Perceptions of what happens to a person after the afterlife are different in different cultures and religions. And although most beliefs are associated with the existence of an afterlife, views on many aspects of that same afterlife - location, accessibility, conditions of existence - in different cultures sometimes differ dramatically. In our review, we will focus on funeral traditions that were supposed to guarantee the deceased success in the afterlife.
1. Roads of the dead
Coffin roads
During the Middle Ages, the churches were very zealous for the members of their parishes. When someone from the parish died, the church buried this person in its own cemetery. This was done because it was “right,” and also because the church received money for the funeral ceremony.
New villages and farmsteads appeared, which meant that the local parish church could be located many kilometers from the village and the body had to be taken to the church cemetery for a long time.
As a result, the idea of a road of the dead was born that connected the settlement with the cemetery. Also, such roads were known as coffin roads, church roads, or cemetery roads. Most often they went through deserted places in which it was difficult to navigate.
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This was partly due to the fact that landowners did not want the roads of the dead to run alongside the standard routes used for trade and travel, and partly because of the belief that spirits could only travel in a straight line.
Thus, winding roads with many intersections ensured that the spirit of the deceased could not return to its former home. In addition, it was believed that spirits could not cross flowing water, so many roads of the deceased crossed rivers. Today, many of these roads have disappeared into history, but some still exist today, especially in the UK and the Netherlands.
2. Portraits on the coffin
Coffin with a portrait
The term "coffin with a portrait" refers to a trend that was popular in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in the 17th and 18th centuries - an extremely realistic portrait of the deceased was placed on the coffin for burial, which was removed only before the burial.
It is important that these portraits are realistic, giving the impression that the deceased is watching their funeral. These portraits also symbolized the timelessness of the spiritual body, which will be resurrected at the Last Judgment, in contrast to the natural body, which must be buried.
The tradition of coffin portraits dates back to ancient Egypt, where they were known as mummy portraits, as well as the so-called Fayum portraits that were popular during the Greek and Roman occupation of Egypt.
3. Totenpass
Passport of the Dead
Totenpass or "Passport of the Dead" - small tablets with inscriptions that were used in the ancient Egyptian and Semitic religions. The golden inscriptions on the tablets were instructions for the deceased on how to navigate in the afterlife, where to go, and how to answer judges in the afterlife.
The totenpass was often placed in the hands of the deceased or rolled up into a capsule that was hung around the neck or placed in the mouth of the deceased. The most famous example of totenpass is the so-called Orphic golden tablets, which were found from Macedonia to the Greek islands.
4. Kkoktu
Korean funeral dolls
Kkoktu is a word used to describe small, brightly colored Korean funerary dolls made of wood that were used to decorate coffins. They depicted people, animals and mythical creatures. Unlike most of the very dark funerary art in other countries, these dolls were bright, festive and eye-catching.
In addition, their use was not limited to aristocrats, ordinary people also used kkokta. While the gaiety of kkoktu may seem out of place during mourning, it symbolizes Koreans' desire for their loved ones to move to another world surrounded by care and joy. These festively painted figurines of animals and people were often placed on a stretcher (which was used to carry a coffin or corpse to the grave).
Kkoktu was made in various forms, the most common being a guide, guard, guardian, and jester. The guide was portrayed as a mount that leads the soul of the deceased to another world. The guard was often portrayed as a warrior whose goal was to protect the soul from evil spirits.
The guardian usually took the form of a woman who helped the spirit. Finally, the jester was often portrayed as a clown or acrobat to comfort the deceased and distract mourners from their grief. Also popular were figurines in the form of phoenixes, dragons and goblins, which symbolized the freedom of the soul.
5. Obols of Charon and Danaki
Charon's Coin
"Obol Charon" is a coin that the ancient Greeks allegedly used as payment for the ferryman Charon for transportation across the Styx - the river that separates the world of the living and the world of the dead. Such a coin was placed under the tongue of the deceased.
Originally the term obol referred to a small silver ancient Greek coin, but after the Greek-speaking cities of the Mediterranean were absorbed by the Roman Empire, the term came to mean any low denomination bronze coin.
In addition to obols, similar coins existed among the ancient Persians, where they were called Danaki. The image on the Danaks was on only one side of the coin. One of these surviving coins depicts a bee, which may have been a wish for a sweet life after death.
6. The Terrible Lands of Xibalba
Xibalba - Place of Fear
The Maya believed that the posthumous world, also known as Xibalba (translated as "Place of Fear"), was a terrible place that had its own landscape, gods and bloodthirsty predators. In Mayan culture, the deceased was often buried with corn placed in his mouth so that his soul had something to eat during the difficult journey through the terrible lands of Xibalba. In addition to corn, one or more jade beads were also often placed in the mouth of the deceased.
7. Kulap
Limestone or chalk figurines
Kulap are limestone or chalk figurines that were once part of an important funerary ritual in southern New Ireland in Papua New Guinea. These figurines were used in tribute to the memory of the dead, and they were made by specialists from the Rossel Mountains, where limestone quarries were located. Kulap served as the temporary habitat of the dead on Earth and prevented the spirit of the deceased person from wandering around the village, harming the living.
After the funeral, relatives passed the kulap to the local leader, who placed it in the memorial temple next to other kulap. Only men were allowed inside the memorial temple, who could see the kulap and perform ritual dances. They abandoned the kulap only in the late 19th - early 20th centuries after the adoption of Christianity.
8. Amatl
Paper made from tree bark
During the heyday of Aztec culture, when the Aztecs of low or medium status were dying, special funeral masters were invited to perform funeral rites to prepare the body for the afterlife. During the ceremony, water was poured on the head of the deceased, and the body was also dressed in accordance with the condition of the deceased person or the circumstances of his death.
For example, if a person died from drinking, then he was dressed in clothes with the symbols of Patecatl, the god of wine and drunkards. One of the most significant rites was wrapping the deceased in paper made from bark, known as amatl.
9. Funeral amulets
There are hundreds of varieties of amulets
The ancient Egyptians believed that amulets have magical powers and are able to protect their owners and bring them happiness. They wore amulets around their necks, wrists, fingers, and ankles from a very young age. Nevertheless, amulets were just as important in death as they were in life.
For burial, there were hundreds of varieties of amulets, and they were chosen depending on the wealth of the deceased and individual preferences. Selected amulets were carefully placed on various parts of the mummy.
10. "Sayings of the day out"
Book of the Dead
The Egyptian Book of the Dead is better known as the "Daily Quit Sayings". It was a collection of magical spells and formulas designed to help the deceased navigate and navigate the afterlife.
The Egyptians believed that life after death was a continuation of life on Earth, and also that after the deceased had solved all problems and was sentenced in the Hall of Truth, he would be allowed to enter a paradise that would reflect his life on Earth.
To get permission to enter heaven, a person had to know where to go, how to address the gods and what to say at a certain time. This is where the Book of the Dead was needed.