Why is it considered necessary to nail down the lid of a coffin?

Question

:) now...really: why?

Answer 1

They don't anymore, they lock the casket now indstead. But both are to ward off grave robbers and stuff. When my dad and grandmom both died, the caretaker waited until we (well my mom and sis, I needed to leave the room) were the only ones left, and then locked it with a special key that can't unlock the casket once it's locked. That way we knew that no one was going to open the casket afterwards and steal jewelry or anything. I'm more confused about why they burry the body in a 2 inch thick cement vault and then cement the lid shut after they put the casket in it. I would think the fancy locks and thick plastic casket would be enough to ward off grave robbers......

Answer 2

Death is a complicated thing. It should be noted that the practice of burying the dead has psychological and religious origins. There are more efficient ways of disposing of biological material, but over the centuries we have developed customs that aid the mourning, comfort the living, and remind us all of the promise of eternal life.

Most folks have a bit of a creepy feeling in a cemetary. Some are completely comfortable about being at a cemetary, but we all have this innate sense that something supernatural is represented there. CS Lewis once argued that the feeling we get at a cemetary is a kind of proof of the existence of the soul. We somehow know that the body is the frontier between our natural and supernatural lives. Consequently, we treat dead bodies with great respect. We take pains to ensure that the dead stay buried so that friends and family do not have to mourn again the passing of their beloved.

As posters have indicated, there are several reasons for the custom of sealing the coffin. Keeping out graverobbers is one reason. But another reason is that "nailing the coffin shut" gives mourners a sense of finality. When we grieve, we all have a tendency emotionally to deny that our loved one is gone. Sealing the coffin is one way to tell ourselves that we must go on, because our loved one isn't coming back.

We also don't want someone be traumatized by finding an open coffin with a dead person in it. It turns out that is a real concern. Depending on the soil and weather conditions, coffins can, over time, float to the top of the ground. Closing the coffin traps a big pocket of air in the coffin. If the water under the ground rises to a level higher than the depth of the coffin (e.g., in a flood or an especially rainy season), the air in the coffin tries to rise, putting upward pressure on the coffin. Over time, the coffin can gradually work its way to the top. It's better to keep the coffin lid nailed so that some curious kid who finds the coffin doesn't end up needing years of therapy.

Several techniques are used to anchor the coffin and keep it from floating. Encasing the coffin in a concrete crypt is one such technique. In some Caribbean countries, they dig the hole just deep enough to house the crypt and place the coffin in it. It would be futile to dig the hole much deeper because the crypt would merely float to the top anyway.

Dr. Elisabeth Kübler-Ross wrote a ground-breaking book on the whole subject, "On Death and Dying." It is profoundly insightful. Though she was not a particularly religious person, she came to believe in life after death, and wrote with great compassion.

The late John Paul the Great taught with great compassion and clarity about the distinction between the "Culture of Death" and the "Culture of Life." Only by respecting both the living and the dead can we be free to live in this life and the life to come.

Answer 3

Even in this day and age grave robbers still exist. People will actually break into a coffin looking for valuables on the body: rings, earrings, watches, anything. Even the very clothing the body was buried in. So it is thought that nailing down the lid of the coffin would prevent this from happening. Also, I think an air-tight coffin might preserve the body better.

Answer 4

"I'm more confused about why they burry the body in a 2 inch thick cement vault and then cement the lid shut after they put the casket in it."

The concrete vault is to preserve the integrity of the casket from the crushing weight of the dirt being settled on top of it. They did an experiment on Mythbusters to see how long someone could stay buried in a coffin and still have oxygen (they were investigating the myth that someone was buried alive and then dug up the next day after someone heard the screams). As they were piling on the dirt, they only got to 2-3 feet when the lid of the casket began to deform under the weight!!! Needless to say they aborted the rest of the experiment but it's obvious that to keep the casket sealed they need to protect it from the dirt destroying it, otherwise the deformation would break the locks and hinges.

Answer 5

When rigor mortis sets in, the fluid in the body becomes tight and constricts, which, on occasion, causes the body to move involuntarily. When a body is placed in a coffin, the lid is nailed shut to prevent an arm or leg from forcefully opening the casket. Although I imagine it was also done in the past to help deter grave robbers.

Answer 6

because they don't want burrowing animals to get into the coffin and disturb the body.

Answer 7

Privacy from elements

Answer 8

So the body can't rise from being dead!

Answer 9

I didn't know that they did.