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Welcome
Taphophilia (dot) Com...
A repository of morbid curiosities:
Thanatology and Taphophile Issues, Cemetery,
Funeral Industry and Death Related News.
A Taphophilia Thank You...
Taphophilia (dot) Com would not be possible without the knowledge, experience and talent of DarkestWeb. From its conception and early development, DarkestWeb was faced with many challenges; from inspiring and motivating, to providing guidance and direction. The continued dedication and support has produced results greater than ever expected, and for this, I owe a huge debt of gratitude.
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West Springfield Massachusetts: Stories Carved in Stone by Rusty Clark features information on early New England gravestone carvers with more than two hundred photos and illustrations. Please visit the Dog Pond Press website.
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Undertaking thanatology studies |
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Written by DeadGirl
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Friday, 12 October 2007 |
By Philippe Beauchemin
There is only one academic program in Quebec people can take to become a thanatologist, or embalmer. And this program is offered at Collège de Rosemont, where about 40 students study death and undertaking every year. According to Martin Trudeau, who has been a thanatologist for eight years, the job encompasses many responsibilities. “It’s a job that is very human. You’re in contact with the family of the deceased, and you have to give moral support. It’s much more than just preparing the body.”
Trudeau, who works at the Mount Royal funeral complex, underlined the importance of his job for the mourning process. “People will come to you, not knowing what to do. They are distressed, because they just lost a loved one. It’s up to us to take charge, in effect taking this worry off the family’s hands. This isn’t something that is always evident, because we’re seen as people who are only out to make money. But that just isn’t the case.”
According to Collège de Rosemont statistics, the base salary for an undertaker in 2006 was between $15.90 and $24.30 an hour.
“It’s far from a lucrative job,” Trudeau said. “You can’t be watching the clock. We work seven days a week and we can be called in night and day. People don’t know very much about the job. So, when we’re talking with people who have just lost someone, we really try to find solutions that are good for them. You have to take time to mourn. I often see people who ask us to get things done as quickly as possible, because they have to go back to work and they don’t have time. But it’s psychologically important to mourn.”
This, however, is becoming less and less the case in today’s society. “In Montreal, especially, people want to get everything done quickly,” he said. “Before, we would have two days of visitation, when people would come together and talk about the deceased. Now, we prefer cremation, because it is fast. You can get back to your routine more quickly. But, the number of people who go see a psychologist in the months that follow is rising. People need to understand how important mourning and celebrating the life of someone who was close to you are.”
Curiosity was the reason
What would motivate a 20-year-old to want a career in thanatology? It’s curiosity before anything else, Trudeau said.
“I didn’t want to work in an office and have a regular nine-to-five. I was curious, and I liked biology, so I asked myself, why not? And that’s how it started for me.”
Naturally, telling your parents that you want to become an “embalmer” raises a few eyebrows. “I got a pep talk. My parents wanted to know if I had suicidal thoughts, or if I had dark thoughts. But once I explained it to them, they understood. Not everyone wants to do a job like this… And me, I didn’t want to have an ordinary job.”
http://www.nouvellessaint-laurent.com/article-145208-Undertaking-thanatology-studies.html
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Taphophilia?
taphophilia (taf′ō-fil′ē-ă)
ORIGIN:
From the Greek words taphos, meaning "tomb" or "sepulcher" and philia, meaning "attraction or affinity to something, in particular the love or obsession with something"
DEFINITION: 1. An excessive interest in graves and cemeteries. 2. A love or fondness for funerals, graves, and cemeteries. 3. In psychiatry, a morbid attraction to graves and cemeteries
Taphophilia Facts
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Ancient Greeks buried their dead with a coin in their hand or mouth to pay Charon, the ferryman who carries the dead across the river Styx and into the afterlife.
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Quote Repository
“Pale Death with impartial tread beats at the poor man's cottage door and at the palaces of kings.” Horace
Grave Epigrams
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Here lie interred the dreadfully bruised and lacerated bodies of William Bradbury and Thomas, his son, both of Greenfield, who were together savagely murdered in an unusually horrid manner on Monday Night April 2, 1832: Such and interest did their tragic end excite
That, ere they were removed from human sight,
Thousands on thousands daily came to see
The bloody scene of the catastrophe... Saddleworth Church Graveyard
Yorkshire, England 1832 |
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Shirtless and Sculpted
The Men of Mortuaries 2008 Calendar is now available! All sale proceeds benefit KAMMCARES, a breast cancer foundation.
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