otherworld
Also known as the beyond, supernatural realm, world of the dead, netherworld, elsewhere, next world
thumb|Illustration depicting otherworld in Celtic mythology by Stephen Reid in [[T. W. Rolleston's The High Deeds of Finn (1910).]] In historical Indo-European religion, the concept of an otherworld, also known as an otherside, is reconstructed in comparative mythology. Its name is a calque of orbis alius (Latin for "other world/side"), a term used by Lucan in his description of the Celtic Otherworld.
~7 min read
Article
11 sectionsContents
- Indo-European reconstruction
- Iranian
- Celtic
- Germanic
- Slavic
- Greek
- Modern depictions
- See also
- References
- Bibliography
- External links
thumb|Illustration depicting otherworld in Celtic mythology by Stephen Reid in [[T. W. Rolleston's The High Deeds of Finn (1910).]] In historical Indo-European religion, the concept of an otherworld, also known as an otherside, is reconstructed in comparative mythology. Its name is a calque of orbis alius (Latin for "other world/side"), a term used by Lucan in his description of the Celtic Otherworld.
Comparable religious, mythological or metaphysical concepts, such as a realm of supernatural beings and a realm of the dead, are found in cultures throughout the world. Spirits are thought to travel between worlds or layers of existence in such traditions, usually along an axis such as a giant tree, a tent pole, a river, a rope or mountains.