Psychopomp

Many sets of religious beliefs have a particular spirit, deity, Demon or Angel whose responsibility is to escort newly-deceased souls to the afterlife, such as Heaven or Hell. These creatures are called psychopomps, from the Greek word *ψυχοπομπóς* (*psychopompos*), literally meaning the ‘guide of souls’.

They were often associated with horses, whippoorwills, ravens, dogs, crows, sparrows, harts (that is, male deer), and dolphins.

• Aztec mythology

• Xolotl
• Cahuilla mythology

• Muut
• Celtic mythology

• Belatu-Cadros (especially Wales)
• Epona
• Ogmios
• Ankou
• Christian mythology

• Michael the Archangel
• Saint Peter
• Egyptian mythology

• Anubis
• Neith
• Horus
• Set
• Thoth
• English mythology

• Waetla
• Etruscan mythology

• Turms
• Greek mythology

• Artemis
• Charon
• Hermes
• Hindu mythology

• Agni
• Pushan
• Yama
• Inuit mythology

• Anguta
• Pinga
• Islamic mythology

• Azrael
• Nakir and Munkar
• Japanese mythology

• Shinigami
• Maya mythology

• Ixtab
• Norse mythology

• Baldur
• Odin
• Persian mythology

• Mithra
• Polynesian mythology

• Aumakua
• Roman mythology

• Mercury
• Slavic mythology

• Volos
• Vodun

• Guédé
• Zoroastrianism

• Vohu Mano

Compare Virgil‘s role in Dante’s Inferno.

References

• Wikipedia (2005). *[Psychopomp](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychopomp) (*http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychopomp*).* Retrieved Nov 18 2005