Death is scary! Luckily, many cultures around the world believe in cool dudes who help get you to your final destination. These figures are called 💀⚰ PSYCHOPOMPS ⚰💀 and I'm going to introduce you to some of them in this thread. 1/
Psychopomps are guides that take you from the world of the living to the world of the dead. They come in many different forms, including animals (like dogs, birds, horses, & deer), angels, ancestral spirits, & even the Aurora Borealis, as is believed by the Labrador Inuit. 2/
Anubis, jackal-headed Egyptian god of cemeteries & embalming, guided the souls of the dead to Duat where he weighed their hearts against a feather of truth. If it was lighter, they would continue on, but if it was heavier, their heart would be eaten by a demon named Ammit. 3/
In Islamic belief, Azrael, the Angel of death, keeps an eye on Sidrat al Muntaha, the Lote Tree of the End, in Paradise. It is said that when a person is born, a leaf grows on the tree with their name & when they die, the leaf falls off of it. 4/
Azrael must then separate the soul from the body after 40 days. Amazigh men once had a custom where they shaved their heads except for one piece, to give Azrael something to hold onto. Azrael is huge, with 4000 wings and as many eyes and tongues as there are humans. 5/
Charun, the "Demon of Death," from Etruscan mythology had a role as both psychopomp and punisher. He and Vanth, a goddess of the underworld, would go to escort people who were about to die, & Charun would beat them with his hammer until they died. He also punished the wicked. 6/
In Zoastrianism, Daena, the Holy Maiden, is the embodiment of a person's conscience and deeds. Daena meets the soul at the Chinvat bridge that leads to paradise. She appears as a beautiful Maiden to those who were good or an hideous hag to those who were evil. 7/
The Angel Suroosh also accompanies the dead. Daena comforts the soul & Suroosh guards the soul against dangers, which are more numerous for the wicked. If the soul isn't completely evil & makes it across the bridge, the verdict of the soul's destination is revealed at the end. 8/
The Grim Reaper is a depiction of death, dating from 14th century Europe during the Black Plague. Depicted as a skeleton with a black robe & a scythe, the Grim Reaper has had far reaching cultural influence. It's debated if he actually kills people or only guides their souls. 9/
In Greek mythology, Hermes & Charon work in tandem. Hermes, messenger of the Gods and the only god able to traverse all three planes (Heaven, Earth, & Hades), was said to guide souls to the entrance of Hades, where Charon would take them over the River Styx. 10/
According to Christian belief, the archangel St. Michael guides souls to Heaven and guards them on their journey. It is said that when the soul reaches the Pearly Gates, St. Michael weighes the soul on scales to determine if the person is virtuous enough to enter Heaven. 11/
In Yoruba mythology, Oya is the goddess of fire, destruction, the underworld, the Niger River, and more. She is known as a mother goddess & a fierce warrior. She guards the gates of death and helps recently deceased souls on their journey to the afterlife. 12/
In the Voodoo religion, Papa Ghede is the god of death, guide to the recently deceased, & said to be the first man who ever died. He waits at the crossroads of life & death & he guides souls to the afterlife, Guinee, which is usually represented by Africa itself. 13/
In Norse mythology, valkyries are beautiful maidens that specifically guide the souls of warriors that die in battle & are bound for Valhalla. Valkyries serve the god Odin & in addition to guiding souls, are also said to forebode war, protect warriors, & sometimes even kill. 14/
You can read more in depth about ancient Norse afterlife beliefs in this thread: 15/
Xolotl was the Aztec god of lightning and death. He is not as much a psychopomp as the others on this list because he was said to guide souls to the underworld only sometimes. Xolotl was, however, said to guide and protect the Sun when it went to the underworld every night. 16/
Yama is the Hindu god of death & carries a noose to lasso the soul out of a person's body. He resides in Naraka, a purgatory where souls receive punishment before reincarnating. Yama brings souls to Naraka & Swarga (heaven) & guides them to the correct level (both have 7). 17/
The world of death mythology and folklore is incredibly vast and this thread has barely scratched the surface, but I hope you were able to learn something interesting from this! And hopefully death seems less scary knowing about all of these cool psychopomps :) 18/
Images:
5- Evelyn de Morgan 9- Gustav Doré 10- Adolf Hirémy-Hirschl 11- Raphael 12- Francisco Santos 14- Johan Gustaf Sandberg 18- Hans Holbein the Younger
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The Carpathian Mountains are a European mountain range full of myths and folklore, most notably from Romanians and Hutsul people (between Romania and Ukraine). I'm going to share with you a few of these legends and myths today! #FaustianFriday 1/
A 16th century legend said dwarves in the Carpathian Mountains had cursed the ore to make miners contract a fatal respiratory illness termed "the mountain disease". They discovered later that the culprit was the radioactive pitchblende produced from mining. #FaustianFriday 2/
The Carpathian Mountains are also the home of two Romanian legends of the same name, Baba Dochia, used to explain the Babele rock formation. The legends concern a woman named Baba Dochia who is very different in both stories. #FaustianFriday 3/
Lady Isabel & the Elf Knight (Child #4, Roud #21) is a large class of European ballads where a young woman defeats a man who tries to murder her. There are a number of variants, categorized below. 1/ #WyrdWednesday
In the variant Child's A "The Gowans Sae Gae", Lady Isabel meets an Elf Knight who leads her to the Greenwood intending to kill her, as she discovers. Isabel tricks him into falling asleep, usually either with a charm or by singing & kills him with his own dirk. 2/ #WyrdWednesday
"The Gowans Sae Gae" variant of this song can be heard here: or here: 3/
Happy International Labor Day! Enjoy this thread about labor related folk tales and songs! I encourage you today to think about all the things we can accomplish when we join together and demand what is ours. #FolkloreSunday
"A Miner's Life" (Roud 3510) is an American union folk song. It's aimed at rallying miners to unionize. It advises workers "union miners, stand together. Do not heed the coal board's tale. Keep your hand upon your wages and your eye upon the scale"
Music has an important history in labor organizing. The Industrial Workers of the World, for example published multiple editions of "The Little Red Song Book" throughout the years full of songs they used in their organizing efforts.
Happy New Year's! I'm here to tell you about a New Year's Eve tradition called "Sitting Out," where some people would try and catch elves to ask them about their future. This practice originated in Norway and was originally on Christmas Eve, but was later moved. 1/
Originally in Norway, this was practiced deep in the forest or on elf-mounds. This practice was later outlawed as witchcraft in Norway, but it persisted later in Iceland, where the designated location was at crossroads where all 4 directions lead directly to churches. 2/
In order to "sit out" on New Year's Eve, the reputed "moving day" for the elves, in Iceland you'll bring a grey cat & lay on top of a sheepskin, cover yourself completely with the hide of a seal or elderly ox, & stare at the edge of an axe blade, being in place by midnight. 3/
The Arabian Nights is a fascinating collection of folklore with a rich & enthralling history. The history and discourse around the translation of the Nights is also incredibly fascinating. In this thread I will share a bit about each of the main translators! #FairyTaleTuesday 1/
First, it is important to note that there are two main versions of the Arabian Nights: the Syrian & the Egyptian. The Syrian manuscripts are much shorter, but older & more "authentic." The Egyptian manuscripts are much longer with many more tales added later. #FairyTaleTuesday 2/
Antoine Galland was the first translator of the Arabian Nights to bring it to a Western audience, and was the one who popularized it in the West. I have already made a mini-thread about him, which you can view below. #FairyTaleTuesday 3/
Nursery rhymes, or "Mother Goose" rhymes, are traditional poems or songs meant for children specifically. They originated in the mid-16th century, & while most prominent in Britain, have originated from many different countries. Here are some of my favorites! 1/ #FairyTaleTuesday
Down at the station, early in the morning,
See the little puffer-billies all in a row;
See the engine driver pull his little lever-
Puff puff, peep peep, off we go! #FairyTaleTuesday
🖼: Rosemary Wells
Warm hands, warm,
The men are gone to plow,
If you want to warm your hands,
Warm your hands now. #FairyTaleTuesday