The grave digger's premium memento mori candles are hand-poured using 100% all-natural beeswax. Each handmade candle is a sweet honey necromancy, a warm reverie that transcends the veil between the living and the dead. Like bone churches and cadaver art of the Medieval and Victorian ages, it is a celebration of life through the grim reminder that death is always lurking, and someday we all must succumb to the grave.

ABOUT BEESWAX

Beeswax is produced naturally by honey bees and has been highly valued since ancient times. Since it never goes bad, beeswax has been found intact in Egyptian tombs, Roman ruins, and Viking shipwrecks. Beeswax candles were found in a graveyard in Germany dating to the 6th century AD.

Bees have an intimate connection with human mortality. In Ancient Near East and Aegean cultures, the bee was a sacred insect believed to bridge the natural world with the afterlife. Later in Europe it became customary to tell the bees when a member of the household died, so they could properly mourn. Often this involved knocking on the hives and whispering the name of the deceased, draping the beehives with black cloth, burying a garment of the deceased beneath the hives, bringing them wine and funeral biscuits, or turning the hives to face the funeral procession. If the bees were not informed of the death, it was believed they would leave the hive, stop producing honey, or even possibly die as a result.

Pure beeswax, like we use for all of our candles, is a vessel of unique and seemingly mystical properties. It is not oil-based like other waxes, and contains no chemicals. This means our candles burn cleanly, without sticky black soot and very little smoke. The natural honey aroma of beeswax releases cleansing negative ions into the air that remove indoor pollutants and can reduce asthma, allergies, and hay fever.

A WORD ABOUT BLOOM

Over time you may notice a light film appearing on the surface of your candles. This is called BLOOM and don't worry, it's supposed to be there. Bloom is a sign of richness and purity that candle connoisseurs crave. It means the beeswax hasn't been diluted with other waxes. Grave Digger Candles are made using only pure, all-natural beeswax, which means they will develop bloom over time. If you prefer the look of your candles without the vintage patina of bloom, just run the candle under warm water to wash it away.