The Belief in Immortality and the Worship of the Dead was published by Macmillan in three volumes (1913, 1922, 1924), based on Frazer’s Gifford Lectures at the University of St Andrews (1911–1912). The work surveys beliefs about the afterlife, the nature of the soul, and the cult of the dead across the Pacific region: Polynesia in volume one, Australia and Torres Strait in volume two, and Melanesia in volume three.
Frazer’s cataloguing method is familiar from his other works: he assembles every reported instance of a belief or practice, organized geographically, allowing the reader to see both the variety and the underlying patterns. What emerges is a picture of extraordinary human ingenuity in imagining what happens after death: the soul may go to an underworld, an overworld, or a distant island; it may become an animal, a star, or an ancestor spirit; it may be dangerous to the living, helpful, or indifferent.
The cult of the dead — the rituals by which the living maintain relationships with the deceased — proves equally various: offerings of food, communication through dreams or mediums, elaborate funeral rites designed to ensure the soul’s safe passage, and taboos designed to prevent the dangerous return of the dead. Frazer presents this material with the same detached curiosity he brings to all human beliefs, treating the most exotic customs with the same intellectual seriousness he accords to Classical Greek religion.
Collecting The Belief in Immortality
First edition (Macmillan, London, 1913–1924): Three volumes, cloth binding.
Market values:
- Complete three-volume set: $150–$400
- Individual volumes: $30–$80