Tantric Death-goddess Kali Ma,
Indian, 17th century.
In many areas woman really did cannibalize the dead, with the benevolent purpose of becoming pregnant with their spirits and so giving them another birth. Even when cannibalism was replaced by symbolic imi
tations, such as rituals of sacrifice and communion, the Death-goddess was still represented by corpse eating creatures like vultures, crows, dogs, and swine.
-Feb 08