According to Ibn Fadlan, the Rus’ stored their chieftain in a temporary grave for ten days. Because the chieftain was so important, his people pulled his entire longship ashore and hauled it onto a wooden platform. An older woman, who was in charge of the ritual and was known as the Angel of Death (hold on, Ibn Fadlan: I want to hear more about this Angel of Death woman), made a bed for the chieftain on the boat. The chieftain was taken out of his grave, re-dressed, and placed on the bed with all his weapons around him. His relatives arrived with flaming torches and set the boat alight, and
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