The shrine maidens use the water as a conduit between the living and the dead. Those who come to the mountain are transfixed by death. To die is to return to the water. The water is connected to everything. The shrine maidens glance into the souls of the dying, taking on their final memories. Then, the shrine maidens become the Pillars... and those memories are submerged in the water. If water really is connected to everything, then this mountain, overflowing with water, must also be overflowing with death.
