A Near-Death Experience Narrated by a Vepsian Woman

Madis Arukask; Eva Saar

doi:10.2478/jef-2024-0008

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A Near-Death Experience Narrated by a Vepsian Woman

Journal of Ethnology and Folkloristics

Volume 18 (2024): Issue 1 (June 2024)

By: Madis Arukask and Eva Saar

Open Access

|Jun 2024

Abstract

This article* focuses on the immediate near-death experience of an elderly woman living in traditional Vepsian culture. We analyse which universal, and which more culturally motivated features are present in her story narrated to us in 2018. We conclude that, despite the strong association with animistic beliefs in the informant’s everyday life, the experience is dominated by elements specific to vernacular Orthodox Christianity. The article presents a translation from Vepsian of a fragmentary personal experience narrative.

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Articles in this issue

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/jef-2024-0008 | Journal eISSN: 2228-0987 | Journal ISSN: 1736-6518

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Language: English

Page range: 113 - 128

Published on: Jun 11, 2024

Published by: University of Tartu, Estonian National Museum, Estonian Literary Museum

In partnership with: Paradigm Publishing Services

Publication frequency: 2 issues per year

Keywords:

animistic beliefs,

near-death experience,

Vepsians,

vernacular Orthodox Christianity

Related subjects:

Social sciences,

Anthropology,

Social anthropology,

Cultural anthropology,

Linguistic anthropology,

Theology and religion,

Religious studies,

Anthropology of religion

© 2024 Madis Arukask, Eva Saar, published by University of Tartu, Estonian National Museum, Estonian Literary Museum
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License.

Volume 18 (2024): Issue 1 (June 2024)