Blood

Following their normal custom, they cut themselves with knives and swords until the blood gushed out..

1 Kings 18:28

So called Paganism is cool in some circles these days, but most of these modern day trendies are Pagan Lite.  Now I'm far from an expert on Shinto, so if you are I'd be interested to hear from you quite how far asceticism goes in this country. I've heard about people standing nearly naked under waterfalls as a religious practise, but I think those guys are a particular kind of Buddhist. Catholics admittedly are into mortification of the flesh, or at least they used to be, Filipinos seem to go further than most in that direction these days. Us Anglicans are more used to Jumble sales than whips and hairshirts, I think.

 It's easy to make fun of the loonies in this text mutilating themselves, but in one sense they had it right. Old time Pagans understood that blood pacts are important. It is easy to say, 'An eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind' but when it is your loved one that has been horrifically tortured many will want vengence.

Christians are mocked these days for venerating the death of Christ, but that is what Christianity is. A blood pact with  Almighty God. Sounds primitive to modern liberal sophisticated ears, but talk to me when your granddaughter has been raped or murdered. Evil needs a solution, and Christ is that solution.