Do Elves BURY their dead?

[Morthoron]

Originally Posted by Alfirin

The answer to why there are so few graves in ME and they all seem to belong to the noble and important is very, very simple, they were the only ones ALLOWED such a privalege. The Concept of a grave as we now now it, that of a spot that a person is interred FOREVER, is a very, very new concept, even in the western world (started around the 18th-19th century, I belive).

In view of Tolkien's background in Anglo-Saxon studies, I believe he adhered to the fundamental practices of that society, and of other Norse and Germanic folk, which would not include disinternment and placing of bones in an Ossuary. Looking at common Viking practices, for instance, there are many cemeteries scattered across Sweden, Norway and Denmark where non-upper class folk were permanently buried. This goes for Viking settlements in Greenland and the New World as well.

The reason Tolkien only mentions Rath Dinen, the Rohirrim's mounds and the Barrow Downs (site of Dunedain burials), all of which hold lordly tombs, is that they are germane to the story. Tolkien does not dwell much on commonality in any race, save perhaps the Hobbits. There is sparse information regarding anything outside of what happened with the ruling caste of any race; however, it is reasonable to assume that, as with most societies, the peasantry and bourgeois followed the norms of their lords.