Aria's Corner of Morbidity:
 A Brief Discussion of Personified Death


..........I don't know about you, but I find death as a character fascinating. Before you shake your head in disgust at me and call me crazy (which I am, but that's not the point) think about the last time (though I could be wrong) we saw personified death as a central character--in the movie "Meet Joe Black". Though I have my own opinions about the movie itself (I adore to nitpick) I have to admit that the portrayal of death as a character (Death capital 'd' ) was interesting to say the least (and no I don't mean Brad Pitt).
.......... Anyway Death is not a new character. In the book "A Hundred Years of Solitude" by Gabriel García Marquez, one of the characters--Amaranta sees Death. The originality in the portrayal of Death was that it wasn't the Grim Reaper we know, it was a woman with long hair dressed in blue.
.......... Another original portrayal of Death is found in the "Incarnations of Immortality" fantasy series written by Pier Anthony, in which Death is one of the main characters. Anthony actually humanizes Death--creating a character based on stereotypes (the black cape with the hood, Mortis--his pale horse), but still unique in his own right.
.......... Also, I recall reading Bruce Coville's "Book of Ghosts" a collection of short stories by him and other authors. In it was a story called "Not From Detroit". I wish I could remember who the author was, but unfortunately I don't. The story was about an old couple whom Death visits to take the wife. The husband valiantly goes after him to get his wife back.
.......... Now what do these stories/novels/movies have in common? A portrayal of Death as compassionate, I think. In "Meet Joe Black", he brings back the soul of the boy whose body he inhabited to bring happiness to the girl he fell in love with. The woman dressed in blue with long hair appears in Gabriel García Marquez's award winning novel to warn Amaranta of her impending death so that she might get ready.
.......... Thanatos (perhaps my favorite name for Death) in "The Incarnations of Immortality" series, particularly in the first book "On a Pale Horse" goes as far as to actually save the life of a young boy instead of take it. In "Not From Detroit" Death was so impressed by the husband's bravery that he brought back the man's wife.
.......... I thought about this for some time. Why would people bother to portray Death as a good character? Then I realized that it was sort of like a challenge. He has been perceived as something negative in society for the longest time. When I searched on the Internet, I saw many refer to it as "evil" and "satanic"--incorrect, since to go by mythology and common sense one realizes that it is ambiguous, neither good or bad. I came to realize, finally, that the portrayal of Death as an entity--and a benevolent and compassionate one at that, perhaps helps us deal with the fear we have of it.

Facts at a Glance

Name: Death, Thanatos (Greek), Orcus (Roman)
Mythology family: Twin Brother to Hypnos (God of Sleep), Servant to Hades
Forms: Many, the Grim Reaper, the black shadow, winged spirit,...





Aw, aren't the brothers cute when they're asleep? ;) Anyway I'm assuming that Thanatos is the shady one


I'm not fond of this picture, it's strikes me as eerie--more than any other pic of Death I've seen. The story behind it is that it was a cartoon which portrayed the many deaths occurring due to the construction of the Panama Canal.


*Much better* This is my fave way to picture the fictional Death. Yet, it's bit overdone, don't you think?

More Death-Related Ramblings

.......... How wierd is it that people really get nervous by death-talk? I tried to discuss what is on this page with a friend of mine the other day and scared him. I just don't get it. My friend told me that it just wasn't nice to address people's mortality. Well, I pity those who are not comfortable with it enough to address it. Sure, it's not an easy thing to think about, but fearing it is like being afraid of the dark. Anyway that's my opinion. =)

Back to main menu 1