A pyre is a large pile of wood built for burning something, usually a dead body as part of a funeral ceremony. In many cultures throughout history and still today, people have honored their dead by placing the body on a carefully constructed pyre and setting it aflame, reducing the body to ashes. The ancient Greeks and Romans used pyres for their funeral rites, and the practice remains important in some Hindu traditions.

Building a proper pyre requires skill: the wood must be stacked to allow air to flow through while supporting the weight of what burns above.

In stories and legends, pyres often appear at dramatic moments. Vikings were said to set their chieftains' funeral pyres adrift at sea. In The Lord of the Rings, the steward Denethor nearly burns himself on a pyre in his madness. A pyre represents both an ending and a transformation, turning the solid and physical into smoke and ash that rise into the air.