DEATH AS A SACRED AND SYMBOLIC EXPERIENCE IN THE MYTHS OF THE WORLD’S PEOPLES
DEATH AS A SACRED AND SYMBOLIC EXPERIENCE IN THE MYTHS OF THE WORLD’S PEOPLES

Summary/Abstract: The essay analyzes how death is understood in the mythologies of the world as a sacred and symbolic experience, rather than merely a biological end of existence. Drawing on perspectives from historians of religion and anthropologists, it shows that traditional societies integrated death into systems of beliefs and rituals meant to explain the transition of the soul into another form of existence.In Egyptian mythology, death is associated with rebirth and eternal life through the figure of Osiris and the belief in the judgment of the soul. In Greek mythology, death takes on a tragic and heroic dimension, where glory and memory become forms of symbolic immortality. In Asian mythologies, death is seen as part of a continuous cycle of reincarnation, governed by karma and oriented toward spiritual liberation.The essay also highlights universal symbols of death—such as the journey, water, fire, the cosmic tree, and darkness—which express ideas of passage, transformation, and regeneration. In conclusion, death appears in myths as a process of spiritual transformation integrated into the cosmic order, reflecting humanity’s universal need to find meaning in the finitude of existence.

• Details
• Contents