A symbolic representation of death consists in giving it a personification. Since death is abstract, we give it a face through physical representations. These representations can vary according to culture and evolve over time.
The bogeyman, Dracula, mutant monsters, zombies and human-devouring werewolves. These are just some of the mythical creatures that mankind has created to express its fears. ☠️ We tell scary stories about these horrible beings in order to channel our own dark side.
We don’t know what death really is, or what it looks like. To give a face and sometimes a voice to this force opposed to life, we’ve created numerous representations to give death an identity throughout history. In a moment, you’ll discover our top 10 allegories of death. But before you do, you’ll need to adopt one of our skull t-shirts, which single-handedly represent the darker side of life. Click on this image to discover them 👇 🔥THE MOST POPULAR PRODUCTS🔥
Allegory #10: The Dullahan
The Dullahan is a headless horseman who rides purposefully through the Irish countryside. His head, which he carries in one hand, has pale, shiny skin and a crooked grin stretching from ear to ear. When the Dullahan holds his head high, his piercing black eyes can spot his target a long way off. He rides a horse so fast that bushes catch fire in his path. 🔥
No matter how hard a door is locked, it always opens in front of the Dullahan. Even those who aren’t his targets must avoid him. He throws a bucket of blood at passers-by or strikes them with his whip made from a human spine. 👀 This death runner has one weakness, however: he’s inexplicably afraid of gold. When traveling the roads, it’s best to carry gold in your pocket. If the Dullahan ever knocks you down, drop the gold in front of him and he’ll disappear with a frightful howl.
Allegory #9: Bean Nighe
The Bean Nighe is a fairy ghost from Scottish folklore. According to legend, he is found in a stream washing the blood-stained clothes of someone about to die. A Bean Nighe is created when a woman dies in childbirth. Her spirit becomes a fairy washerwoman. 🧺
Unlike other predictions of death, this is a woman you can meet, because she means you well! If you stand between her and the water, she’ll grant you three wishes and allow you to ask her three questions, which she’ll answer by giving you strictly the truth. But she’ll also ask you three questions, which you’ll have to answer truthfully.
The Bean Nighe has an Irish counterpart called the Banshee. But unlike their Scottish sisters, these washerwomen gather around the houses of the condemned. If you catch a Bean Sidhe, you can make her reveal the name of the person about to die. She always looks like an old woman with bloodshot eyes (from crying), long, disheveled hair and large, sagging breasts.
Allegory #8: Pesta Witch
In 1349, a ship carrying the Black Death docked in Bergen, Norway. The cargo of grain was infested with rats carrying infected fleas. For six months, the plague spread throughout Norway, killing 50% of the population. Norwegians personified the Black Death in the form of an old woman called Pesta, the plague witch. 🧙♀️
She carried either a rake or a broom. When she entered an area and started raking, many people died. Sweden also had its own version of the plague witch, but in their case, she was preceded by a man. This man carried a shovel, and when he entered a house and started shoveling, it meant that some of the occupants would die. If the plague witch followed him and started sweeping, everyone would die.
Fortunately, the plague witch can be appeased if you’re prepared to accept death. In one tale, a boatman takes the witch to a river. By correctly guessing her identity, she grants him a quick death instead of the days of suffering caused by the plague. In another tale, a mother and her husband sleep with their child hidden under the covers. The mother wakes to find the witch sweeping her room. She pleads, “In Jesus’ name, there’s nothing left to take here.” The witch chooses to believe her, so she kills the woman and her husband, but spares the child. 🙏
Allegory 7: Thanatos
In Greek mythology, Thanatos was the son of Nyx, the goddess of night, and Erebos, the god of darkness. His twin brother was Hypnos, the god of sleep. Both lived together in the underworld, where they slept in the same bed. Thanatos had an angelic appearance, with feathery wings and a sword on his belt. 🗡 His role was to collect the souls of those who died peacefully.
The Greek poet Hesiod wrote: “Thanatos has a heart of iron, and his spirit within him is ruthless as bronze: whom he has once seized, he holds fast, and is filled with hatred even towards the immortal gods.”
Thanatos can be defeated, but it’s not easy. He has only once been defeated by force, when he came to collect the soul of Heracles’ friend. Heracles pounced on Thanatos and sent him back to hell, bruised and empty-handed.
Allegory #6: The Korean Grim Reaper
The Korean Grim Reaper is called Jeoseung Saja. Her duty is to escort souls to the king of the Netherworld for judgment. Jeoseung Saja wears long black robes and a large black hat. Her pale skin surrounds her sunken eyes. Her weaknesses vary from province to province. In Chilgok, she avoids silver and oranges, which can be used to ward off evil.
Long ago, on the mountain of Geumo, there lived a retired general who wanted to escape death. General Sineui had planted orange trees around the walls of his property, forming a barrier to keep the emissary from the underworld out. When Jeoseung Saja came looking for him, he spent days circling his property. However, Jeoseung Saja discovered an ignoble sin: since the peach is considered an evil fruit, she used it to scale the walls. 🍑
Allegory #5: Shinigami
Japanese Shinigami have recently gained popularity thanks to their appearance in manga comics like Death Note, where they’re depicted as a race of demonic creatures. These Shinigami prolong their own lives by writing the name of a human on a magical piece of paper called “Death Note”. When a Shinigami writes a name, the human dies instantly, and the Shinigami absorbs the remaining years of its life, thus prolonging its own existence. ⏱
The story begins when a bored Shinigami decides to give his death certificate to a human. However, the Shinigami of Japanese folklore are quite different. Although it may be misleading to say that they are part of folklore, as the concept of these spirits only emerged in the 19th century, they are based on the Western Grim Reaper and even present a similar appearance.
In Japanese folklore, Shinigami measure human lifespans using candles. When a person’s candle goes out, it’s time for them to die. If you’re ill, you may see a Shinigami sitting at the foot of your bed, waiting for your condition to worsen. If you’re about to die, the Shinigami will be standing over you.
Allegory #4: Ankou
The Ankou collects the souls of the dead in cemeteries and transports them in a carriage to the underworld. In each commune, the last person to die during the calendar year becomes the following year’s Ankou. If many deaths occur during the year, the Ankou becomes particularly sinister: he appears as a tall, thin man dressed in a long coat and a wide-brimmed hat that shadows him. 🎩
He drives a carriage drawn by two horses: one young and healthy, the other old and decrepit. When the Ankou patrols a cemetery, his head turns in a continuous circle, like a silent siren, so that the souls of the dead cannot escape his gaze. According to some stories, two skeletons accompany the Ankou. These skeletons gather the souls that try to flee and throw them into the carriage.
Allegory #3: The Angel of Death
In Judaism, God created the angel of death on the first day of creation. The Angel of Death has 12 wings and its body is covered with eyes. At the moment of your death, this angel stands over you, his sword drawn. When you see him, you go into convulsions and your jaw drops. The angel’s sword enters your mouth, your face turns yellow and you die. ⚔️
The expression “it tastes like death” is said to derive from this ritual. However, although the angel of death does not himself distinguish between good and evil, he obeys God’s orders. By confessing your sins and living a benevolent life, it’s possible to convince God to keep the Angel of Death at bay.
Allegory #2: Cu Sith
In the Scottish Highlands, it’s said to be wary of a dog the size of a young bull, whose paws resemble human hands. Its shaggy fur is a dark green, the color of fairies. “Cu” means “dog” and “Sith” means “fairy”. If you hear her howl three times, then you’re going to die. But if you can hide and escape before the third howl, you’ll be spared, at least until next time… 🐶
But this fairy dog represents more than just a presage of death. He’s also the guardian of the fairies. If the Cu Sith finds a nursing woman, he can let her live, or kidnap her and bring her back to the fairies’ abode, thus forcing her to feed the fairies’ children.
Allegory #1: The Grim Reaper
Until the 14th century, Christian works of art depicted death personified in the form of one or more angels. But the Black Death decimated between 30% and 60% of the European population. After living in the midst of the disease, with corpses piled up in the streets, artists changed their perception of death. It was no longer a pious angel, but a sinister skeleton. As the plague raged, artists began to depict death as the grim reaper. 🔪
She appears in a large hooded cloak, holding in her hands a scythe, which is the tool of the harvest. She harvests the souls of the dead, separating them from their bodies, just as a farmer mows wheat fields. She wears a long black tunic, the color associated with mourning. Sometimes, the Grim Reaper rides a horse.
This ultimate emblem of death is very popular with some of us. Goths, metalheads, bikers and many others use its image to show they belong to a strong community. But also to symbolize the fact of not being afraid of death! If you’re one of the brave ones too, join the movement by adopting one of the best items depicting the grim reaper. 🔥THE MOST POPULAR PRODUCTS🔥
