Ul'dahn funerary rites?

[Dietrich Dracht]

Hi everyone,

 

I've already drawn heavily on this forum for all sorts of thaumaturgy and related lore and use that stuff in my classes. You are great. <3 

 

On the 11th, though, Dietrich will be giving a class on life and death in his Thaumaturgy lecture series for Vylbrand Academy. If it is at all possible I would really like to include a practical element that concerns Ul'dahn funerary rites, specifically what is called "the physical and religious preparations for a person's travel into the next realm." 

 

From the lore references that I've seen on this forum, I know that the Ossuary gets paid handsomely for corpse preparation and that these corpses are then subsequently buried at the churchyard (or presumably somewhere else). There are also references that the original development of thaumaturgy came from the need to prepare the dead, which suggests that thaumaturgical magic is involved in the process of corpse processing somehow. 

 

What I do not know is what it is that the Ossuary actually does to these bodies. Is there any evidence? (I assume there probably is not, given the subject matter). And if there is no evidence as such, what sort of reasonable speculation (headcanon accepted!) might there be with regards to this?

 

Ideas, suggestions and speculation welcome - especially if it's from lore that hasn't been covered in this Opening Post!

[Sounsyy]

What I do not know is what it is that the Ossuary actually does to these bodies. Is there any evidence? (I assume there probably is not, given the subject matter). And if there is no evidence as such, what sort of reasonable speculation (headcanon accepted!) might there be with regards to this?

 

Asides from sometimes stealing their worldly possessions... it depends on if the body is to be buried or cremated, both acceptable forms of passage into Thal's Realm. Though how exactly the body is prepared, I couldn't tell you for certain, but usually the removal of organs from the body is a part of the process.

 

Here's some lore posts you might find helpful on the subject!

-Order of Nald'thal Lore

-Undead Lore

-Deceased Bodies Lore

 

Hope this helps! ^^ That first link and the spoiler tab at the bottom is probably most pertinent to your questions!

[Delilah Scythewood]

Check out Camp Drybone as well! Though what tidbits they give are rather miniscule.

[Dietrich Dracht]

Lililove: I checked out Camp Drybone! The churchyard there does tend to increase my confusion, though, rather than decreasing it. It's got the aesthetic of Christianity thrown in in a kind-of syncretically Japanese way without really making sense to me in a larger context. 

 

Sounsyy: I was really hoping that you would reply, seeing how most of the stuff I have in my 'Thaumaturgy lore stash' for past and future lessons is from your reference posts, including some of the once you've linked.  You're really awesome! 

 

Where do you get the 'removal of organs' bit from? I may have missed it somewhere. Or is that your inference from comparing it to, say, Egyptian embalming?

 

I had another idea, and am curious about your thoughts: what if the purpose of the 'processing' of the corpse is to make sure that it becomes unsuitable for use by a necromancer or similar outside force?

 

In primitive terms this could mean breaking the bones so that the corpse (if reanimated) would not be able to stand. But more complex magic (ice and fire) could be used to accomplish this effect by making bones brittle through the hyperlocal application of temperature differences. This would avoid turning the corpse into a hideously disfigured Thing. Does that idea at all make sense?

[Valence]

Leaving corpses unattended in Eorzea often ends up with said corpses being possessed by various entities like voidsent, ghosts and the likes if I remember correctly.

 

There is also the soul that can remain behind and not follow through the aether realm if it has an attachment strong enough, or something?

 

I'm really getting that on top of my head here though. I would have to look back for sources.