# re: Ed Gein as source for Hannibal Lecter **URL:** \ **Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\ **Created:** [August 22, 2000, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-ed-gein-as-source-for-hannibal-lecter/30354 "2000-08-22T21:08:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2000, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-ed-gein-as-source-for-hannibal-lecter/30354/1 "2000-08-22T21:08:48Z")
Browsing through old columns I stumbled upon [this one,](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/970328.html) in which Cecil says “Gein was also one of the sources for Hannibal the Cannibal in The Silence of the Lambs.” Didn’t he mean that Gein was a source for Buffalo Bill? Ed Gein preserved his mother’s skin and claimed sometimes to wear it around the house; I’m not sure he was ever shown to be a cannibal. Postscript: just sought out the column again, to confirm before I submitted this, and realized suddenly that I must be entirely insane and will probably soon succumb to strange taxidermic urges myself unless I get some help. At any rate, I’m apparently seeing things. _Now_ the column simply says: “Gein was also the source for a character in _The Silence of the Lambs_.” Then I see [bloodcurdling shriek]_**there’s more than one version of the column posted [here](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/970328.html)!**_[/bloodcurdling shriek]. What gives? ---
**Author:** ![Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/50afbb/32.png) [@Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duck_Duck_Goose)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2000, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-ed-gein-as-source-for-hannibal-lecter/30354/2 "2000-08-22T21:37:24Z")
First link provided: [http://www.straightdope.com/columns/970328.html](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/970328.html) says, “Gein was also one of the sources for Hannibal the Cannibal in The Silence of the Lambs”. Second link provided: [http://www.straightdope.com/columns/970328.html](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/970328.html) says, “Gein was also one of the sources for Hannibal the Cannibal in The Silence of the Lambs”. Eh, **Lissener,** better stop your shrieking and get your clipboard tidied up. Eh? You are not insane. The column did not change. The question then becomes, “What DID you load, the second time?” But you’re right, the column should say “Buffalo Bill”, not Hannibal. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2000, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-ed-gein-as-source-for-hannibal-lecter/30354/3 "2000-08-22T21:37:29Z")
There are, indeed, sometimes more than one version of a column posted online (first as a current column, and then later as a classic), and there are occasionally minor differences between the two. However, both of the links you give in your OP are to the same version, the one which specifically mentions Hannibal the Canibal. Ordinarily, I would search up the other one for you, but the search feature seems to be suffering from a regression back to its childhood, so no dice there. I suspect that either the original column had the mistake, and a later version corrected it, or the original version was correct, and an editor decided to “fix” it in a later version by specifying the character. ---
**Author:** ![Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/50afbb/32.png) [@Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duck_Duck_Goose)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2000, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-ed-gein-as-source-for-hannibal-lecter/30354/4 "2000-08-22T21:40:03Z")
Egad, how I adore simulposts! **Chronos,** you are the soul of tact. Me, I would have phrased it less gently (“Search function sucks”, perhaps?) ---
**Author:** ![zut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zut/32/2875_2.png) [@zut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zut)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2000, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-ed-gein-as-source-for-hannibal-lecter/30354/5 "2000-08-22T21:51:43Z")
The other column **lissener** refers to is the “classic” one located at the following: [http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a5\_253.html](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a5_253.html) So, the “classic” column contains the “a character” reference, and the “original” column contains the “Hannibal the Cannibal” reference. I assume that implies that the first of **Chronos’s** two guesses is the more likely. ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2000, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-ed-gein-as-source-for-hannibal-lecter/30354/6 "2000-08-22T23:11:12Z")
Oh. My. God. I copy/pasted both quotes so I know I’m not making it up. Searched again, but the search engine just kind of groaned and turned away. Is it not feeling well? Try again. [Jeopardy theme]. . .[/Jeopardy theme] [Got it!](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a5_253.html) ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2000, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-ed-gein-as-source-for-hannibal-lecter/30354/7 "2000-08-22T23:15:58Z")
. . . Apparently it’s not just the search engine that’s not all it should be. I refreshed this page just to be sure before I wrote my above (redundant, unnecessary) post, but the two posts above it had not shown up yet. Sorry for the unnecessary post, and the unnecessary post apologizing for the unnecessary post. Thought I’d get that out of the way right here rather than post again in order to [fading] apol–th–[fadi ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2000, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-ed-gein-as-source-for-hannibal-lecter/30354/8 "2000-08-23T00:11:35Z")
No, when I say the “search” function regressed to its childhood, I meant it. I got a page saying, among other things, that you could also search on the AOL Straight Dope site, but that that would expire in April, 1999. In retrospect, I think this might be because I used the “search” link from the top of the (old) column, rather than the one from the front page. ---
**Author:** ![Mockingbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c68b51/32.png) [@Mockingbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mockingbird)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2000, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-ed-gein-as-source-for-hannibal-lecter/30354/9 "2000-08-25T19:49:15Z")
Gein could be considered the inspiration for Lechter because they were both cannibals. As a former Wisconsinite, Gein lore is a morbid fascination when growing up and most male high schoolers read the book written by the judge of the case. As I’m from Oshkosh, Wisconsin, Gein was institutionalized at Winnebago Mental Health Institute, just outside of town. When he died of old age, it was front page news. Creepy.