Planning a Viking Funeral in Modern Society.

This entry was written by Anna Hill, Fall Semester 2018 for a final essay in the Funeral Education Class (FSE300) at American River College.

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 Anna Hill

Written Assignment 1 – VIKINGS
FSE 300 LEC 10891

Today I am beginning the process of planning a traditional Viking funeral, in the modern world. I will be planning this within the state of California, so I will follow their guidelines and laws. I have no doubt that this will be a difficult task in our modern society, as our laws frown down on lighting boats on fire in major waterways, with the intentions of cremating a corpse. I suspect that finding a volunteer to willingly be sacrificed along with the deceased, will be a task that will require some sort of suitable substitute. I also have a feeling today will be the day I wonder why I ever decided it would be a great idea to become an undertaker.

Viking Ship, 

The first part of this task will be the preparation of the body. This is the time I will be grateful that we are in this stage, and not the end “presentation” stages. I will find myself thinking of a million ways to legally complete this funeral without becoming the sacrificial volunteer at the end.

I will start with the closing of the eyes, nostrils, and mouth, according to Viking tradition. I will then cover the face with a cloth, out of respect, and proceed to wash the body of the deceased. I will do this with great care, as to not upset the spirit of our dearly departed. It is understood that he could possibly return from the dead to wreak havoc upon me. I don’t want any of that.

This family is eager to try out a longboat cremation, so I will be working long into the night trying to sort out the legalities of these practice. I feel my best bet here, in order to keep from having anyone from being upset with me, is to provide facts about legalities. Without researching much, it’s safe to say that human sacrifice is out, volunteered or otherwise. Perhaps animal sacrifice might have more leeway for religious practices.

The University of Bristol, A Viking grave with two children used as sacrifice, experts believe

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Alas, I have hit a roadblock. According to California Penal Code 597(a) maliciously and intentionally killing an animal is strictly prohibited, for religious means or not. You may not kill an animal that is not meant for consumption.

This leads me to believe that I can either convince the family to use animals that they intend to feast upon for the funeral feast on the 7th day after death, or they can go for another alternative which would be straight to Viking burial. I pray that they go for the burial.

Another challenge we have here is the burning of a longboat at sea for the purpose of cremation. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), this is a no-no. We cannot perform a private cremation for many reasons. The first is because it is not possible to cremate a human body using a pyre. The human body would need to be burned for about 2 hours at about 1,500 to 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit in order to fully cremate. If we tried to do this in a bonfire, what we would have is a charred body and a big mess that would be less than dignified to the decedent. The second thing is burning much of anything in California without a permit is another huge no-no, and I just can’t quite imagine myself going to my local fire department seeking a permit for a Viking-traditional funeral pyre.

I have thoroughly researched the topic and I have come up with a few options for the family.

· Legal cremation and Viking burial – The family can have their loved one cremated and then buried in Viking tradition. This is a substitute for the “pyre-to-burial” method I have read about. The decedent can be cremated and buried with the things he will need in the afterlife known as Valhalla (according to his trade, as by tradition). In place of animal sacrifice, they can hand-select chickens to be properly butchered by a local butchery and eat the animal for the proceeding 7th day feast in the deceased’s honor. In Viking tradition, they dismembered the animal and placed it

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within the grave. Maybe our dearly departed would be cool with a pretty bag of gizzards and chicken feet?

· Full body burial – following the same steps above, minus the cremation. Burials did occur without cremation in Viking culture. In both cases, rocks can be lined (cemetery policies must be investigated) around the grave to resemble a longboat, for flair.

Viking longboat that was used for burial,. Nat Geo

· Legal cremation and longboat launch/at sea burial- With the right permits, we can release ashes at sea. California state law states that ashes must be scattered at least 3 nautical miles from shore. For this, we must notify the EPA within 30 days of our voyage. If this is an option for this family, the ceremonial part of this funeral may have to wait. We cannot dispose of the ashes in a stream or lake, per The Clean Water Act, unless we get a proper permit to do so. And should we choose to burn a miniature longboat to carry these ashes, a burn permit will also be necessary.

These are just some examples of ways I find that I can compromise with a family in modern times, who wish to give their loved one a Viking-approved send off to the gates of Valhalla. I am relieved to read that murder, suicide and ritual intercourse (rape) were not necessarily widely practiced by the Vikings in Scandinavia. I just can hope those rituals aren’t high on the family’s honorary priority list.

After my adventure with this family into Viking funerals, I have no doubt I would be happy to partake in many funeral ales.

Skål!!!

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References-
UPC United Poultry Concerns
http://www.upc-online.org/nr/161009la_judge_blocks_animal_sacrifice.html

 iMortuary
https://www.imortuary.com/blog/is-it-possible-to-have-a-viking-funeral/

Nolo Legal Encyclopedia
https://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/burial-cremation-laws-california.html