intense frequency that resembles a raging storm.
Another possible theory is that some versions of the whistles were used in medicine, to either alleviate pain or send patients into a hypnotic state.
Ultimately though, historians still know very little about the spooky instruments, and while we should know better than to mess with things we don't understand, it's the 21st century, so you can buy replicas on Amazon.
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Topics: TikTok