Hi I am quite confused by the Burial Rytes of the Nords ...

Why ?


Because there are tombs everywhere in SKyrim with nords inside , some are family tombs , but then you find there Corpses like catacombs , Urns with dusts but also there are the rytes of cremation like for Kodiac and the other olaf One eye if not wrong ... so which one is actually used?

both ? one? a mix?

I ask this to understand then the use of Tombs and have a more logical interpretation , I guess bethesda didn't even care about thinking of this just copying some viking traditions and mixing with the need for Ancestral tombs to explore ...

So what you say ?

obviously both depending on the situation, kodlak being one and torygg being another which includes offerings to the divines and all

guess what, theres more around too

for example the solstheim nords encasing their heroes in stalhrim

Smart money says it's a class/status thing. Priests, Kings, and Thanes are mummified; Commoners are cremated and put in jars.

Alternatively, it may be that cremation is a more recent method. That would explain all the Septims in those urns.

I do not remember to have seen any stalhrim encasing in Bloodmoon , but I played it long ago and perhaps I do not remember at all ...

Well, the caskets were the only way to harvest Stalhrim for armor and weapons...

The powerful Ancient Nords (Dragon Priests, Jarls and Harbingers) seem to have been buried in grand crypts with their most loyal servants and worshippers being buried in the same place to "preserve" them.

This seemed to fade out along with the Dragon Priests and was gradually replaced/supplanted by the worship of Ar'Kay and cremation.

Since then most Nords are either cremated or buried in temples of Arkay or in cemeteries.

I wonder if the Nords ever practiced ship burial like their real-life Norse counterparts.

Remember, Kodlak was burned on a funeral pyre.

But that could just be a Companions/Atmoran thing.

Well, there was http://images.uesp.net/9/9a/MW-place-Tukushapal.jpg in Morrowind...

I remember that dungeon. One of the best in Morrowind. Back on topic I think Nords would have buried some of their Jarls and Thanes on ship burials.

It seems like it's just up to the person. You hear stories in Falkreath of ancient hero's and even kings or Jarls being burried there because it's such an honor, but the practice stopped in more recent times when Falkreath fell into decline.

We see urns in ancient and more recent nord crypts, and some of those crypts are still used today, and have even been used recently. So it just appears like it's up to the family how they want to burry/honor the death instead of a standard way that all must follow.