Deep Ancestors: Practicing the Religion of the Proto-Indo-Europeans [Paperback]

Ceisiwr Serith (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 19, 2009

Through a combination of the linguistics of a reconstructed language, archaeology, and comparative mythology, Deep Ancestors breathes life into the ancient Proto-Indo-European culture and religion. Ceisiwr states "This book must be considered a report on a work in progress. As time goes by, new research will be done, new ideas and data presented, and old texts and archaeology reinterpreted. This will require changes in the beliefs and practices of reconstructed Proto-Indo-European religion. Consider this a process of progressive revelation, except that instead of coming from the gods it comes from scholars."

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Ceisiwr Serith is the author of The Pagan Family and A Book of Pagan Prayer. A Pagan for over thirty years (and a husband and father for only slightly less), he has over two dozen articles to his credit, and has presented workshops at numerous Pagan festivals. In addition, he has delivered papers at Celtic conferences at UCLA, Berkeley, and Harvard, the last of which was published in the Proceedings of the Harvard Celtic Colloquium. He currently lives along the New Hampshire coast.

Product Details

• Paperback: 298 pages
• Publisher: ADF Publishing (October 19, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0976568136
• ISBN-13: 978-0976568131
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #292,224 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

48 of 49 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A stellar book on PIE religion, November 12, 2009

By 

Michael Dangler "chronarchy" (Columbus, OH) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Deep Ancestors: Practicing the Religion of the Proto-Indo-Europeans (Paperback)

First, let me say that it is a pleasure to see that any book on a "reconstructed" Proto-Indo-European religion is in print, and it is far more a pleasure to see that the book available is as well-done as this one. For those who have read his A Book of Pagan Prayer, this will come as no surprise.

Serith makes no bones about the fact that his book will be controversial and that some imagination is necessary in order to undertake this work, but he also promises (and sticks to this promise) to deal in logical innovation and to be clear about where it takes hold. What Serith posits is a Proto-Indo-European religion, one that can be said to represent a "common Indo-European" religion, which has value to both Neo-Pagan reconstructionists of all stripes, as well as to anyone who is interested in how religion can be influenced by language.

Serith presents his subject in a conversational tone, addressing not only the theories applied but also the criticisms of those theories. He at once debunks the notion that "Indo-European" work can be seen in any sort of racial manner early and effectively, and takes on Dumezil's tripartition in an elegant and effective way.

Serith also speaks very early on about how his work is a sort of synthesis between current scholarship in archeology, comparative mythology, and comparative linguistics, and talks about the limitations of this as well as its advantages. His in-line citations (found from cover to cover) show a depth of research, and a quick spot check of his citations shows that the citations are accurate and that the ideas he presents logically follow from the source he cites.

The meat of the book, though, is the "reconstruction" of this PIE religion, and here is where Serith's knowledge really shines through. Here, we find a wealth of information about the commonalities (and exceptions) of Indo-European cosmology and rituals that just doesn't seem to stop. Serith's deep knowledge of Celtic, Norse, Roman, Vedic, and Iranian ritual and cosmology is on full display here, and this information is woven together in such a way that it all dovetails nicely.

Included here are rituals for the turning wheel of the year, from planting to harvest to equinox rites. Additionally, there are rites for ancestors, lists of reconstructed deity names (and the functions those names imply), and domestic rituals for the family at their hearth. Serith also discusses some animals (though this section is not extensive) and their relationship to ritual. On top of that, Serith includes rituals for both weddings and funerals, rituals often overlooked in books meant to introduce a person to a religion. Unlike other books, too, this book provides not only "what to do" in a ritual, but also commentary to tell you how to do it and why it is done so that a worshiper will understand as well as participate. In terms of meeting the ritual needs of someone just starting out on the PIE path, this book leaves no stone unturned.

A refreshing note I made as I read was that Serith's discussion of "Nektar" (known as soma, haoma, and other drinks in the IE world) speaks about this drink in depth while avoiding the usual "quick and easy high" language that often accompanies discussions of ritual drink in Neo-Pagan books on the subject.

Finally, appendices address some significant points of question: Appendix 1 is a light glossary that defines both symbols and terms; Appendix 2 is a much-needed (and thorough) pronunciation guide; Appendix 3 and 4 contain instructions on how to clarify butter and how to mark sacred space, respectively.

Some small issues present themselves in this publication: the table of contents could use chapter titles, an index would be very helpful, and in-line citations are not for everyone (I prefer footnotes, myself); still, these are minor points that are heavily outweighed by the amazing amount of solid information in the book. I had the pleasure of meeting Serith at the Harvard Celtic Colloquium, where he gave his fascinating paper on Cernunnos, and so can vouch for the credentials mentioned on the back of his book, as well. Five stars.

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Deep Ancestors and Deep Thoughts, April 1, 2010

By 

Abeer A. E. Alkhamees "Ciannait" (Kuwait, Kuwait Kuwait) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Deep Ancestors: Practicing the Religion of the Proto-Indo-Europeans (Paperback)

Have you ever looked forward to reading a book and then waited impatiently for it to arrive and when it did, you just didn't want to read it because if you did you won't have anything similar to it to follow it? This is how I felt with this book. There aren't a lot of books on the Indo-Europeans (I know I read almost all of them) and there are no books (that I know of) besides this one on the religion of the Indo-Europeans. That this book is written by Ceisiwr Serith is actually very fitting because of you google the Proto-Indo-European religion (hence forth PIE religion), his name would be among the first to appear in relation to it.

In the preface of the book Serith finds it necessary to define what he means by PIE because PIE history covers thousands of years and he gives excellent reasons for why he defines it this way. To Serith the term PIE is used to denote the period when language and culture were beginning to break up. This is around the third and fourth millennia BCE.

The book goes on to discuss the PIE society, the classifications of Gods and Ancestors and how they might have been viewed by the PIE society. He also discusses the laws that govern the society, and the individual as well as the laws of ritual, which was very interesting. The author also discusses the seasonal festivals, and rites of passage that might have been celebrated by the PIE Culture and why they might have celebrated it this way.

The book ends with four Appendices, the first is a brief glossary, the second is a pronunciation guide, the third is an explanation of how to clarify butter, which is VERY interesting and the four is an explanation of how to mark a sacred space. The book also has an extensive reference section, which I really appreciate.

The book took me a while to read because I was trying to digest everything in it. It is written in a simple manner for anyone interested in the PIE religion to read. I would suggest though that you read a bit of PIE history before you read this book because it assumes that you know the history already.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Well and Tree of Pagan Philosophies and Practices, April 27, 2010

By 

Searles O'Dubhain "The Summerlands, Inc." (Northern Virginia / DC Area) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Deep Ancestors: Practicing the Religion of the Proto-Indo-Europeans (Paperback)

Deep Ancestors is a great read about our Proto-Indo-European ancestors. It uses the best available information from linguistics, archaeology and cultural cross comparisons to determine not only the what, the possible and the known about these people, it also gives one examples of how they probably conducted rituals as well as the why. One would expect such a fact filled book to be a difficult read since it is based on current scholarly works and references, but this is not the case at all. Ceisiwr Serith has expressed the concepts and details about these cultures in a very readible and easily understood manner. Many useful and ready to use illustrations and examples are provided.

The book is a treasure of knowledge about the very foundations of modern day practices in the Pagan world that come to us from the past. It explains the roles of the deities as well as the cosmogony and cosmologies of the universe. For those whose religions and practices are rooted in the original tree of the Common (or Proto) Indo-Europeans, it is almost a Rosetta Stone of cultural awareness. It covers the structures and values of our deepest, ancient Pagan philosophies. Using this book one can easily construct personal, family or group rituals that have meaning from the past through the present.

I highly recommend this book to anyone seeking to understand and flesh out their current Pagan practices with the traditions and outlooks of our far ancestors. They are the beginnings of our religion while we have the responsibility to honor them while carrying forward their knowledge. Here we can learn the ways to get into touch with their spiritual awareness as well as the structure of being itself.

Deep Ancestors explains to a great extent why and how the Celtic branch of the Great Tree is like it is. It also gives us an opportunity to form our own branches and families of that tree. It also branches across the board into comparative analyses of all the major, known Indo-European cultures and their philosophies. For those who follow Continental Pagan practices, it is a key to understanding their roots and branches as well.