Ancient religion Classical examples of a psychopomp are the
ancient Egyptian god
Anubis, the deity
Pushan in
Hinduism, the
Greek ferryman
Charon, and god
Hermes, the
Roman god
Mercury, the
Norse Valkyries, the
Aztec Xolotl, the
Slavic goddess
Morana, and the
Etruscan Vanth.
Contemporary religions Heibai Wuchang, literally "Black and White
Impermanence", are two deities in
Chinese folk religion in charge of escorting the spirits of the dead to the underworld. The
shinigami of
Japanese mythology have been described as psychopomps. The form of
Shiva as
Tarakeshwara in
Hinduism performs a similar role, although leading the soul to
moksha rather than to an after-life. Additionally, in the
Bhagavata Purana, the Visnudutas and
Yamadutas are also messengers for their respective masters,
Vishnu and
Yama. Their role is illustrated vividly in the story of
Ajamila. In many beliefs, a spirit being taken to the underworld is violently ripped from its body. In the
Persian tradition,
Daena, the
Zoroastrian self-guide, appears as a beautiful young maiden to those who deserve to cross the
Chinvat Bridge, or as a hideous old hag to those who do not. The
polytheistic concept of a specific deity of death is rejected by
Abrahamic monotheism, which regards
God as the only master of death and life. However, the archangel
Samael can be regarded as the
Jewish psychopomp, whose role in Talmudic and post-Talmudic theology is as the Angel of death. In Christianity,
Saint Peter,
Michael the Archangel and
Jesus are thought of as psychopomps either as leading the dead to heaven or (as in the case of Peter) allowing them through the gates. In
Islam,
Azrael plays the role of the angel of death who carries the soul up to the heavens, acting by the permission of God. According to
Rudyard Kipling, Azrael "separates the Spirit from the Flesh". In many cultures, the
shaman also fulfils the role of the psychopomp. This may include not only accompanying the soul of the dead, but also at birth helping to introduce the newborn child's soul into the world. This also accounts for the contemporary title of "midwife to the dying" or
"End of Life Doula"" which is another form of psychopomp work. In
Filipino culture, one of the roles of the goddess
Magwayen is being a psychopomp. Ancestral spirits (
anito) also function as psychopomps. When the dying call out to specific dead persons (e.g. parents, partners), the spirits of the latter are supposedly visible to the former. The spirits, who traditionally wait at the foot of the death-bed, retrieve (
Tagalog:
sundô) the soul soon after death and escort it into the after-life. In
Akan religion,
Amokye is the woman who fishes souls out of the river and welcomes them to Asamando, the Akan realm of the dead. A deceased person is buried with amoasie (loincloths), jewelry and beads which they then pay to Amokye for admitting them to Asamando. Many mythologies and superstitions simply have a personification of death as psychopomp. Such personifications frequently present death as a reaper, even ascribing it the title "
Grim Reaper".
Psychology In
Jungian psychology, the psychopomp is a mediator between the
unconscious and conscious realms. It is symbolically personified in dreams as a wise man or woman, or sometimes as a helpful beast. ==See also==