The Pagan Book of the Dead: Ancestral Visions of the Afterlife and Other Worlds

by Claude Lecouteux

An extensive look at the cartography and folklore of the afterlife worlds as seen by our ancestors • Examines how ancient European cultures viewed the beyond, including the Blessed Isles of early Greek and Celtic faith, the Hebrew Sheol, Hades from Homer’s Odyssey, Hel and Valhalla of the Norse, and the Aralu of Babylon • Shows how medieval accounts of journeys into the Other World represent the first recorded near-death experiences • Connects medieval afterlife beliefs and NDE narratives with shamanism, looking in particular at psychopomps, power animals, the double, the fetch, and what people bring back from their journeys to the spirit realms Charting the evolution of afterlife beliefs in both pagan and medieval Christian times, Claude Lecouteux offers an extensive look at the cartography and folklore of the afterlife worlds as seen by our ancestors. Exploring the locations and topographies of the various forms taken by Hell, Purgatory, and Heaven, he examines how ancient European cultures viewed the beyond, including the Blessed Isles of early Greek and Celtic faith, the Hebrew Sheol, the pale world of Hades from Homer’s Odyssey, Hel and Valhalla of the Norse, and the Aralu of Babylon, the land where nothing can be seen. The author also explores beliefs in Other Worlds, lands different from our own that are not the afterlife but places where time flows differently and which are inhabited by fantastic or supernatural beings such as fairies or dwarfs. Sharing medieval tales of journeys into the beyond, Lecouteux shows how these accounts represent the first recorded near-death experiences (NDEs) and examines how they compare with modern NDE narratives as well as the work of NDE researchers like Raymond Moody. In addition, he also explores tales of out-of-body experiences, dream journeys, and travels made by a double or fetch and connects these narratives with shamanism, looking in particular at psychopomps, power animals, and what people bring back from their journeys to the spirit realms. Analyzing the afterlife beliefs of the Middle Ages as a whole, Lecouteux concludes with a collection of medieval afterlife-related traditions, such as placing polished stones in the coffin so the departed soul can find its way back to friends and family at those times of the year when the veil between the worlds grows thin.

Genres: Witchcraft, Paganism, Mythology, Death, Occult, Nonfiction, Anthropology

326 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 1, 2020

About the author

Docteur en études germaniques, docteur en lettres, est médiéviste. Il a occupé la chaire de Langues, Littératures et civilisations germaniques à l'université de Caen de 1981 à 1992 avant d'être appelé à la Sorbonne (Paris IV) pour occuper celle de Littérature et Civilisation allemande du Moyen Âge jusqu'en octobre 2007. Ses axes de recherches sont: Les êtres de la mythologie populaire, Les croyances touchant aux morts et à la mort, Les mythes, contes et légendes, La magie
Ses travaux lui ont valu de recevoir le Prix Strasbourg en 1982, un prix de l’Académie française la même année, d'être fait Chevalier de l’Ordre des Palmes académiques en 1995 et Officier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres en 2006. Jusqu'en décembre 2010, il dirige la revue La grande Oreille, arts de l’oralité et collabore à plusieurs revues sur le Moyen Âge.

Reviews

[riley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very clear and very interesting. It’s definitely the most straightforward book I’ve read on the subject, which is a breath of fresh air. Filled to the brim with examples and cites every single story he uses (and there’s a lot of them). Treasure trove of information. The only reason I didn’t give it five stars is because it almost felt like there was too much. Either condense it, or expand it into multiple volumes. But really that’s just me being nit-picky. It was great and exactly what I was looking for.

[Elentarri · Rating 4 out of 5]

In "The Pagan Book of the Dead", Lecouteux provides a survey and analysis of various sources (documents, stories, songs, myths, fairytales etc.) of the afterlife from Antiquity to the current day (NDE and OBE).  The sources used are usually from a European perspective, but occasionally other culture's visions of the afterlife make an appearance.  I found this book to provide an interesting examination of the similarities various cultures have in their view of the afterlife and the soul/spirit.

[Edric Unsane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although this book was mightily interesting, you should know that this is more of an examination of the documented history of both pre-Christian and Christian death experiences.

Otherwise, this book is extremely fascinating.

[Rebecca Elson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This review originally appeared on The Magical Buffet's website on 10/01/2020.

Didn’t I just publish a review of a Claude Lecouteux book? Yes, yes, I did. There is already another book? Yes, yes, there is. Is it too much? No, no, it isn’t. Theoretically, you can have too much of a good thing, like fried food or sugar (not that I reign that in). However, when it comes to Lecouteux, you can NEVER have too much of a good thing, and his latest, “The Pagan Book of the Dead” is a very good thing.

“The Pagan Book of the Dead” explores the afterlife from a variety of cultures and sources and how it evolved. Medieval Christian depictions of the afterlife were apparently the English-speaking world’s first torture porn. I have trouble handling horror (movies or books) and dude, the crazy ways a soul could be tortured was/is messed up! Rarely did I see anything about heaven, occasionally I would read about forgiveness, but primarily, that afterlife is all about torture. And although medieval Christianity takes the taco for discussing afterlife as primarily torture, they don’t own the exclusive rights to unhappily ever afters. In fact, one of the biggest features of “The Pagan Book of the Dead” is that unlike most of Lecouteux’s books, which focus on English, French, and German texts, this book also has texts from Arab countries, Nicaragua, and Asia. Believe me, they can be just as judgmental and punitive.

Which highlights one of the things I loved about this book, which is not only its inclusion of other cultures, but other formats. Along with the traditional tales (fairy or otherwise) you have come to expect, Lecouteux also features Gypsy folktales and songs as sources. With these extra inclusions he crafts an even better tapestry of the interconnectedness of our stories and the universality of many of our themes and symbols.

I am not 100% certain, but “The Pagan Book of the Dead” MAY be my new favorite Claude Lecouteux book.

[Nancy McQueen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Much better on the second read. It extensively goes through the legends of the Otherworld albeit through a European lens.

[Lee Tempest · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is probably one of the only of its kind in terms of detailed research, linking the common threads in regards to various mythologies and folktales in relating to the afterlife and various otherworlds. The only drawback is the sheer amo8unt of things that may be repeated to give an examples or to communicate a common theme, classification or idea. Whether a practitioner of the Pagan path, or an interested academic, I'd still recommend this well-researched and dense read.

[Priscilla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, this was an interesting read

I came across this book and was just so interested in the subject. It's interesting how so many beliefs and cultures overlap. I need to read more books on this subject too. The afterlife is such an interesting topic

[Aitziber Madinabeitia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tan recomendable como los demás libros del autor, bien explicado y bastante accesible. Un gran material de consulta.