The Pagan Book of the Dead

An extensive look at the cartography and folklore of the afterlife worlds as seen by our ancestors.

The Pagan Book of the Dead examines how ancient European cultures viewed the beyond, including the Blessed Isles of early Greek and Celtic faith, the Hebrew Sheol, the Hades from Homer’s Odyssey, Hel and Valhalla of the Norse, and the Aralu of Babylon. It shows how medieval accounts of journeys into the Other World represent the first recorded near-death experiences.

Connecting medieval afterlife beliefs and NDE narratives with shamanism, the book looks 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 provides an extensive look at the cartography and folklore of the afterlife worlds as seen by our ancestors. He explores the locations and topographies of various forms taken by Hell, Purgatory, and Heaven. The exploration extends to beliefs in Other Worlds, lands different from our own that are not truly the afterlife but places where time flows differently and which are inhabited by fantastic or supernatural beings such as fairies or dwarfs.

Lecouteux shares medieval tales of journeys into the beyond, illustrating how these accounts represent the first recorded near-death experiences (NDEs) and comparing them with modern NDE narratives. He also examines the work of NDE researchers like Raymond Moody.

Additionally, the book explores tales of out-of-body experiences, dream journeys, and travels made by a double or fetch, connecting these narratives with shamanism. The author particularly looks into psychopomps, power animals, and the significant insights people acquire during their journeys to the spirit realms.

In analyzing the afterlife beliefs of the Middle Ages, 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 during times of the year when the veil between the worlds grows thin.