***A "TMFD" Special***
It has been said one of human being's most primal fear is the fear of being buried alive, (which by-the-way, is called Taphophobia, derived from the Greek taphos meaning “grave”), so much so than that of death itself.
We human beings are justified in feeling this way given the history of people being buried alive - whether intentionally, such as a form of torture, murder, execution or even as a stunt or a form of suicide. Or accidentally, such as in the case of being buried in rubble due to a disaster - natural or otherwise, or worse yet, mistakenly, when we caringly bury a living person whom we thought to have been dead.
Thanatomimesis, n: the state of apparent death; the resemblance of death while still alive. From the Greek thanatos, death, and mimesis, to imitate.
It has been said one of human being's most primal fear is the fear of being buried alive, (which by-the-way, is called Taphophobia, derived from the Greek taphos meaning “grave”), so much so than that of death itself.
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| The recovery of supposedly dead victims of cholera, as depicted in The Premature Burial by Antoine Wiertz, fuelled the demand for safety coffins. |
We human beings are justified in feeling this way given the history of people being buried alive - whether intentionally, such as a form of torture, murder, execution or even as a stunt or a form of suicide. Or accidentally, such as in the case of being buried in rubble due to a disaster - natural or otherwise, or worse yet, mistakenly, when we caringly bury a living person whom we thought to have been dead.
When George Washington died at 10 pm on December 14, 1799, his final words to Tobias Lear, his secretary, were, “I am just going. Have me decently buried and do not let my body be put into the vault in less than three days after I am dead. Do you understand? ‘Tis well.” America’s first president and the Father of His Country was buried according to his instructions.
