would a blood elf eating a night elf be cannibalism? I mean they don’t seem to be the same species, but what would cannibalism in the WoW universe even be classified as? Would the line be set as “if a member of one sentient species ate another one”?
In the real world, cannibalism is classified as eating humans because humans are the only sapient race that exists. I’m sure if elves, orcs, dwarves, etc. existed in real life, that definition would likely extend to any sapient race as well, as I’m sure it does in WoW.
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Reminder that humans eat dragon meat.
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I’d say that wouldn’t fall under ‘cannibalism’, as they’re bestial, not humanoid.
Depends on what definition you go by. If it’s “consuming the flesh of someone of same species”, then I personally wouldn’t see a belf eating a human, for example, as cannibalism. I can imagine a troll or even a worgen snacking on a vanquished enemy and it doesn’t seem like cannibalism.
That seems like a weird way to define it.
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I personally would define cannibalism in WoW as a sapient eating another sapient. Doing some quick research I managed to find a line from Warcraft 3 that arguably supports this:
“The barbarous centaur attacked our village recently. Our chieftain’s only son–Baine, was taken captive. The centaur are cannibals and do not keep prisoners for long. We searched everywhere for a sign that Baine was still alive, but we found no trace of him.”
Tagar seems to imply the Centaur eat their prisoners and may be preparing to eat Baine. I can only assume that the mention of them being cannibals also means that this is considered cannibalism in universe.
There’s also the Undead racial Cannibalize which applies to all humanoids rather than just those of the species.
It’s cannibalism if you consume the flesh of a humanoid or an undead humanoid.
That seems to follow a lot more. Who cares about if someone is eating something that looks human when the primary issue with cannibalism has been the fact you’re eating a thinking being.
Especially in Warcraft where transformation magics exist.
To define what, cannibalism? Wasn’t what I was saying. You pointed out that humans eat dragons - presumably, you’re point to the fact that we canonically can eat a sentient species - and I say, so what?
I don’t think we’re on the same page, here. Cannibalism is explicitly eating your own race. When you add more races that have ‘human intelligence’, the concept is dead, insofar as it’s not cannibalism if a draenei eats a dwarf.
Oh, ok. Because that’s what it sounded like by saying it wouldn’t fall under cannibalism.
Then mentioning they’re bestial and not humanoid isn’t relevant.
I think a lot of people use it broader than that and it is still a fine concept. But to each their own.
I mean, as far as I know there’s not a word that means “cannibalism, except it’s not the same race but for other sentient species”, 'cause that’s what you’d be after. Alas.
In my experience, that’s actually how cannibalism is used conversationally.
thats a very specific question, are you okay?
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The way Cannibalism works is you find a corpse that counts as humanoid, and if you are undead you can eat it to restore health.
The way cannibalism has worked classically in a fantasy setting is that evil tribes who eat meat exclusively are regarded as cannibals by all the sentient races that they eat - so yes, a Troll would be considered a cannibalistic monster by a dwarf, or an elf, or a human, or even a dragon if they were eating them.
If the Troll happens views himself as not technically a cannibal and merely a gourmet is beside the point.