The God of Death in Ancient Greece and Egypt

In every religious belief of ancient peoples, there were deities who personified death. In some nations, the god of death ruled the underground realm of the dead, others accompanied the souls of the dead to another world, while the third came for the soul when a man died. However, all these beings only controlled the deceased, but did not affect the time and duration of people's lives.

Like birth, death is an important part of a person's life. Perhaps, therefore, the gods of death are present in religion and mythology and are shown by strong and all-powerful beings. Some nations even today worship their idols and perform all sorts of rituals and offerings in their honor. So, further we will talk about the most famous deities.

Hades

The main god of death in Greek mythology is Hades. He was considered an Olympic deity, the brother of the thunderer Zeus. After the division of the world, the underground kingdom, inhabited by the souls of the dead, departed to Hades. A gloomy world in which the rays of the sun never penetrated, Hades called his name. According to mythology, the old boatman Charon, who sent the souls of the dead across the river Acheront, was the guide to the kingdom of the god of death. And the gates of the underworld were guarded by the evil dog Cerberus with three heads. Moreover, he admitted all those who wished, but nobody could get out.

According to myths and legends, the realm of the dead is a gloomy world full of deserted fields with flowering wild tulips and asphodels. Over the fields, the shadows of dead souls rush silently, issuing only quiet moans, like the rustle of leaves, and from the bowels of the earth beats the source of Leta, which gives oblivion to all living things. In the afterlife there is no sorrow, no joy, nothing that is peculiar to earthly life.

Hades and Persephone

On the golden throne is the god of death Hades, and next to his wife Persephone. She is the daughter of Zeus and the goddess of fertility of Demeter. Long ago, when Persephone collected flowers in the meadows, she was abducted by Hades and carried away to her underworld. Demeter was in despair, which caused on earth drought and famine. Then Zeus allowed his daughter to stay with Hades, but on the condition that she would spend two-thirds of the year on Olympus next to her mother.

Many myths and legends are associated with the kingdom of the dead Hades. Here is Orpheus, who thanks to his musical talent was able to solicit from Aida the freedom for his wife Eurydice. And Sisyphus, who was sentenced to forever raise a huge rock up the mountain for trying to deceive death. And many others.

Thanatos

There was one more God of death in Greece - Thanatos. But such authority and glory, as Hades, he did not use. The Olympic gods did not respect him, because they considered him indifferent to human sacrifice and suffering.

Thanatos was the son of the god of darkness of Erebus and the goddess of the night of Nekta. He had a twin brother Hypnos (the god of dreams). According to the legends, Thanatos brought people dreams, after which one could no longer wake up. The god of death was portrayed with huge wings behind him and with an extinguished torch in his hands, which symbolized the extinction of life.

According to the legends, Thanatos has often lost to people. So, for example, Hercules did not hesitate to fight with him to save from the kingdom of Hades Alcestida. And King Sisyphus even managed to deceive the god of death twice and imprison him for several years. For that, in the end, he was punished and doomed to eternal and senseless tortures.

Orcus

Orcus, or the Orc, is the very first god of death from classical Roman mythology. The Etruscan tribe considered Orcus one of the demons of a low hierarchy, but then its influence increased. The idol was portrayed as a huge winged creature with sharp horns, fangs and tail. It was Orcus that served as a prototype for modern demons and the devil.

Before the Romans were subjected to Greek influence, their death god was considered the ruler of the afterlife and something resembled another deity - Dis Patera. Then the features and functions of Orcus were completely transferred to Pluto.

By the way, Orcus became the prototype of not only modern demons and the devil, but also such creatures as orcs.

Pluto

Pluto is the main god of death in the Romans. He became a kind of variant of the Greek Hades. According to the legends, Pluto was the brother of such gods as Neptune and Jupiter. He reigned in the underworld, but on the ground he went only after the souls of men. Therefore, he was very afraid. By the way, Pluto was considered a hospitable god: he let in all his underworld whoever wished. But it was already impossible to return.

According to the legends, Pluto traveled in a chariot drawn by four black stallions, like a resin. During his travels to the earth, the death god sought not only souls, but also cracks in the earth's crust, so that the sun's rays never penetrated into his underworld. Once, traveling on the ground, Pluto met the goddess of plants Proserpin. He forcibly made her his wife and put him on the throne in Gadiz. And now they together rule the underground realm of the dead.

The Romans portrayed Pluto as a formidable, bearded man with tightly clamped lips and a golden crown on his head. In one hand, God held a trident, and in another - a huge key. This key was a symbol that nobody will escape from the realm of the dead.

In honor of Pluto, the ancient Romans did not build temples. However, they always performed sacrifices to appease the god. Once in a hundred years were spent Hundred Years. And on this day it was allowed to sacrifice only black animals to Pluto.

Osiris

Osiris is the first Egyptian god of death. According to the legends, it was a deity not only of the afterlife but also of the forces of nature. It is for him the Egyptians are responsible for the skills of winemaking, ore mining, farming, construction and healing.

The father of Osiris was the god of the earth, Geb, and the mother of the goddess of heaven Nut. According to one of the legends, he was even a pharaoh of Egypt. People revered him, because, before taking someone into the world of the dead, he judged for all the sins committed by man in life, and was famous for his justice. Osiris had an evil brother, Seth, the god of the desert. He deceived Osiris into a bewitched sarcophagus, locked him there and threw him into the waters of the Nile. But the faithful wife of Isis found him and conceived from him the son of Horus, who then avenged his father. Osiris was gathered in parts, and the god of the sun Ra resurrected him. However, the deity did not want to return to earth. Osiris gave his reign to his son Gore, and he went to the next world, where he performed justice.

The ancient Egyptians portrayed Osiris as a man with green skin, whose figure was twisted around a vine. He personified a nature that dies and is reborn. However, it was believed that during the time of death, God did not lose his power of fertilization. In ancient Egypt Osiris was identified with the Greek god of winemaking Dionysus.

Anubis

Anubis is another god of death among the ancient Egyptians. He was the son of Osiris and his assistant. Anubis escorted the souls of the deceased to the underworld, and also helped his father to judge the sinners.

Before the cult of Osiris appeared in Ancient Egypt, it was Anubis who was considered the main god of death. He was portrayed as a man with a jackal's head. This animal was not chosen by chance. The Egyptians believed that the jackals were the harbingers of death. These cunning animals ate carrion, and their howl resembled the cries of desperate.

In the hands of Anubis were the scales of Truth. It was they who decided the fate of the souls of the dead. On one side of the scale was placed the feather of the goddess Maat, who was a symbol of justice, and on the other - the heart of the deceased. If the heart was as light as a feather, then the person was considered a pure spirit and fell into paradise fields. If the heart was heavier, the deceased was considered a sinner, and a terrible punishment awaited him: the monster Amat (the creature with the head of a crocodile and the body of a lion) ate the heart. This meant that the existence of man came to an end.

Anubis was also considered the patron of necropolises and the creator of funeral rituals. He was called the god of embalming and mummification.

Ancient gods of death

Every people had their gods and goddesses of death. So, the Scandinavians after the worlds rule Hel. She was the daughter of the god of Loki's cunning. She received the kingdom of the dead from Odin. Hel was portrayed as a tall woman whose body was half covered with blue corpse stains.

In Shinto, the role of the goddess of death was played by Izanami. She, together with her husband Izanagi, was considered the creator of all life on earth. But after her son Kagutsuti sang the goddess with fire, Izanami went into a world of darkness. There she settled in the environment of demons, and even Idzanagi could not return it back.

Satan

For Christians and Muslims, the role of the god of death is played by Satan. He is the main opponent of God (Allah). Satan has many names: the Devil, Shaitan, Mephistopheles, Lucifer and others. According to the Bible, he was once an angel, pure and bright. But then he became proud and considered himself equal to God himself. For which he was banished together with his companions, who became demons, underground. There he rules the kingdom of the dead - hell, where after death all sinners fall.