Psychopomps (from the Greek wordψυχοπομπός,psychopompós, literally meaning the 'guide of souls')[1] are creatures,spirits,angels,demons, ordeities in many religions whose responsibility is to escort newly deceased souls from Earth to the afterlife.[2]
Their role is not to judge the deceased, but simply to guide them. Appearing frequently onfunerary art, psychopomps have been depicted at different times and in different cultures asanthropomorphic entities, horses, deer, dogs,whip-poor-wills, ravens, crows, vultures, owls, sparrows, and cuckoos. In the case of birds, these are often seen in huge masses, waiting outside the home of the dying.
Classical examples of a psychopomp are theancient Egyptian godAnubis,[3] the deityPushan inHinduism,[4] theGreek ferrymanCharon,[1] the goddessHecate,[5] and godHermes,[6] theRoman godMercury,[7] theNorseValkyries,[8] theAztecXolotl,[9] theSlavic goddessMorana,[10] and theEtruscanVanth.[11]
Heibai Wuchang, literally "Black and WhiteImpermanence", are two deities inChinese folk religion in charge of escorting the spirits of the dead to the underworld.
Theshinigami ofJapanese mythology have been described as psychopomps.[12]
The form ofShiva asTarakeshwara inHinduism performs a similar role, although leading the soul tomoksha rather than to an after-life. Additionally, in theBhagavata Purana, the Visnudutas andYamadutas are also messengers for their respective masters,Vishnu andYama. Their role is illustrated vividly in the story ofAjamila. In many beliefs, a spirit being taken to the underworld is violently ripped from its body.[13]
In thePersian tradition,Daena, theZoroastrian self-guide, appears as a beautiful young maiden to those who deserve to cross theChinvat Bridge, or as a hideous old hag to those who do not.[14]
Thepolytheistic concept of a specific deity of death is rejected byAbrahamicmonotheism, which regardsGod as the only master of death and life.[15] However, the archangelSamael can be regarded as theJewish psychopomp, whose role in Talmudic and post-Talmudic theology is as the Angel of death.In Christianity,Saint Peter,Michael the Archangel andJesus are thought of as psychopomps either as leading the dead to heaven or (as in the case of Peter) allowing them through the gates.[16] InIslam,Azrael plays the role of the angel of death who carries the soul up to the heavens, acting by the permission of God.[17] According toRudyard Kipling, Azrael "separates the Spirit from the Flesh".[18]
In many cultures, theshaman 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.[19]: 36 This also accounts for the contemporary title of "midwife to the dying" or "End of Life Doula"" which is another form of psychopomp work.
InFilipino culture, one of the roles of the goddessMagwayen 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.[20]
InAkan 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.[21]
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".[22][23]
InJungian psychology, the psychopomp is a mediator between theunconscious and conscious realms. It is symbolically personified in dreams as a wise man or woman, or sometimes as a helpful beast.[24]
