Exploring one of the most enduring motifs in world folklore, this seminal study traces the widespread tale of 'The Grateful Dead'-stories in which a hero's kindness toward the dead brings unexpected reward.

Gordon Hall Gerould's work represents one of the earliest systematic attempts to examine a single narrative pattern across cultures, drawing on more than a hundred versions from Europe, the Near East, and Asia. Using comparative methods inspired by linguistics, Gerould identifies shared structures and variations that illuminate the evolution and transmission of this powerful motif.

Positioned at the crossroads of literary scholarship and cultural anthropology, the book remains a landmark in the study of narrative tradition and human belief. Its enduring value lies in revealing how a simple story of compassion and reciprocity connects diverse peoples through the universal language of myth.