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Indo-European Mythology 1, Requirement 7g
Explain how each of the following elements of ADF ritual does or does not resonate with elements of two different Indo-European cultures. You need not use the same two cultures as a basis of comparison for each element. For example, you may compare and contrast the concept of the Earth Mother in Greek and Vedic cultures, and Deities of the Land in light of Irish-Celtic and Breton-Celtic cultures. (minimum 100 words each)
Ancestors
In Vedism, we find that the ancestors are closely connected with the deity Agni, whose central position in the household and constant appearance there make him most closely connected with the ancestors. There is a special class of the dead, the Pitrs, who can be found in the third heaven, and these are the first ancestors, and they bring the recent dead to join them. (MacDonell, 170)
In Greek myth, the soul goes places depending on what happened to the body,
generally speaking. Sometimes, what happens to the soul depends on the actions
during life. Connections with the ancestors were possible through various
oracles and certain ritual actions, (Morford & Lenardon, 250) as well as
magical compulsion. In ADF, we honour our ancestors and remember them.
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