.
Sleep and Death, Flaxman
Many sets of religious beliefs have a particular spirit, deity, demon or angel whose responsibility is to escort newly-deceased souls to the afterlife, such as Heaven or Hell. These creatures are called psychopomps, from the Greek word ψυχοπομπóς (psuchopompos), literally meaning the "guide of souls".
They were often associated with horses, whippoorwills, ravens, dogs, crows, sparrows, harts (that is, male deer), and dolphins.
Aztec mythology
- Xolotl
- Cahuilla mythology
- Muut
Celtic mythology
- Belatu-Cadros (especially Wales)
- Epona
- Ogmios
- Ankou
Christian mythology
- Michael
- Saint Peter
Egyptian mythology
- Anubis
- Neith
- Horus
- Set
- Thoth
English mythology
- Waetla
- Etruscan mythology
- Turms
Greek mythology
Hindu mythology
- Agni
- Pushan
- Yama
Inuit mythology
- Anguta
- Pinga
Islamic mythology
- Azrael
- Nakir and Munkar
Japanese mythology
- Shinigami
Judaism
- Gabriel
- Sandalphon
Maya mythology
- Ixtab
Norse mythology
- Baldur
- Odin
- Valkyries
Persian mythology
- Mithra
Polynesian mythology
- Aumakua
Roman mythology
- Mercury
Slavic mythology
- Volos
- Vodun
- Guédé
Zoroastrianism
- Vohu Mano
Compare Virgil’s role in Dante’s Inferno. In modern literature, the title character of J. M. Barrie’s Peter Pan is said to act as a guide for children: “At first Mrs. Darling did not know, but after thinking back into her childhood she just remembered a Peter Pan who was said to live with the fairies. There were odd stories about him; as that when children died he went part of the way with them, so that they should not be frightened.”
Links
See also : Greek Mythology. Paintings, Drawings
Ancient Greece
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