“I am so sorry that I took out human souls”: the concepts of soul and the afterlife among the Transcaucasian Yazidis in modern times
https://doi.org/10.31143/2542-212X-2023-4-192-213
EDN: IHRXAG
Abstract
Kurdistan, centered between Asia Minor, Transcaucasia, and Iran, has frequently served as a focal point of rebellion to central governments and the main religions associated with them. As a result, despite its geographic isolation and strict ethnic boundaries, the emergence and development of Yezidism should be observed through the lens of the Middle East, which requires paying close attention to its possible connections to other confessions in the region, whose creed and religious practice share several elements with Yezidism.
The belief in afterlife and immortality of the soul occupies a prominent place in most religious doctrines. This article examines the Transcaucasian Yezidis’ ideas about the afterlife, setting them in these regional and historical contexts. The investigation follows the concept of “brotherhood in afterlife”, which plays an important role in Yezidi socio-spiritual hierarchy, since it is the brother or sister in the afterlife of each Yezidi who will, after death, intercede for him/her before God and guide his soul through the Salat bridge, allowing him to enter paradise. Of particular interest is the belief in reincarnation existing in the Yezidi environment, metaphorically referred to as “changing the shirt”, in which the soul after death may move into a body with a higher rank as a reward for righteous behavior.
The Yezidis' eschatological concepts and rites were recorded and analyzed in valuable little-known field studies conducted by anthropologists and ethnographers, as well as in forgotten Soviet films. These documents serve as the primary sources of study in the paper.
About the Author
Angelika O. Pobedonostseva-Kaya
Saint-Petersburg State University
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
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For citations:
Pobedonostseva-Kaya A.O. “I am so sorry that I took out human souls”: the concepts of soul and the afterlife among the Transcaucasian Yazidis in modern times. E-Journal “Kavkazologiya”. 2023;(4):192-213. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.31143/2542-212X-2023-4-192-213. EDN: IHRXAG
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