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While death is often associated with sorrow, it can also be a topic of fascination. Our site has explored numerous death-related themes, but this time, we delve into the peculiar and unusual aspects of it. Here’s a compilation of eerie, intriguing, and thought-provoking facts about death.
10. Eco-Friendly Burials
Strange Fact: A Swedish firm offers a unique service—turning your body into powder and placing it in a cornstarch urn for a fully eco-friendly burial.
Shortly after death (within about 10 days), the body is frozen to -18°C (64.4°F), making it extremely brittle. It is then vibrated until it turns into a fine frozen powder. This powder is placed in a vacuum tube to remove all moisture, leaving behind a dry residue. A metal separator extracts any fillings or metal objects from the powder, which is then placed in a biodegradable cornstarch coffin. The resulting organic powder is hygienic, odorless, and remains intact if kept dry. Buried in shallow, nutrient-rich soil, the coffin and its contents decompose into compost within 6-12 months. For more details, visit the Promessa website. If you prefer a lasting memorial, consider the next option:
9. LifeGems
Unusual Fact: A US-based company transforms cremated remains into synthetic diamonds, offering a unique keepsake for loved ones.
The company converts cremated remains—whether human or pet—into lab-grown diamonds, available in various sizes and prices. A single body can yield enough carbon to produce up to 50 one-carat diamonds, each priced around $14,000. The carbon is purified, turned into graphite, and used in the diamond creation process. Each diamond is engraved with the deceased's name and comes with a certificate of authenticity. In 2007, the company used hair strands from Ludwig van Beethoven to create three diamonds: one kept by LifeGem, one donated to John Reznikoff (who provided the hair), and one sold on eBay for $202,700. Learn more about LifeGem here. The image above shows an authentic LifeGem (copyright LifeGem).
8. Sky Burial
Bizarre Fact: Tibetan Buddhists dismember and crush a deceased body (including bones) into a paste, offering it to vultures as a meal.
This practice has been highlighted on the site previously, but it unquestionably merits another spotlight here! Tibetan Buddhists, who believe in reincarnation, view the deceased body as an empty shell with no purpose other than to nourish nature. Given Tibet's rugged, rocky terrain, Sky Burial emerged as the most practical method of body disposal. Although details may vary slightly between burials, certain elements remain consistent. Monks dismember the body, chopping it into pieces. These pieces are then handed to assistants who pulverize them with rocks, mixing the remains with barley flour, tea, and yak butter. The mixture is subsequently left for vultures. In some instances, the vultures are so voracious that monks must fend them off with sticks until it's time to feed. The accompanying photo depicts family members observing as vultures consume their loved one. For more original, copyrighted images by Rotem Eldar, visit this link, but be cautioned – the content is extremely graphic.
7. Dance of Death
Bizarre Fact: In Madagascar, locals exhume the remains of their deceased relatives and engage in a ceremonial dance with them.
Annually, the Malagasy community in Madagascar observes a unique funeral ritual known as Famadihana. This tradition includes exhuming the bones of deceased family members, adorning them in fresh garments, and dancing with them around the burial site accompanied by live music. Surprisingly, this practice dates back only to the 17th century and is sanctioned by the Catholic Church as it is considered a cultural rather than religious event. However, the tradition is gradually fading due to opposition from fundamentalist Protestants and the rising cost of the silk shrouds typically used in the ceremony. The image above shows bodies being prepared for the dance. For a more detailed exploration of famadihana, visit this link.
6. Edison’s Dying Breath
Bizarre Fact: Thomas Edison’s final breath was sealed inside a bottle.
Thomas Edison, the renowned inventor credited with refining the modern light bulb, shared a close friendship with Henry Ford, the founder of Ford Motor Company and a pioneer of modern assembly lines. As Edison neared the end of his life, Ford persuaded Edison’s son, Charles, to collect his father’s last breath in a bottle. Charles obliged by capturing air from the room. The current location of this bottle remains a mystery. The image above depicts Edison’s death mask.
5. Sin-eater
Bizarre Fact: In ancient Britain, a sin-eater was hired to symbolically “consume” the sins of the deceased.
In ancient England, Scotland, and Wales, every village had a designated “sin-eater,” often a beggar. When someone in the village passed away, the sin-eater would be summoned to the deceased’s home. A family member would place a loaf of bread on the corpse’s chest and hand a cup of ale to the sin-eater over it. By consuming the bread and ale, the sin-eater symbolically absorbed the sins of the departed. The origins of this unusual custom are unclear, but it is thought to have persisted in Wales into modern times.
4. Towers of Silence
Bizarre Fact: Zoroastrians place their deceased in circular towers to prevent contamination by the corpse demon.
According to Zoroastrian beliefs, a dead body is impure, and a malevolent corpse demon seeks to defile it and anything it touches. To counter this, Zoroastrians constructed towers featuring a roof with three concentric rings—designated for men, women, and children—where bodies were laid to be devoured by birds and decomposed by the sun. The remaining bones were then deposited into a central well within the tower. This practice is still observed by Parsi communities in India today. The image above shows the ruins of a Tower of Silence in Iran.
3. To Space And Beyond
Bizarre Fact: You can now have your remains sent to space for burial!
A U.S.-based company named Memorial Space Flights offers the service of launching cremated remains into outer space for a fee. They also provide a memorial service and a prime viewing location to witness the rocket launch. Due to the high costs, only a small portion of the ashes is sent into space, with the remainder scattered at sea if desired. Once in space, families can track the rocket’s location online as it orbits the Earth. The company provides various packages to fit different budgets: a brief orbit and return to Earth ($695), permanent Earth orbit ($2,495), a lunar surface launch ($9,995), and a deep space launch ($12,500). The image above shows families and friends gathered to watch their loved ones’ remains being launched into space.
2. Soap People
Bizarre Fact: After death, some human bodies can transform into soap.
Through a natural process called saponification, certain human bodies partially or entirely convert into a soap-like substance known as adipocere, or grave wax. This occurs when fatty tissues and decomposition fluids combine to form solid masses of adipocere, affecting both embalmed and unembalmed bodies. Individuals with significant fat deposits before death are more prone to this phenomenon. The Mutter Museum famously displays “The Soap Lady,” a fully preserved example of grave wax (shown above). Occasionally, these waxy deposits can even seep out of sealed tombs.
1. Deadly Portrait
Bizarre Fact: During the Victorian era, families often photographed their deceased loved ones, as they rarely had the chance to capture their images while alive.
In the Victorian period, photography was a novel and expensive technology, making it difficult for most families to afford portraits of their living relatives. As a result, post-mortem photographs became a common way to preserve memories of the deceased. This practice, known as Memento mori, also allowed distant relatives to see images of loved ones they might never have met, such as a child who passed away. Families sometimes posed alongside the deceased in eerie group portraits. The image above is an authentic example of a Victorian post-mortem photograph.
