How would you feel about touching a long dead ancestor...

[Gillg]

Slightly off topic, but did you read that when Salvador Dali's body was exhumed recently to settle a paternity claim his famous moustache was still in place "at 10 past 10".  He died in 1989, but the claim doesn't seem to have been settled yet.

 https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2017/jul/20/salvador-dali-remains-exhumed-paternity-case

[medpat]

I've held skulls when I had to learn the anatomy of the head.

No big deal and I found it fascinating how we work. 

[Mike in Cumbria]

Looks like a good back-scratcher with the bony index finger extended like that.

[Flattybasher9]

Or even a "nose picker"!! Get right over the bridge with that one 

Regards

Malky

[KGarrad]

The arm is mummified, so I wouldn't have a problem with touching

Far better than the macabre custom of kissing or touching a recently deceased person?

[Sinann]

Interesting reactions, I think it would be brilliant to get the chance to 'shake hands' with Great x? Uncle Dan
Much better than finding a grave or visiting a place to walk the streets they walked and so forth nice and all as that is.
Bit creepy having a body part of an ancestor preserved like that, the thought of grave robbers, and bits of their body being a tourist attraction is off putting so I wouldn't wish it on any of mine but if it did happen I'd want to see and touch it.

[Lionrhod]

When my sister died, (almost two years ago to the day) I dipped my hand in her ashes to scatter them. In several places. Over several days. I even filled mini memorial urn necklaces for her daughters.

Other than the fact that cremation dust is a bit gritty and greasy, and hard to wash off. And other than the pain of her loss and the joy that she was now beyond emotional and physical pain, it didn't feel strange or scary at all. In fact it felt very natural. And it felt good to give her ash to the places and people that she loved.

I can't imagine (other than the lead issue) that touching an ancient ancestor's skeleton would feel much stranger.

Of course then again I'm weird. I collect dead bird wings and the skulls of animals. (Roadkills or woodland finds only, of course. I'd never wish to hurt a creature.) I find exquisite beauty in bones. They remind me of the power and perfect form we are created with. And well, being a witch, I also use them for magick. Before my housefire I had a gorgeous bracelet made of fox bones beaded with amber.

[Lionrhod]

Interesting reactions, I think it would be brilliant to get the chance to 'shake hands' with Great x? Uncle Dan
Much better than finding a grave or visiting a place to walk the streets they walked and so forth nice and all as that is.
Bit creepy having a body part of an ancestor preserved like that, the thought of grave robbers, and bits of their body being a tourist attraction is off putting so I wouldn't wish it on any of mine but if it did happen I'd want to see and touch it.

Here's what really creeps me out - during the 1800s and such, they actually ground up mummies and put their dust into various cure-all drinks.

Just say no to drinking the body of some unknown personage. Who knows what kind of temperament or agenda they might have had? Not to mention whatever chemicals they were mummified with! Eeek!

[Guy Etchells]

As in holding his arm....
http://kilcullenbridge.blogspot.ie/2017/08/donnelly-family-descendant-views.html
sure would make an interesting story in any family tree.

I am in two minds about this, one part of me would love to be able to touch the remains of a long dead ancestor, but I do have a problem with what seems to be happening in this case.
It seems his arm is being paraded about without any respect just as an exhibit to profit from.

The respect seems to be totally missing but that could just be the way this has been reported.

Cheers
Guy