Can you still do a Viking funeral?

Unfortunately, Viking funerals are basically illegal everywhere in the U.S. There are two spots in Colorado where you can burn people’s remains outdoors, but they only allow 12 funerals a year.

How are Vikings buried?

Vikings were buried with everything their families thought they would need in the afterlife. Ordinary Vikings were buried with their sword or favorite brooch, while the wealthiest men and women were buried in ships, to carry them to the next world.

How do you do a Viking funeral?

A ship containing the deceased is placed on a funeral pyre, with grave goods alongside including his weapons, silk quilts and a couch covered with cushions. The deceased is dressed in specially prepared, expensive funeral clothes. The ceremony also involves the sacrifices of various animals and a slave girl.

What is the most common burial method?

Traditional Ground Burial
Traditional Ground Burial Even though they aren’t very eco-friendly, ground burials are the most common and traditional method of being buried. Bodies are placed into a casket, or coffin, and buried typically 6 feet under in a local cemetery.

Did Vikings burn their dead in boats?

Did Vikings Really Burn Their Dead in Boats? Although there is some evidence a few very high-ranking individuals were burned in their boats, many more were simply buried in them. Still, a ship-grave was about as common to Vikings as a specialized memorial chapel is to modern Christian burials.

What is a Viking funeral called?

Most Vikings were sent to the afterlife in one of two ways. These nomads were often seen as savages as they traveled throughout Europe, but the Vikings held a high regard for the life (and death) of their fellow Norsemen.

Why did Vikings bury their dead in ships?

Ship burials The ship burial is a viking funeral practice traditionally reserved for individuals of high honor. The practice includes the burying of the individual within a ship, using the ship to contain the departed and their grave goods.

How did Vikings view death?

When Vikings died they believed they would go to Valhalla, where they would spend their afterlife. Warriors who had died bravely would be carried by the Valkyries to Valhalla. There they would be welcomed to the afterlife by the god Odin, with whom they would feast every night.

How were Viking warriors buried?

Both men and women received grave goods, even if the corpse was to be burnt on a pyre. A Norseman could also be buried with a loved one or house thrall, or cremated together on a funeral pyre.

What happened at a Viking funeral?

Funeral rites began with preparing the body. The Vikings draped their dead in clean clothing and often adorned them with jewels. The next step in a Viking funeral was usually cremation on a funeral pyre. Then, the deceased’s fellow Vikings would dig the grave, and the funeral feast would take place.

What ways can you be buried?

The Six Types of Burial Options

• In-Ground Burial.
• Above Ground Burial in a Community Mausoleum.
• Above Ground Burial in a Lawn Crypt.
• Cremation.
• Above Ground Burial in a Private Mausoleum.
• Natural Burial.

What happens at a Viking funeral?

However, if you have your heart set on Viking traditions, there are few things you can do. Traditional high-ranking Viking funerals cremated the deceased on land first and then sent a separate burning pyre out to sea.

Are there any alternatives to the Hollywood style Viking funeral?

The alternative to the Hollywood style Viking funeral. It is possible to have a Viking-style send-off with a small replica of a boat, and the cremated remains of the deceased. As mentioned above, however, ashes can only be placed in the ocean three nautical miles from land.

Can I read Old Norse poetry at a funeral?

Taking part in a loved one’s funeral ceremony can be a healing comfort for loved ones, who may read a poem or write a eulogy at a modern or traditional funeral service. You’ll discover many evocative poetry readings in Old Norse online, as well as funeral music inspired by Viking myth and legend.

Is it possible to be cremated on a Viking boat?

If your dream is to be cremated and set adrift a flaming Viking boat surrounded by food, ale and some of your other favorite things, while your friends and family have a party to celebrate your life, as they watch you float gently out to sea and onto Valhalla, I’m sorry to say- this won’t be happening.