Necrorituals

Necrorituals is a plural term used to describe ritual practices that engage with the dead, the afterlife, or processes associated with death. The word combines elements meaning death and ritual, and it is used across scholarly, occult, and fictional contexts to denote a broad category rather than a single tradition. The concept does not refer to one uniform set of rites; instead, necrorituals appear in diverse cultural settings and creative works, each with its own beliefs and methods.

Across cultures, rites involving the dead range from honoring ancestors to seeking communication with spirits or manipulating perceived fates tied to death. In ethnographic and religious studies, such practices are often examined as part of broader death rites, funerary customs, and beliefs about the afterlife. Common thematic elements include invocation or channeling of spirits, offerings to honor or win favor with the deceased, the use of symbolic objects, and specially prepared spaces or times for ritual activity. The aim may be to gain guidance, protection, healing, or power, though some rites may be framed as harmful or transgressive within their cultural contexts.

Ethical and legal considerations surround necrorituals in many societies. Many traditions discourage or prohibit the manipulation of the dead, and modern legal frameworks often regulate practices associated with death and grave desecration. In contemporary discourse, necrorituals frequently appear in fiction and occult circles as a narrative or symbolic device, where they are depicted as potent but risky endeavors.

Related concepts include necromancy, death rites, and ancestor worship.