Drowning ceremony

[Redfire]

Ok, so I always liked the drowning ceremony observed in the (GoT) Ironborn. They also did it to Rollo in Vikings. Here are the videos:

https://youtu.be/4fQqbgycLRg?t=329

https://youtu.be/GqkeOQAVELg?t=75

So. If you were to do the ceremony in real life, how likely is it that you'll survive? What if you have doctors standing by, who try to resuscitate you as soon as you come out? Plus: instead of throwing you on your back; people hold you vertically, so that it's easier to flush all the water out.

Are there any religions/cultures that practice this to this day?

 

[Pyropyro]

wouldn't baptism be a less hardcore version of this ceremony?

 

[Cognisant]

I've thought that, the whole point of being "born again" was to undergo a near death experience so that the sins of your old life don't count towards your new one.

Or maybe the brain damage makes faith easier?

 

[Reluctantly]

Kind of seems like a violent way of invoking ego-death for a kind of samsara. Like changing someone through trauma.

 

[Redfire]

Also a higher form of commitment. If you are not willing to risk your life for it; what's the point?

 

[Reluctantly]

^ ...well I'm not sure I'd want a leader that's willing to take such risks. They might put everyone else in needless danger for their ambitions. Would rather have someone that's smart and capable, but I guess it does show they are committed.

 

[Redfire]

"Courage is in far shorter supply than genius"

 

[Ex-User (9086)]

If people know they have to go through this ceremony then it doesn't have to be a near-death experience at all. They simply need to practice holding their breath to be many times better than average and make sure that guys pulling that rope won't decide to kill them.

Historically, It's considered to be one of the most severe forms of punishment in marinist circles. I know a few sailors and they sometimes jokingly refer back to this when you do something wrong on the boat/yacht. "Hey don't do that or we'll have to drag you under the keel" and the like. So it still has some cultural retention.

I think the significance of this ceremony is that an individual puts faith (life) in the community for a short time. It's a symbolic act of becoming a part of some sort of group.

 

[Redfire]

If people know they have to go through this ceremony then it doesn't have to be a near-death experience at all. They simply need to practice holding their breath to be many times better than average and make sure that guys pulling that rope won't decide to kill them.

Historically, It's considered to be one of the most severe forms of punishment in marinist circles. I know a few sailors and they sometimes jokingly refer back to this when you do something wrong on the boat/yacht. "Hey don't do that or we'll have to drag you under the keel" and the like. So it still has some cultural retention.

I think the significance of this ceremony is that an individual puts faith (life) in the community for a short time. It's a symbolic act of becoming a part of some sort of group.

Cool.