Tormian Funerals

Content Warning

Discussion of death, loss, grief, handling of the deceased, and very deep water.

Torm cultures honor their deceased in water funerals. They celebrate the influence the deceased had in life before sending their body to the depths below to provide sustenance for the planet.

History

Early researchers on Torm grappled with how to handle the deceased far earlier in their journeys than they'd expected. They were on board a zaratan during a storm and weren't prepared for her to dive under the ocean's surface. Tossing remains into the sea made the most economical sense - there's no easy means of burial or cremation - but provided little solace to grieving survivors. Among their lessons sent to the leaders on board Leviathan, was to codify a more comforting means of honoring the dead.
Meanwhile, these leaders were seeking ways to promote symbiosis between Leviathan and his new human companions. If they were to encourage oneness between humans and the natural world during day-to-day life, they reasoned, they should also find a way to do so with death.

Process

Funerary traditions have evolved drastically over the near-thousand years humans have lived on Torm. Difference cities make their own changes over time, and then spread some of those changes to new cities when inhabitants migrate. Yet there are key aspects that remain the same across Torm: reverence of the sea, and focus on the legacy of the deceased.

Mourning Period

The mourning period prior to the funeral is a time of quiet contemplation and remembrance of the life that has now ended. Surviving friends and family take this time to document how the deceased impacted others, and how they will be remembered going forward. They often get together over meals to share stories of how their loved one changed their lives and the lives of those around them.
Though mourning itself will last far longer than these few days, this particular period is dedicated to coping with grief and supporting each other through the difficult time.

Funerary Rites

At the funeral itself, speakers take turns sharing words about the deceased, often including what they've written during the preceding mourning period. When they are ready, the prayer begins, led by a Ahl-amaq priest. During the prayer, the body is placed on a platform on the water and Ahl-amaq attendants cover it with a white shroud. The shroud is tied with weights, either by attendants or by loved ones escorted over.

As the prayer nears its end, attendants release the body from the platform, so it may sink to the depths below. Over the next week, the shroud will disintigrate, allowing the body to become sustenance for the planet. It is believed that, upon death, the soul is released to the heavens. The funeral releases the body to the seas.

Dark blue is the customary color for funerals, representing both the deep of the ocean and the evening sky. White represents transition.

Zaratan Funerals

Much of the same process is followed for honored a deceased zaratan. Typically, they only pass through natural means and old age, as human intervention helps prevent disease or predator-related deaths. These funerals have a much larger audience, and are often broadcasted live for those who couldn't take the journey to participate in person. In some cases, other zaratan arrive to mourn their fallen, typically close family or bonded partners of the deceased.
The most recent zaratan funeral was in 3208, when a young zaratan died as result of Syndicate poachers harvesting his shell to sell.

Information

Primary Related Location

Torm

Related Organizations

• Ahl-amaqism

Related

may the winds acceept your soul,
as it has left this world behind
to fly free and join the heavens

may the waves welcome your body
born to this world and returned to it
to be one with the creatures it holds

as we give you to the depths we know
that though you are gone,
you are not forgotten

you will return to us in a million ways
and in a million ways, we will honor you
and the memories we will always have

lilriy hewal-emwaji

— Tormian funeral prayer