Symbols of death are the symbolic, often allegorical, portrayal of death in various cultures. For allegorical figures that portray death, see Death (personification). An allegory (from Greek αλλος, allos, other, and αγορευειν, agoreuein, to speak in public) is a figurative mode of representation conveying a meaning other than (and in addition to) the literal. ... A hawk eating its prey Death is the end of life, the full cessation of vital functions in a biological organism. ... Culture (from the Latin cultura stemming from colere, meaning to cultivate), generally refers to patterns of human activity and the symbolic structures that give such activity significance. ... Death, as a skeleton carrying a scythe, visiting a dying man. ...

Images that represent death

Various images are used traditionally to symbolize death; these rank from blunt depictions of cadavers and their parts to more allusive suggestions that time is fleeting and all men are mortals. A cadaver is a dead body. ... Allusion is a stylistic device or trope, in which one refers covertly or indirectly Hollys Face. ...

The human skull is an obvious and frequent symbol of death, found in many cultures and religious traditions. Human skeletons and sometimes non-human animal skeletons and skulls can also be used as blunt images of death; the traditional figures of the Grim Reaper - a black hooded skeleton with a scythe - is one use of such symbolism. The skull and crossbones motif has been used among Europeans as a symbol of both piracy and poison. Trinomial name Homo sapiens sapiens Linnaeus, 1758 Humans, or human beings, are bipedal apes belonging to the mammalian species Homo sapiens (Latin for wise man or knowing man) under the family Hominidae (known as the great apes). ... It has been suggested that temporal fenestra be merged into this article or section. ... Diagram of a human skeleton The human skeleton is made of individual or joined bones (such as the skull), supported and supplemented by a structure of ligaments, tendons, muscles, cartilage and other organs. ... A human skeleton - (endoskeleton) In biology, the skeleton (from Greek σκελετός, dried-up) or skeletal system is the biological system providing physical support in living organisms. ... Death, as a skeleton carrying a scythe, visiting a dying man. ... Using a scythe A scythe (IPA: , most likely from Old English siðe, sigði) is an agricultural hand tool for mowing and reaping grass or crops. ... A skull and crossbones is a symbol consisting of a human skull and two bones crossed together under the skull. ... The flag of 18th-century pirate Calico Jack Piracy is robbery committed at sea, or sometimes on the shore, by an agent without a commission from a sovereign nation. ... The skull and crossbones symbol traditionally used to label a poisonous substance. ...

Decayed cadavers can also be used to depict death; in mediæval Europe, they were often featured in artistic depictions of the danse macabre, or in cadaver tombs which depicted the living and decomposed body of the person entombed. Coffins also serve as blunt reminders of mortality. Rotting fruit Decomposition is a phenomenon common in the sciences of biology and chemistry. ... The Dance of Death (1493) by Michael Wolgemut, from the Liber chronicarum by Hartmann Schedel. ... Beneath Masaccios fresco of the Trinity painted in 1425-28 in Santa Maria Novella, Florence, is a painted representation of a cadaver tomb A cadaver tomb (or memento mori tomb, Latin for reminder of death) is a sarcophagus that resembles a carved stone bunk-bed with the deceased shown... A coffin (in North American English, also known as a casket) is a funerary box used in the display and containment of deceased remains -- either for burial or after cremation. ...

Less blunt symbols of death frequently allude to the passage of time and the fragility of life. Clocks, hourglasses, sundials, and other timepieces both call to mind that time is passing, and frequently contain memento mori mottoes themselves. Similarly, a candle both marks the passage of time, and bears witness that it will eventually burn itself out. These sorts of symbols were often incorporated into vanitas paintings, a variety of early still life. A pocket watch, a device used to measure time Two distinct views exist on the meaning of time. ... For other uses, see Life (disambiguation), Lives (disambiguation) or Living (disambiguation), Living Things (disambiguation) Look up life, living in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... A clock (from the Latin cloca, bell) is an instrument for measuring time. ... // ll Hourglass in wooden stand An hourglass, also known as a sandglass or sand timer, is a device for the measurement of time. ... Wall sundial Wall sundial in Warsaws Old Town A sundial measures time by the position of the sun. ... Memento mori is a Latin phrase that may be freely translated as Remember that you are mortal, Remember you will die, or Remember your death. It names a genre of artistic creations that vary widely from one another, but which all share the same purpose, which is to remind people... A collection of lit candles on ornate candlesticks A close-up image of a candle showing the wick and the various regions of the flame. ... Vanitas, by Pieter Claesz This article is about the fine art genre. ... A still life is a work of art which represents a subject composed of inanimate objects. ...

Certain animals such as crows, cats, owls, vultures, and bats are associated with death; some because they feed on carrion, others because they are nocturnal. Species See text. ... Look up CAT, cat, Cat in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Families Strigidae Tytonidae The owl is a solitary, mainly nocturnal bird of prey. ... Orders Falconiformes (Fam. ... Suborders Megachiroptera Microchiroptera See text for families. ...

Religious symbols of death

Religious symbols of death and depictions of the afterlife will vary with the religion practiced by the people who use them.

Tombs, tombstones, and other items of funereal architecture are Some Christians also erect temporary crosses along public highways as memorials for those who died in accidents. In Buddhism, the symbol of a wheel represents the cycles of reincarnation. The symbol of a grave or tomb, especially one in a picturesque or unusual location, can be used to represent death, as in Nicholas Poussin's famous painting Et in Arcadia ego. A tomb is a small building (or vault) for the remains of the dead, with walls, a roof, and (if it is to be used for more than one corpse) a door. ... Headstones in the Japanese Cemetry in Broome, Western Australia A cemetery in rural Spain A typical late 20th century headstone in the United States A headstone, tombstone or gravestone is a marker, normally carved from stone, placed over or next to the site of a burial. ... Underwater funeral in Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea A funeral is a ceremony marking a persons death. ... Category: ... Buddhism is a dharmic, non-theistic religion, a philosophy, and a life-enhancing system of psychology. ... A driving wheel on a steam locomotive. ... Reincarnation, literally to be made flesh again, as a doctrine or mystical belief, holds the notion that some essential part of a living being (or in some variations, only human beings) can survive death in some form, with its integrity partly or wholly retained, to be reborn in a new... Et in Arcadia ego by Nicolas Poussin. ... Et in Arcadia ego is a Latin phrase that most famously appears as the title of two paintings by Nicolas Poussin (1594–1665). ...

Images of life in the afterlife are also symbols of death. Here, again, the ancient Egyptians produced detailed pictorial representations of the life enjoyed by the dead. In Christian folk religion, the spirits of the dead are often depicted as winged angels or angel-like creatures, dwelling among the clouds; this imagery of the afterlife is frequently used in comic depictions of the life after death. Folk religion consists of beliefs, superstitions and cultural practices transmitted from generation to generation. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... A Laughing Gull on the beach in Atlantic City. ... The Annunciation - the Angel Gabriel announces to Mary that she will bear Jesus (El Greco, 1575) An angel is a supernatural being found in many religions. ... Comedy has a classical meaning (comical theatre) and a popular one (the use of humour with an intent to provoke laughter in general). ...

Colors used to represent death

Black is the color of mourning in many European cultures. In East Asia, white is similarly associated with mourning. Some organizations are called black when they keep a low profile, like Sociétés Anonymes and secret societies. ... Color is an important part of the visual arts. ... Mourning is in the simplest sense synonymous with grief over the death of someone. ... World map showing Europe A satellite composite image of Europe Europe is one of the seven traditional continents of the Earth. ... East Asia is a subregion of Asia that can be defined in either geographical or cultural terms. ... White is the color of things that reflect light of all parts of the visible spectrum equally and are not dull (see grey). ...

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• Solar symbol
• Symbol
• Symbolism