In historicalIndo-European religion, the concept of anotherworld, also known as anotherside, is reconstructed incomparative mythology. Its name is acalque oforbis alius (Latin for "other world/side"), a term used byLucan in his description of theCeltic Otherworld.
Comparablereligious,mythological ormetaphysical concepts, such as a realm of supernatural beings and arealm of the dead, are found in cultures throughout the world.[1] Spirits are thought to travel between worlds or layers of existence in such traditions, usually along anaxis such as agiant tree, a tent pole, a river, a rope or mountains.[1][2][3]
ManyIndo-European mythologies show evidence for a belief in some form of "Otherworld". In many cases, such as inIranian, Greek, Roman, Germanic, Celtic, Slavic, and Baltic mythologies, a river had to be crossed to allow entrance to it, and it is usually an old man that would transport the soul across the water.[1][2][3]
In Greek and Indian mythology, the waters of this river were thought to wash away sins or memories, whereas Celtic and Germanic myths feature wisdom-imparting waters, suggesting that while the memories of the deceased are washed away, a drinker of the waters would gain inspiration.[3]
The wayfarer will commonly encounter a dog either in the capacity of a guardian of the Otherworld or as the wanderer's guide. Examples of this are the GreekCerberus, the three-headed hound ofHades, and the Indic सर्वराSarvarā, one of the hounds ofYama, whose names may derive from anIndo-European*ḱerberos meaning"spotted".[3] In Indo-European mythologies the Otherworld is depicted in many ways, including peaceful meadows, islands, or buildings, making it hard to determine how the original Proto-Indo-European Otherworld was viewed.[3] The ruler of the dead was possibly Yemo, the divine twin of Manu, the first man.[4][5]
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The Chinvat Bridge (Avestan Cinvatô Peretûm, "bridge of judgement" or "beam-shaped bridge"), or the Bridge of the Requiter inZoroastrianism is the sifting bridge which separates the world of the living from the world of the dead. All souls must cross the bridge upon death. The bridge is guarded by two four-eyed dogs.
A similar myth is that ofYama, the ruler of Hell inHindu mythology, who watches the gates of underworld with histwo four-eyed dogs.
The Irish Otherworld is more usually described as a heavenly paradise than a frightening place.[6] Many CelticImmrams or "voyage stories" and other medieval texts provide evidence of a Celtic belief in an otherworld. One example which is helpful to understand the Celtic concept of the otherworld isthe Voyage of Saint Brendan. Another classic example of a Celtic "otherworld" appears in theVoyage of Bran. In Celtic oral tradition, the Otherworld is often portrayed as an island out to the west, and even appears on some maps of Ireland during the medieval era.[7]
The Celtic concept of the Otherworld became intertwined with the Christian ideas of hell and heaven, as they were explained via analogy to the Celtic Otherworld, or the Scandinavian world tree. This is likely because ofRoman andScandinavian influences on Celtic cultures.[8] An example of Scandinavian influence is apparent in the Voyage of Saint Brendan, from the likeness of Lasconius the serpent to the ScandinavianMidgard Serpent. Red and white are the colors of animals in the Celtic Otherworld,[9] and these colors still animate transcendent religious and political symbols today.[tone][citation needed]
As was the case in theCeltic mythologies, in Germanic mythsapples were particularly associated with theOtherworld.[4] In the Scandinavian tradition mythological localities are featured, as inIrish mythology; however, unlike Irish mythology, an attempt was made to map the localities of the Otherworld rather than list locales associated with it.[2] In theEdda, many locations are named, including the dwellings of the gods, such as Odin's hall ofValhalla, orUllr's dwelling ofYdalar ("Yewdale").[2] TheGylfaginning and the later Norwegian poem theDraumkvaede feature travels into the Otherworld.[2]
TheEarly Slavs believed in a mythical place where birds flew for the winter and souls went after death; this realm was often identified with paradise and is calledVyraj.[10] It was also said that spring arrived on Earth from Vyraj.[11] The gates of Vyraj stopped mortals from entering. They were guarded byVeles, who sometimes took the animal form of araróg, grasping in its claws the keys to the otherworlds.[12] Vyraj was sometimes also connected to the deity known asRod – it was apparently located far beyond the sea, at the end of theMilky Way.[12]
It was usually imagined as a garden, located in the crown of thecosmic tree. The branches were said to be nested on by the birds, who were usually identified as human souls.[11] When the Slavic populations were gradually turning toChristianity (e.g. during theChristianization of Kievan Rus' and theBaptism of Poland), a new version of this belief became widespread in which there were two of these realms – one analogous to the original myth, a heavenly place where birds departed, and the other an underworld for snakes andzmeys, often associated with the Christian idea of hell.[13][12][14]
In Greco-Roman mythology the Gods were said to dwell onMount Olympus, whereas the dead usually went to theUnderworld,Fortunate Isles, orElysium for the righteous after death.[15] InHades, Cerberus serves as its guard; preventing the dead from leaving.
The idea of the Otherworld has been adapted and used by several modern authors.J. R. R. Tolkien drew upon theSir Orfeo text, which depicts a journey to the Otherworld, as inspiration for theMirkwoodElves ofThe Hobbit.[16]C. S. Lewis also drew upon the tropes of the Celtic Otherworld in his creation ofThe Chronicles of Narnia, which depicts the journey from this world to another. Stephen Lawhead'sSong of Albion trilogy tells the story of an Oxford student who crosses over into the Otherworld.[17]
Andoni Cossio (2021) Sir Orfeo as the Source for the Medieval Romance Topoi of Abduction and Otherworld Rampant within The Hobbit’s Mirkwood,ANQ: A Quarterly Journal of Short Articles, Notes and Reviews, DOI: 10.1080/0895769X.2021.1967105
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