How are the the dead handled/funeral rites performed throughout Thedas?
Cultures under the Chantry practice cremation just as Andraste was burned, and to prevent the bodies from becoming walking corpses (that is, hosted by spirits). The bodies are cleansed and dressed in white linen. In Ferelden (it is unknown if this is a unique thing or also practiced elsewhere) the deceased wear special jewellery meant to survive the cremation process, which are then passed down within a family line–though this is an older practice that is not as commonplace in current times.
Funerals are typically held in or outside a Chantry. Attendees who were close to the deceased wear mourning garb of black cloaks. The body is placed on a pyre with oils and herbs around them if a noble, and stones if a peasant. When a person of great importance dies, it is a massive affair with public attendance for the burning. Choirs sing and priests pray to the Maker. Then a Chantry mother swings a censer with incense, described as spreading dense blue smoke in Last Flight, and torchbearers light the pyre.
If there’s been a great catastrophe with many deaths, the mass burning of bodies is sometimes resorted to, as the longer the deceased is left the larger chance for a spirit to take the body.
It’s also interesting how in DA:O after the battle in Redcliffe, villagers are seen placing the fallen on floating pyres and sending them out into the lake on fire.
The only Chantry-dominated culture that is an exception to the above is Nevarra, which has held onto their unique practices and beliefs about death. Cremation is taboo for Nevarrans. They believe that when a soul passes through the Fade to go the Maker’s side, a spirit is displaced, and needs to be hosted in the deceased’s body. As such, Nevarrans do not burn their dead, but mummify them. The mummified bodies are then placed in tombs with their most valuable possessions, in the Grand Necropolis outside of Nevarra City. Nobles may begin building their tombs at a young age, and make them more and more elaborate over the years, to the point where they can be comparable to a palace.
In ancient times, Tevinters believed that holding black pearls in the mouth at the moment of death prevented souls from passing through the veil. In doing so, a person became a wraith. It is unknown if this is still practiced/believed in present day.
The Avvar believe in an afterlife controlled by the Lady of the Skies, where the souls of the dead gather. The deceased are given “sky burials,” where the body is laid out and prayers are given. Birds come to pick at the body and will carry the soul to the Lady of the Skies, then most bodies are disposed of. However, it is believed that some rare people are favoured by fate; the Augur reads this from the birds and determines that a piece of the soul remains. These people are given special burials with offerings from three fade-touched animals to Korth the Mountain Father below them, that will enable the remaining piece of the soul to be reborn. Those reborn have no memory of their past lives, but are subtly guided by their past selves. The offerings must be made by blood kin and given to the Huntmatster to prepare, and should the kin be unable to complete the hunt for these offerings, they will loose their family name and familial ties are considered severed.Whether the Avvar of current times still practice or not is unknown, but the Avvar of old had crypts where their dead were kept in sarcophagi, as seen in the ruins below Vigil’s Keep.
The Dalish bury their dead with an oak staff and cedar branch to help them stay on the path to through the Beyond, and to keep away the ravens known as Fear and Deceit. Merrill says this is returning them to the earth, and it’s important not to leave bodies unburied. Trees are planted above the grave(s)–known as a vallasdahlen (”life trees”). The Dalish elves do have sacred burial sites with multiple graves, like Sundermount in DA:2 or Var Bellanaris in DA:I; “where hundreds of our ancestors are buried, where those of us who can, still lay our kin to rest.” Otherwise, clans on the move will bury their dead wherever they can.Funeral services are prepared by Hahrens, and prayers are said so that the Creators will know to guide them to the Beyond: “O Falon'Din. Lethanavir–Friend to the Dead. Guide my feet, calm my soul. Lead me to my rest.”
Dwarves that believe in the Stone consider the dead returning to the Stone by burying them in tombs. Nobles and Paragons are given fancy, large crypts, while those of lesser Castes are encased in stone cairns. If this is not possible, they are buried in the dirt, though this not ideal and only done with no other option. The Stone’s blessing is recited: “Atrast tunsha. Totarnia amgetol tavash aeduc.”An honourable dwarf will be embraced by the Stone, strengthening Her, and will join the Ancestors in guiding their descendants, while those that are seen as a shame will weaken Her. The people of Orzammar believe that the Casteless and egregious dwarves are rejected by the Stone. The spirits of those rejected are left to wander the remote caverns as rock wraiths. The deaths are recorded in the Memories, save for the Casteless.The Legion of the Dead have special funerals before venturing into the Deep Raods, in which afterwards they are considered to be dead and have their deaths recorded in the Memories in advance. The unique Legion facial tattoos are applied, they are equipped with gear, and all other material belongings are given up to family.Sigrun describes the funeral to have chanting and toasts, before a final farewell to loved ones. When a Legion member finally dies for real, those who remain wrap the fallen up in cloth and carry them high above their heads, as they sing a dirge in Dwarven. Then they entomb the bodies so the darkspawn cannot get to them.
The Qunari believe that when someone dies, their soul goes to the Fade (which they call the Land of the Dead) and leaves the body as a husk. They don’t have any known special funeral practices, probably because of this. There is a known Qunari Prayer for the Dead, however: “Shok ebasit hissra. Meraad astaarit, meraad itwasit, aban aqun. Maraas shokra. Anaan esaam Qun” (“Struggle is an illusion. The tide rises, the tide falls, but the sea is changeless. There is nothing to struggle against. Victory is in the Qun.”)
Dragon Age: Origins + DLCs
Dragon Age: Inquisition + DLCs
Codex entry: Nevarra (DA:O)
Codex entry: The Holy Brazier (DA:O)
Codex entry: Falon'Din: Friend of the Dead, the Guide (DA:O)
Codex entry: Legion of the Dead (DA:O)
Codex entry: King Maric’s Helm (DA:2)
Codex entry: Rock Wraith (DA:2)
Codex entry: Third Legionnaire’s Journal (DA:2)
Codex entry: Corpse (DA:I)
Codex entry: Vallasdahlen (DA:I)
Codex entry: A Nutty Affair (DA:I) *Warning: This codex is transphobic
Codex entry: A Tradition of Rebirth (DA:I)
Item Description: Fenced Ferelden Jewellery (DA:O)
Item Description: Elven Prayer for the Dead (DA:O)
Item Description/Use: Qunari Prayers for the Dead (DA:O)
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