In this episode of The Mariner's Mirror Podcast 'Death at Sea' Dr Sam Willis and Dr Dan O'Brien discuss how the dead were buried at sea.
Conducting a sea burial had to be done properly; the body had to be prepared, wrapped, weighted down and then lowered into the sea. The burial process and the funeral service at sea had both key similarities and differences to that of burials on the land. The process however, needed to take into account the vast space that was the sea.
Ensuring that the body sank properly when lowered into the sea was crucial to create a separation from the living and the dead. If this separation was not made and the body stayed afloat, this uncertainty could create penalties and even supernatural consequences for the shipmates of the unfortunate soul.
To find out more, listen to The Mariner's Mirror Podcast episode 'Death at Sea' in full here:
snr.org.uk/the-mariners-mirro...
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