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List of death deities

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File:Yama on buffalo.jpg
Yama, the Hindu god of death and Lord of Naraka (hell). He was subsequently adopted by Buddhist, Chinese, Tibetan, Korean, and Japanese mythology as the king of hell.
File:God A Ah Puch (Kimi).jpg
Maya death god "A" way as a hunter, Classic period

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. In religions where a single god is the primary object of worship, the representation of death is usually that god's antagonist, and the struggle between the two is central to the folklore of the culture. In such dualistic models, the primary deity usually represents good, and the death god embodies evil. Similarly, death worship is used as a derogatory term to accuse certain groups of morally abhorrent practices which set no value on human life. In monotheistic religions, death is commonly personified by an angel or demon standing in opposition to the god.

OccurrenceEdit

In polytheistic religions which have a complex system of deities governing various natural phenomena and aspects of human life, it is common to have a deity who is assigned the function of presiding over death. This deity may actually take the life of humans or, more commonly, simply rule over the afterlife in that particular belief system (a single religion may have separate deities performing both tasks). The deity in question may be good, evil, or neutral and simply doing their job, in sharp contrast to a lot of modern portrayals of death deities as all being inherently evil just because death is feared. Hades from Greek mythology is an especially common target. The inclusion of such a "departmental" deity of death in a religion's pantheon is not necessarily the same thing as the glorification of death.

A death deity has a good chance of being either male or female, unlike some functions that seem to steer towards one gender in particular, such as fertility and earth deities being female and storm deities being male. A single religion/mythology may have death gods of more than one gender existing at the same time and they may be envisioned as a married couple ruling over the afterlife together, as with the Aztecs, Greeks, and Romans.

In monotheistic religions, the one god governs both life and death (as well as everything else). However, in practice this manifests in different rituals and traditions and varies according to a number of factors including geography, politics, traditions, and the influence of other religions.

Africa and the Middle EastEdit

File:El pesado del corazón en el Papiro de Hunefer.jpg
Section of the Book of the Dead for the scribe Hunefer, depicting the Weighing of the Heart in Duat, featuring the deities Anubis, Ammit and Thoth

Sub-Sahara AfricaEdit

IgboEdit

YorubaEdit

AkanEdit

  • Owuo, Akan God of Death and Destruction, and the Personification of death. Name means death in the Akan language.
  • Asase Yaa, one half of an Akan Goddess of the barren places on Earth, Truth and is Mother of the Dead
  • Amokye, Psychopomp in Akan religion who fishes the souls of the dead from the river leading to Asamando, the Akan underworld
  • Nkrabea, The deity of destiny and fate, believed to influence human fortunes and life paths, as well as their deaths.

Afroasiatic AfricaEdit

SomaliEdit

  • Huur, a messenger of Death who had the form of a large bird similar to Horus of ancient Egypt.

Afroasiatic Middle EastEdit

CanaaniteEdit

EgyptianEdit

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  • Aqen, a rarely mentioned deity in the Book of the Dead
  • Assessors of Maat, charged with judging the souls of the dead in the afterlife
  • Duamutef, one of the four sons of Horus
  • Hapi, one of the four sons of Horus
  • Imset, one of the four sons of Horus
  • Kherty Egyptian earth god
  • Medjed, an unusual looking god mentioned in the Book of the Dead
  • Nephthys (NebetHuet), Anubis' mother; sister of Osiris and Isis (Aset); also a guardian of the dead. She was believed to also escort dead souls to Osiris
  • Nehebkau, the primordial snake and funerary god associated with the afterlife, and one of the forty-two assessors of Maat
  • Osiris, lord of the Underworld<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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  • Qebehsenuef, one of the four sons of Horus
  • Seker, a falcon god of the Memphite necropolis who was known as a patron of the living, as well as a god of the dead. He is known to be closely tied to Osiris
  • Serapis, Graeco-Egyptian syncretistic deity, combining elements of Osiris, the Apis Bull, Hades, Demeter, and Dionysus. Also, patron of the Ptolemaic Kingdom and Alexandria
  • Wepwawet, a wolf god of war, and brother of Anubis, being seen as one who opened the ways to, and through, Duat, for the spirits of the dead

MesopotamianEdit

Western EurasiaEdit

EuropeanEdit

AlbanianEdit

  • Djall, symbolizes the devil. (Djaj(plural))
  • Mortja, personification of death. An equivalent of Grim Reaper.(Female)(Mortjet, plural)
  • Vdekja, personification of death. (Female)

Balto-FinnicEdit

Balto-SlavicEdit

BasqueEdit

CelticEdit

GermanicEdit

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File:Ran by Johannes Gehrts.jpg
Rán uses her net to pull a seafarer into the depths in an illustration by Johannes Gehrts, 1901
  • Freyja, presides over Fólkvangr; chooses half of those who die in battle
  • Gefjon, a goddess who oversees those who die as virgins
  • Hel,<ref name="gundarsson1993" /><ref name="grimnismal-wiki" /> goddess of the dead and ruler of the land of the same name, Hel,
  • Odin<ref name="gundarsson1993">Kveldulf Gundarsson. (1993, 2005) Our Troth. Template:ISBN</ref><ref name="grimnismal-wiki">The dwelling one went to after death varied depending on where one died, at the battlefield or not. If not at the battlefield, one would go to Hel (not to be confused with the Christian Hell). Of the slain at the battlefield, some went to Fólkvangr, the dwelling of Freyja and some went to Valhalla, the dwelling of Odin (see Grímnismál). The ninth hall is Folkvang, where bright Freyja. Decides where the warriors shall sit. Some of the fallen belong to her. And some belong to Odin.</ref> presides over Valhalla and gets half of those who die in battle; there they train for Ragnarök
  • Rán, the sea goddess who collects the drowned in her net

EtruscanEdit

  • Aita, god of the underworld
  • Culga, a female underworld spirit
  • Februus, god of purification, death, the underworld, and riches
  • Mani, spirits of the dead
  • Mania, goddess of the dead
  • Mantus, god of the underworld
  • Orcus, god of the underworld
  • Tuchulcha, an underworld spirit
  • Vanth, winged spirit of the underworld

GreekEdit

File:Hades-et-Cerberus-III.jpg
Hades or Serapis with his dog Cerberus
  • Achlys, goddess who symbolizes the mist of death. Goddess of poisons, personification of misery and sadness.
  • Apollo, god of diseases
  • Atropos, one of the moirai, who cut the thread of life.
  • Charon, a daimon who acted as ferryman of the dead.
  • Erebus, the primordial god of darkness, his mists encircled the underworld and filled the hollows of the earth
  • Erinyes, chthonic deities of vengeance
  • Hades, king of the underworld and god of the dead<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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  • Hecate, goddess of witchcraft, she helped Demeter in the search for Persephone and was allowed to live in the Underworld as her magic works best at night
  • Hermes, the messenger god who acted as psychopompos
  • Hypnos, personification of sleep, twin of Thanatos, his Roman counterpart is Somnus
  • Keres, goddesses of violent death, sisters of Thanatos
  • Lampades, torch-bearing underworld nymphs
  • Limos was the goddess of starvation in ancient Greek religion. She was opposed by Demeter, goddess of grain and the harvest with whom Ovid wrote Limos could never meet, and Plutus, the god of wealth and the bounty of rich harvests.[1]
  • Persephone, queen of the underworld; wife of Hades and goddess of spring growth<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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  • Gods of the seven rivers of the underworld:
  1. Acheron, god of the river Acheron
  2. Alpheus, god of the river Alpheus
  3. Cocytus, god of the river Cocytus
  4. Eridanos, god of the river Eridanos
  5. Lethe, goddess of the river Lethe
  6. Phlegethon, god of the river Phlegethon
  7. Styx, goddess of the river Styx, a river that formed a boundary between the living and the dead

RomanEdit

  • Dea Tacita, goddess of the dead
  • Di inferi, ancient Roman deities associated with death and the Underworld
  • Dis Pater, god of the underworld
  • Laverna, goddess of thieves, cheats, and the underworld
  • Lemures, the malevolent dead
  • Libitina, goddess of funerals and burials
  • Manes, spirits of the dead
  • Mania, goddess of death
  • Mors, personification of death, Greek equivalent is Thanatos
  • Nenia Dea, goddess of funerals
  • Orcus, punisher of broken oaths; usually folded in with Pluto
  • Pluto, ruler of the Underworld
  • Proserpina, queen of the underworld
  • Soranus, underworld Sabine god adopted by the Romans
  • Viduus, god who separated the soul and body after death

Western AsiaEdit

ElamiteEdit

Hindu-VedicEdit

  • Chitragupta, god of justice after death
  • Mara
  • Yama, god of death and ruler of the afterlife
  • Dhumavati, goddess of death, misfortune and temporality
  • Shiva, god of destruction, time, and the arts

Persian-ZoroastrianEdit

Ossetian

  • Aminon, gatekeeper of the underworld.
  • Barastyr, ruler of the underworld.
  • Ishtar-Deela, lord of the underworld in Nakh.<ref name="chechhand">Template:Cite book</ref>

UralicEdit

  • Azyren (Mari people)
  • Kalma, Finnish goddess of death and decay, her name meaning "the stench of corpses"<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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Eastern AsiaEdit

KoreanEdit

ChineseEdit

File:Enma.jpg
Yanluo Wang

Emperor(s) of Youdu (Capital City of the Underworld)

Judges of the Ten Underworld Courts

The rest only have surnames including Li, Yu, Lu, Bi, Lu and Xue.

Four Kings of the Underworld

  • Bao Zheng
  • Han Qinhu
  • Fan Zhongyan
  • Kou Zhun

Ghost Kings of the Five Regions

  • Cai Yulei
  • Zhao He
  • Zhang Heng
  • Duzi Ren
  • Zhou Qi

Ghost Kings of the Five Regions (Ver.2)

  • Shen Cha
  • Yang Yun
  • Yan Di (Shenlong)
  • Ji Kang
  • Immortal Wang

Governors of Fengdu

  • Deng Ai
  • Ji Ming

Imperial Censor of Fengdu

  • Han Yi
  • Zeng Yuanshan
  • Jiao Zhongqing
  • Ma Zhong
  • Song Youqing
  • Guan Yu (note: different from the famous general of three kingdoms)
  • Wu Lun
  • Tu Cha

Four Generals of the Direct Altar of Fengdu

  • Ma Sheng
  • Ma Chuanzhong
  • Chen Yuanbo
  • Guo Zhongyou

Eight Generals of the Inner Altar of Fengdu

  • Wei Tin, Ghost Capturing General
  • Liu Chu, Ghost Restraining General
  • Wang Jian, Ghost Flailing General
  • Meng E, Ghost Interrogating General
  • Che Zi, Guardian of the East Gate
  • Xia Dali, Guardian of the West Gate
  • Lie Weizhi, Guardian of the South Gate
  • Sang Tongguai, Guardian of the North Gate

Eight Generals of the Outer Altar of Fengdu

  • Zhang Yuanlian
  • Chen Yuanqing
  • Li Yuande
  • Fan YuanZhang
  • Du YuanZhen
  • Liu Yuanfu
  • Chang Yuan
  • Jia Taoyuan

Ten Masters of the Underworld

  • A Bang, Bull Head
  • Luo Cha, Horse Face
  • Xie Bi'an, Wondering God of the Day
  • Fan Wujiu, Wondering God of the Night
  • Hei Wuchang (Black Impermanence)
  • Bai Wuchang (White Impermanence)
  • Huangfeng (responsible for insects)
  • Paowei (responsible for animals)
  • Yusai (responsible for fishes)
  • Guaiwang (responsible for Hungry Ghosts)

(Note: in some versions, Xie Bi'an and Fanjiu are the Bai Wuchang and Hei Wuchang, respectively.)

Four Strongmen of Fengdu

  • Zhang Yuanzhen, Taiyi Strongman
  • Hu Wenzhong, Tri-day Strongman
  • Sun Zhongwu, Demon-smiting Strongman
  • Tang Bocheng, Ghost-smiting Strongman

Two Agents of Fengdu

  • Xun Gongda, Great God of the Black Sky
  • Liu Guangzhong, Great God of the Black Fog

Wardens of the Nine Prison of Fengdu

  • Wang Yuanzhen
  • Zhen Yan
  • Yao Quan
  • Shi Tong
  • Zhou Sheng
  • Diao Xiao
  • Kong Sheng
  • Wu Yan
  • Wang Tong

Administers of the Six Paths of Rebirth of Fengdu

  • Cao Qing, Administer of the Path of Heaven
  • Tien Yan, Administer of the Path of Ghosts
  • Cui Cong, Administer of the Path of Earth
  • Ji Bie, Administer of the Path of Gods
  • Chen De, Administer of the Path of Hungry Ghosts
  • Gao Ren, Administer of the Path of Beasts

Judges of Fengdu

  • Cui (Chief Judge)
  • Wang Fu
  • Ban Jian
  • Zi He
  • Jia Yuan
  • Zhao Sheng
  • Zhang Qi
  • Yang Tong
  • Fu Po
  • Zhu Shun
  • Li Gong
  • Xue Zhong
  • Rong Zhen
  • Lu Zhongce
  • Chen Xun
  • Huang Shou
  • Zhou Bi
  • Bian Shen
  • Cheng De
  • Liu Bao
  • Dong Jie
  • Guo Yuan

JapaneseEdit

  • Izanami, when she died she became queen of the underworld, Yomi, and goddess of the dead.
  • Enma, god and ruler of the dead in Japanese Buddhism
  • Shinigami, god of death
  • Susanoo
  • Ōkuninushi, an alternate ruler of the underworld

North and Central Asian mythologyEdit

Oceanian mythologyEdit

Southeast Asian mythologyEdit

  • Batara Kala (Balinese mythology), god of the underworld in traditional Javanese and Balinese mythology, ruling over it in a cave along with Setesuyara. Batara Kala is also named the creator of light and the earth. He is also the god of time and destruction, who devours unlucky people. He is related to Hindu concept of Kala, or time. In mythology, he causes eclipses by trying to eat the Sun or the Moon.
  • Shingon (nat) (Burmese)
  • Thongalel (Manipuri mythology)
  • Pong Lalondong (Toraja), god of death

PhilippinesEdit

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  • Tagbayan (Ifugao mythology): divinities associated with death that feast on human souls that are guarded by two headed monsters called kikilan<ref name="Jocano, F. L. 1969">Jocano, F. L. (1969). Philippine Mythology. Quezon City: Capitol Publishing House Inc.</ref>
  • Fulor (Ifugao mythology): a wood carved into an image of a dead person seated on a death chair; an antique which a spirit in it, who bring sickness, death, and unsuccessful crops when sacrifices are not offered<ref>Bimmolog, H., Sallong, L., Montemayor, L. (2005). The Deities of the Animistic Religion of Mayaoyao, Ifugao.</ref>
  • Kabunyan (Kalanguya mythology): the almighty creator; also referred to as Agmattebew, the spirit who could not be seen; the mabaki ritual is held in the deity's honor during planting, harvesting, birth and death of the people, and other activities for livelihood<ref>Cayat, G. C. Manuscript on Kalanguya Cultural Communities. National Commission for Culture and the Arts.</ref>
  • Binangewan (Aeta mythology): spirits who bring change, sickness, and death as punishment<ref>Arbues, L. R. (1960). Philippine Sociological Review Vol. 8, No. 1/2: The Negritos as a Minority Group in the Philippines. Philippine Sociological Society.</ref>
  • Aring Sinukûan (Kapampangan mythology): sun god of war and death, taught the early inhabitants the industry of metallurgy, wood cutting, rice culture and even waging war<ref>Nicdao, A. (1917). Pampangan Folklore. Manila.</ref>
  • Lakandánup (Kapampangan mythology): serpent goddess who comes during total eclipses; followed by famine; eats a person's shadow, which will result in withering and death; daughter of Áring Sínukuan and Dápu<ref>Pangilinan, M. (2014–2020). An Introduction to the Kapampángan Language; Interview on Láwû. Sínúpan Singsing: Center for Kapampángan Cultural Heritage.</ref>
  • Sidapa (Bisaya mythology): the goddess of death; co-ruler of the middleworld called Kamaritaan, together with Makaptan<ref name="Jocano, F. L. 1969"/>
  • Sidapa (Hiligaynon mythology): god who lives in the sacred Mount Madia-as; determines the day of a person's death by marking every newborn's lifespan on a very tall tree on Madya-as<ref name="Loarca 1582">Loarca, Miguel de. (1582) 1903. Relation of the Filipinas Islands. In Blair and Robertson, The Philippine Islands 5.</ref>
  • Hangin (Hiligaynon mythology): the spirits of the death wind; takes the life of the elderly<ref name="Loarca 1582"/>
  • Patag'aes (Suludnon mythology): awaits until midnight then enters the house to have a conversation with the living infant; if he discovers someone is eavesdropping, he will choke the child to death; their conversation creates the fate of the child, on how long the child wants to live and how the child will eventually die, where the child will always get to choose the answers; once done, Patag'aes takes out his measuring stick, computes the child's life span, and then departs, sealing the child's fate<ref>Jocano, F. L. (1968). Sulod Society. Quezon City: U.P. Press.</ref>
  • Pamulak Manobo (Bagobo mythology): supreme deity who controls good harvest, rain, wind, life, and death; in some myths, the chief deity is simply referred as the male deity, Diwata<ref name="Jocano, F. L. 1969"/>
  • Malakal Maut (Maranao mythology): the angel of death; takes the souls of someone after three to seven days from the falling of the person's leaf from the sacred Sadiarathul Montaha tree in the realm called Sorga; appears either a handsome prince or a grotesque monsters, depending if the soul he is getting comes from a sinner or a virtuous person; punishes the souls of sinners until final judgment, while lifting up the souls of the good onto heaven<ref>Talaguit, C. J. N. (2019). Folk-Islam in Maranao Society. History Department, De La Salle University – Manila.</ref>
  • Kumakatok - hooded and cloaked harbingers of death that would knock on doors of the dying in Tagalog mythology
  • Magwayen - the goddess of afterlife and the first ocean deity, according to Visayan mythology. Known for being the goddess who collects souls and takes them to Sulad with her boat. The souls are initially transferred to her via Pandaki, who gets the soul from Sidapa.
  • Sitan - god and caretaker of the underworld realm for evil souls known as Kasamaan in Tagalog mythology. Maca, the realm of the good dead, is jointly ruled by Sitan and Bathala.
  • Manduyapit - bring souls across a red river in Manobo mythology<ref name="aswangproject.com">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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  • Mama Guayen - ferries souls to the end of the world in Ilonggo mythology<ref name="aswangproject.com"/>
  • Badadum - deity in Waray mythology that gathers family members at the mouth of a river to make a farewell to the deceased<ref name="aswangproject.com"/>

VietnamEdit

American mythologyEdit

File:Mictlantecuhtli 1.jpg
Mictlāntēcutli
File:Mictlancihuatl 3.jpg
Mictēcacihuātl as depicted in the Codex Borgia

AztecEdit

|CitationClass=web }}</ref> the chief death goddess; Queen of Mictlan (underworld) or Lady of the Dead

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CahuillaEdit

GuaraniEdit

HaidaEdit

IncaEdit

InuitEdit

Latin American Folk CatholicismEdit

  • Santa Muerte, folk saint and goddess of death in Mexico
  • San La Muerte, folk saint and god of death in Paraguay, Argentina, and Brazil
  • San Pascualito, folk saint and god of death in Guatemala and Mexico

MayaEdit

NarragansettEdit

TaínoEdit

Umbanda and CandombléEdit

  • Exu caveira
  • Exu Tranca-rua das almas

Haitian VodouEdit

Gede lwa

See alsoEdit

ReferencesEdit

Template:Reflist

Template:Death Template:List of mythological figures by region

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