FUNCTION OF THE LIVING DEAD IN MEDIEVAL NORSE AND CELTIC LITERATURE: Death and Desire

During the Middle Ages, says Smith (English, Mountain State U., West Virginia) people lived closer not only to death, but also to the dead, accepting that the dead, though no longer part of the community, interacted often with the living. Examining literature of Iceland and Ireland, he argues that the primary function of the dead was to act as conduits of otherworldly power into the world to serve the needs of the living. He traces the notion to ancient Scandinavian and Celtic death cults and fertility cults. There is no index. Annotation ©2008 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)