Vestal Virgins Revived

Abstract

Looking at three examples from 2021 of ‘Vestal rituals’ transmitted on social media, this article revisits some discussions about the reception, afterlife, and ongoing presence of so-called ‘dead religions.’ Focusing on the terms ‘reception’ and ‘afterlife’ as they are presented in two recent works on contemporary Greek polytheism on the one hand and indigenous religion(s) in Sápmi on the other, the overarching aim of the case study is to initiate new reflections on reception and afterlives, and on how these terms tie into notions of death and demise of religion(s).