In every religious belief of the ancient peoples there were deities who personified death. For some peoples, the death god ruled the underworld of the dead, for others he accompanied the souls of the dead to another world, while for others he came for the soul when a person died. However, all these creatures only controlled the dead, but did not affect the duration and life expectancy of people.
Like birth, death is an important component of human life. This is probably why the gods of death are present in religion and mythology and are shown by strong and omnipotent beings. Some nations even today worship their idols and perform all kinds of rituals and offerings in their honor. So, further we will talk about the most famous deities.
Hades
The main god of death in Greek mythology is Hades. He was considered an Olympic deity, the brother of the thunderer Zeus himself. After the division of the world, the underground kingdom inhabited by the souls of the dead departed for Hades. A gloomy world into which the sun never penetrated, Hades called his name. According to mythology, the conductor to the kingdom of the god of death was the old boatman Charon, who ferried the souls of the dead across the Acheront River. And the gates of the underworld were guarded by the evil dog Cerberus with three heads. Moreover, he let in all who wished, but no one could get out.
According to myths and legends, the kingdom of the dead is a gloomy world full of desert fields with blooming wild tulips and asphodels. The shadows of dead souls silently flare over the fields, emitting only soft moans, like rustling leaves, and from the depths of the earth is the spring of Summer, which grants oblivion to all living things. In the afterlife there is neither sadness, nor joy, nothing that is characteristic of earthly life.
Hades and Persephone
On the golden throne sits the death god Hades, and next to his wife Persephone. She is the daughter of Zeus and the goddess of fertility Demeter. Once upon a time, when Persephone gathered flowers in the meadows, Hades abducted her and carried her to his underground kingdom. Demeter was in despair, which caused drought and famine on earth. Then Zeus allowed her daughter to stay with Hades, but on condition that she would spend two-thirds of the year on Olympus next to her mother.
Many myths and legends are associated with the kingdom of the dead Hades. Here is Orpheus, who, thanks to his musical talent, was able to beg freedom from Hades for his wife Eurydice. And Sisyphus, who was sentenced to always raise a huge stone on a mountain for trying to deceive death. And many others.
Thanatos
There was another God of death in Greece - Thanatos. But he did not use such power and glory as Hades. The Olympic gods did not respect him, as they considered him indifferent to human sacrifice and suffering.
Thanatos was the son of the god of darkness Erebus and the goddess of the night, Nikta. He had a twin brother, Hypnos (the god of dreams). According to legend, Thanatos brought people dreams, after which it was no longer possible to wake up. The god of death was portrayed with huge wings behind his back and with an extinct torch in his hands, which symbolized the extinction of life.
According to legends, Thanatos has repeatedly lost to people. So, for example, Hercules was not afraid to fight him in order to save Alcestid from the kingdom of Hades. And King Sisyphus generally managed to double-trick the god of death and imprison him in shackles for several years. For which he was eventually punished and doomed to eternal and meaningless torment.
Orcus
Orcus, or Orc, is the very first god of death from classical ancient Roman mythology. The Etruscan tribe considered Orcus one of the demons of a low hierarchy, but then its influence increased. The idol was portrayed as a huge winged creature with sharp horns, fangs and a tail. It was Orcus that served as the prototype of modern demons and the devil.
Before the Romans came under Greek influence, their god of death was considered the ruler of the underworld and was somewhat reminiscent of another deity - Dis Patera. Then the traits and functions of Orcus completely passed to Pluto.
By the way, Orcus became a prototype of not only modern demons and the devil, but also creatures such as orcs.
Pluto
Pluto is the main god of death among the Romans. He became a peculiar version of the Greek Hades. According to legend, Pluto was the brother of such gods as Neptune and Jupiter. He reigned in the underworld, and went to earth only for human souls. Therefore, they were very afraid of him. Incidentally, Pluto was considered a hospitable god: he let in anyone he wanted into his underworld. But it was already impossible to go back.
According to legend, Pluto traveled in a chariot drawn by four tar-black stallions. During his trips to the earth, the god of death sought not only souls, but also cracks in the earth's crust so that the sun's rays never penetrated his underworld. Once, traveling the earth, Pluto met the goddess of plants Proserpine. He forcibly made her his wife and put her on the throne in Hadith. And now they together rule the underworld of the dead.
The Romans portrayed Pluto as a formidable, bearded man with tightly pressed lips and a golden crown on his head. God held a trident in one hand, and a huge key in the other. This key was a symbol that no one could get out of the kingdom of the dead.
In honor of Pluto, the ancient Romans did not build temples. However, sacrifices were always performed to appease God. Once a hundred years, the Centennial Games were held. And on this day it was allowed to sacrifice to Pluto only black animals.
Osiris
Osiris is the first Egyptian god of death. According to legend, it was a deity of not only the afterlife, but also the forces of nature. It was to him that the Egyptians owed for the skills of winemaking, ore mining, agriculture, construction and healing.
Osiris' father was the god of the earth, Geb, and his mother, the goddess of heaven, Nut. According to one legend, he was even a pharaoh of Egypt. People revered him, because before he took someone into the world of the dead, he judged for all the sins committed by man in life, and was famous for his justice. Osiris had an evil brother Set, the god of the desert. He tricked Osiris into lying in an enchanted sarcophagus, locked him there and threw him into the waters of the Nile. But the loyal wife Isis found him and conceived from him the son of Horus, who then avenged his father. Osiris was collected in parts, and the sun god Ra raised him up. However, the deity did not want to return to earth. Osiris gave the reign to his son Horus, and he went to the afterlife, where he administered justice.
The ancient Egyptians depicted Osiris as a man with green skin, a figure twined around a vine. He personified nature, which is dying and reborn. However, it was believed that during dying, God did not lose his fertilization power. In ancient Egypt, Osiris was identified with the Greek god of winemaking Dionysus.
Anubis
Anubis is another god of death among the ancient Egyptians. He was the son of Osiris and his assistant. Anubis escorted the souls of the dead to the underworld, and also helped his father to judge sinners.
Before the cult of Osiris appeared in Ancient Egypt, it was Anubis who was considered the main god of death. He was portrayed as a man with the head of a jackal. This animal was not chosen by chance. The Egyptians believed that the jackals were the harbingers of death. These cunning animals fed on carrion, and their howl resembled the cries of the desperate.
Anubis was holding the scales of Truth. It was they who decided the fate of the souls of the dead. The feather of the goddess Maat, which was a symbol of justice, was placed on one bowl of scales, and the heart of the deceased on the other. If the heart was as light as a feather, then a person was considered a pure spirit and fell into paradise fields. If the heart was heavier, then the deceased was considered a sinner, and terrible punishment awaited him: the monster Amat (a creature with the head of a crocodile and the body of a lion) was eating the heart. This meant that the existence of man came to an end.
Anubis was also considered the patron saint of necropolises and the creator of funeral rituals. He was called the god of embalming and mummification.
Ancient gods of death
Each nation had its own gods and goddesses of death. So, among the Scandinavians in the afterlife worlds Hel rules. She was the daughter of the god of cunning Loki. She received the kingdom of the dead from Odin. Hel was portrayed as a tall woman, whose body was half covered with blue cadaverous spots.
In Shinto, the role
of the death goddess was played by Izanami. She, along with her husband Izanagi, was considered the creator of all life on earth. But after her son Kagutsuti set the goddess on fire, Izanami went into the world of darkness. There she settled down surrounded by demons, and even Izanagi could not bring her back.
Satan
Among Christians and Muslims, the role of the god of death is played by Satan. He is the main opponent of God (Allah). Satan has many names: Devil, Shaitan, Mephistopheles, Lucifer and others. According to the Bible, he was once an angel, pure and bright. But then he became proud and considered himself equal to God himself. For which he was expelled, along with his associates, who became demons, underground. There, he rules the kingdom of the dead - hell, where all sinners fall after death.