Indo-European Afterlives : Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Life beyond Death

Abstract

This volume brings together scholars from archaeology, historical linguistics and comparative mythology to explore how early Indo-European communities imagined death and what lies beyond. From poetic visions of the afterlife to the ritual logic of cremation and the etymology of mourning, Indo-European Afterlives examines how the transition from life to death was conceptualized and ritualized across the Indo-European world. Topics include the eschatological power of poetry, the symbolic role of fire in funerary rites, linguistic reconstructions of underworld deities and rituals and the significance of mythic figures such as the Valkyries, the R̥bhus and Orpheus in navigating the boundary between life and the afterlife. By interweaving philological analysis, archaeological evidence and mythological narratives, the volume offers new perspectives on how notions of death and the beyond were embedded in early Indo-European belief systems. Interdisciplinary in scope, Indo-European Afterlives will appeal to scholars and curious readers alike.