Lastly, the deceased is given items to help in the next world and placed in a monument. Additionally, the funeral ceremony reaffirms the status of the deceased and the participants' status in relation to the deceased. Living members have a public forum to express their loyalty, grief, affection, and guilt for the deceased. The quick fire, its location, the provisions provided with the deceased, and the monument afterwards are provided to express loyalty or affection to the deceased by the survivors. Such an elaborate funeral shows the concrete nature of the survivors' concern or duty to the deceased.
Norse mythology relates several possibilities for afterlife.
Two apparently contrasting ship burials indicate that concern was expressed for the future of the deceased. One grave ship had its anchor stowed for departure, yet another was weighted down with rocks. However, by performing such actions as provisioning the dead for travel, they indicated loyalty to the deceased and not a just wish to be rid of their spirits. Loyalty also plays a large role in the accompaniment of the deceased to the other world. Although, the funeral of Beowulf does not contain the accompaniment of the dead by a loyal person, both Ibn Fadlan and Snorri Sturluson both describe human sacrifices at the funeral.