Relief from a carved funerary lekythos at Athens: Hermes as psychopomp conducts the deceased, Myrrhine, to Hades, ca 430-420 BCE (National Archaeological Museum, Athens)

Many religious belief systems 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 ψυχοπομπός (psychopompos), literally meaning the "guide of souls". They were often associated with horses, whippoorwills, ravens, dogs, crows, owls, sparrows, harts, and dolphins. Rock and roll (also spelled Rock n Roll, especially in its first decade), also called rock, is a form of popular music, usually featuring vocals (often with vocal harmony), electric guitars and a strong back beat; other instruments, such as the saxophone, are common in some styles. ... This is an article about a rock song. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 322 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (1000 × 1863 pixel, file size: 440 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Lékythos funéraire de marbre trouvé à Athènes sur la place Syntagma, site dune importante nécropole antique. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 322 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (1000 × 1863 pixel, file size: 440 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Lékythos funéraire de marbre trouvé à Athènes sur la place Syntagma, site dune importante nécropole antique. ... Theseus and the Marathonian bull, white-ground lekythos, ca. ... For other uses, see Hermes (disambiguation). ... The Farnese Hercules The Museo Archeologico Nazionale Napoli (Naples National Archaeological Museum) is located in Naples, Italy. ... Various Religious symbols, including (first row) Christian, Jewish, Hindu, Bahai, (second row) Islamic, tribal, Taoist, Shinto (third row) Buddhist, Sikh, Hindu, Jain, (fourth row) Ayyavazhi, Triple Goddess, Maltese cross, pre-Christian Slavonic Religion is the adherence to codified beliefs and rituals that generally involve a faith in a spiritual... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Look up deity in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... “Fiend” redirects here. ... This article is about the supernatural being. ... For other uses, see Afterlife (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Heaven (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Hell (disambiguation). ... Binomial name Equus caballus Linnaeus, 1758 The horse (Equus caballus, sometimes seen as a subspecies of the Wild Horse, Equus ferus caballus) is a large odd-toed ungulate mammal, one of ten modern species of the genus Equus. ... Binomial name Caprimulgus vociferus Wilson,, 1812 The Whip-poor-will, Caprimulgus vociferus, is a medium-sized (22-27 cm) nightjar. ... Species See text. ... Trinomial name Canis lupus familiaris The dog (Canis lupus familiaris) is a domestic subspecies of the wolf, a mammal of the Canidae family of the order Carnivora. ... For other uses, see Crow (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Owl (disambiguation). ... Genera Passer Petronia Carpospiza Montifringilla The true sparrows, the Old World sparrows in the family Passeridae, are small passerine birds. ... This article is about the ruminant animal. ... Genera See article below. ...

In Jungian psychology, the psychopomp is a mediator between the unconscious and conscious realms. It is symbolically personified in dreams as a wise man (or woman), or sometimes as a helpful animal. In some cultures acting as a psychopompos was also one of the functions of a shaman. This could include not only accompanying the soul of the dead, but also vice versa: to help at birth, to introduce the newborn's soul to the world (p. 36 of ^[1]). Jungian psychology refers to a school of psychology originating in the ideas of Swiss psychologist Carl Jung and advanced by many other thinkers who followed in his tradition. ... This article does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... The shaman is an intellectual and spiritual figure who is regarded as possessing power and influence on other peoples in the tribe and performs several functions, primarily that of a healer ( medicine man). The shaman provides medical care, and serves other community needs during crisis times, via supernatural means (means...

List by mythology

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Image File history File links Emblem-important. ... Image File history File links Question_book-3. ...

Celtic mythology

Manannán mac Lir

Belatu-Cadros (especially Wales)

Epona^{[citation needed]}

Ogmios

Ankou

Santa Compaña

In Irish and Manx mythology, Manannán mac Lir is the god of the sea. ... In Celtic mythology, Belatu-Cadros, or Belatucadros (fair shining one or the fair slayer), was a deity worshipped in northern Britain, particularly in Cumberland and Westmoreland. ... This article is about the country. ... For other uses of Epona, see Epona (disambiguation) Image:Epona link. ... Ogmios was a Gaulish deity, usually depicted as a bald old man with a bow and club who leads an apparently happy band of men with chains attached to their ears and tongues. ... The term ankou can also refer to Japanese sweet red bean paste. ... The Santa Compaña (Holy Company) is probably one of the most deep-rooted mythical beliefs in rural Galicia (see Galician mythology), and also in Asturias, where it is called Güestia. ...

Egyptian mythology

Anubis

Neith

Horus

Set

Thoth

For other uses, see Anubis (disambiguation). ... Neith In Egyptian mythology, Neith (also known as Nit, Net and Neit) was a psychopomp, a goddess of war and the hunt and the patron deity of Sais, in the Western Delta. ... For other uses, see Horus (disambiguation). ... In Egyptian mythology, Set (also spelled Sutekh, Setesh, Seteh, Seth) is an ancient god, who was originally the god of the desert, one of the two main biomes that constitutes Egypt, the other being the small fertile area on either side of the Nile. ... Thoth (Ramesseum, Luxor) Thoth (his Greek name derived from the Egyptian *, written by Egyptians as ) was considered one of the most important deities of the Egyptian pantheon, often depicted with the head of an ibis. ...

English mythology

Waetla

The introduction to this article provides insufficient context for those unfamiliar with the subject matter. ...

Etruscan mythology

Turms

The Barque of Charon, Sleep, Night and Morpheus, by Luca Giordano

A sculpture of the Roman god Mercury by 17th-century Flemish artist Artus Quellinus. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (3200x2088, 731 KB) Description: Title: de: Fresken in der Galerie des Palazzo Medici-Riccardi in Florenz, Szene: Die Barke des Charon, der Schlaf der Nacht und Morpheus Technique: de: Fresko Dimensions: Country of origin: de: Italien Current location (city): de: Florenz... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (3200x2088, 731 KB) Description: Title: de: Fresken in der Galerie des Palazzo Medici-Riccardi in Florenz, Szene: Die Barke des Charon, der Schlaf der Nacht und Morpheus Technique: de: Fresko Dimensions: Country of origin: de: Italien Current location (city): de: Florenz... Michelangelos rendering of Charon. ... Sleep and his half-brother Death (Hypnos and Thanatos) by John William Waterhouse (1874) Morpheus (he who forms, shapes, moulds, from the Greek morphe) is the Greek god of dreams. ... The creation of man, fresco in the Palazzo Medici-Riccardi in Florence, 1684-1686. ...

Greek mythology

Artemis^{[citation needed]}

Charon

Hermes

Thanatos

Hypnos

Morpheus

The Keres

For other uses, see Artemis (disambiguation). ... Michelangelos rendering of Charon. ... For other uses, see Hermes (disambiguation). ... In Greek mythology, Thanatos (in Ancient Greek, θάνατος – Death) was the Daimon personification of Death and Mortality. ... In Greek mythology, Hypnos was the personification of sleep; the Roman equivalent was known as Somnus . ... Sleep and his half-brother Death (Hypnos and Thanatos) by John William Waterhouse (1874) Morpheus (he who forms, shapes, moulds, from the Greek morphe) is the Greek god of dreams. ... In Greek mythology, the Keres (singular: Ker) were female death-spirits and sources of evils. ...

Hindu mythology

Agni

Budha

Pushan

Yama^{[citation needed]}

Chinese (Wu Xing) Japanese (Godai) Earth (地) | Water (水) | Fire (火) | Air / Wind (風) | Void / Sky / Heaven (空) Hinduism (Tattva) and Buddhism (Mahābhūta) Vayu / Pavan — Air / Wind Agni / Tejas — Fire Akasha — Aether Prithvi / Bhumi — Earth Ap / Jala — Water Bön New Zealand Agni is a Hindu and Vedic deity. ... In Hindu mythology, Budha (not to be confused with Buddha) is the name for the planet Mercury, a son of Chandra (the moon) with either Tara or Rohini. ... Pushan, also known as Puchan, is the Hindu god of meeting. ... This article is about the deity Yama in Hinduism. ...

Inuit mythology

Anguta

Pinga

In Inuit mythology, Anguta is a psychopomp, ferrying souls from the land of the living to the underworld, called Adlivun where they must sleep for a year. ... // Goddess In Inuit mythology, Pinga (the one who is up on high) was a goddess of the hunt, fertility and medicine. ...

Islamic mythology

Azrael

Nakir and Munkar

Artistic depiction of the angel of death Azrael (in standard Arabic transliteration it is Ezrail or Ezraeil عزرائیل) is typically known as one of the names of the angel of death, and is an English form of the Arabic name Ezrail or Ezraeil, the name traditionally attributed... Munkar and Nakeer, in Islamic eschatology, are two black, blue-eyed malaikah (angels) who test the faith of the dead in their graves. ...

Japanese mythology

Shinigami

Shinigami , literally death god) is the Japanese name for personifications of death, in particular the Grim Reaper, which was imported to Japan from Europe during the Meiji period. ...

Judaism

Gabriel

Sandalphon

This article is about the archangel Gabriel. ... For the angel by this name in Neon Genesis Evangelion, see Angel (Neon Genesis Evangelion)#Sandalphon. ...

Maya mythology

Ixtab

Valkyries of Norse mythology, as depicted by Peter Nicolai Arbo, 1869

According to Diego de Landa, Ixtab Rope Woman was the Mayan goddess of suicide. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1704x2088, 823 KB) Artist: Peter Nicolai Arbo (Norway 1831-1892) Title: Valkyrien Painted 1869. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1704x2088, 823 KB) Artist: Peter Nicolai Arbo (Norway 1831-1892) Title: Valkyrien Painted 1869. ... The Valkyries Vigil, by the Pre-Raphaelite painter Edward Robert Hughes. ... Norse, Viking or Scandinavian mythology comprises the indigenous pre-Christian religion, beliefs and legends of the Scandinavian peoples, including those who settled on Iceland, where most of the written sources for Norse mythology were assembled. ... Peter Nicolai Arbo (1831–1892) was a Norwegian painter, who specialized in painting historical motifs and images from Norse mythology. ...

Norse mythology

Baldur

Odin

Valkyries

In Norse Mythology, Baldur (also Balder, ON Baldr), the god of innocence, beauty, joy, purity, and peace, is Odins second son. ... For other meanings of Odin, Woden or Wotan see Odin (disambiguation), Woden (disambiguation), Wotan (disambiguation). ... The Valkyries Vigil, by the Pre-Raphaelite painter Edward Robert Hughes. ...

Persian mythology

Mithra

Mithra (Avestan Miθra, modern Persian مهر Mihr, Mehr, Meher) is an important deity or divine concept (so called Yazata) in Zoroastrianism and later Persian mythology and culture. ...

Polynesian mythology

Aumakua

Aumakua is a Hawaiian word meaning family or personal god, often a deified ancestor. ...

Roman mythology

Mercury

A sculpture of the Roman god Mercury by 17th-century Flemish artist Artus Quellinus. ...

Slavic mythology

Volos

Veles, Volos, Weles, or Voloh is a Slavic god, thought to be the deity of: cattle, commerce, music, divination and the underworld. ...

Vodun

Guédé

In Haitian Vodun, the Guédé (also spelled Gede or Ghede, pronounced GAY-DAY in french) are the family of spirits that embody the powers of death and fertility. ...

Zoroastrianism

Vohu Mano

Other

Grim Reaper

Death, personified is an anthropomorphic figure or a fictional character who has existed in mythology and popular culture since the earliest days of storytelling. ...

Fiction

Compare Virgil's role in Dante’s Inferno. For other uses, see Virgil (disambiguation). ... DANTE is also a digital audio network. ... Detail of a manuscript in Milans Biblioteca Trivulziana (MS 1080), written in 1337 by Francesco di ser Nardo da Barberino, showing the beginning of Dantes Comedy. ...

George Lass and the other reapers on the Showtime series Dead Like Me are more accurately described as psychopomps, as they do not actually kill people but instead remove their souls moments before death and escort them to the afterlife. George Lass, portrayed by Ellen Muth Photo by Carole Segal/Showtime Georgia George Lass (1985–2003) is a fictional character on the Showtime comedy-drama Dead Like Me. ... This article is about the pay TV channel. ... Dead Like Me is an American television comedy-drama starring Ellen Muth and Mandy Patinkin as grim reapers in Seattle, Washington. ...

The Reapers of the TV series Supernatural act as psychopomps. This article is about the US TV series. ...

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.” For the British Army surgeon, see James Barry (surgeon). ... This article is about the play by J.M. Barrie. ...

Whipporwills feature prominently as malign psychopomps in many works of H. P. Lovecraft, perhaps most notably in The Dunwich Horror. This article is about the author. ... The Dunwich Horror is a short story by H. P. Lovecraft. ...

Sparrows as psychopomps play a notable role in Stephen King's novel The Dark Half. Stephen Edwin King (born September 21, 1947) is an American author of over 200 stories including over 50 bestselling horror novels. ... --58. ...

The Shinigami of the manga and anime series Bleach act as psychopomps. Shinigami , lit. ... BLEACH redirects here. ...

In Northern Lights Yambe Akka serves as a guide to dead or dying witches, taking them peacefully to the underworld. Northern Lights is the first novel in the His Dark Materials series, written by British novelist Philip Pullman and published in 1995. ...

Enma Ai of the anime series Jigoku Shoujo acts as a psychopomp, ferrying grudged-upon souls to Hell. Jigoku Shoujo is an anime series currently in broadcast and adapted from manga of same name (currently serialized in Nakayoshi magazine). ...

Death is one of many psychopomp characters in Neil Gaiman's Sandman comics. Lucifer the Morningstar is another psychopomp and refers to himself as one when he kills the Shiko-Mi demon in the second story arc. Death is a fictional character from the DC comic book series, The Sandman (1988 - 1996). ... Neil Richard Gaiman () (born November 10, 1960) is an English author of science fiction and fantasy short stories and novels, graphic novels, comics, and films. ... The Sandman is a comic book series written by Neil Gaiman and published in the United States by DC Comics for 75 issues from 1988 until 1996. ...

In the LucasArts game Grim Fandango, the player plays as a "travel agent" (psychopomp) named Manny Calavera, guiding people from the Land of the Dead safely to the afterlife. LucasArts is an American video game developer and publisher. ... Grim Fandango is a graphical adventure computer game released by LucasArts in 1998. ... Manny Calavera dressed up as the Grim Reaper, on his way to pick up a new customer. ...

At the end of Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, Will Turner becomes a psychopomp by becoming the captain of the Flying Dutchman in order to guide the souls of men who died at sea to the land of the dead, a job previously tasked to but neglected by Davy Jones. For other persons named William Turner, see William Turner (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see The Flying Dutchman (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Davy Jones Locker. ...

Issue 52 of The Sandman series by Neil Gaiman revolves around a pyschopomp. In this story, the kingdom of Faerie does not wish a possible alliegance of men, and Titania (the Queen of the Faeries) sends her envoy Cluracan to the ciy of Aurelia, which is ruled by a psychopomp, to disrupt any such pact. In the same series, the character of Death acts as a psychopomp. For other uses, see Sandman (comics). ... Neil Richard Gaiman () (born November 10, 1960) is an English author of science fiction and fantasy short stories and novels, graphic novels, comics, and films. ... Death is a fictional character from the DC comic book series, The Sandman (1988 - 1996). ...

In the final episode of Six Feet Under Nathanial and Nate Fisher serve as psychopomps for Ruth Fisher, while Keith Charles-Fisher serves as one for his husband, David. For the death metal band, see Six Feet Under (band). ...

See also

Notes

1. ^ Hoppál, Mihály: Sámánok Eurázsiában. Akadémiai Kiadó, Budapest, 2005. ISBN 963-05-8295-3. (The title means “Shamans in Eurasia”, the book is written in Hungarian, but it is published also in German, Estonian and Finnish.) Site of publisher with short description on the book (in Hungarian).

References and further reading

• Eliade, Mircea, "Shamanism", 1964, Chapters 6 and 7, "Magical Cures: the Shaman as Psychopomp".