Re: Corpses (was Re: Gender in conlangs.....)

At 07:11 AM 11/7/03 -0800, you wrote:
>--- Isidora Zamora <isidora@...> wrote:
>
> > >On the other hand, is it possible they might
> > >think that the dead need everything?
>
> > I've considered that.  One thing that works
> > both for and against that idea
> > is that, in Trehelish mythology, Death
> > eventually conquers all.  Not only
> > men and animals and plants, but even the sun,
> > moon, stars, and earth, which
> > were each created by other gods and goddeses,
> > will, in the end, belong to
> > Death.  He is the devourer and stronger than
> > all other gods.  (And that is
> > why they worship him: because he is strong, not
> > because they have any love
> > for him.)  The world will end in the darkness
> > and coldness of Death.  There is no hope.
>
>Yet one thing people are good at is hoping in the
>face of total despair.
That's true.  In which case, they would burn offerings.

> > So, maybe you send things to the dead while men
> > still live on earth and can
> > give things to those dead before them.  But a
> > day will come when this will
> > no longer be possible because there will be no
> > more living men to burn
> > offerings for the dead, nor will there be
> > anything to burn as an offering,
> > even if men still lived to burn it.
>
>Yes. In the mean time, they might think it wisest
>to send offerings to their dead? In the end, the
>offerings may not matter - but then again,
>neither will any of their efforts while alive!
>
> > On the other hand, since you know that the day
> > will come when everyone will
> > be dead and there will be no funerary
> > offerings, it follows that the
> > spirits of the dead will not need funerary
> > offerings at that time,
> > therefore they do not need them now.  It's hard
> > to know which path to take with this.
>
>Either one would provide interesting ideas to
>persue.
And, perhaps, they themselves have two schools of thought on the
subject.  That would also be realistic.  Cultures do not have to be
homogenous.  Maybe I'll have some people believe one way and some the other.

Isidora