Book Review: Deep Ancestors: Practicing the Religion of the Proto-Indo-Europeans by Ceisiwr Serith (Dedicant Path Essay)

Deep Ancestors: Practicing the Religion ofthe Proto-Indo Europeans, Hearth Culture Study, Proto-Indo-European

by Ceisiwr Serith

298 pages

ADF Publishing; 2009

Since there are no approved books (and very few books at all) on the pre-Roman Gauls and their culture and religion, I chose to read Ceisiwr Serith's Deep Ancestors for my first review.

Serith's book is well researched, and clearly defines the difference between his own speculative and reconstructed material, and that which is taken from archaeological and other sources. The first section covers the basics of the Proto-Indo-European (PIE) hypothesis and defines terms (this material should be familiar to anyone who has done any PIE study in the past). Once past the introductory material we move into the meat of the book.

The part of the book I found most interesting and helpful was the comparative mythology. Serith shows us piece by piece how the creation myths are reconstructed from the myths of the descendant Indo-European (IE) cultures. This transitions easily into a reconstructed PIE pantheon. The linguistic connections between names and concepts are helpful to round out some of the related deities and processes that aren't well attributed in descendant IE cultures.

PIE social structure and ethics are also addressed, from the basic social structure of a community (*wiks) to the ethical constructs and principles that define the boundaries of the PIE morality and worldview.  Dumezil's trifunctional hypothesis is explored in the social roles of warrior, leader and producer. Their moral and ethical system is expressed in the interplay of two principles: *Xartus, the cosmic order, and *ghosti-, reciprocity. The interconnectedness of these two principles gives meaning to the daily lives and frames a set of social and ritual obligations that defines PIE ethics. Order must remain in balance with primal chaos, and the people must perform their roles in order to support and uphold the *Xartus.

The second half of the book which included the reconstructed PIE rituals (which were incredibly diverse, ranging from seasonal rituals, to sacrifices, to life mile-stones) was no less fascinating, if somewhat less practically interesting to me. I am not a reconstructionist, but I still found many pieces of information and ritual construction that could be gleaned from the rituals. I especially liked the wedding and funerary rites, which I have not encountered in many other ritual guides.

Serith's description of PIE sacrificial practices and his modern, more humane, alternatives are useful for understanding the basis of sacrifice as a practice, as it is fairly alien to those of us who, like myself, came out of a background in which sacrifice was seen as unnecessary and primitive.

On the whole, this books has been transformative to the way that I view practicing out of a Gaulish Hearth. I've learned reconstructed commonalities about IE religions as a whole that I can use to fill gaps in our archaeological knowledge of the Pre-Roman Gauls. I've gained insight into the cosmology and worldview that shaped the pre-history of Europe. I've picked up useful ritual and sacrificial ideas and language to express them. This is one of the deepest and most useful books I've read in a very long time. I would recommend it highly to any student of comparitive religions or any IE polytheist.