A Small Sacrifice

Humanity’s relationship with individuals of shorter stature is deeply complex and frequently marked by systemic discrimination. The Incredible Shrinking Man investigates how these deep-seated prejudices blind us to the inherent benefits of smallness, and explores how we can dismantle them.

Across Egypt, Benin, and the Maya and Aztec empires, individuals with dwarfism held prestigious positions that fused royal service with spiritual significance. Unlike cultures that marginalized physical differences, these societies integrated dwarfs into the core political and religious fabric of the state, viewing atypical traits as sacred interventions by the gods. Rather than being discriminated against, they served as trusted personal pages, confidants, and royal advisors. Operating entirely outside traditional military hierarchies, they earned the absolute trust of rulers. This resulted in immense prestige, from leading royal processions in Peru and managing elite goldsmithing workshops in Egypt, to performing vital scribe and divination work for Maya kings.

Spiritually, these cultures believed dwarfs possessed unique cosmic connections. The Incas and Aztecs saw them as deliverers of powerful omens while the Kingdom of Benin revered them as mystical protectors against evil. Yet, their ultimate fates diverged sharply. Driven by a belief in the ongoing power of the deceased ruler, favored Aztec and Maya dwarfs were sometimes ritually sacrificed during an emperor’s funeral, permanently bridging the earthly and supernatural realms to serve their king in the afterlife. Their elevated position was ultimately tied to the ruler. However, high-ranking Egyptian and Inca dwarfs lived out their natural lives and were granted independent, lavish tombs. In both cases, though, it seems that for a little person to be valued and legitimized as an individual, you had to be part of a bigger story. The Incredible Shrinking Man may seem “guilty” of a similar approach, where we value the smallonly as part of our story a world in balance and with an abundance of resources. What we really have to do is value everyone equally, including the small.