There have been different mythical beliefs concerning afterlife. After life refers to life after death and as such, different societies have different beliefs of where the dead go once they pass away. In our case here, we are going to do a comparison of the beliefs that exist in the people of ancient Mesopotamia and the Odysseus’ nekyia.
The people of Mesopotamia had the notion that the dead lived on in a dusty, bleak underworld referred to as the Dark Earth. They had the belief that any cave, pit, or pond could be an entrance to that place. They believed of a place they called the Netherworld which was thought to lie a great distance from the land of the living. The place was described as a dark land of no return and the house that none leaves who enters, having dust on its door and bolt. The Mesopotamian’s did not have any concept of either physical resurrection. According to them, mortality defined the fundamental human condition and is also described as the destiny of mankind.
On the other hand, the Odysseus story suggests that Odysseus was given instructions by Circe to consult with the dead. According to the story, death was not the only way to descend to the world of the dead. Some Greek heroes were believed to have gone there while they were much alive . They believed that the Greek underworld could be accessed in different points. An example is Orpheus descended to it just by walking. Odyssey sails there following the witch Circe’s signs. Odysseus had to perform the rite that was referred to as Nekyia, which was killing a lamb and offering the blood to the dead.
Work Cited
Leeming, David Adams. The World of Myth . Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1992. Print.
