It was built on an artificial plateau near the burial mounds from the Germanic Iron Age and was presumably a residence connected to the royal power, which was established in the area during that period. The Vikings believed that the brave warriors who fell in battle would reap the most reward in the afterlife. This did not mean that the same animal could not also play a role in the worship of other deities (the horse was also an important part of the Odin faith). What doesnt it mean? He was fully dressed and surrounded by ancient artifacts such as a bronze kettle, runic inscriptions, a game board, and a sleigh. One of the most common terms was v, meaning an area that was consecrated and thus outside the sphere of the profane and where special rules applied. Ellen Lloyd - AncientPages.com - Ancient Viking funeral traditions and rituals were very complex. Fascinating. Namely: by the time they actually put things in the grave, all of these people may have been several days into a nonstop alcohol bender. These were items meant to help the deceased pass the time while they waited for their big appearance at the funeral. Her head was removed from her body, and her lower jaw was removed from her head. This change is among other things shown by golden plates and bracteates becoming common. [56] The belief that deities were present during childbirth suggests that people did not regard the mother and the child as excluded from normal society as was the case in later, Christian, times and apparently there were no ideas about female biological functions being unclean. However, sudden crises or transitions such as births, weddings and burials could also be the reason. [5] The only heathen shrine about which there is detailed information is the great temple at Uppsala in modern Sweden, which was described by the German chronicler Adam of Bremen in a time where central Sweden was the last political centre where Norse paganism was practised in public. Norse Paganism, Asatru and Heathenry are all names for basically the same religion, and this religion does have rituals and practices. The cremated ones are more difficult to examine but besides the dead body, a grave also contained grave goods which can give us clues about who the person was. This was considered necessary for them to use in the afterlife, I mean what warrior would want to be without his trusty weapons, even if he were not to need them in the next life. It was a grave within a gravea Matryoshka doll of mortality. No fantasy series would be complete without borrowing this enduring tropeeven if it only dates back to the 1958 film The Vikings, which was the first time flaming arrows were mixed in for cinematic flavor.1. Its one less thing for the bereaved to think about while theyre dealing with the ultimate in real-life sh*t. Not so for the Norse, Vikings, or Viking-Age Scandinavianswhatever you prefer calling the Germanic people that dwelled in Norway, Sweden, Denmark, and parts of the British Isles between 793 and 1066 CE. For example, one of the most important archaeological finds of the 20thon Orkney Island is theScar Dragon Plaque, an artifact that testifies to the skills of the unknown Viking craftsman who made it. Some of the norse pagan and viking traditions are often misunderstood or wrongly portrayed. That, or the guy suffered from IBSmead-hammered or not, he was under a lot of pressure.5, Honestly, this stuff is just the tip of a very grim iceberg. Thus it has long been a topic for discussion whether there were buildings exclusively meant for religious purposes in pre-Christian Scandinavia. Ashes were later spread over the waters. [76] They are also explained in terms of Christian practice; for example a hlautteinn used for sprinkling participants in a blt being described as "like an aspergillum". People believed the deceased person would need particular objects in the afterlife. The word blt is connected to the verb blta, which is related to English bless. Free shipping world wide | Safe payment: All major credit cards, Paypal, Apple pay and Gpay. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Museum Hack leads small group, VIP museum tours that are fun, fast-paced and surprisingly cool. [3] Sacrifice (blt) played a huge role in most of the rituals that are known about today, and communal feasting on the meat of sacrificed animals, together with the consumption of beer or mead, played a large role in the calendar feasts. [57], As it was the core the family, marriage was one of the most important social institution in pagan Scandinavia. [citation needed] Fate played a huge role in Norse culture and was determined at the moment of birth by the Norns. in Steinsland et al. Near Tiss, archaeologists have unearthed a complex consisting of, among other things, a central mead hall connected to a fenced area with a smaller building. If we combine these two theories we get a third one. Many relics in ancient tombs reveal that the type of burial a Viking received depended on his importance in the society. Instead there are traces of a faith that was tied more to the abode of a ruler. People from all across the world come to the Shetland Islands to see this celebration. It instantly . Thus, rites of birth were common in many pre-modern societies. You know how it goes: sometimes you have to bury your neighbor, but you didnt like him so much, so you skimped on the ritual sacrifices and grave gifts. When he was driven from Norway into exile in Iceland, he erected a nithing pole (nstang) to frighten the Norwegian land wights and thus bring bad luck to Norway as revenge for the Norwegian king's treatment of him. In his hand he held a sceptre. What does it all mean? Normally the rebirth is relatively quickly after death. By cremating their dead the Vikings believed the smoke would carry them to their rightful destination in the afterlife. Cucamonga Mortuary Address. [10] A trace of the importance of goddesses can be found in place-name material that has shown that there are often place names connected to the goddess Freyja near place names connected to the god Freyr. O'Connor Mortuary 25301 Alicia Pkwy Laguna Hills, CA 92653 | FD 1293. Rather, it continued on for days after biological death and called for a smorgasbord of accessories, depending on who you were. Im sure youre familiar with the old viking funeral and norse burial stereotype: throw a dead guy in a boat, stuff a weapon in his hands, then peg the ship with a fiery arrow as it drifts away. [70], Many images can also be interpreted as depictions of ritual acts. The titles of these specialists have been found on rune stones, thus confirming their position within society. O'Connor Mortuary Arrangement Center - Irvine 4010 Barranca Pkwy, Ste 200 . Hollywood usually makes a scene when the dead body is placed on a longship, the longship is pushed out to the sea and archers set the ship on fire by shooting burning arrows. [7] Other sources suggests that the ritual acts were not necessarily limited to religious buildings. One of them is the myth about Odins son, Balders funeral. Before they adopted Christianity, Vikings were Pagans and had many customs, practices, and beliefs. Cremation. The grave sites do help put Norse views of death into focus. The first blt (the rituals of satr are called blt) was held on Jnsmessa, Midsummer Night. [citation needed] There are accounts of guests being invited to bring gifts and wish the child well. Each god had his own priests and people sacrificed to the gods whose help they needed: Thor was called upon in times of famine and disease, Odin was called upon to gain victory and Fricco was called upon for fertile marriages. This belief in many ways freed the Vikings to walk into battle with no fear and this would be the goal for many Viking in death. So, the naked, fire-starting relative covered his anus with his hand as he backed himself toward the ship. [7] Other titles of religious leaders were ulr (thul), thegn, vlva and seimar (seidman). So, when you see loads of drinking horns, glasses, and even a 300-pint drinking bucket found with traces of mead present, you get the idea that binge drinking was big for the Norse. Viking age mass grave from Ridgeway Hill, Weymouth. Draping the decedent in hydrangeas for protection. This account is likely to describe rituals in the Odin faith. At these festivals men and male animals were sacrificed by hanging. satrarflagi, the Pagan Association, was formally founded in the spring of 1992. Hollywood usually makes a scene when the dead body is placed on a longship, the longship is pushed out to the sea and archers set the ship on fire by shooting burning arrows. Below is an introduction to most known types of rituals. The purpose of these sacrifices was to ensure fertility and growth. Even the dead needed something to do, lest they rise from their graves or, even worse, fly up your ass and haunt your guts. Freya would be able to choose half of the dead warriors from battle to come and live in the afterlife in Folkvangr. The procedures had to be followed for the divine powers to sanction the marriage and to avoid a bad marriage afterwards. During Christianisation the attention of the missionaries was focused on the named gods; worship of the more anonymous collective groups of deities was allowed to continue for a while, and could have later escaped notice by the Christian authorities. In Iceland the local secular leader had the title of gothi, which originally meant priest but in the Middle Ages was a term for a local secular leader. In the 6th century the great sacrifices of weapons were discontinued. Women and animals in particular were sacrificed in terrifically inhumane ways to ensure that important people made it to Valhalla fully stocked with whatever or whoever they might need in the afterlife. (ed. The ashes were to be spread either at sea or on the ground. 1 About Norse Burials: Collateral Damage While all Norse burials are unique, one common theme seems to be that you don't send a dead Norseman or woman off to Valhalla without killing something else to keep them company. However, there are archaeological finds from other types of graves that we know for sure were used during the Viking age. Encircling the decedent with a candle to keep watch before the funeral rites. All dead were to be cremated on a funeral pyre together with all their belongings and all cremated in this way would join him in Valhalla, together with their belongings. That could mean digging up the departed to throw some more gifts in the grave, or it could mean driving a stake through the corpse or removing its head to make sure its dead. The sources tell very little about how a wedding was related to the gods. There are even large stone ships structures in Scandinavia to allow the dead to sail even without a sea burial. Sure, its a fascinating spectacle and yeah boats and fires were indeed important themes in Norse funerals. Your email address will not be published. Later as Christianity become more common it is believed the use of inhumation was more widely adopted. He walked backward, stark naked, with his face turned to make sure all of his bodys orifices were facing away from the boat. . Viking graveyards were even common, with certain settlements and groups keeping all their dead in one location. These are Air in the East, Fire in the South, Water in the West and Earth in the North. It was the first public gathering of the two families and consisted of a feast that lasted for several days. In Viking times, dying in a brave way was definitely the most honourable. Helheim was cold and dark, ruled by the Goddess Hel, it was reserved for those Norse folk who died in a dishonourable way. The Vikings and their funeral and burial rituals were wholly affected by their pagan religion and beliefs. The sacrificial rituals of the Vikings. [12], Different types of animals or objects were connected to the worship of different gods; for instance, horses and pigs played a great role in the worship of Freyr. Several thousand people work the whole year to organize this fantastic event on the last Tuesday of January each year. But from the tenth century onwards, only one tomb out of four is a woman's grave. It begs the question: did the Viking funeral parties even know what they were doing? Ibn Fadlan's account of the chieftain's funeral describes how the dead man is placed in a . Turning into a draugr doesnt appear to have been the only time dead Norsemen got busy. [32][33] However the word hll is not found in place names and is likely to have been borrowed into East Norse from German or English in the late period. The Vikings in the early years were almost entirely pagan in their beliefs and they would typically cremate their dead. If such a tradition existed it would be very difficult to find archeological finds from it so we can not be sure. There are at least two currently known interpretations of soul from accounts of ancient Norse belief . The norse pagans believed in reincarnation. The sources disagree about faiths buildings, so there are varying opinions about their form and nature. We can empathize with Ibn Fadlans general confusion about all of this. Markradarunderskningar vid Gamla Uppsala kyrka. It also handily deterred grave robbers, who might otherwise have looted the expensive, buried weapons. [58], As a prelude to marriage the family of the groom sent the groom and several delegates to the family of the bride to propose. . One late ninth-century grave in particular reads like a bad joke: A man, two women, a baby, a horse, and a dog walked into an Old Norse grave. Thus the religious festivals were also the time and place for things, markets and the hearing of court cases. Due to the long process of the Christianization of Scandinavia, which largely destroyed all records of the Old Norse religion, we only have left to us Viking calendars that are largely Christian-influenced. was found in Denmark. In place names the word sal is mostly connected to Odin, which shows a connection with political power. This burial was not very common but rather reserved for sea captains, noble Vikings, and the very wealthy. This material is very useful in forming a general view of the structural relations and long-time developments in the religion. Valhalla was a place for fallen warriors and in opposite contrast, Helheim was for Viking people who had died from what was considered a dishonourable death. . He uses the Latin term triclinium, meaning banquet hall, for the central religious building and says that it was used for libations. Invoking Gods, guides, and ancestors to ensure safe travel. [44] From Iceland the terms goi (gothi) and gyja are known for "priest" and "priestess" while the terms vfill and lytir are primarily known from the East Norse area. By comparing it to other archaeological findings and written sources, new perspectives can be formed. Most rituals only involved one or a few persons, but some involved the entire household or the extended family. This was part of ancestor worship. Here are a few things about Norse funerals that range from esoteric to plain ol' too f*cked up, even for HBO. But theres only one thing that all Norse burials had in common: they were all characteristically uniquelike snowflakes, but with way more dead things. The two realms in Norse mythology that were commonly associated with the religious practises of funerals and burials were Valhalla and Helheim. Click for more info. Violence was a part of daily life in the Viking Age and took on a religious meaning like other activities. Instead, it was more like the corpses green room. This was the first legally binding step between the families, and the occasion was used to negotiate the inheritance and property relations of the couple as well as the dowry (heimanfylgja) and wedding present (mundr) from the groom's family. One of them is the Viking funeral. However accounts in the sagas about the complicated individual emotions connected to a marriage tell us that things did not always work out between the spouses. Sagas occasionally mention human sacrifice at temples, as does Adam of Bremen. Viking age chamber tombs have been found in Birka for instance. Crumlin-Pedersen, Ole (2005); "Skibet i kulten", in Capelle et al. It took longer for Sweden to convert entirely to Christianity. A burning ship with the dead body on, burned on land (or sent out to sea). Could be from a couple meters up to a couple of hundred meters. In five c. 3 metre-deep wells human and animal skeletons were found, together with jewellery and tools. A Pagan funeral service may involve invoking the four elements, which are often a key aspect of Neopagan beliefs. Some archaeological evidence has been discovered, but this is hard to interpret in isolation from written material. Life and Afterlife: Dealing with the Dead in the Viking Age. The grave was surrounded by stones that were placed in the shape of a ship. Since the excavation of a mound was a time- and labour-consuming task which could not have happened unnoticed, religious historian Gro Steinsland and others find it unlikely that lootings of graves were common in prehistoric times. In academia Seid was traditionally written about in a degrading fashion and considered magic rather than religion. The most recent findings are from 1020 to 1030, when the great hall seems to have been dismantled.[22]. Its the right idea. Some Scandinavian countries accepted Christianity fast. If they were treated in the ritually correct way, they could give their blessings to the living and secure their happiness and prosperity. For instance Margaret Clunies Ross has pointed out that the descriptions of rituals appearing in the sagas are recycled in a historicised context and may not reflect practice in pre-Christian times. We will cover holidays and special rituals in our resources section, but for now we just want to talk about the basics of Heathen Ritual so you can get . This type of burial was not common however, and was likely reserved for sea captains, noble Vikings and the very wealthy. [65] It is hard to determine from the sources what the term meant in the Viking Age but it is known that Seid was used for divination and interpretation of omens for positive as well as destructive purposes.[66]. Another one is the Gautreks saga which tells us about a boy who has a birthmark, this would be from his grandfather. In Norse culture, the weapon was bound to the spirit, so breaking that weapon severed the spirits last connection to the human realm. . [30] Old place names containing the word sal may thus mean that a religious hall once stood there. Prayer to the Gods of Death: At Samhain, the earth is growing cold and dark. There are also several mythological tales and legends about retrieval of objects from burial mounds[62] and an account in Ynglingasaga of offerings to Freyr continuing through openings in his burial mound at Uppsala. Why not just bury them in a hole, then put a rock on top with their name on it? The child could no longer be killed, or exposed by the parents, without its being considered murder. Was he afraid of being burnt, due to his nakedness and the fact that hed been pickling himself with alcohol for the last 10 days or so? (ed. Retrieved from https://blog.britishmuseum.org/the-viking-way-of-death/, Rowe, Richard. [15], Several written sources mention statues of heathen gods. Strange Tale Of Mysterious Thousand-Year-Old Underground Network Of Caves And Encounters With Subterranean Dwellers, Unexplained Mystery Of The Glowing Woman Who Baffled Scientists, A Merging Galactic Trio Viewed By Hubble Space Telescope, Unknown Class Of Water-Rich Asteroids Identified, Evolution Mystery Mini-Proteins In Human Organs Appeared From Nowhere, New Quantum Sensing Technique Reveals Magnetic Connections, Detailed View Of Oblong Asteroid Captured By NASAs Planetary Radar, Researchers Discover Unique Way Snakes Replace Their Teeth, Tadpole Molecular Cloud Appears To Be Playing Around Black Hole, Ripples In The Fabric Of The Universe May Reveal The Start Of Time. Odin was the god of war and courage, his name meant "the furious" and he was depicted as a warrior. [8] The sources indicate that sacrifices for fertility, a safe journey, a long life, wealth etc. That funeral Ibn Fadlan witnessed on the Volga was one such ship burial. There has been great disagreement about why, for instance, two bodies were found in the Oseberg tomb or how to interpret Ibn Fadlan's description of the killing of a female thrall at a funeral among the Scandinavian Rus on the Volga. The term thul is related to words meaning recitation, speech and singing, so this religious function could have been connected to a sacral, maybe esoteric, knowledge. The name of a location can reveal information about its history. The construction of such pyres could take hours to build, necessary to ensure the heat was located in such a way that the body would burn effectively. Because of this the male head of the family had the final say in these matters. All these texts were written in Iceland after the Christianisation and it is likely that much knowledge about the rituals had by then, been lost. The Blt was an important type of ritual in the public as well as the private faith. The horse? For a Viking their death would lead them into an afterlife and into one of the Vikings nine realms. What makes these burials so fascinating is that each appears to tell a story, according to archaeologist Neil Price. However, there is no evidence pointing to that conclusion. Grave goods give us a good idea of which accessories were considered important in Old Norse culture. In the legend of Beowulf, Heorot is referred to by the Old English cognate, heall. In most pagan traditions, cremations were the most common form of burial and cremation was certainly a part of Scandinavian sacrifice rituals. In Old Norse times, proper boats took several months to construct and would not have been wasted without a reasonable cause or a suitable amount of status. Humans inhabit one realm, which is known as Midgard. With that out of the way, lets get into the grit! [34][dubious discuss], The v is another kind of holy place and is also the most unambiguous name used for holy places in Scandinavia. After rrs death Helga gave birth to their son. This complex is similar to others found in Scandinavia.,[19] such as Borg in Lofoten, Uppsala in Uppland, Uppkra in Scania, Gudme in Funen and Lejre in Zealand. A poor man might be buried with a single knife - a rich person could be buried with many everyday and luxury items. Without the intense heat caused by a pyre, a normal fire would likely not burn the body completely. [21] Excavations of the complex at Tiss have shown that it grew from the 7th century until the 10th century. ); Grslund, Anne-Sofie (1999); "Gamla Uppsala stllning i den frkristna kulten", in Schjdt, Jens Peter (ed. A ship setting that is at least 170 meter long, could possibly be 354 meter long (!) The sagas sometimes mention small figures that can be kept in a purse. This practiced most likely came from the ancient Celts, but the Vikings used it as well. They are white and exactly the same. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Except, instead of a little dog, it was a whole person in a boxcarry-on carrion, if you will (sorry). [41][42] Gamla Uppsala was used for about 2000 years but the size and complexity of the complex was expanded up until the Viking Age,[40] so that Uppsala in the period from 500 to 1000 was the centre of royal power and a location of a sizeable religious organisation. Perhaps most fascinatingly, these burialsand pre-burials, and corpse re-killingsuggest that the Norse didnt perceive life and death as binary, opposite, and entirely separate states of being. The chamber is often covered with soil or stones. The center of gravity of pre-Christian religion lay in religious practice sacred acts, rituals and worship of the gods. Remains of so-called multifunctional centres have been discovered in several places in Scandinavia. Thus war was ritualised and made sacral and the slain enemies became sacrifices. If I may compare Norse burials to modern shop local trends, the Norse people were into artisanal, bespoke graves that fit the individual being buried. [53], Birth was seen as extremely dangerous for mother and newborn. See reviews, photos, directions, phone numbers and more for the best Funeral Directors in Rancho Cucamonga, CA. Death in ancient Norse times was associated with varying customs and beliefs. Funeral celebrations occurred in old Norse society, but the Vikings would wait for seven days before celebration. A king thus needed to have homesteads throughout the realm as the physical seat of his government. Folkvangr was another place brave warriors could live in the afterlife. If you do want to learn more about these terrible things that actually happened, check out Neil Prices full lecture, Life and Afterlife: Dealing with the Dead in the Viking Age.6. It is a time of death, of endings and beginnings. Since the 1970s, discoveries have significantly expanded knowledge about the public faith. Rancho Cucamonga, CA Obituaries at funeral.com Inland Memorial Obituaries in nearby Upland, CA Lada's Cucamonga Mortuary Obituaries in Rancho Cucamongo, CA Rancho Cucamonga Obituaries in the San Bernardino Sun Obituaries, past 30 days, past year, all records in Rancho Cucamonga, CA Snyder's Care Center Obituaries After this celebration the heir would truly claim their inheritance. The leaders managed the faith on behalf of society; on a local level, the leader would have been the head of the family, and nationwide, the leader was the king. Sh*t, man. There were dead birds, torn to pieces, and skewed about the boat for good measure (this was popular). The king or the jarl (earl) had overall responsibility for the public faith in his realm while the head of the household was responsible for leading the private faith.[45]. [74] For instance, the written sources point to the existence of religious specialists within the public faith. The sagas also tell us how dying men are asking that their future sons shall be given their names in hope of continuing their lives in the family. Also, the written sources tell that a commander could consecrate the enemy warriors to Odin using his spear. [6], Ceremonial communal meals in connection with the blt sacrifice are mentioned in several sources and are thus some of the most described rituals. Elaborate burials and related sacrifices seem like a waste of effort, resources, livestock, and peopleunless you consider that not going the extra mile could lead to bad fortune via zombie vengeance down the road.2. [36] There is general agreement that Gamla Uppsala was one of the last strongholds of heathen religion in central Sweden and that the religious centre there was still of great importance when Adam of Bremen wrote his account. This has been a tradition in Scandinavia until just a few generations back, to pass on names, often giving the newborn the same names as their great-grandparents. On the first night the couple was led to bed by witnesses carrying torches, which marked the difference between legal marital relations and a secret extra-marital relationship.[61]. Thus Seid is today considered as an important element of Norse religion. Followers of Norse Paganism believe that life is centred on a vast sacred tree called the Yggdrasil, which has different realms extending out from it. Appian of Alexandria, a Greek historian, wrote in his texts in the 2nd century that a group of Germanic people, the Teutons, had no fear of death because they hoped to be reborn. His account stated that the ritual . Its often reported that Valhalla was a place for only warriors to go to, if you fell in battle as a brave warrior then entry to Valhalla would be granted to you. In the Viking age the main meaning of the word had become to sacrifice. People are drinking and drinking and drinking for 10 days. [24] However, it seems that for some buildings, sacral use was secondary. Ancestor worship was an element in pre-Christian Scandinavian culture. The Vikings draped their dead in clean clothing and often adorned them with jewels. Nonetheless, the thawing of winter and the coming of spring was an important, and festive, time for many in Viking societies. Usually the bride's family were less wealthy than the groom's, but in most cases the difference was not great. Since they didnt have a morgue, they would simply place the deceased in a temporary grave. The sources of knowledge about Norse paganism are varied, but do not include any sacred texts that prescribe rituals or explain them in religious terms. Ahmad ibn Fadlan writes about such poles in his description of a Scandinavian sacrifice at the Volga. Price, Neil. [52] The rituals were not limited to seasonal festivals as there were rituals connected to all tasks of daily life. So, if death was a regular part of everyday life, why make each burial a macabre art project? Several intriguing archaeological discoveries shed more light on ancient Viking burial customs. The discovery of the Gokstad Viking ship and the mysterious, unknown Viking Chief is exciting. Graves are the most common archaeological evidence of religious acts and they are an important source of knowledge about the ideas about death and cosmology held by the bereaved. Point to the living and secure their happiness and prosperity interpreted as depictions of ritual acts not... If such a tradition existed it would be able to choose half of the,! Scandinavian sacrifice rituals more for the best funeral Directors in Rancho Cucamonga, CA 92653 FD! Heorot is referred to by the Norns Lloyd - AncientPages.com - ancient Viking customs... Could be buried with many everyday and luxury items acts, rituals and practices ground... If we combine these two theories we get a third one consecrate the enemy warriors to Odin using spear. Them is the myth about Odins son, Balders funeral was held on Jnsmessa, Night!, so there are archaeological finds from it so we can empathize with Fadlans! Possibly be 354 meter long (! in religious practice sacred acts rituals! Other archaeological findings and written sources mention statues of heathen gods a temporary grave writes about poles... Boat for good measure ( this was popular ) organize this fantastic event on the Volga was a within! The myth about Odins son, Balders funeral with political power below is an introduction to most known of! Century the great sacrifices of weapons were discontinued encircling the decedent with a knife., time for many in Viking times, dying in a degrading fashion and considered magic rather religion. Able to choose half of the two families and consisted of a little dog, continued! To ensure fertility and growth to all tasks of daily life in the society,... Rock on top with their name on it persons, but the Vikings believed that the type ritual..., together with jewellery and tools can empathize with Ibn Fadlans general about! Sacrifice at the Volga was one of the family had the final say in these matters age main... ; Connor Mortuary 25301 Alicia Pkwy Laguna Hills, CA 92653 | FD 1293 skeletons were found, together jewellery. Of Bremen hand as he backed himself toward the ship blt is connected to all tasks daily... 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