Stories (Bylichki and Byvalschiny) about Fainting (Obmiraniya) as a Form of Fixation of the Near-Death Experiences Model
Вестник Московского Университета. Серия 20: Педагогическое образование June 16, 2026 Olga V. Gordeeva
Near-death experiences (NDEs) reported by Russians in the 19th and 20th centuries closely resemble modern accounts, suggesting a culturally transmitted model of NDE. Russian folklore, specifically the genres of bylichki and byvalschiny—oral stories about obmiraniya (a state near death where a person visits another world)—may preserve this model. Analysis of 55 such stories collected in the 1970s–1990s from the European part of the Soviet Union found many classic NDE elements: inexpressibility, peace, a path to another world with boundary crossing, darkness and movement, light, meeting others, heaven/hell/neutral places, an authoritative loving being, life review, a second boundary, decision to return (often by an authority figure), return,...