In Frank Herbert's Dune books, a organization of superwomen (the
Bene Gesserit) bury their dead, when possible, under fruit trees. These women see the bodies of their Sisters as just so much dead organic matter as the fallen can live as memories in live Sisters, so no one is ever 'missed.' A body's a body, but the souls live on or something.
The more I thought on this, the more strange it sounded. Frank Herbert, being an ecologist, through his work had suggested it, and so it might not be just some fantasy writings. I presume that as these superwomen had the ability to protect themselves from diseases that the practice of placing dead bodies under food sources may be more plausible.
Would this then be possible with the elves, as they too would not carry diseases that could be retained in the food supply? Maybe that's why their food taste so good...
