Kearlic Funeral Customs

(Or how the Kearls spite grave robbers and Necromancers.)

Written by HistoryNeopagan4

'And then upon the corpse of Fallen Armanen Shield-Breaker, they set his arms and armor; furthermore, 1/4th of all his riches-of which could fill over 200 Dwarven Longships-were set about him. And his daughter, Great Queen Analade, raised her left hand, and unleashed a tide of flame upon the body of the fallen King; as he burned she sang a song of grief, that all Kearlic women sing at the funeral of kin and kith. And in the defiance of his foes, Queen Adelade commissioned a Runestone to be made in her fathers honor, at the Slopes of Mount Teutoburg, where the fighting stregth of Alfheim had gone forth to die." -The Death-Saga of Armanen Shield-Breaker, King of the Teutoburg Mount and Wood.

History

In ancient times, at the dawn of the Kearlic race, they were oft found weak against the mighty Dragosaurs, who hunted the Proto-Kearls with impunity. Over time, seeing their kin and kith being eaten by their enemies made the Proto-Kearls adapt a tradition of spiting their enemies; since Dragosaurs could simply dig up buried corpses, the Proto-Kearls began burning their dead. Later on, when they began worshipping the Kearlic Gods, their Holy Book said, "And when your fellow Kearls fall, let not their bodies rot: let them burn, that their rest may not be disturbed by the vile Necromancers, or else otherwise dishonored by the beasts of the field."

Execution

The "Common" Kearls will often be cremated with several hundred others, often in a pile (as in after a great battle) to save on time and resources; they will often have their arms and armor, and little else. "Noble" Kearls will be set upon great pyres, with their arms, armor, and a portion of their wealth to. A close friend or family member will either give the order, or they themselves will ignite the pyre, so that the spirits of the fallen will achieve the Halls of the Gods.

Components and tools

The weapons of the dead, some wood/oil/flammable substance.

Participants

The friends, family, and comrades of the fallen. (In other words, any one who happens to be there.)

Observance

After a Kearl has been slain; typically they take place on the site of death.