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The mythology or religion of most cultures incorporate a god of death or, more frequently, a divine being closely associated with death, an afterlife, or an underworld. They are often amongst the most powerful and important entities in a given tradition, reflecting the fact that death, like birth , is central to the human experience.
- Hades: Greek God of Death. Name: Hades. Religion: Greek Gods and Goddesses. Realms: God of the underworld and death. Family: Full brother of Zeus, the king of Mount Olympus; the firstborn son of Cronus and Rhea.
- Pluto — Roman God of Death. Name: Pluto. Religion: Roman Gods and Goddesses. Realms: God of death and the underworld. Family: Son of Saturn and Ops. Fun Fact: He’s the less sinister Roman version of Hades.
- Hel — Norse God of Death. Name: Hel. Religion: Norse mythology. Realms: The Goddess of the underworld; the deity of death. Family: Daughter of the famous trickster god, Loki.
- Kali — Hindu God of Death. Name: Kali. Religion: Hindu Gods and Goddesses. Realms: Death diety, doomsday, time, violence, sexuality, female energy; a mother figure.
- Anubis. Anubis was the god of funerals, mummification, death and lord of the underworld, before the god Osiris. Anubis was believed to care for every soul in the afterlife and prepared them to face Osiris in the Hall of Judgement.
- Coatlicue. In Aztec mythology, Coatlicue (meaning Serpent Skirt) is the goddess of death, destruction, Earth, and fire. The Aztecs worshiped her as both the creator and destroyer, and she was considered the mother of both gods and mortals.
- Demeter. Demeter is the Greek goddess of the harvest, presiding over the land’s fertility and grains. She’s also commonly associated with the endless cycle of life and death and was linked to the dying of the fields.
- Freyja. In Norse mythology, Freyja, the old Norse word for Lady, is the most renowned goddess associated with death, battle, war, but also love, abundance, and fertility.
- Patti Wigington
- Anubis (Egyptian) This god with the head of a jackal is associated with mummification and death in ancient Egypt. Anubis is the one who decides whether or not one the deceased is worthy of entering the realm of the dead.
- Demeter (Greek) Through her daughter, Persephone, Demeter is linked strongly to the changing of the seasons and is often connected to the image of the Dark Mother and the dying of the fields.
- Freya (Norse) Although Freya is typically associated with fertility and abundance, she is also known as a goddess of war and battle. Half of the men who died in battle joined Freya in her hall, Folkvangr, and the other half joined Odin in Valhalla.
- Hades (Greek) While Zeus became king of Olympus, and their brother Poseidon won domain over the sea, Hades got stuck with the land of the underworld. Because he’s unable to get out much, and doesn’t get to spend a lot of time with those who are still living, Hades focuses on increasing the underworld’s population levels whenever he can.
In Greek mythology, Thanatos (/ ˈ θ æ n ə t ɒ s /; Ancient Greek: Θάνατος, pronounced in Ancient Greek: "Death", from θνῄσκω thnēskō "(I) die, am dying") was the personification of death. He was a minor figure in Greek mythology, often referred to but rarely appearing in person.
Jul 30, 2021 · Learn about the diverse and fascinating deities of death and the underworld from various ancient cultures, such as Hades, Morana, Anubis, and Ereshkigal. Discover how death was viewed and celebrated in different mythologies and religions.
Thanatos, in ancient Greek religion and mythology, the personification of death. Thanatos was the son of Nyx, the goddess of night, and the brother of Hypnos, the god of sleep. He appeared to humans to carry them off to the underworld when the time allotted to them by the Fates had expired.
