Death - Part 1
Been reading "The History of Death" by Michael Kerrigan. Illuminating shit, as well as a great read. Found some interesting nuggets - as well as thoughts on when the soul or spirit leaves the body, across several cultures. |
| 1 |  | Cypress Hill
Skull and Bones
In many cultures, a person was not considered truly dead until the decomposition of the body was completed. |
| 2 |  | Angband
Saved from the Truth
In ancient Persia, Zoroastrian taught that the soul didn't leave the body and ascend to heaven at the moment of death, but rather hovered in the vicinity of the body for 3 days before beginning its journey to the afterlife. While close to the body, the soul meditated on its life lived as follows: on the first night, the soul reflected on its words; on the second night, the soul reflected on its thoughts; and on the third day, the soul reflected on its deeds. Finally, on the fourth day, the soul set off for the afterlife, where it was audited and good and evil assessed - to determine whether it deserved to be saved or damned. |
| 3 |  | Firewind
Between Heaven And Hell
In Greece, for a corpse that was unburied or uncremated - the soul could not make the journey to the underworld - and thus could never hope to find its final rest. |
| 4 |  | Kingcrow
Something Unknown
In Rome, for the unburied dead - these souls roam the world as ghosts, unable to find sanctuary |
| 5 |  | Tomahawk
Anonymous
Many Native Americans had no sense of an existence beyond this on earth. The dead simply were extinguished and ceased to be, and they only lived on in the memory of loved ones still living. |
| 6 |  | North Mississippi Allstars
World Boogie Is Coming
For the Natchez native americans (near Natchez, MI), the dead were buried in the earth so that their flesh would rot, leaving only their bone soul. Subsequently, the skeleton was disinterred and placed in a basket of the temple. Only then could the soul take flight. |
| 7 |  | Rage Against the Machine
Rage Against the Machine
Ancient Tibetans believed in Bardo - where death was just the beginning of a transition. During the first stage - the person was dead, the body inert, but in a state of trance. The departed could still be reached by prayers of the living. In the second stage - the departed was confronted by a radiant light 4 days after passing. Depending on the soul, the purest rushed to greet it; whereas the flawed had to flee. The departed finally realized that they were dead. In the third and final stage - death merged imperceptibly with birth, and the body moved towards incarnation in another body for another life. |
| 8 |  | Bloodywood
Rakshak
Strict Hindus believed that death did not actually take place until the skull splits in the extreme heat of the funeral pyre. |
| 9 |  | Grimaze
Planet Grimaze
The Slavs of Bulgaria believed that the soul took flight as a butterfly or bird. The butterfly being emblematic of the delicacy of life. The soul lingered to witness its own funeral rites - before flitting off towards the land of death. |
| 10 |  | Dispossessed
Warpath Never Ended
The Yolngu, Aboriginals in the North of Australia, believed that every human has two souls. One soul was peaceful and returned to the land to be incorporated with the power of that place. The other soul was mischievous and required guidance to the land of the dead. |
| 11 |  | Scarab
Valley of the Sandwalkers
The Egyptians believed that if the body did not remain intact, the soul would not endure. Thus the need for mummification. |
| 12 |  | Atheist
Elements
...and some believe that we have no inner self or soul. And that our "selves" are solely constructions of our cultures. The society and culture that we live in actually drives our lives, our consciousness, who we are, and what we think and feel. |
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