Sefdaanian Ethnography Chapter 17 - Death and Burial

Funeral rites

• The funeral is seen as a rite of passage from this life to the next, for all the Peoples believe in a life after death.
• The Pyrans cremate their dead. There is a cremation site outside of every da̋bo. The ashes of the deceased are kept in the home of the deceased in a place of honor and are buried on the following vernal equinox in a remote area a distance from the da̋bo.
• The Hydorans wrap the body of the deceased in a shroud of cattail cloth (kurðǫ̋ro) and place it on a raft of reeds (ġorþę̋mo). The raft is set free in swiftly flowing water to be taken down to the sea. If it sinks in the river, or when it sinks in the ocean, the body is left to the forces of nature. Any Hydoran who finds such a raft caught on a rock or other obstacle is bound to set it free to continue its journey.
• The Humans wrap the body of the deceased securely in a shroud of horse leather. This shroud is made from the hide of the deceased’s steed. After a six-day period of mourning, which includes a feast each evening on the steed’s flesh, the deceased is buried some distance from the ce̋iɱo in a communal cemetery (dęda̋ro).
• The Lithans bury their dead in stone coffins in a cave set aside for this purpose. A year after the death, the bones ???

Murder

• Murder is a criminal offense, and a sin, among the Peoples. However, there is no capital punishment among the Peoples. The supreme punishment is branding and exile (ka̋sa). The exilee (ka̋saþu) may then choose to wander aimlessly, to join the ranks of the sundered, or to enter a caravansary and work to atone for his sin.

Suicide

• Suicide is not a crime among the Peoples. It is, however, a sin and must be answered for at the judgment.
• The body of the suicide is treated as reverently as the body of any other deceased.