by Patrick H. Moore
In his groundbreaking archeological exploration of funeral rites through the ages, The Buried Soul: How Humans Invented Death, British archeologist Timothy Taylor examines the question — which came first, the notion of the soul or the ceremonial burial of remains? It is a profound question and, as he acknowledges, the results of his inquiry are frequently unsettling. While it is widely believed in popular culture that belief in the soul preceded the development of ritual burial, Taylor contemplates the reverse and finds it to be more accurate: the immortal soul was invented as a result of the first burial ceremonies.
One compelling and disturbing example of the fruits of Taylor’s research: Drawing upon a description written by an exiled Arabian trader Ahmad ibn-Fadlan, Taylor describes the funeral of a Russian Viking chieftain. Death, of course, is unavoidable, and no culture is to be faulted for honoring their dead, but this particular Viking tribe, known as the Rus, added certain peculiar steps to their funeral rites which, in everyday terms, boil down to slavery, rape and murder. They were hardly alone in such practices, yet the description of their custom remains shocking to this day.
First, a bit of context. It’s always been hell being a chattel and the Rus slaves were raped regularly and publicly whenever the Viking masters felt the urge. Therefore, it is easy to understand why a young woman, tired of the systematic sexual abuse, might volunteer to accompany a deceased chieftain to Paradise — which indeed, many such women did. But, as Timothy Taylor points out, had the slave girl known what was in store for her, she might have had second thoughts.
After nine days of being feted and pampered, while the dead chieftain lies moldering in a temporary grave, the poor unfortunate is systematically gang-raped by six of the chieftain’s clansmen. Sadly, it doesn’t stop there. Ibn Fadlan writes with admirable concision and perhaps a hint of sarcasm:
They gave her strong drink and admonished her to drink it quickly. After that, the girl seemed dazed. At this moment the men began to beat upon their shields, in order to drown out…her cries, which might deter other girls from seeking death with their masters in the future.
…The old woman known as the Angel of Death knotted a rope around her neck and handed the ends to two men to pull. Then with a broad dagger she stabbed her between the ribs while the men strangled her…
As if this wasn’t enough the “Northmen” have the audacity to tell Ahmad ibn-Fadlan:
You Arabs are stupid! You would take him who is most revered and beloved among men, and cast him into the ground, to be devoured by creeping things and worms. We, on the other hand, burn him in a twinkling, so that he instantly, without a moment’s delay, enters into Paradise.
Keep in mind that the chieftain has died a natural death. Also keep in mind that there was never any chance that the poor victim would reach Paradise with the chieftain. Why? It’s simple. Only men were allowed into Valhalla. It was an all male society.
See The Buried Soul: How Humans Invented Death, by Timothy Taylor (available at Amazon.com.)
See also Ahmad ibn-Fadlan: Letters on the Vikings