Elven Burial Customs?

[RichGreen]

Hi,

Does anyone know whether forest-dwelling elves bury their dead in the ground? Or cremate them? I don't ever remember reading about elven tombs in any supplements but I could be wrong.

Cheers


Richard

 

[kirinke]

hmmm. There are a couple of references into elven burial customs in a few FR novels as well as the Deeds of Paksenarrion.

In the only FR novel I read, Drizzit burned a dead elf, out of respect for the fallen with a spell of some sort. In Deeds of Paksenarrion those elves simply laid their fallen out straight and covered them with certain types of sweet-smelling leaves and sticks, because in their beliefs, they had no fear of the soul being harmed or something after death and by returning the body to the natural world, they were reaffirming the cycle of life or something.

I don't think that elves much go in for burial complexes. Although, they may adopt it if they are within a multi-species city....

 

[LoneWolf23]

It might depend on the local culture. I could see different elven cultures having different customs: some might create the bodies and spread the ashes in nature, others might bury them in special glades. One idea I could see is based on the traditional Mitrhaic custom of feeding the dead body to scavengers; I could see the nature-loving elves do something similar.

 

[RichGreen]

Hi,

Well, to be more specific, I'm talking about the elves of the Wealdath (or Forest of Tethir) in the Forgotten Realms.

Cheers


Richard

 

[Tonguez]

Sky Burial would be cool. Tibetan custom of cutting up the dead relatives body and feeding it to the birds...

 

[RichGreen]

Sky Burial would be cool. Tibetan custom of cutting up the dead relatives body and feeding it to the birds...

Hi,

You're right -- a very cool idea. I think I'll use it. Thanks!


Richard

 

[Faraer]

There certainly are elven tombs. My recall fails me on elven burial in the Wealdath, but the sources to check would be Lands of Intrigue, Volo's Guide to Baldur's Gate II, Silver Shadows, Cormanthyr, Elminster in Myth Drannor. Which of those do you have? Failing that, ask Ed Greenwood on the candlekeep.com boards.

 

[RichGreen]

There certainly are elven tombs. My recall fails me on elven burial in the Wealdath, but the sources to check would be Lands of Intrigue, Volo's Guide to Baldur's Gate II, Silver Shadows, Cormanthyr, Elminster in Myth Drannor. Which of those do you have? Failing that, ask Ed Greenwood on the candlekeep.com boards.

Hi,

Thanks for the suggestion -- I have PDFs of Lands of Intrigue and Cormanthyr. There's nothing specific in either of these about tombs in the Wealdath but Cormanthyr does describe a few elven tombs.

Cheers


Richard

 

[Turjan]

I find the customs of the woodelves of Valenwood interesting myself. They eat their deceased, preferentially roasted and strongly spiced .

 

[Mark Plemmons]

Hi,

Does anyone know whether forest-dwelling elves bury their dead in the ground? Or cremate them?

Well, if you're playing on Tellene, burial customs are one of many items covered in Friend and Foe: the Elves and Bugbears of Tellene - a nice thick hardcover shipping shortly after Christmas.