Wind Ceremony

Wind Ceremony - The traditional funeral ceremony held for a dead gargoyle. If the gargoyle died as flesh and blood, he or she is cremated; if he or she died in the course of stone sleep, his or her remains are pulverized (a disturbing concept, but gargoyles very seldom die in their sleep - except when shattered in it by humans). The mourners then take the ashes or dust to the highest point in the area, and hold a memorial service on the departed; by gargoyle custom, everyone is permitted a voice, even the enemies of the deceased. At the end, the gargoyles spread the mortal remains upon the wind, with the words "Ashes to ashes OR dust to dust. All is one with the wind." (Which ritual speech came to be the original for the similar sentiments expressed in human funerals). The gargoyles then glide out amid the wind-borne ashes or dust, so that part of the deceased will remain with them forever.

(It has been suggested that part of the reason why Xanatos and Demona were able to revive the Coldtrio through their creation of Coldstone was that the Wind Ceremony was never performed for them after the sack of Castle Wyvern - a concept somewhat reminiscent of how, in Greek mythology, the souls of the dead who were denied funeral rites were unable to gain complete access to the afterlife in the Underworld - cf. Homer's "Iliad" and Sophocles's "Antigone").

References

• Ask Greg - The Wind Ceremony