Little Details

The lovely mpoetess and xanpet2000 pointed me here, saying that someone might be able to help with my search:

I'm looking for a symbol that signifies something along the lines of 'stopping time', 'timeless sleep' or similar. I have tried some online encyclopedias on mythology and symbolism but haven't been able to find anything.

Alternatively I am looking for something that means half a century/fifty years and something meaning sleep, or dream-like state or something.

I know this is sort of confusing, but if anybody could point me in a possible direction, I'd be very grateful!

(also posted to bloodclaim and my journal)

ETA: Problem solved. white_aster gave me the idea of combining runes to achieve the desired effect which fits well with what I have planned, as it allows me to add an additional rune to signify protection into the design.

Big thank you to everyone who made suggestions, though! You guys rock!

I'm not even sure how to research this one, but maybe someone here can help?

If you put a human body in a crate, how many people would it take to carry it? (I usually see many pallbearers at funerals but I'm not sure if that's just ceremonial.) They're carrying it from a parked car to a apartment, and they can use all their strength, and they don't have to be especially discrete. (I was thinking they would have to go up stairs, but I can eliminate that). But at least some of them are not young men. (I was originally thinking of four older men doing this but I can give them help).

One more question: What if the body were a clay statue? Could people carry that at all?

There is magic in this canon, so I can use that as a "cheat" if I really have to, but I'm wondering what's workable.

Thanks so much for any help.

Thanks to all who replied. "Fetch" is what I wanted, but now I have the bonus of lots of lovely ghostly things to read about. :) Thanks to all, especially to the Newfies and their hysterical conversation! ;-)

Until the next question!

Two unrelated questions for a fantasy universe that I could use some help with ...

1. In this universe, there are two countries that are populated mostly by a long-lived humanoid race--they can live anywhere from 500 years to 5,000. Naturally, they're interested in building things to last. Most of them build with stone, unless it's not available or they're too poor to afford it.

My question is, how long could you expect a well-built stone building to last with regular upkeep? The climate in one city is somewhat like coastal Spain, and another is like the Midwest (Missouri or thereabouts).

I imagine that there will always be reconstruction and repair going on somewhere in their town and cities, but I'm interested to know about how often families and shop-owners will be forced to vacate parts or all of their buildings for major work, and whether there will EVER be periods that the palaces don't have crews working somewhere.

2. In one part of the story, a character is traveling upriver with a companion on some sort of cargo boat. The river is rather large--think the Mississipi. I have no clue what type of boat would carry cargo upriver in a pre-industrial society, how fast it could travel, or what types of difficulties it might encounter other than traffic snags around ports. If it matters, the character is in a hurry and will choose the fastest boat he can bargain his way onto. Help?

Quick! Need a peppy techno-beat song of the annoying sort that high-school cheerleaders might do a routine to. The catch: it can't be from later than 1995/6.

Ok. Main character has been wounded in a skirmish, and has spent the last week or so lying in a hayloft with a fever(delirious) caused by infection to his wound. Does this sound reasonable? Also, would an infection turn into gangrene? How long can a person go without medical help before all hope is lost?