ABSTRACT
The fact is that in order for such a separation to exist – let us suppose for the first time – the deceased has to cross over from one world to another. Recourse to rituals related to the treatment of the body are indispensable to ensure this crossing; at the same time, their organisation emphasises the need for efficiency: they must allow the subject to cross the border between the two worlds definitively. It stands to reason that this presumes the existence of a very clear conception of the world of the dead, with its system of rules, and that the conditions for admittance to this world and the requirements for dwelling there have irrevocably been clearly defined.
