The Myth of the Reaper

Most people have heard of the grim reaper, and if not in those words exactly, they at least know of a hooded skeletal figure that carries around a weapon used to collect souls and transfer them to the after life, what ever your belief tells you that is. Some times he is even depicted as carrying an hourglass, waiting for your time to run out.

But where did he come from? When did the term grim reaper begin to be used? And just how far back can you trace him? And what exactly is he?

The Grim Reaper, as he is often named, is the personification of death. He is portrayed, usually in western cultures, as a skeletal figure in a long hooded robe tied around the middle and carrying a scythe or a sickle. He uses this tool to collect the souls of the dead and to carry them to their after life. The term "Grim reaper" along with the now near universal image of him came about during the Middle Ages in various paintings and writings of the time. He is also known as one of the four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.

There are many different versions of him, from all over the world, blurred with other mythical creatures and stories.

Thanatos

One version of him, from ancient Greek mythology, is named Thanatos. "He was the god of non-violent death. He was depicted as an old man or as a young boy with a gentle demeanor. He was considered kind and was the twin brother to Hypnos (Sleep). He had sisters named Keres, who were goddesses of violent death."

He would escort the souls of the dead to Charon so that he could transfer them to the underworld.

"They did not find him to be evil, in fact, they simply saw him as inevitable."

Cu'Sith

The Scottish "Grim Reaper" is actually a giant green dog. They were said to be able to grab souls and take them to the afterlife. They were usually silent creatures when they hunted but were said to give three terrifying and ear-piercing barks. By the time the barks were done if you were not in a safe place, like inside your home, you would be so terrified, you died. The very definition of being scared to death.

Valkyries

Recently depicted as beautiful winged females who rode wolves when they mounted, a Valkyries job was to bring the souls of the warriors fallen in battle to Odin, "To help fight the battle at the end of the world, Ragnarök." They themselves were very raven like, choosing their souls carefully to take to Odin.

Azrael

Islamic text call our grim reaper the Angel of Death, otherwise known as Azrael. He was sent by Allah to obtain mud from the earth to create Adam. The other two Archangels, Gabriel and Michael had not succeeded as Azrael had. The reason for this is because the earth had sought refuge in Allah and the two archangels had relented. Azrael had not and had obtained the mud for the creation of Adam. The fact he had not relented gave him the best chance at becoming the Angel of death.

Pesta

Pesta comes from Scandinavian mythology from around the time of the Black Plague. She is depicted as an old hideous woman that carries a broom or a rake. If seen and is carrying a rake, it is said that some of the people in the family or the house will die, while if she is using a broom, everyone in the house was to die. She is associated with death and illnesses.

Nephthys

She is the Egyptian goddess of death and is considered a frightening but necessary person needed to help transcend the levels of death. She is the sister to Isis and Osiris. She was married to Set(h), "god of the desert, storms, disorder, violence and foreigners", but did not have any children with him. Her son, Anubis, supposedly came from a previous affair with Osiris. "She is a protective goddess who symbolizes the death experience."

"As the primary "nursing mother" of the incarnate Pharaonic-god, Horus, Nephthys also was considered to be the nurse of the reigning Pharaoh himself. Though other goddesses could assume this role, Nephthys was most usually portrayed in this function. In contrast Nephthys is sometimes featured as a rather ferocious and dangerous divinity, capable of incinerating the enemies of the Pharaoh with her fiery breath"

Anubis

Son to Nephthys, he was raised by Isis, after his mother abandoned him in the Delta marshes because her husband Set(h) wanted to kill him. He is the god of funerals and embalming. "He was usually depicted as a man with the head of a jackal and alert ears, often wearing a red ribbon, and wielding a flail." "In other myths Anubis led the deceased to the halls of Ma´at where they would be judged. Anubis watched over the whole process and ensured that the weighing of the heart was conducted correctly. He then led the innocent on to a heavenly existence and abandoned the guilty to Ammit."

Heibai Wuchang

There were two Wuchangs and their job was to escort you to the underworld. They are black and white and their statues usually depicted them with ferocious snarls on their faces and long red tongues sticking out of their mouths to scare away evil spirits. The black one was for the bad, while the white one was for the good. It was sometimes said the white one would hand out gold coins during the Ghost festival.

Shinigami

The Japanese "Death spirits" or "Death God" is similar to the western version of the grim reaper except there are many of them and like to work in pairs usually. They make sure that when the time comes the individual dies, and do not do any of the killing themselves. After the individual dies they take them to the underworld. They are usually depicted as dark and nasty and can only be seen by individuals that are about to die.

Yama

Sometimes called King Yama, or Emma, he is considered the lord of the dead. He decides if you go to Heaven or Hell. He decides this by looking upon a scroll that he keeps near him. He can be found in Chinese, Japanese, Hindu, Buddhist, and Indian cultures. He is known as a wrathful god and is usually depicted with the face of an ogre, or something similar.

Do you know of any other depictions of the Grim Reaper? Let me know in the comments.

See you all tomorrow.

Buh-bye.