In a lot of ways, it's just a gourd.

Every year during the Halloween season, millions of people go out and buy their own, and

then they bring it home and carve it.

This gourd might be over 200 years old, but the artwork carved into its surface would

feel right at home in any pumpkin carving competition.

Except this century's old gourd has something special inside it.

Human blood.

In fact, legend says that it once contained the blood of the beheaded French ruler, King

Louis XVI.

Apparently, someone wanted to remember that fateful execution day so badly that they

soaked their hankered chief in his blood, and then drained it into this hollow fruit.

In 2013, scientists put folklore to the test and took a sample from inside the gourd.

It was blood alright, and when it was compared to a sample taken from the mummified head

of King Louis XVI, they had a match.

Maybe that original collector had a morbid fascination with death, or perhaps they heard

the King's final words, and took them literally.

I hope that my blood, Louis had said, may cement the good fortune of the French.

Blood is a magical thing.

From the medical standpoint, it's the life force that flows through our veins, and without

it, we're nothing more than an empty shell.

But it's also a symbol of power and life, and the most valuable thing a person can give

up.

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