Ancient Wisdom Atlas

Motif

Death as sleep

death_as_sleep

A motif of the Death, Rebirth, and Transformation family. Every row below is a tagged passage; each rests on a quote in its source text.

2 occurrences

2 traditions

germanic (1) · jewish pseudepigrapha (1)


germanic

  • Teutonic Mythology, Volume 4 SOULS. / CHAPTER XXVII. / DEATH. / DEATH. 1553; lines 13557-13653 confidence: high

    Dying is described as going to Hel, Totenheim, the dísir's hall, another light, another world, peace, and as sleeping the long sleep.

    The passage explicitly says dying is going to sleep and cites expressions for sleeping the long sleep.

    read in the book

jewish pseudepigrapha

  • The Book of Jubilees, or, The Little Genesis CHAPTER XXXIV. 10-20 205 / CHAPTERS XXXIV. 21-XXXV. 7 207 / CHAPTER XXXV. 8-20 209 / CHAPTER XXXVI. 8-20 213; lines 21281-21432 confidence: high

    Isaac sleeps the eternal sleep, dies at one hundred and eighty, and is buried by his two sons Esau and Jacob.

    Isaac’s death is described with the phrase eternal sleep.

    read in the book