Did You Know: Metempsychosis is an uncommon topic, but one worth contemplating

Tara Yilmaz

September 10, 2026

“Neither height nor depth can measure the possibilities of the human soul.”

 ~James Lendall Basford (1845–1915)

Did you know there is an ancient philosophical belief that the soul may be a traveler, moving from one body to another across the mysterious boundaries of life and death?

This idea is called metempsychosis, meaning the transmigration of the soul. Hollywood has made movies about this, tons of books have been written on this subject, and even though this topic is not considered new by far, it’s definitely not a common everyday topic of conversation.

Merriam-Webster defines metempsychosis as the passing of the soul after death into another human or animal body. The word originated in Latin from the Greek metempsychōsis, connecting the concept directly to the soul, or psychē.

Did you know the ancient Greek philosopher Pythagoras, remembered today primarily for mathematics, was also famous for his teachings concerning the destiny of the soul? According to the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, early accounts portray Pythagoras as believing that the soul was immortal and could experience a succession of lives.

I too believe this and so do Marvel writers. One ancient story even describes Pythagoras recognizing the soul of someone he knew in the cries of a puppy — imagine how frightening that would be. Whether taken literally or symbolically, the story presents an enchanting possibility: perhaps life is not a single candle burning once, but a flame capable of being carried from lantern to lantern.

Did you know metempsychosis invites a fascinating question about our relationship with other living creatures? If a soul can inhabit different forms, the boundaries separating human and animal life suddenly become less absolute. Similar arguments have been echoed by vegetarians and Pythagoras. He was famous for arguing for the kinship of all life and transmigration of souls across species.

In the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Pythagoras is quoted as saying, “For as long as man massacre animals, he will kill each other. Indeed, he who sows the seed of murder and pain cannot reap joy and love.” Note, scholars caution, however, that the surviving evidence does not allow us to reconstruct every detail of Pythagoras’ beliefs with certainty.

Perhaps the most captivating part of metempsychosis is not whether we can prove that the soul has lived before, but what the possibility asks us to consider about the life we are living now? If existence is a journey rather than a single destination, then every kindness, mistake, friendship and moment of wonder may become part of something larger than we can presently understand.

We may never know whether the soul carries memories through the hidden corridors of time, or whether death opens another door beyond the one we can see. Still, metempsychosis leaves us with a beautiful question: If some part of us continues its journey, what would we want our soul to carry forward from the life we are living today? For me, my love of Marvel.