> [[hansen-l]]. *Indo-European Views of Death and the Afterlife as Eetermined from Archaeological, Mythological, and Linguistic Sources*. PhD Dissertation (Indo-European-Studies), UCLA, 1987. ## Committee [[puhvel-j]] (committee chair) [[ford]] [[lattimore]] [[timberlake]] [[wilbur]] ## Abstract > The Indo-Europeans had a clearly-formulated network of religious beliefs in their earliest stages. The details of their beliefs about death and the afterlife can be ascertained to a degree by evidence from archaeological, mythological and linguistic sources found in the various Indo-European branches. Starting with the Hittites and going through Indic, Iranian, Greek, Roman, Baltic, Slavic, Steppe-Nomadic, Germanic, and Celtic evidence, it is possible to determine what factors in the beliefs about death and the afterlife seem to come from a common Indo-European heritage, and what beliefs or practices have been borrowed from a non-Indo-European group. It then becomes necessary to compare the findings with the beliefs of other non-Indo-European cultures to see whethter the factors assessed as being of Indo-European origin are unique to that cultural group or part of a body of universal beliefs about death. From available evidence, it seems clear that the early Indo-Europeans believed that the soul left the body after death when the survivors had completed a certain ritual, and traveled either on foot or by means of some conveyance to an afterworld, where it would remain for eternity. This afterworld could either be a western or sky paradise, or an underground or northern or southern Hades. In the former afterworld, the soul had a pleasant and luxurious afterlife; in the latter, a grim and dull existence. The afterworld was ruled by a male king or god, and various other non-mortals such as malevolent females, psychopomps, and watchful dogs lived there with the souls. ## Contents I. Introduction II. The Afterworld and the Soul Hittite, Indic, Iranian, Greek, Roman, Baltic, Slavic, Steppe-Nomadic, Germanic, Celtic, Modern Survivals, Summary III. The Journey Hittite, Indic, Iranian, Greek, Roman, Baltic, Slavic, Steppe-Nomadic, Germanic, Celtic, Summary IV. Gods, Psychpomps, and Guardians Hittite, Indic, Iranian, Greek, Roman, Baltic, Slavic, Steppe-Nomadic, Germanic, Celtic, Summary V. Conclusions Bibliography