REINMAREN BURIAL

[juliaINC 592]

 

THE TRADITIONS OF

 

REINMAREN BURIAL

 

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DIE TRADITIONEN DER REINMAREN BEERDIGUNG | THE TRADITIONS OF REINMAREN BURIAL

 

Issued by

Wilhelmina von Brandthof

In the year of our Lord 1992

 

 

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ÖHNE UND TÖCHTER VON REINMAR,

 

FROM THE DAYS OF YORE, before the punishment and conversion of Chieftain Osmund to the One True Faith, Reinmaren tribes did venerate the spirits of forests and waters and believed that upon passing, a soul enters the realm of spirits. As the forefathers did prepare to undertake that last journey in the Age of Legends, we prepare to enter the spirit realm and the Seven Skies this day.

 

DIE VORBEREITUNG

 

Galswinthe prepares to bury her husband with their son, Rodimar.

 

Before the days of Osmund, the departed was laid within his coffin and garbed in his finest clothes, along with any earthly possessions he might have needed on his journey to the spirit realm, ranging from spears and shields to stallions. This tradition continues to this day, as many elect to have their belongings consigned to the flames along with them. The coffin is next placed before the funeral pyre.

 

In the age when the tribes still worshiped spirits, a close female relative kept vigil for three days and three nights beside the body of her kinsman. It was believed that a new entrant could fall victim to deceitful spirits who would try to lead him off his path. Women were regarded as doorways to the spirit realm, so they were capable of peacefully guiding the deceased’s spirit through his last journey.

 

 

DAS BRENNEN

 

Shieldmaiden Runhild on her funeral pyre.

 

Once the necessary preparations have been made, kin and kith of the deceased gather around the pyre. His brothers and sisters lift his body upon the pyre and set it alight. It is of great import that he is remembered by the tribe for his deeds, and thus words and tales of his life are shared for all to hear while the pyre burns. The ashes of the deceased are therefore preserved within a crypt.

 

 

DAS GEDENKEN

 

A runestone being erected in the name of a fallen warrior.

It is the Reinmaren way, to do anything that can be done to honor and venerate the ancestors. To preserve their memory, should this not have taken place before their death, a runestone will be raised in their honor, within the hallowed Ferdenwald. Descendants of the deceased will for years to come venture out to this runestone to commemorate and learn about their forefather. Such is also done by singing songs, recounting tales, lighting candles, and prayer.

 

 

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WER RASTET, DER ROSTET

 

 WILHELMINA VON BRANDTHOF, Seneschal of the Heather Court

 

 

 

REFERENCES

 

1. Aelfwin von Kretzen, HRH Frederica Barclay and HE Nikolaus von Kanunsberg, The Tale of Osmund, Principality of Reinmar (1973)

 

2. HRH Adalfriede of Hexenwald, The Reinmaren Woman, Principality of Reinmar (1974)

 

3. HRH Leon Barclay and HRH Frederica Barclay, The Veneration of The Ancestors, Principality of Reinmar (1983)