Funeral Rites [Archive] - Wizards Community

Funeral Rites [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Roboradish
03-02-05, 07:12 PM My next character will be a very devout cleric of Pelor. Preaches in each town, gives funeral rites to everything he kills, you know the drill.

The problem is, what would a good funeral rite be? Right now, I'll just put a copper coin under their tounge, say "May your soul find peace", and pour Alchemical Fire on their bodies. Is that good, or should I change it?
The_Yellow_Dart_Swinger
03-02-05, 08:34 PM Ask yourself what reasons that the rites stand for. For instance, while the copper coin sounds interesting, why do you do it?

The greeks used to put a coin over each eye so that the dead could give them to the ferryman of the river of styx so they could go to hades. I don't know pelor or the plane he resides in like the back of my hand so I can't really help you out too much. But we know pelor is the god of the sun, so we would have to take the copper coin and make is symbolize something, and why put it under the tounge? An pelor hating undead, it makes sense to see why you would cremate a body though, so that it couldn't be raised as an undead.

Prehaps the copper coin can represent the sun. And the tounge thing I'm stumped on. But when a rite has some symbolic meaning behind it, I think it makes it seem more interesting.
Roboradish
03-03-05, 04:04 PM Honestly, I thought the coin-under-the-tounge thing was what the greeks did. I just thew it in there because it sounded like it needed more stuff.

The cremation would probably have something to do with fire and the sun being similar and 'returning to the sun'.
thegreatbuddha
03-03-05, 07:48 PM It's a hybrid of voodoo and grek rites. In voodoo, salt is placed in the mouth of a zombie to remind it that its dead, thus "killing" it. The Greeks put coins over the eyes as TYDS said.

Hmmm.... my idea would be to leave the dead with their eyes open, and bury them facing the morning sun, so as to see (symbolically of course) the dawn (and symbol of Pelor's return) each day. During the right itself, the priest could chant "Oh shine on thee that ye might see / such a wonderful sight in the dawn's new light / Rest in peace ye may with the dawn of each new day / The soul's constraints are freed and with Pelor their glory gleams."

Of course, it would be somewhat different for a foe defeated in battle, but that could work as a general right.
Persephone Imytholin
03-03-05, 11:37 PM Of course, it would be somewhat different for a foe defeated in battle

Not really. For the rite to be truly meaningful, it should apply to all - the sun doesn't choose not to shine on certain people, so the cleric should really give everyone the same respect in death, even a fallen foe. It makes a nice roleplay element.
thegreatbuddha
03-03-05, 11:51 PM Good Point. :embarrass
Persephone Imytholin
03-04-05, 02:02 AM No need to be embarrassed about it, though. I agree with all the rest; I just thought that'd be assumed by snipping out the one point that didn't seem to fit. :)

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Roboradish 03-02-05, 07:12 PM	My next character will be a very devout cleric of Pelor. Preaches in each town, gives funeral rites to everything he kills, you know the drill. The problem is, what would a good funeral rite be? Right now, I'll just put a copper coin under their tounge, say "May your soul find peace", and pour Alchemical Fire on their bodies. Is that good, or should I change it?
The_Yellow_Dart_Swinger 03-02-05, 08:34 PM	Ask yourself what reasons that the rites stand for. For instance, while the copper coin sounds interesting, why do you do it? The greeks used to put a coin over each eye so that the dead could give them to the ferryman of the river of styx so they could go to hades. I don't know pelor or the plane he resides in like the back of my hand so I can't really help you out too much. But we know pelor is the god of the sun, so we would have to take the copper coin and make is symbolize something, and why put it under the tounge? An pelor hating undead, it makes sense to see why you would cremate a body though, so that it couldn't be raised as an undead. Prehaps the copper coin can represent the sun. And the tounge thing I'm stumped on. But when a rite has some symbolic meaning behind it, I think it makes it seem more interesting.
Roboradish 03-03-05, 04:04 PM	Honestly, I thought the coin-under-the-tounge thing was what the greeks did. I just thew it in there because it sounded like it needed more stuff. The cremation would probably have something to do with fire and the sun being similar and 'returning to the sun'.
thegreatbuddha 03-03-05, 07:48 PM	It's a hybrid of voodoo and grek rites. In voodoo, salt is placed in the mouth of a zombie to remind it that its dead, thus "killing" it. The Greeks put coins over the eyes as TYDS said. Hmmm.... my idea would be to leave the dead with their eyes open, and bury them facing the morning sun, so as to see (symbolically of course) the dawn (and symbol of Pelor's return) each day. During the right itself, the priest could chant "Oh shine on thee that ye might see / such a wonderful sight in the dawn's new light / Rest in peace ye may with the dawn of each new day / The soul's constraints are freed and with Pelor their glory gleams." Of course, it would be somewhat different for a foe defeated in battle, but that could work as a general right.
Persephone Imytholin 03-03-05, 11:37 PM	Of course, it would be somewhat different for a foe defeated in battle Not really. For the rite to be truly meaningful, it should apply to all - the sun doesn't choose not to shine on certain people, so the cleric should really give everyone the same respect in death, even a fallen foe. It makes a nice roleplay element.
thegreatbuddha 03-03-05, 11:51 PM	Good Point. :embarrass
Persephone Imytholin 03-04-05, 02:02 AM	No need to be embarrassed about it, though. I agree with all the rest; I just thought that'd be assumed by snipping out the one point that didn't seem to fit. :)