Anydeathrelics

By J. H. Vane
Cultural Forensics & Digital Afterlife Studies

In the crowded lexicon of digital memorials, collectible memorabilia, and spiritual iconography, a strange and evocative keyword has begun to surface: anydeathrelics. anydeathrelics

Unlike traditional heirlooms (which are passed down within families) or funeral artifacts (which are bound by ritual), anydeathrelics refers to a radical, democratic category of objects. The prefix “any” is critical. It suggests that any death, regardless of status, fame, wealth, or circumstance, can produce a relic. Not just saints. Not just heroes. Not just ancestors. Any ending yields a fragment worthy of preservation. Artists like Walter Schels (who photographed the dying

But what, precisely, is an anydeathrelic? Is it a physical token (a watch from a stranger’s wrist after a subway accident)? A digital trace (a final, un-sent text message saved on a forgotten server)? Or is it a psychological construct—an anchor we latch onto to make sense of the universal, yet deeply personal, experience of loss? and spiritual iconography

This article will dissect the concept of anydeathrelics from three angles: historical precedent, digital reincarnation, and future ethics. By the end, you will understand why this awkward compound word may become one of the most important terms of the 21st century.

Artists like Walter Schels (who photographed the dying before and after death) and websites like FindAGrave (which crowdsources cemetery photographs) produce millions of anydeathrelics. The subjects never consented. Is the public benefit—normalizing death, preserving genealogical data—greater than the intrusion? The debate remains open.

AnyDeathRelics come in various forms, each with its own set of attributes and benefits. Some common types include: