North America: cultural beliefs, 36;
sky burial, 46
Nuer people, 25
obituary, 54, 84
Obon festival, 77, 84
omens, 36, 84
organ and tissue donations,
32
–33
Orpheus in the Underworld,
15
Oscar the hospice cat,
34
Osiris, 15
oxygen, lack of, 20
palliative care, 33, 84
Pandora’s Box,
35
Parsis, 47
Parsons, Rehtaeh,
73
pathologist, 23, 84
peat bogs,
44
pets: euthanasia of, 35; memorials,
73; mummification,
43
; Oscar the
hospice cat,
34
phoenix (mythology),
12
physician-assisted death, 35, 85
plague, 21, 85
Plato,
13
pregnancy, miscarriage, 24, 84
psychopomps, 36
putrefaction, 40, 85
pyre, 45, 60, 85
Qin Shi Huang,
48
Qingming festival, 77, 85
Quinlan, Karen Ann,
30
reincarnation, 12–13, 85
resurrection, 12, 15, 85; Wolf and
Coyote, 49
rigor mortis, 39, 40, 85
rituals, 12, 85
rivers: Ganges,
45
; as symbols, 16
Rope to Heaven, 25
sarcophagi, 51, 85
Saunders, Cicely,
33
Seven Days, The
(film),
62
Shoshone people, 49
shroud, 41, 47, 85
skeleton,
40
sky burial,
46
–47, 85
soul (spirit), 85; belief systems, 12;
and birds, 36; journey of, 12–16;
judgment of, 14–15; in limbo,
26–27; resurrection of, 15
stardust,
11
stars, cycle of life, 11
stillbirth, 24, 85
suicide, 33–34, 72–73, 85
suspended animation.
See
cryonic
suspension
symbols: birds, 36; of Death,
20
;
phoenix, 12; rivers, 16, 45
Taj Mahal,
42
technology: impact on medicine, 30;
intensive care unit (ICU),
31
terminal illness, 33, 85; and legal
rights, 34–35
Terracotta Army,
48
Thailand, funeral rites,
58–59
thanatology, 12, 85
Todd, Amanda,
72
Tollund Man,
44
tombs, 36, 85; mausoleums, 42, 84;
and models of boats,
15
; Taj Mahal,
42
; and Terracotta Army,
48
Tower of Silence,
47
Tsimshian people, 51
undead, 26, 85
undertakers, 7, 61, 85
underworld mythology, 13–15, 16,
75, 85
United States: cremation in, 45;
jazz funeral,
57
; life expectancy,
22; modern medicine, 29; and
physician-assisted death, 35;
Sandy Hook Elementary School
shooting,
55
vampires, 27, 85
Varanasi, India,
45
vegetative state, 30, 85
ventilator,
29
, 30, 85
Victoria, Queen,
62
, 63
vigils,
55
,
72
, 85
wakes, 85
West African cultures, 13
widow/widower, 62, 85
will, 32, 85; living, 32, 84
Wolf and Coyote, 49
Yolngu people, 51
zombies, 26–27, 85
Zoroastrianism, 47
88
