The image of death has worried people at all times. For this, they invented gods, demons and spirits.
Mictlantecutli - Aztec mythology
Literally - "Lord Miktlan", in fact, from the name of the underground afterlife in the mythology of the Aztecs - Miktlan. Like many other images of death, he was usually depicted as a bloody skeleton, or as a person with a toothed skull instead of a head. The constant companions of Miktlantecutli are a bat, a spider and an owl. And, of course, his wife is the goddess Miktlansihuatl, with whom they live in the lowest, ninth underworld of Miktlan in a house without windows.
In general, the Aztecs had several gods of death at once, but Mictlantecutli was the most revered among them. It was believed that people who died an ordinary death, that is, not in war, not during sacrifices, and not from childbirth, fall into his kingdom. Well, the rituals of worshiping Miktlantecutli himself very often included cannibalism.
Mara - Buddhism
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In Buddhism, there is no god of death as such, but there is a character who personifies death and destruction itself. This is a demon tempter named Mara, who leads the kingdom of the gods and seduces the Buddha with visions of beautiful women. Buddhists believe that Mara distracts people from spiritual practices by presenting earthly life as something very attractive and positive. Nevertheless, it is believed that Mara has power only as much as the person himself allows him to.
Hine-nui-te-po - Maori mythology
Translated from the Maori language, this name means "Great Woman of the Night." Hine-nui-te-po - the goddess of night and death. She fled to the underworld after learning that the god Tane, who married her, was her father. According to legend, it happened like this: all the children of the father-god Ranga and the goddess-mother of the Pope were male. Tane, the god of forests and birds, was the first of the brothers to feel the need to find a wife. His mother showed him how to create a woman from the red earth. Tane breathed life into the earth and then married this woman. When Hine found out that her husband was also her father, she fled to the spirit world out of shame and disgust.
Hel - Germanic-Scandinavian mythology
Hel is the daughter of the insidious Loki and the giantess Angrboda, and she is also the ruler of Helheim - the world of the dead. Odin himself "appointed" her there, so to speak. When Hel, along with the other children of Loki, was brought to the supreme god, he gave her into the possession of the land of the dead. According to legend, all the dead fall into this country, except for the heroes who died in battle, those Valkyries are taken to Valhalla. It is known about herself that she is of enormous growth, larger than most of the giants. One half of her body is black and blue, the other is deathly pale, in addition, above the waist she looks like an ordinary living woman, but her thighs and legs were covered with spots and decay like a corpse.
Baron Saturday - voodoo religion
Baron Saturday is one of the most elegant death imagery imaginable. He is usually depicted as a skeleton or a very thin person in the attire of a funeral master, a black tailcoat and a black top hat. Baron Saturday, according to voodoo beliefs, is always dedicated to the first grave in every new cemetery. Baron Saturday is not a god, but a spirit, demon or, as the voodoo religion says, loa. Therefore, he can take possession of a person. It is believed that the person possessed by Baron Shabbat displays intemperance in drinking and eating, smoking and sex.
Nergal - Sumerian-Akkadian mythology
The inhabitants of ancient Mesopotamia and Babylon had several deities at once, responsible for the afterlife. But the closest to the image of death itself is Nergal. This is a chthonic deity who personified various negative phenomena. Nergal was credited with unleashing unjust wars, and he himself was portrayed as sending dangerous diseases, including fever and plague.
Supai - Inca mythology
Supai in Inca mythology is the god of death, the ruler of the underworld Uku Pacha and the leader of demons. In parts of South America, the name Supai literally means the devil.
Thanatos - Greek mythology
While the famous Hades was the ruler of the underworld, Thanatos was literally the personification of death itself. According to legends, he was the son of Nyukta and Erebus and the twin brother of the god of sleep Hypnos. Thanatos has an iron heart and is hated by the gods. He is the only god who does not like gifts. The cult of Thanatos existed in Sparta.
Grokh - Armenian mythology
Literally - "writing" or "recording". The main function of this spirit of death was considered to be the accounting of sins and good deeds among people. On the forehead of every person, Grokh writes down his fate at birth and throughout the life of this person, notes in his book all his sins and good deeds, in order to then communicate them at God's Judgment.
Orcus - Roman mythology
Initially, he was one of the demons or minor deities, but later began to be considered the full-fledged ruler of the afterlife. He was often depicted as a demon, covered with wool and sometimes winged. On his wings, he carried away human souls to his afterlife.
