Notes for Study Guide Pt 2

Trobriand Islanders of New Guinea

Reside in a unique cultural setting that includes a neighborhood dedicated to their dead.

Celts - Tirnanog

A mythical island located far to the west, representing a realm for the dead.

Ancestral Maya of Belize - Xibalba

Belief in a supernatural realm known as 'Place of Fright' accessed through caves or lakes.

Australian Aborigines

Belief in an island of the dead located in the direction of the Morning Star.

Hopi - Kotluwalawa

A sacred water location where spirits are believed to dwell.

Underworld

Typically viewed as a realm of darkness where the dead reside, often associated with punishment.

Polynesians of Bellona Island

Believe the dead live underground in darkness while the living inhabit the light.

Maya's conception of the underworld

Described as a watery place associated with decay and disease.

Separation after death

Common belief in ethical differentiation of souls leading to rewards or punishments.

Ancient Babylonians - country of no return

Mythical realm of the dead that lacks light, often seen as a place of despair.

Samhain

Celtic festival marking the end of harvest, when spirits can cross into the living world.

Aos sí

Spirits and faeries in Gaelic culture believed to interact with humans during Samhain.

Cave of Cruachan

One of the important gateways to the spirit world in Celtic mythology.

Niman Ceremony

A Hopi ritual marking the return of kachinas to the spirit world.

Kachinas

Spirit beings in Hopi religion that interact with living humans.

Tia

Haida goddess representing peaceful death.

Ta’xet

Haida god responsible for violent death.

Anubis

Egyptian god of death, responsible for guiding souls to the afterlife.

Maat

Goddess of truth in ancient Egypt, involved in the weighing of the deceased's heart.

Azrael

Archangel of death in Christianity, Islam, and Judaism, who assists souls in transition.

Draugur

Reanimated dead in Old Norse mythology known for their vengeful nature.

Strigoi

Vampires in Eastern European folklore, believed to rise from the grave to harm the living.

Sekhmet

Egyptian goddess associated with slaughter, known for drinking human blood.

Cockaigne

A mythical place of abundance found in medieval tales, often linked with a heavenly paradise.

Celtic Otherworld

Mythical realm where spirits and immortals dwell, noted during Samhain festivals.

Norse beliefs about death

Highlight duality where peaceful and violent deaths have different supernatural overseers.

Living Dead

Entities like draugar in Norse mythology that return from the grave to haunt the living.

Maya beliefs

View the underworld as a complex realm associated with both punishment and regeneration.

Haida duality

Concept combining the coexistence of peaceful and violent death within nature.

Grim Reaper

Common personification of death, often depicted with a scythe.

Myth of Ishtar's descent

Ancient Babylonian myth relating to the realm of the dead, void of light.

Polynesian afterlife beliefs

Idea of continuing existence in an idealized paradise, contrasting with earthly life.

Celtic Samhain practices

Traditions involving honoring the dead and ensuring their comfort during the festive time.

Hades

Greek underworld, often viewed as a dark realm for the deceased.

Aboriginal beliefs of the dead

Concept of an island where the deceased continue to dwell in harmony.

Kachina dolls

Wooden figures created to teach children about the various kachinas and their significance.

Role of Azrael

Archangel responsible for collecting and guiding souls after death in Abrahamic religions.

Draugar's strength

Supernatural ability attributed to them, believed to stem from their nature as reanimated corpses.

Ancestral veneration in Hopi culture

Custom to honor ancestral spirits through dances and offerings.

Vampires vs Draugar

Both share similarities as undead but are rooted in different cultural mythologies.

Samhain portals

Believed to be gateways between the world of the living and the spirit realm.

Druids’ role

Priest-like figures in ancient Celtic cultures responsible for rituals, including those honoring the dead.

Celtic worldviews

Perceive life and death as interconnected and fluid, particularly evident during liminal festivals.

Xibalba’s significance

Central to the Maya worldview, symbolizing both danger and potential transformation.