Lore:Other Death Beliefs

Other Cultures' Beliefs and Customs
Little is known about afterlife beliefs and funerary customs of most of the nations of  , of the  , of the  , and of many less-cultured beastfolks like the  , the  , the Minotaurs, and the Water  .      

Ayleids
thumb|left|White-Gold Tower, once Temple of the Ancestors to the Ayleids
Aedric-worshipping Ayleids had very similar traditions on death and afterlife to that of the Altmer. At least some Ayleid cities believed their souls voyaged to the afterlife of Aetherius.  The   was their "Temple of the Ancestors", built it in emulation of the  , and with  , which they believed to be the crystallized blood of the  , into the tower's Founding-Stone.  It is the site where the Ten Ancestors, statues sacred to the Ayleids, were traditionally held. They were spread to various other settlements during the siege of the White-Gold Tower for safekeeping, but were not reunited again until the late Third Era, long after the fall of the Ayleids.   Little is known if those Ayleids who worship Daedric Princes shared customs with their brethren.

Dragons
thumb|left|A Dragon burial mound
Although dragons are "immortal", they can be killed temporarily. Most dragons were hunted down during the Dragon War or by the Blades after their arrival in Tamriel. These dragons were entombed in burial mounds constructed in the First Era by surviving members of the dragon cult .  

Giants
thumb|right|A Giant sacred burial ground
Giants demonstrate intricate beliefs regarding death. They have places set aside as sacred burial grounds.  When a giant is sick or dying, they go to one of these places to die. If a giant dies elsewhere, other giants make sure the body gets to the burial ground. They typically don't live near these sacred locations, and they don't guard them. They simply make use of them. 

Goblins and Ogres
Malacath is worshipped by Ogres and Goblins under the name Muluk. However, it is unknown if they follow the Code of Malacath and have similar funerary customs and afterlife beliefs to the Orcs or not.  

Sload
thumb|right|Sload Soap
  are apparently not religious and generally reject worship, but will willingly serve Daedra if they benefit from it.  Sload parents care little for the fate of the young, and will often kill them to make  , which they use in necromantic rituals.  It is unknown whether or not the death of an adult Sload is treated differently.

Tsaesci
  bury their dead with burial masks with serpent and dragon motifs.   Ancestor worship seems to be an integral part of Tsaesci culture,  Water occupies a special place in the Tsaesci faith, as they believe that all waterways connect the realms of the dead and the living. 

The Proving Festival is an important, yearly holiday of the Tsaesci to appease the ancestors and prove one's worth.  It consists of three proofs which a participant has to pass: The first is the Proof of Reverence by which the ancestors are invoked and invited to enter the living world as spirits. The inhabitants of  , imperial descendants of Tsaesci, let a paper lotus be carried down a river. The lotus symbolically swims into the realm of the dead to attract the attention of the ancestors.  The second proof is the Proof of Strength. It serves to show the ancestors ones strength and that one can resist various dangers.  The last proof is the Proof of Wisdom. Traditionally it consisted of scholars drafting grand essays, writers composing ornate poems or philosophers performing lengthy debates. However in Hakoshae the inhabitants use riddles for that purpose. 

Extinct Races
Dwemer
Dwemeri culture was agnostic and preferred reason to faith, which may or may not explain the lack of burial chambers in their cities. 
Nedes
thumb|right|Nedic catacombs
The ancient Nedes interred their dead within massive chambers and passages beneath their cities and in sacred burial grounds, both commoners and nobles alike.   They believed their souls would travel to the Stars beyond the heavens of Aetherius through a "Golden Stair". 
Other

Extinct races of the   following the devastation of the   in the mid- , like the  , the beastfolk  , and other little known human tribes left little to no known traces of their beliefs about afterlife or their burial practices.  It ishowever known that the Kothringi buried their dead in cairns and often adorned these burial sites with glass beads. 

Even less is known of the beastfolk known as   described by   inhabiting the   back in the Merethic Era; and of the   from Yokuda, thought annihilated by the ancestors of the Redguards and the later sinking of their continent.  
 

Afflictions
Lycanthropy
thumb|left|The Hunting Grounds
Many lycanthropes are claimed by Hircine and spend eternity experiencing the thrill of the hunt in his  .  However, it is possible for a soul to transfer to another afterlife (such as Sovngarde) if their lycanthropy is cured posthumously.  Despite popular belief, not all lycanthropes go to the Hunting Grounds when they die. A priest from the Cult of the Ancestor Moth who lived during the Interregnum described the notion of Hircine "claiming" the souls of all lycanthropes as "poetic and misleading", stating that mortals decide the destinations of their own souls through the choices they make in life.  A notable example of this is the werewolves who served King Styriche as soldiers in the Gray Host and ended up in Coldharbour. 
 
Vampirism
thumb|left|Coldharbour
Vampires believe their souls are sent to Coldharbour upon their demise.  The Tenarr Zalviit clan believes their souls are out of Khenarthi's reach, and the embrace of Molag Bal is all that awaits them should they die.  Molag Bal is said to bring down his wrath on vampire clans who interfere with his desires, and that he could bring a vampire clan to ruin should a vampire's soul be taken out of his domain.   
 
References