In many religions, one can find references to the afterlife and the gods of death , which are guides in the underworld where the soul finds itself after the end of life on earth. To the gods of death are deities who dominate the dead or collect their souls.
God of death among the Slavs
In the Slavs, the god of death is Semargle. He was represented in the guise of a fiery wolf or wolf with falcon wings. If you turn to mythology, you can note that both the falcon and the wolf were facing the sun. Semargle is often found on ancient embroideries, decorations of houses, on the painting of household utensils and on armor. For the Slavs, the wolf and the falcon represent impetuosity, fearlessness, as they often attack an enemy that far exceeds their strength, so the warriors identified themselves with these animals. Both the falcon and the wolf are considered to be the orderlies of the forest and purify it of weak animals, performing natural selection. Inside each person lives Semargl who fights against evil and illnesses inside a person and if a person drinks, degrades or lazy, he kills his Semargle, falls ill and dies.
God of death in Greek mythology
In Greek mythology, the god of death is Hades. After the division of the world between the three brothers Hades, Zeus and Poseidon, Hades gained power over the kingdom of the dead. He rarely came to the surface of the earth, preferring to be in his underworld. He was considered the god of fertility, giving the harvest of the bowels of the earth. According to Homer, Hades is hospitable and generous, because no one can bypass death. Aida was very afraid, even tried not to pronounce aloud his name, replacing various epithets. For example, since the fifth century it began to be called Pluto. The wife of Hades Persephone was also considered the goddess of the kingdom of the dead and the patroness of fertility.
God of death Thanatos
In Greek mythology there is a deity Thanatos, personifying death and living on the edge of the world. This god of death was honored in the famous Iliad.
Thanatos is hateful to the gods, his heart is made of iron and he does not recognize any gifts. In Sparta there was a cult of Thanatos, where he was depicted as a young man with wings and with a quenched torch in his hand.
God of death with the Romans
The god of death in Roman mythology was Orcus. Initially, Orcus was in the underworld demon with a beard, all covered with wool, and sometimes it was represented with wings.
Gradually, his image intersects with Pluto, or in another way Hades from ancient Greek myths. After being ousted in the fifth century by Orcus Pluto, man's fate began to be compared to grain, which, like man, also originates, lives and dies. Perhaps that's why Pluto was called not only the god of death, but also the god of fertility.
The God of Death in Egypt
In Ancient Egypt, the guide to the afterlife was Anubis, who was also the keeper of medicines and poisons, the patron of cemeteries. The city of Kinopil was the center of the Anubis cult. He was portrayed as a jackal, or as a man with a jackal's head.
According to the descriptions of the Court of Osiris, given in the Book of the Dead, Anubis weighs the heart on the scales. In one cup is the heart, and on the other - the feather Maat, symbolizing the truth.
God of Death Ruki
In Japanese mythology, there are fictional creatures living in their world and watching the world of people. With the help of Death Notebooks, they deprive people of life. Everyone whose name is inscribed in the notebook will die.
The person can use this notebook if he knows the instructions. The gods of death are pretty bored in their world, so the Ryuk decides to drop the Death Note into the world of people and see what happens.