ABSTRACT
This chapter studies supernatural beings that are thought to be the supernatural mirror of animate beings, primarily humans, or are transformed human beings. Important among these are souls and ghosts, which are supernatural manifestations of individuals living and dead. The chapter examines soul beliefs in several societies, of South America, and the Hmong of Southeast Asia, as well as Roman Catholic, Hindu, and Buddhist beliefs. Although the concept of a soul can be found in all cultures, the soul takes on a great many forms. The soul may be envisioned as a full-sized duplicate of the living individual, or it may be small and reside somewhere in the body. The concept of a soul is very closely tied to ideas about death. In the afterlife the dead socialize, hunt, and have sex. However, there is no illness, and the dead interact with their ancestors. The chapter concludes with an examination of death rituals that frequently interface with the supernatural entities.
