I've just thought....is the line in Strangefolk - "every day, a million souls pass into the abode of death, yet none believe that they shall follow", a reference to Crispian's "moment of realisation" about death that he had when he was young?

(or was this obvious to everyone else last year?!)

It could be what he used this for, but it's a story found in the Mahabharata.

Neat. Got a reference there, Sun Of Surya? I'd like to read more.

A badly translated excerpt but that'll get you started on your search:

Book III Ch.313
“The Mahabharata”
The following represents a selection of the questions and answers that
passed between the Spirit and Youdhishthira:
1) “What is greater than Earth? What is higher than heaven?” “Mother is
greater than Earth; father is higher than heaven.”
2) “In what one thing is all dharma summed up? What single thing
constitutes all fame? What sole means takes one to heaven?” “Skill in the
discharge of one’s duties sums up all dharma; giving sums up all fame;
truthfulness is the sole road to heaven and good conduct is the one means
to happiness”.
3) “What is the foremost wealth?” “Learning”.
4) “What is the best gain?” “Health”.
5) “What is the supreme happiness?” “Contentment”.
6) “What is superior to all other dharmas in the world?” “Benevolence”
7) “Whose control leads to absence of sorrow?” “The control of mind”.
8) “Which friendship ages not?” “That with good souls”.
9) “By abandoning what thing does man become rich?” “Desire”.
10) “By giving up what, does one become happy?” “Avarice”.
11) “What is penance?” “Penance is the observance of one’s own obtained
duty.”
12) “What is self –control?” “Control of the mind”.
13) “What is forbearance?” “Putting up with opposites”. (pleasure and
pain, profit and loss)
14) “What is shame?” “Aversion to do reprehensible act is shame”.
15) “What is straight forwardness?” “Equanimity”.
16) “Who is the enemy hard to be won?” “Anger”.
17) “What is the endless disease?” “Avarice”.
18) “Who is said to be a good man?” “He who is benevolent to all things”.
19) “Who is a bad man?” “He who is barren of sympathy”.
20) “What is the best path?” “To cast away all mental dirt”.
21) “What is gift?” “Protection of life”.
22) “What is the wonder of the world?” “Every day live beings enter the
abode of death; those who remain think that they will survive; what
greater wonder is there than this?”
23) “What is the news of the world?” “With Earth as the pot, the firmament
as the covering lid, the sun as the fire, day and nights as faggots and
the seasons and months as the stirring ladle. Time cooks all beings; this
is the great news”.
Extract from Mahabharata

Number 22 is the one that's quoted in "strangefolk" It's from a section of the book called Yaksha Prashna.

It's strange that things conceived so long ago are still true today - religion can be so controversial, but when you bring it back to this, there seems precious little to argue about!

Although I think I can sum up the News of the World in a single headline - "Madeleine McCann Kidnapped by Muslim Paedophile"*


*for those of you not based in the UK, NotW is our official "Argh, paedos everywhere! Oh look - boobs." Sunday tabloid. It is quite dreadful.

Thanks Sun of Surya! Very interesting.

I'm sure this reference hasn't been mentioned before, it's nice to read more about it.

Wiki has http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yudhisthira on Youdhishthira / Yudisthira which has some summaries, though I'm sure it's not substitute to reading the original.

Yes thank you Sun of Surya, very interesting. And also what Exodia said was very true. Alhough it did wipe out my theory good and proper! Unless that passage stood out to him becuase of his realisation about death.

Well, he's said that he turned to the Mahabharata for comfort after that 'Road to Damascus' moment, so I daresay you're not wrong, even if he did lift the wording from the text!

Cheers for that, didn't know that!

*looks at the translation of the Mahabharata sitting on my shelf together with loads of other books guiltily*