Shiz' beheading always reminds me of the famous "Michael" the chicken from the early 1900's whose owners decapitated him one day, with several other chickens on their farm. However Michael lived. Here's a great link to his story. https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-34198390 Shiz was lucky...he only had to suffer headless for a few minutes at most, michael lived 18 months with out a head.
David FidjelandDecember 8, 2016
As a licensed Paramedic (now retired), I once transported a man to the hospital after attempting suicids by a high powered rifle. Trying to be tactful with the description, nothing remained from the jaw up, meaning the front half of his head, everything forward of his ears, was gone. We found him lying on his stomach & up on his forearms, trying to breath. All we could do is transport him in this position as he couldn't hear, see, or speak to us, & could not comprehend anything we tried to do, just struggling in his misery. He died about an hour after.
As the brain is very different between chickens & humans, being of a low order with a very different physiology, that analogy does not equate
ReaderofbooksDecember 8, 2016
Interesting how the Book of Mormon almost begins with a decapitation and almost ends with one. Chiasmis (sp) again.
Dr. Craig R. FrogleyDecember 8, 2016
Having taught neurology at a professional level I recognized that both this account and the story of Nephi "spitting off" the heads of Laban and then putting all his clothes on apparently with no traces of large amounts of blood were problems needing scholarship. Chickens may run without heads but humans don't. The mid-brain décapitation solution might work for Shiz but it would take a harder blow and suppose that there was no helmet on shiz. I found a more Logical solution by searching the scriptures for language consistency and idiom usage. In Judges 5:26 Deborah is extolled for saving Israel by killing Sisera. She drove a nail... a tent nail through his skull as he slept. But they text says "she smote off his head" with a nail. You can't decapitate with a nail but she dealt a fatal blow to the head...which is what the idiom meant. This explains how Laban could have his head smitten off without profuse blood loss and how Shiz could still struggle for breath and do that pushup before dying.
Bob SiskDecember 8, 2016
All one has to do is observe the chicken immediately after beheading.
Marti ScottDecember 8, 2016
I found it gross, but not impossible. I have seen a chicken or two move for a while after getting their heads cut off.
Linda PowellDecember 8, 2016
This may not be close to what you have said. However this has brought doubts to me as I am old enough to have seen chickens containing running and flailing after their heads have been taken off by hand. This was the process of providing a chicken for dinner.
Barry HansenDecember 8, 2016
Thank you for this interesting article. I wonder why you say that Coriantumr was too tired to perform a proper decapitation, as if he meant to do it. The previous verse (30) suggests his action was accidental, not intentional: "And it came to pass that when Coriantumr had leaned upon his sword, that he rested a little, he smote off the head of Shiz."
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JDecember 12, 2016
Shiz' beheading always reminds me of the famous "Michael" the chicken from the early 1900's whose owners decapitated him one day, with several other chickens on their farm. However Michael lived. Here's a great link to his story. https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-34198390 Shiz was lucky...he only had to suffer headless for a few minutes at most, michael lived 18 months with out a head.
David FidjelandDecember 8, 2016
As a licensed Paramedic (now retired), I once transported a man to the hospital after attempting suicids by a high powered rifle. Trying to be tactful with the description, nothing remained from the jaw up, meaning the front half of his head, everything forward of his ears, was gone. We found him lying on his stomach & up on his forearms, trying to breath. All we could do is transport him in this position as he couldn't hear, see, or speak to us, & could not comprehend anything we tried to do, just struggling in his misery. He died about an hour after. As the brain is very different between chickens & humans, being of a low order with a very different physiology, that analogy does not equate
ReaderofbooksDecember 8, 2016
Interesting how the Book of Mormon almost begins with a decapitation and almost ends with one. Chiasmis (sp) again.
Dr. Craig R. FrogleyDecember 8, 2016
Having taught neurology at a professional level I recognized that both this account and the story of Nephi "spitting off" the heads of Laban and then putting all his clothes on apparently with no traces of large amounts of blood were problems needing scholarship. Chickens may run without heads but humans don't. The mid-brain décapitation solution might work for Shiz but it would take a harder blow and suppose that there was no helmet on shiz. I found a more Logical solution by searching the scriptures for language consistency and idiom usage. In Judges 5:26 Deborah is extolled for saving Israel by killing Sisera. She drove a nail... a tent nail through his skull as he slept. But they text says "she smote off his head" with a nail. You can't decapitate with a nail but she dealt a fatal blow to the head...which is what the idiom meant. This explains how Laban could have his head smitten off without profuse blood loss and how Shiz could still struggle for breath and do that pushup before dying.
Bob SiskDecember 8, 2016
All one has to do is observe the chicken immediately after beheading.
Marti ScottDecember 8, 2016
I found it gross, but not impossible. I have seen a chicken or two move for a while after getting their heads cut off.
Linda PowellDecember 8, 2016
This may not be close to what you have said. However this has brought doubts to me as I am old enough to have seen chickens containing running and flailing after their heads have been taken off by hand. This was the process of providing a chicken for dinner.
Barry HansenDecember 8, 2016
Thank you for this interesting article. I wonder why you say that Coriantumr was too tired to perform a proper decapitation, as if he meant to do it. The previous verse (30) suggests his action was accidental, not intentional: "And it came to pass that when Coriantumr had leaned upon his sword, that he rested a little, he smote off the head of Shiz."
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