Thread by @FemboyFolklore

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/

https://twitter.com/FemboyFolklore/status/1402547560389103616?s=19

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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Sources & Further Reading

Psychopomp guide psychopomps.org/psychopomp-gui…

Top 10 Psychopomps of Ancient and Modern Mythology listverse.com/2013/06/15/top…

10 More Psychopomps of Ancient and Modern Mythology listverse.com/2013/09/21/10-…

Anubis egyptianmuseum.org/deities-Anubis

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Azrael britannica.com/topic/Azrael

Dēn iranicaonline.org/articles/den

Chinvat Bridge worldhistory.org/Chinvat_Bridge/

Where Does the Concept of a "Grim Reaper" Come From? britannica.com/story/where-do…

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How St Michael the psychopomp swats the buzzing demons of evil with his mighty sword of justice thetablet.co.uk/blogs/1/1604/h…

Valkyrie britannica.com/topic/Valkyrie…

Goddess Oya google.com/amp/s/journeyi…

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