The Myth Of Thanatos, God Of Death

In the myth of Thanatos it is not clear if this was the god of death or the personification of death itself. In general, he has been considered as the god of non-violent death, although in Greek mythology there are no stories where it is shown that his hierarchy was similar to that of other gods. In fact, he was once neutralized by Heracles.

Be that as it may, the myth of Thanatos talks about death itself, as it was conceived by the Greeks. However, this character was never present in violent deaths, as this was a domain of her sisters, the Keres, who were always thirsty for blood.

The myth of Thanatos, on the other hand, indicates that he produced a gentle touch on his victims. Their destiny was already defined by the Fates, ladies of destiny, and he was simply approaching those who were about to die. Then he would unsheathe his sword and cut a lock of their hair, which he then gave to Hades, god of the underworld. Then he transferred the soul to the realm of the dead.

The origin of the myth of Thanatos

Some versions of the myth of Thanatos point out that this character was the son of Erebus, god of darkness, shadows or blackness. It filled all the corners and holes of the world with its presence and its dense mists enveloped the ends of the world. His wife was Nix, goddess of the night. They were both sons of Chaos and therefore brothers.

It is said that Nix was in charge of dragging the shadows of Erebus around the world, leaving everyone in the dark. The two had two daughters: Ether, the brightness, and Hemera, the day. Certain versions say that later, by herself, Nix conceived Thanatos himself and his twin brother Hypnos.

He also begat Moros, Destiny; Ker, the Bane; Geras, the Old Age; Ezis, the Pain; Apate, the Deception; Nemesis, the Vengeance; Eris, the Discord; Filotes, the Friendship; Momo, the Taunt; the Hesperides, jijas of the Evening; the Oniros or Dreams; the Keres, or spirits of destruction and death; and the Moiras, Destiny.

Thanatos had a close and essential relationship with his twin brother Hypnos , god of sleep. The two of them always went everywhere together. For the Greeks, the dream was a kind of anticipation of death and that is why the two mythological figures were always associated.

Thanatos, the presence of death

Thanatos was not actually an evil figure. It came to free someone from suffering and pain ; That is why he only gave his gentle touch, without causing further suffering to the victim. His was to enforce the Fate that was already dictated by the Moiras. Then, he accompanied the souls so that they reached safely where Charon was, the one in charge of transporting them to the underworld.

In most representations of the myth of Thanatos he appears as an old man with beards and wings. He carried a sword in his hand or in the sheaf and had a grim expression. Only a few times was he depicted as a young man, without a beard, but with his sword.

One of the most famous stories of Thanatos was the one that took place with Sisyphus, a king of Corinth who angered Zeus and was condemned to go chained to the underworld. He managed to outwit Thanatos and chain him to him, causing no one to die for long, until death was released by Ares.

Thanatos, Apollo and Hercules

The myth of Thanatos tells that this god, whom no one made fun of, was finally made fun of. It is said that King Admetus received Apollo and later Hercules as a guest. He took great care of both of them, for which they were both very grateful.

As a reward for his kindness, Apollo agreed with the Moiras that this king could avoid death, if someone offered to die in his place. When the time came, Thanatos came for King Admetus and he asked his elderly parents to change for him, but they did not want to. Eventually his wife, Alcestis, agreed to die in his place.

However, Admeto did not want this to happen because he loved his wife very much. So he asked for the help of Hercules, who trapped Thanatos and prevented him from taking Alcestis. After this episode, Thanatos asked that due respect be paid to him and that agreements never be made to override his power.