| Descent To The Underworld |
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| CATEGORIES ABOUT DESCENT TO THE UNDERWORLD | |
| ancient near eastern religion | |
| epic of gilgamesh | |
| life-death-rebirth deities | |
| life after death | |
| comparative mythology | |
| mythemes | |
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The descent to the Underworld is a Mytheme of Comparative Mythology present from the Religions Of The Ancient Near East and Continued Into Christianity . The Myth involves the death of a youthful god (a Life-death-rebirth Deity ), mourned and then recovered from the underworld by his or her consort, lover or mother. Mythological characters who make visits to the underworld include: ; Ancient Egyptian
; Ancient Greek
; Ancient Sumerian
; Judeo-Christianity
; Norse Paganism
;Other
The myth is often associated with ancient Fertility Rite s dating to the Neolithic Revolution , surrounding the fact that it was necessary to sacrifice part of the Harvest (sow it) and let it spend Winter under ground before it is "reborn" as next year's harvest. This theme of a god sacrificing himself so that humanity may be Saved is again found in Christianity, where it is recast into Moral terms (the congregation is now saved from Sin rather than starvation), with even a remnant ritual of Eating Of The Sacrificed God (in the form of a cereal product) in the Eucharist . The "breaking" of the "gates of hell" at the moment of escape from the underworld is associated with the breaking of the Glume in Threshing , "liberating" the Grain by Janda (1998). REFERENCES
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