Lydia has gotten herself killed and now her Thane would like to give her a proper Nord burial. What burial rites are available to our characters and is there a way short of Zombification to transport a dead body any significant distance? For example from outside Stonehills to Whiterun.

Lydia can't get herself killed unless you deliver the finishing blow.. so you killed her lol

I sense a mod in the making

Wrong KillerGymSocks. She has gotten wasted twice before this, but what got her then got me and so death revived us both for another attempt on things. This time we were well past the point on the road where the bandit stepped out, yelled something at me and waved a finger. Lydia spun around and ran back to teach him some manners and got whacked from behind by a second bandit who ambushed her with a two-handed axe before I could even get back to give her any useful assistance. I then took out the axeman and finished off the one that she had started on. But she died from the axe blow to the back and not something that I did. Just like she died when she challenged a huge bear that was in her way just before she finished her 45 min pathing expedition trying to get back to me after I climbed down the mountainside and she did not follow where I lead.

that doesn't make any sense. Once your followers are downed they stay on bended knee and the enemies focus on a new target, usually you. The strategy guide itself says that followers don't die unless you accidentally finish them off. I have tortured Lydia so many times by running through Dwemer traps that one shot her into a bended position and have seen her overwhelmed so many times. It doesn't happen unless you finish her off and the strategy guide agrees with me. If you have a bug I can't help you there but other than that you are wrong