Vote up the mock memorials you'd actually like to see for yourself.
Every civilization mourns the dead in different ways - the Egyptians built pyramids, Native Americans built earthen mounds, and Victorians built hair wreaths. No matter the resting place, humans have a need to commemorate those who passed. The common theme of these memorials is to show the impact the deceased had beyond their deaths, linking the past to the present.
The civilization of fandom is no different. A piece of media that deeply influenced popular culture leaves a hole when it ends. When that happens, sometimes the fans rally to memorialize and celebrate the stories and characters they will never forget.
Take a look at the memorials below and decide which to add to your trip itinerary.
Dobby the House-elf from the Harry Potter books is not the only character whose demise author J.K. Rowling has apologized for after wrapping up the series. So far, however, it is the only one with the potential to cause environmental harm. Fans of the franchise flock to Freshwater West Beach in Wales, where the scene in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows featuring his burial was filmed. The problem, however, is the tributes they leave behind like socks and painted rocks could damage the delicate beach ecosystem.
The National Trust in Wales declared the site can stay open as long as people stop leaving items at the memorial.
Tales of Robin Hood and his band of outlaws still delight audiences to this day. One tale claims that the famous archer perished while having his wounds attended at the Kirklees Priory, a Cistercian nunnery in Yorkshire, England, where his aunt lived as a prioress. He passed after she drained too much of his blood - a common medieval prescription. Before he passed, Robin supposedly shot an arrow and asked to be buried where it landed.
In the 18th century, the owner of the Kirklees Estate, Sir George Armytage, enclosed the gravesite behind a cage and a stone wall. The site has since fallen in to disrepair, although visitors are allowed on the private estate one weekend a year.
Until humans have perfected the science of space travel, fans of Star Wars will have to make due with sightseeing here on Earth - whether that means riding the Star Wars attractions at Disney theme parks or spending thousands of dollars for a two-night stay in a “starcruiser hotel."
For a less expensive tribute to everybody's favorite Jedi master, head to the Presidio in San Francisco's Golden Gate National Recreation Area, where a bronze statue of Yoda sits on top of a fountain. The fountain is outside the Letterman Digital Arts Center, headquarters for the San Francisco campus of Lucasfilm Ltd., Industrial Light and Magic, LucasArts, and the George Lucas Educational Foundation.
Daniel Craig always believed his version of James Bond would end in tragedy. He got his wish in 2021's No Time to Die after Bond's final showdown with the ruthless Lyutsifer Safin (Rami Malek). The climactic scene takes place on Kalsoy, one of the Faroe Islands between Norway and Iceland.
Citizens of Kalsoy erected a tombstone to the spy made of local stone. Visitors can even take a James Bond tour of the island led by a local sheep farmer.
Charles Dickens might have used one real-life tombstone as inspiration for a fictional one. During a trip to Edinburgh, Scotland, Dickens discovered the grave of a local merchant named Ebenezer Scroggie who was described as a “meal man.” Dickens misread the epithet as “mean man” and developed the character Ebenezer Scrooge.
The 1984 George C. Scott movie version of A Christmas Carol was filmed in the town of Shrewsbury in England, where the author first read the novel in public. Scrooge's tombstone used in the film still sits along the path in the St. Chad's Church yard.
Laurel Hill Cemetery in Philadelphia has headstones for many people who are not actually buried there, including Adrian Balboa. Visitors can tour of graves for people like Harry Potter, Indiana Jones, Robert E. Lee, and even Adrian's brother, Paulie Pennino..
To raise funds for cemetery upkeep, Laurel Hill started holding concerts, tours, and allowing films to shoot on location. Sylvester Stallone thought Styrofoam looked tacky, leading to the granite headstone for Rocky's wife used in Rocky Balboa.
