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Hermes guiding the souls of the dead.

Psychopomps (literally meaning the 'guide of souls') are creatures, spirits, angels, or deities in many religions whose responsibility is to escort newly deceased souls from Earth to the afterlife. Their role is not to judge the deceased, but simply to guide them.

Description[]

Appearing frequently on funerary art, psychopomps have been depicted at different times and in different cultures as anthropomorphic entities, horses, deer, dogs, whip-poor-wills, ravens, crows, vultures, owls, sparrows, and cuckoos. When seen as birds, they are often seen in huge masses, waiting outside the home of the dying.

A wide variety of angels, animals, birds, and other helpful beings have also been known to act as guides to the afterlife. And it is not uncommon to hear of former ancestors and friends who come to greet the deceased at the time of death. Such guidance generally guarantees a successful transition for the soul, but there are other times when additional aid is needed. This has long been a role of the shaman and others with the ability to travel to the spirit realms and offer help to those in need.

Overview[]

The most prominent psychopomp is Death of the Endless although there have been other well-known psychopomps aside from her. Some of these psychopomps include the Greek god Hermes and his Roman counterpart Mercury, Charon the ferryman of Hades, the Aztec god Xolotl, the Egyptian jackal god Anubis, the archangel Michael or Azrael in Christianity, and the Valkyries of Norse myth.

Throughout much of human history, such archetypal escorts have been of great comfort to the dying. They confirm that there is some form of existence after the death of the body, and that a compassionate being will be waiting to offer their assistance through the transition. Unfortunately, many of the myths and rituals that once contained images of psychopomps and helped prepare people for this final rite of passage seem to be largely lost or forgotten in the Western world—a world that is also plagued with fears of dying.

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