Editing Symbols of death

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'''Symbols of death''' are the motifs, images and concepts associated with [[death]] throughout different cultures, religions and societies.

== Images ==
[[File:Vf-101 grim reapers tomcat tail.jpg|thumb|Image of the Grim Reaper on the tailfin of a [[U.S. Navy]] [[Grumman F-14 Tomcat|F-14D Tomcat]] of Flight Squadron, [[VF-101]], nicknamed the "Grim Reapers."]]
[[File:Flag of Edward England.svg|thumb|Traditional [[Jolly Roger]], the flag of [[Samuel Bellamy]] and other [[pirate]]s of the 18th century, displaying a skull and crossbones.]]
Various images are used traditionally to symbolize death; these rank from blunt depictions of [[cadaver]]s and their parts to more [[allusion|allusive]] suggestions that time is fleeting and all men are mortals.

The [[human skull]] is an obvious and frequent symbol of death, found in many cultures and religious traditions.<ref>{{cite book|author1=Glennys Howarth|author2=Oliver Leaman|title=Encyclopedia of Death and Dying|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5GK2AgAAQBAJ&pg=PA416|year=2003|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1-136-91360-0|page=416}}</ref> [[Human skeleton]]s and sometimes non-human animal [[skeleton]]s and skulls can also be used as blunt images of death; the traditional figure of [[Personifications of death|the Grim Reaper]] – a black-hooded skeleton with a [[scythe]] – is one use of such symbolism.<ref name=Reaper>{{Cite web|title=Where Does the Concept of a "Grim Reaper" Come From?|url=https://www.britannica.com/story/where-does-the-concept-of-a-grim-reaper-come-from|access-date=2020-10-13|website=Encyclopedia Britannica|language=en}}</ref> Within the Grim Reaper itself, the skeleton represents the decayed body whereas the robe symbolizes those worn by religious people conducting funeral services.<ref name=Reaper /> The [[skull and crossbones]] motif (☠) has been used among Europeans as a symbol of both [[piracy]] and [[poison]].<ref name=Foreboding>{{Cite web|date=2018-10-22|title=The Darkest, Most Foreboding Symbols Of Death|url=https://thoughtcatalog.com/daniella-urdinlaiz/2018/10/symbols-of-death/|access-date=2020-10-13|website=Thought Catalog|language=en-US}}</ref> The skull is also important as it remains the only "recognizable" aspect of a person once they have died.<ref name=Foreboding />

[[Decomposition|Decayed]] cadavers can also be used to depict death; in medieval Europe, they were often featured in artistic depictions of the ''[[danse macabre]]'', or in [[cadaver tomb]]s which depicted the living and decomposed body of the person entombed. [[Coffin]]s also serve as blunt reminders of mortality.<ref name=Tradition>{{Cite journal|last=Collier|first=C. D. Abby|date=2003|title=Tradition, Modernity, and Postmodernity in Symbolism of Death|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/4120730|journal=The Sociological Quarterly|volume=44|issue=4|pages=727–749|doi=10.1111/j.1533-8525.2003.tb00533.x|jstor=4120730|s2cid=144108876|issn=0038-0253|url-access=subscription}}</ref> Europeans were also seen to use coffins and cemeteries to symbolize the wealth and status of the person who has died, serving as a reminder to the living and the deceased as well.<ref name=Tradition />
Less blunt symbols of death frequently allude to the passage of [[time]] and the fragility of [[life]], and can be described as ''[[memento mori]]'';<ref name='oed'>literally 'remember to die', [[Oxford English Dictionary]], Third Edition, June 2001</ref> that is, an artistic or symbolic reminder of the inevitability of death. [[Clock]]s, [[hourglass]]es, [[sundial]]s, and other timepieces both call to mind that time is passing.<ref name=Foreboding /> Similarly, a [[candle]] both marks the passage of time, and bears witness that it will eventually burn itself out as well as a symbol of hope of salvation.<ref name=Foreboding /> These sorts of symbols were often incorporated into ''[[vanitas]]'' paintings, a variety of early [[still life]].

== Animals ==
Throughout history and across many cultures, some animals have come to symbolize death and dying.  This symbolism is often demonstrated in the legends and folklore of the culture.   The specific animals and the details of their symbolism vary widely from culture to culture.  <ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Why Do These 6 Animals Represent Death in Cultures Around the World? |url=https://www.discovermagazine.com/planet-earth/why-do-these-6-animals-represent-death-in-cultures-around-the-world |access-date=2025-05-10 |website=Discover Magazine |language=en}}</ref>  However, some animals tend to appear more frequently than others; such as dogs, bats, owls and crows.

Several societies, associate a type of dog with death.  Dogs often serve as companions or guides to humans.    Unsurprisingly, these animals that are so much a part of human life would have a role in death as well.  In Mexico, the Xoloitzcuintli, a hairless dog, is thought to guide the spirits of the deceased and are associated with Dia de Los Muertas. <ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Lynn |first=Willow |date=2023-11-05 |title=6 Animals Who Represent Death Around the World and Why |url=https://www.onegreenplanet.org/animals/6-animals-represent-death-around-world-why/ |access-date=2025-05-10 |website=One Green Planet |language=en}}</ref>   In Greece, Cerberus is a three-headed dog which guards the entrance to the underworld.     In Welsh mythology, there is also a dog that guards the underworld.  <ref name=":2">{{Cite web |last=sophie.ellis@ourmedia.co.uk |date=2025-02-08 |title=A ‘demon cat’ that haunts the White House and a tsunami-predicting fish – 11 animals associated with death |url=https://www.discoverwildlife.com/animal-facts/animals-associated-with-death |access-date=2025-05-10 |website=Discover Wildlife |language=en}}</ref>  In England, the black dog, black shuck, is associate with death or misfortune.  

Bats, as a nocturnal animal, are often associated with darkness and death.  In Christianity, bats are considered to be the bird of the devil and connections between the physiology of bats and demons are made.  <ref name=":0" />  In New Zealand, bats are associated with the Hokioi, a mythical nocturnal bird that foretells death.  <ref name=":3">{{Cite web |last=Geggel |first=Elise Poore Contributions from Laura |last2=published |first2=Tia Ghose |date=2023-10-31 |title=7 creatures associated with death |url=https://www.livescience.com/animals/creatures-associated-with-death |access-date=2025-05-10 |website=Live Science |language=en}}</ref>    The discover of the vampire bats in North America and the exaggeration of their qualities made lasting associations between bats and death that eventually lead to Dracula and vampire stories.  <ref name=":2" />  Bats are often connected to both Halloween and witches.

Owls, another nocturnal animal, are also tied to death.   Some Mediterranean folklore tells of women who turn into to owls at night to suck the breath away from babies.  <ref name=":0" />  The hoot of an owl, according to Roman Mythology, is said to be an omen of imminent death or demise.  It is said that the sound of an owl was heard shortly before the death of several Roman Emperors.  <ref name=":3" />  Sri Lankan folklore tells of an owl-like creature whose human sounding shrieks are heard across the jungle at night.   Like in Roman mythology, they are said to foretell of death.  <ref name=":2" />

Another common animal found to symbolize death across many cultures are crows.    Crows are scavenging birds. This might explain why so many cultures have associated them with death as they were often seen near dead bodies.  <ref name=":1" />  Irish folklore tells of Badb, one of a trio of war goddesses, took the form of a crow.  Badb is said to foreshadow bloodshed.   <ref name=":3" />       Traditional Swedish folklore says that crows are the ghost of those who did not receive a proper burial.  <ref name=":1" />     Some literature uses crows circling in the air above a specific place to foretell the death in that area.  <ref name=":0" />      All over the world crows are commonly associated with death.  In fact, a group of crows is called a murder. 

== Religious symbols ==
[[File:VeveBrigitte.svg|thumb|[[Veve]] of [[Maman Brigitte]], the [[lwa|loa]] of death in [[Haitian Vodou]].]]

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

[[Tomb]]s, [[grave stone|tombstone]]s, and other items of [[funeral]] architecture are obvious candidates for symbols of death.<ref name=Foreboding /> In ancient [[Egypt]], the [[god]]s [[Osiris]] and [[Ptah]] were typically depicted as [[mummy|mummies]]; these gods governed the Egyptian [[afterlife]]. In [[Christianity]], the [[Christian cross]] is frequently used on [[Grave (burial)|graves]], and is meant to call to mind the [[crucifixion]] of [[Jesus]].<ref name=Foreboding /> Some Christians also erect temporary crosses along public [[highway]]s as memorials for those who died in accidents. In [[Buddhism]], the symbol of a [[wheel]] represents the perpetual cycle of death and rebirth that happens in samsara.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Buddhism – Definition, Founder & Origins |url=https://www.history.com/topics/religion/buddhism|access-date=2020-10-13|website=www.history.com}}</ref> The symbol of a grave or tomb, especially one in a picturesque or unusual location, can be used to represent death, as in [[Nicolas Poussin]]'s famous painting ''[[Et in Arcadia ego (Poussin)|Et in Arcadia ego]]''.

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 [[wing]]ed [[angel]]s or angel-like creatures, dwelling among the clouds; this imagery of the afterlife is frequently used in [[comedy|comic]] depictions of life after death.<ref name=Foreboding /> In the Islamic view of the Afterlife, death is [[Qiyamah#Personification in Qiyâmah|symbolised]] by a black and white [[sheep|ram]] which in turn will be slain to symbolise the ''Death of Death''.

The [[Banshee]] also symbolizes the coming of death in Irish Mythology.<ref name=Foreboding /> This is typically represented by an older woman who is seen sobbing to symbolize the suffering of a person before their death.<ref name=Foreboding />

== Colours ==

[[Black]] is the [[color]] of [[mourning]] in many [[Europe]]an cultures. Black clothing is typically worn at funerals to show mourning for the death of the person. In [[East Asia]], [[white]] is similarly [[Mourning#East Asia|associated with mourning]]; it represents the purity and perfection of the deceased person's spirit.<ref>{{Cite book|title = Colors for Your Every Mood: Discover Your True Decorating Colors|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=RKcQbF5cBiQC|publisher = Capital Books|date = 2000|isbn = 9781892123381|first = Leatrice|last = Eiseman|page = 136}}</ref> Hindus similarly also wear white during mourning and [[Antyesti|funerals]]. During the [[Victorian era]], [[purple]] and [[grey]] were considered to be mourning colors in addition to [[black]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Colors of mourning in different cultures of the world|url=https://www.funeralguide.com/blog/mourning-colors|access-date=2020-10-13|website=Funeral Guide|language=en}}</ref> Furthermore, in Revelation 6 in [[The Bible]], Death is one of the four horsemen; and he rides a pale horse.<ref>[https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Revelation%206:%208;&version=NIV Revelation 6:8 (New International Version)] at Bible Gateway.com</ref>

== See also ==
* {{Annotated link |Dagger (mark)#Modern usage|Dagger (mark)}}
* {{Annotated link |Death's head (disambiguation)}}
* {{Annotated link |Human skull symbolism}}
* {{Annotated link |Skull and crossbones (disambiguation)}}
* {{Annotated link |Solar symbol}}
* {{Annotated link |Symbol}}
* {{Annotated link |Theta nigrum}}
* {{Annotated link |Totenkopf}}
* {{KIA}} – {{Annotated link |Killed in Action}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://www.danemunro.com/Layers.html An analysis of symbols of Death on the tombstones of the Knights of the Order of St John at the St John's Co-Cathedral at Valletta, Malta], as appearing in Dane Munro, 'Memento Mori, a companion to the most beautiful floor in the world' (Malta, 2005), 2 vols. {{ISBN|99932-90-11-4}}.

{{Death}}

[[Category:Cultural aspects of death]]
[[Category:Symbols]]