viking funeral 800
Viking funerals involved setting a longship on fire with the body on board and sending it out into the water. It was believed that the higher the smoke rose, the closer the dead person got to Valhalla, the majestic hall ruled over by the god Odin. However, they were typically reserved for wealthy nobles and sea captains as ships were very expensive. Most Norsemen were buried in ship-shaped plots marked out by stones, although sometimes longships were buried with the dead rather than sailed out to sea. Slaves were often sacrificed to serve their master.