News

Maine bill would allow Viking-style funeral pyres

Maine bill would allow Viking-style funeral pyres

Photo: clipart.com


AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) The Maine Legislature is considering a proposal to create a new option for sending off the dead, a flaming funeral pyre.

Anyone who has watched “Game of Thrones” or “The Phantom Menace” has seen a fictional funeral pyre, with bodies cremated outdoors on a flaming bed of timber. It’s currently legal in only two locations in the U.S., both of them in Colorado, the Sun Journal reported.

A bill before the Legislature’s Health and Human Services Committee would allow a nonprofit that possesses at least 20 acres to carry out open-air cremations and to scatter the ashes on the property.

A nonprofit called Good Ground, Great Beyond hopes to have outdoor funeral pyres on a 63-acre forested parcel in Dresden.

A funeral pyre is a natural way to bring together earth and sky, the seen and the unseen, said the founder, Angela Lutzenberger, a hospice minister. It also allows loved ones to be present, as opposed to a conventional cremation.

Maine is already the nation’s leader in the percentage of people who choose cremation over burial, with about three-quarters of Mainers opting for cremation as a less expensive alternative.

Latest Headlines

3 hours ago in Local

One Dead, 3 Injured in Gorham Crash

The cause of the crash is still under investigation.

16 hours ago in Local

Golden to Face a Democratic Primary Challenge

Golden is a moderate Democrat who represents Maine's 2nd Congressional District.

16 hours ago in Local

Trump Admin Drops Block of Crime Victim Funds for Maine

Maine joined a 20-state lawsuit last week to oppose what it called " illegal conditions" attached to the funding.

18 hours ago in Local

New Maine Winter Heating Guide Released

The guide offers tips for efficient heating, as well as contact info for state heating assistance programs.

19 hours ago in Local

Electrical issue to blame for house fire in Boothbay Harbor

An electrical issue is the likely cause of a fire that destroyed a house in Boothbay Harbor over the weekend.