If you're still taking asks on Zelda headcanons, this might be depressing but how do each race mourn and honor their dead?
Apologies for the wait on answering this question! I’ve been a little busy ;w;
At any rate, how each race mounrs/honors the dead? Hmmm.... So some of this is a bit off the top of my head, but what I’m thinking is:
-Hylians: Given how their patron goddess (Hylia) is thought to be a phoenix (given her wings, transformation, and repeatedly “rising from the ashes” or, AKA, reincarnation as Zelda), I think cremation is the most common way Hylians handle their dead. Rarely do they ever bury their dead under the belief that their souls will be trapped in the corpse if they aren’t released properly via burning the body and scattering the ashes. I’d imagine they would hold a memorial service for the person first, open-casket if able, and the service typically lasts for a day to two days. Once the service has concluded, the body will be burned to ash, after which the ash is taken to a sacred location where it’s spread and released to the wind.
I’d like to imagine that soldiers of the royal guard probably get an additional honor, in which Zelda is asked to bless the deceased (by way of drawing the symbol of her triforce upon the forehead) before they are burned.
-Gerudo: While the Gerudo are no longer nomadic, they still retain many customs from their time as nomads, and cremating their dead is one of them. After the deceased has been properly mourned (usually in a public vigil for at least a day), the body is taken to be cremated. The Gerudo are unique by which the ashes are then taken to be painstakingly transformed into colorful, shining gemstones. A handful will be placed in an ornate boxed commissioned by the family before being put to rest at a sacred burial ground; the remaining gems will then be given to the family and close friends of the deceased. These gemstones commonly become a piece of jewelry the Gerudo wear as a means of “keeping their loved one close”, a practice that’s very common in their culture (for example, Gerudo often keep the tusks of their beloved sand seals and fashion them into jewelry or ornate items as memorabilia).
In addition, the Gerudo also have a 3-day holiday every year that is solely dedicated to celebrating the lives of their departed. This celebration includes the likes of food, drink, dance, music, sparring, gift-giving, and so on.
Rito: The Rito’s means of mourning their dead is a very quiet, very private affair in comparison to the rest. Instead of receptions, Rito vigils are usually contained to just the immediate family of the deceased. Before the vigil, the body is prepared in such a way in that they are encapsulated in a biodegradable pod with a tree sapling perched atop of it. The family then transports the pod to the Rito sacred burial ground, the Forest of the Fallen, a luscious forest that sits atop a high, flat mountain plain, where they will bury the pod in a spot of their choosing. Once completed, the newly planted sapling is marked with a plaque settled next to it, and the family will sit with the sapling until the next day. Visits to the forest are frequent, often with the Rito intending to tend to their loved one’s tree as well as leave small offerings.
Every Rito household owns a small family shrine as well. Those who have passed on will have a small alter erected in their memory in this shrine, usually by way of their armor and prized weapon protectively enclosed in a mounted glass casing, and a painted portrait.
Zora: The Zora operate under the belief that, at some point in their origins, they once came from the sea. As such, it’s only fitting that, once a Zora passes on, that they return them from the very place they first came from. Zora wakes, while open to the public, usually somber and quiet affair. The deceased are often left entirely naked with the sole exception of necklaces and crowns made from flowers, and elaborate body paint marked on their skin. Once prepared, the body is then placed on a floating cot, which will be carried by the closest members of the family to the Vatn Anda, a hidden lake that leads directly to the ocean. Anyone who attends the vigil is required to wear their own flower-made necklace and bring one scented candle, the scent of which is specified by the family’s request. Once at the lake, the cot will be placed on the surface of the water, and a priest or priestess will speak a prayer in the decease’s name. With the exception of the family’s candles, who will place them upon the cot to help light the spirit’s way to the afterlife, everyone blows their candle out and the cot is released to flow the body to the ocean.
Similarly to the Gerudo, the Zora also have a day every year that honors the dead, however theirs only for one day. It’s a celebration in the name of sending the dead their love and respect. This is shown through custom plays and dance, music, and of course food and drink. The making of flower crowns and necklaces are pivotal to this festival, which are meant to symbolize flourishing life after death. The festival then winds down when the sun sets, where the Zora will transition over to Ruta River. Here they will use lily pads to ferry small handfuls of food offering (often cuts of meat and berries) and the flower crown or necklace they made beforehand to the ocean.
Gorons: Despite their close proximity to lava, the Goron’s invulnerability to Lava and flame in general makes it difficult to dispose of their dead in such a way. So instead, the Gorons honor their departed by way of open-invite funeral. The Gorons allow at least 3 days of absolute mourning, in which they often practice fasting and will retreat to solitude for quiet reflection. Once this period is up, a wake will be held in the departed one’s name; this vigil includes the body being dressed in the finest clothes and metal jewelry (jewelry being significant due to it being uncommon among living Gorons). Each attending Goron will grasp the departed’s hand and recite something they vow to keep in their memory (such as their wisdom, their humor, compassion, so on), then they press their foreheads to the hand in their grasp as a means of saying goodbye. When it’s over, a Goron shaman will recite an ancient spell that will incase the coffin in a layer of crystal, after which the body is then taken to be put to rest in the vast underground network that is the Goron Tombs.
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This one was actually pretty challenging to come up with so, I hope it’s at least interesting! owo
