I don't see what I have mentioned previously that would preclude these elements in a burial cermony. Of course they would want their loved ones to go to a better place. In Orlanthi cultures (and others), I believe everyone must come before Daka Fal where a persons god can plead for you. Yes, I would assume that this is part of the reason for the praising of deeds.
>Very true, but I doubt if this would translate to Glorantha. The
>Ressurrection spell exists, even if not in as much abundance as some games
>would suggest. And ancestor spirits are *expected* to take part in clan
>life!
>There might of course be attempts to ensure that the dead didn't come
>back as *undead*, but burning the body would be quite enough, surely?
By the number of haunting spirits (ghosts, etc.) that show up in the Runequest materials, I think that making sure the ancestor spirits go to their rightful place in Hell is very important. You could translate the 'making sure the dead don't come back to life' as 'making sure the dead don't haunt their home'. Also, not everyone burns their dead, so rituals that would prevent someone from being turned to undead would be important (but futile IMO). Issaries, Lankhor Mhy, Storm Bullist, etc (in the Orlanthi pantheon) don't. As far as ancestors taking part in clan life, that is more true with the Praxians and Pentians. I am not sure with the Orlanthi. Again, I think the distinction is between the haunting part and the connection with ancestors through proper rituals with priests and shamans. With the rituals, there is a spiritual connection with the dead, a gateway being open. In peoples minds, I would view this as the proper way to worship my ancestors, not that they would be hanging around the dinner table constantly.
>> IMO the funeral ceremony was the grieving period and would take a
>> couple of days to complete (whith preparations, burial, celebration
>> afterwards, etc).
>Mmmm. Ever lost anyone close to you? The grieving period generally takes
>a bit longer than that.
I was refering more to the ritualistic/ceremonial part and the obvious signs that someone has died. Of course, close family members and friends would be heart-broken for longer periods of time, though death in barbarian cultures was not as sombre (it seems) than in modern cultures. Many speculate that this is because death was a bit more common than today. Comparing what an individual feels about death today does not necessarily hold for past cultures.
>> If you are looking for something simple (such as the excellent death rune
>> in ashes suggestion), it seems the Scotts would wear black or grey kilts to
>> signify someone died, though how long these were worn for, I do not know.
>Nice one. And grey is easier to come by than black, too. What period of
>history are you quoting here, though? If it was a "kilt", that makes it
>pretty modern.
Yes, Kilts are modern inventions. I should have said more generically Tartans which date much further back in Highlander (and Irish) history. Kilts are just one type of tartan.
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