Sardinia, a peaceful, scenic grace of mother nature located in Italy. For your bucket list,you relive the heroic moment of the Odyssey of Homer or dive into the deep, thoughtful philosophy of the great Greek philosophers or simply lay back and relax in the exotic breeze of the mediterranean sea. But don’t let this imagery deceive you from some ominous, some sinister thing that lies in the stains of history: the sardonic grin.
The sardonic grin or sometimes called the rictus grin is a type of smile or facial
expression found on the face of a deceased person, identified by striking ear-to-ear smile and raised eyebrows. It is derived from the Latin phrase Sardonius risus which translates to Sardinian laughter. This is often portrayed in the media to address the
psychotic, mysterious or malicious persona of serial killers or murderers. Perhaps the most common example can be said for The Joker from DC comics or Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight trilogy for the pop culture enthusiasts out there. The roots of this grin can be traced back to theater plays.
So the question arises, why should the dead smile? Is it for the relief from their worldly duties or is it beyond understanding to instill fear in the minds of the living? In 2009, a group of scientists from University of Eastern Piedmont in Italy discovered that the
sardonic grin can be formed for strychnine poisoning, tetanus or from coming in contact with a plant called the Hemlock Water-Dropwort (Oenanthe Crocata). Yes, the same substance written in historical transcripts and literature, some poets also romanticized this. This plant is highly toxic in nature. It contains a special substance or neurotoxin
which makes a person dizzy or feel numb. It can also cause nausea or vomiting. The substance in the plant causes the facial muscle to contract or muscle spasms thus making the eerie expression of the mysterious sardonic grin. Ingesting the plant makes death inevitable sooner or later. Well sooner than a person’s possible natural death.
Now let’s go back to Sardinia. The ancient Sardinian people followed a strange ritual to kill people of old age in the mask of mercy killing. Unlike modern day euthanasia performed on patients with both the consent from the person or their family members,the Sardinians, of course the history being filled with notion of lawlessness, performed
this strange function to get rid of the pain of old people by executing them by throwing them from high places or cliffs or simply smashing their heads. And before this ritual they were given this neurotoxic herb which was believed to ease or dull their pain.
There was a common practice of making people consume the plant extracts before they were about to be executed. Greek philosopher Socrates was made to drink hemlock before his execution when he was convicted for spoiling the youth by the court.
All the things about Sardinia or the sardonic grin aren’t dark or creepy. Just like a smile or a beautiful place, there are positive things too. There were practices of using the hemlock water-dropwort for rash, pimples or inflammation although they lack solid evidence. Scientists are studying the sardonic smile and the hemlock water-dropwort, to find if it’s possible to reverse engineer and find a possible cure for patients who are
going through paralysis.
So, keep smiling, as it radiates positive energy and keeps your mental health sound as well as the people around you. And don’t go to the images section when you search the sardonic grin on google.
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Writer
B M Nazmus Sakib Jitu
Intern Content Writer
YSSE