Psychopomps (from the Greek word ψυχοπομπός, psychopompós, literally meaning the ‘guide of souls’) are creatures, spirits, angels, demons, or deities in many religions whose responsibility is to escort newly deceased souls from Earth to the afterlife.
Their role is not to judge the deceased, but simply to guide them. Appearing frequently on funerary art, psychopomps have been depicted at different times and in different cultures as anthropomorphic entities, horses, deer, dogs, whip-poor-wills, ravens, crows, vultures, owls, sparrows, and cuckoos. In the case of birds, these are often seen in huge masses, waiting outside the home of the dying.
The shinigami of Japanese mythology have been described as psychopomps.
9 Comments
Goudewup@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 28 pts · 51d
Implying Greece is not European
Jyrdano@lemmy.world · 16 pts · 51d
Everything east of the Rhine is Asia.
a_non_monotonic_function@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 51d
Pretty sure that's the island that Wonder woman came from.
arctanthrope@lemmy.world · 17 pts · 51d
they're called "psychopomps" btw
cannedtuna@lemmy.world · 14 pts · 51d
TIL
Psychopomp
ms_lane@lemmy.world · 9 pts · 51d
I believe he's called 'Truck Kun' actually.
waz@feddit.uk · 6 pts · 51d
Shinigami
harrys_balzac@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 12 pts · 51d
I pray to Truck-kun every day yet nothing. I'm starting to think it's not real.
Also, the Grim Reaper is actually based on Greek mythology as well, though some aspects may be considered Roman.
Kronos/Saturn would use his scythe to sever the soul from the body when the mortal person's time was up.
The soul would then wander to the Styx to be ferried by Charon.
CuriousRefugee@discuss.tchncs.de · 9 pts · 51d
Am I a joke to you?