[Book Sip] What Does the Afterlife Look Like? ... The Story of the 'Otherworld' Imagined by Humanity

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The afterlife is a long-standing mystery humanity has yet to solve. Does the afterlife claimed by religions truly exist? If it does, what does it look like? The author summarizes and introduces 100 different afterlife concepts from myths, religions, books, movies, television, music, and theater worldwide over thousands of years. The book also offers answers to various intriguing questions. Where is the most magnificent lodging in Dante's Hell? What is the finest restaurant in the ancient Egyptian underworld? How can one avoid the murderous snake in the Hindu afterlife? What treasures are hidden in Hades, Odin's Valhalla, and The Good Place? It also provides the pleasure of exploring perceptions of the 'afterlife' from ancient times to the present and across different cultures.

"For people at the time, paradise was a place without disease, without winter, and without famine. But as time passed and people began to imagine more luxurious lives, paradise came to be seen not as a place where something exists but as a place overflowing with things?food, women, or jewels. Then, entering the 20th century, paradise took on the image of a heaven reflecting the new era of high efficiency: an incredibly clean and tidy space where gentle angels attend to people." - From the "Preface"

"Judgment of sins is extremely thorough, and punishments are exceedingly cruel. Various punishments are carried out, such as being cut in half with a saw, being plunged into a pool filled with blood, being placed in a giant mortar and crushed, or being boiled in hot oil. The lustful suffer by embracing a red-hot brass pillar, mistaking it for their lover, enduring continuous pain. Arsonists must continuously eat raw rice freshly threshed, and infant murderers are punished by having a metal snake slither in and out of their eyes, nose, and mouth." - From "Chapter 1 Myth: Hell (China)"

"Here, the position of the deceased is determined by their close relatives. If relatives maintain the grave well and bring delicious offerings, the deceased can receive food and drink, as well as a comfortable sofa to rest on and space to invite friends. But if no one visits the grave, it becomes problematic. The bread here is dusty, and the water tastes salty. One might have to beg on the streets of Kur. Souls that are not buried or forgotten by people eventually become demons." - From "Chapter 1 Myth: Kur (Ancient Mesopotamia)"

"If you stole perfume in your previous life, you will be reincarnated as a female musk rat; if you stole gold, you will be reborn as a human with terrible claws; if you had an affair with your teacher's spouse, you might become a clump of grass on earth. Living as a clump of grass would be very boring, but thinking positively, it might be advantageous for the next reincarnation since it would be hard to commit terrible sins. After all, a clump of grass cannot destroy beehives or trade fish." - From "Chapter 2 Religion: Naraka (Hinduism)"

"In this afterlife, you retain all memories of the previous day, but no one else remembers anything. The same events happen every day, the same conversations occur, and even the weather repeats endlessly, which might feel like claustrophobia. However, in a way, this situation can be seen as an opportunity. You can test various life philosophies daily, such as nihilism, hedonism, escapism, and altruism." - From "Chapter 3 Book: Time Bubble 『The Day I Died for the Seventh Time』"

A Guidebook for Adventurers Traveling the Afterlife | Written by Ken Jennings | Translated by Ko Hyun-seok | Sejong Books | 456 pages | 23,000 KRW

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.