Grateful dead (folklore)

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Grateful dead (or grateful ghost) is a folktale present in many cultures throughout the world. The most common story involves a traveler who encounters a corpse of someone who never received a proper burial, typically stemming from an unpaid debt.[1][2] The traveler then either pays off the dead person's debt or pays for burial. The traveler is later rewarded or has their life saved by a person or animal who is actually the soul of the dead person; the grateful dead is a form of the donor.

The "grateful dead" story is Aarne-Thompson-Uther type 505.[3]

One example of the story is the Book of Tobit. Others include the Italian fairy tale Fair Brow and the Swedish The Bird 'Grip'.

[edit] References in popular culture

[edit] References

  1. ^ Grateful dead. Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online (2007). Retrieved on 2007-12-14.
  2. ^ Dead FAQ: How did they get the name? (html). Retrieved on 2007-12-14.
  3. ^ D.L. Ashliman. The Grateful Dead: folktales of Aarne-Thompson-Uther type 505. Retrieved on 2008-05-20.

[edit] External links

The Grateful Dead: folktales of Aarne-Thompson-Uther type 505, various folk tales

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