Afterlife Beliefs in Various Ancient Cultures

Death is a fact of life that no one can escape fromThe Celts believed in the Celtic Otherworld. There
immaterial of the culture, religion or race. If we are born,were different beliefs about the Otherworld. Some
we are bound to die. This is a fact that all culturesthought it was an underworld, while others believed it
accept, but the beliefs of various cultures about whatto be a large misty island. However, the common belief
happens after a person dies differs.was the Celtic Otherworld was a much happier place
The ancient Greeks believed that after a person died,compared to Earth. There was no distinction between
he was taken to the Underworld, which was ruled bygood and evil. All souls lived together in the Otherworld,
Hades. To enter the Underworld, the dead person hadwhich was a pain-free paradise.
to be ferried across the River Styx by Charon, whoThe ancient Egyptians' belief about afterlife is rather
had to be paid to do this job. So, in ancient Greece,complex to understand. There are different theories
when a person died, he or she was invariably buriedabout what the Egyptian culture believed about
with a few coins in the mouth as payment for Charon.afterlife. Some scholars claim that the pyramids were
On entering the Underworld, the person would bebuilt as a stairway for the pharaohs to take their
judged as good or evil and accordingly be sent torightful place in the stars among the other gods. The
Elysium, the paradise, or Tartarus, the fiery hell. Thereancient Egyptians considered pharaohs to be gods too
were some people who were sent to middle afterlifeand worshipped them. So, when a pharaoh died, the
as they were not good enough of Elysium, but wereentire burial ritual was a solemn affair performed by
not that evil to deserve Tartarus. This middle afterlifethe priests of Anubis, who was the god of the dead.
was known as Asphodel.