Human skulls once cradled our thoughts and senses, and now they serve as the raw material for some of the most unsettling creations you can imagine. In this roundup we dive into ten bizarre objects that were made from human skulls, ranging from artistic curiosities to ancient ritual vessels. Each entry showcases a different way people have turned bone into something extraordinary, proving that the line between art and anthropology can be delightfully blurry.
Why These 10 Bizarre Objects Captivate Us
From a camera that captures landscapes through a literal third eye to chocolate skulls that melt on your tongue, the items on this list reveal a morbid fascination with the human head. Whether fashioned for religious rites, artistic expression, or sheer curiosity, these skull‑based artifacts tell stories that span centuries and continents. Let’s explore the strange, the beautiful, and the downright eerie.
10 Pinhole Camera
Wayne Martin Belger’s avant‑garde Third‑Eye Camera is built from the 150‑year‑old skull of a thirteen‑year‑old girl who was tragically murdered in Texas. Belger turned the forehead into a tiny aperture, then bedecked that opening with a glittering trio of green, amber, and maroon jewels. After that, he sliced the cranium in half just behind the ear region, creating a slot where a 4‑by‑5‑inch sheet of film can be tucked in.
Once assembled, the macabre device was put to work photographing a variety of landscapes, each shot echoing the unsettling strangeness of its skull‑based construction. The result is a haunting blend of art and anatomy that invites viewers to stare through a literal eye‑hole into another world.
9 Candy
An inventive online confectioner has taken Halloween indulgence to a new level by offering life‑size skulls crafted entirely from premium Belgian chocolate. These edible replicas are anatomically exact, thanks to molds cast from authentic human skulls, ensuring every groove and cavity is faithfully reproduced.
The chocolate skulls remain fresh for up to six months and come in a tempting array of flavors—dark, milk, spicy chili, and silky caramel. Each piece is hand‑cast and finished with a fine dusting of chocolate powder, turning a morbid curiosity into a deliciously sweet treat.
8 Cups
Archaeologists uncovered 14,700‑year‑old human skulls in Gough’s Cave, Somerset, England, that were once used as drinking vessels. Scientists from London’s Natural History Museum suggest the skull cups were employed in ritual contexts, perhaps to hold ceremonial libations.
These ancient skull cups weren’t unique to Britain; later cultures in Tibet, Fiji, and India also repurposed skulls as chalices. While the exact beverage remains a mystery, other ritual skulls hint at possibilities ranging from blood and wine to simple food offerings.
7 Kapalas
In Sanskrit, the word kapala encompasses a range of meanings—skull, bowl, vessel, and even begging bowl—reflecting the diverse roles these objects played. Two primary forms exist: a complete skull and a skull cap, which is essentially the upper half of the cranium.
Monastic practitioners used kapalas to hold dough cakes or wine, symbolizing flesh and blood offerings to wrathful deities in Hindu India and Buddhist Tibet. When rituals demanded other substances, kapalas could contain “divine nectar,” ranging from vital fluids like semen to fresh blood, marrow, intestines, and even the organs of demonic foes. Consuming from a kapala was believed to transfer the knowledge and personality of the original skull’s owner, with especially potent effects attributed to skulls of prepubescent children or offspring of incestuous unions.
6 Lyre
One of the strangest musical artifacts is a lyre fashioned from a human skull. The top of the cranium was removed, and the remaining portion was wrapped in skin to create a flat surface. Hair strands were sewn along the skin’s edges, antelope horns were affixed to the back, and a wooden stick was mounted atop the horns. Antelope gut, threaded through the eye sockets, formed the instrument’s strings.
Originally thought to hail from South America, the lyre actually represents Central African craftsmanship and was likely produced by an indigenous entrepreneur for trade with 19th‑century Europeans. Today, this eerie instrument resides in the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s musical instrument collection in New York.
5 Masks
Archaeologists have uncovered eight masks in an Aztec temple at Tenochtitlan, each fashioned from human skulls. Scholars believe the skulls originated from slain warriors and elite members of Aztec society, likely obtained through ritual beheadings.
These decorative headpieces were worn by the social elite. Some masks feature an Aztec‑style knife inserted into the nose cavity, while others have pyrite eyes set into the eye sockets, creating a striking, otherworldly appearance.
4 Props
Legend has it that Disneyland’s Pirates of the Caribbean attraction once displayed actual human skeletons. While Walt Disney approved the attraction, the Imagineers found the faux skeletons lacking realism and convinced friends at UCLA Medical Center to provide authentic anatomical props.
Eventually, the original skeletons were swapped out for expertly crafted replicas, and the genuine bones were reportedly returned to their countries of origin for proper burial. Despite these assurances, rumors persist that a few authentic skeletons may still linger behind the scenes.
3 Rattles
Among the oddities housed by the Tennessee Department of Conservation are rattles made from human skulls. These artifacts were uncovered at the Pinson Mound mortuary complex in Madison County, positioned beside the knees of an adult male. The skull rattles were filled with tiny yellow quartzite river pebbles, and drilled holes allowed them to be tied together, producing a distinctive clacking sound when shaken.
Accompanying beads of ovoid shell may have been attached to the rattles. One rattle bears maze‑like motifs over a cross‑hatched background that could represent basket weaving, with a central oval possibly symbolizing a bird’s eye. The other features similar basket‑weave patterns interspersed with three diamonds, each containing smaller diamonds, perhaps signifying the four winds.
2 Ritual Objects Or Trophies
In a Stone Age settlement near Motala, Sweden, archaeologists uncovered eleven skulls and fragments dating back 8,000 years. Two of these—one whole and one split in half—were pierced and mounted on stakes, a practice unique to this prehistoric period.
Scholars debate the purpose: one theory suggests secondary burial rites, where bones were re‑interred after the body decomposed; another proposes the skulls belonged to defeated foes, displayed as war trophies. Ongoing chemical analyses of sulphur and strontium isotopes aim to determine whether the remains are local or imported.
1 Tools
Excavations at the ancient city of Teotihuacan near modern‑day Mexico City revealed a staggering five thousand skulls, bones, and fragments. Researchers found that the Teotihuacanos transformed these human remains into everyday implements—buttons, combs, needles, spatulas, and numerous other utilitarian objects.
The artisans selected adult skeletons in the prime of life, ensuring the bones were relatively fresh. By analyzing the distinctive frontal sinus bone, which acts like a fingerprint, researchers confirmed the remains belonged to local inhabitants rather than foreign sacrificial victims. The bones displayed only marks from defleshing, with no evidence of ritual sacrifice.
Among the scholars involved, Gary Pullman, a university instructor and author of the urban‑fantasy novel A Whole World Full of Hurt, highlighted the intersection of archaeological discovery and imaginative storytelling, underscoring how these macabre tools inspire both academic inquiry and creative fiction.