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graves
gravedigger
charcoalburial
dolmen
lich
sarcophagus
christianity
fear
funeralcustom
twentiethcentury |
Primitive man lived in a world of fear. He reacted to most natural
phenomena such as weather events based on that fear. He eventually
attributed many life events to his instinctive knowledge of a higher
being or power.
In his primitive mind, live and death were the acts of spirits,
since he was not able to see or sense these spirits, he lived in a
world of terror. In an effort to enact some type of truce with these
gods or spirits, man devised charms, ceremonies and rituals to
placate these spirits.
Although we may find ancient burial customs to be strange or in some
cases repugnant, they obviously arose for a reason.
The first burial customs then, were crude efforts to protect the
living from the spirits which caused the death of the person. Fear
of the dead caused the burning of bodies to destroy evil spirits.
This fear of the dead carried over into what was developing into
religious thought.The Polynesian word tabu expressed the view that a
person or thing coming into contact with the dead was set apart and
shunned for a religious or quasi-religious reason.
To most people a dead body is indeed taboo.
Graves Grave
Digger Charcoal Burial
Dolmen Lich
Sarcophagus
Christianity
Fear Funeral Custom
Twentieth Century |
