It’s not surprising that death (especially in the form of the plague) would end up on that list. The practice of dressing up started as a way to ward off evil. It is not too difficult to see how the reaper imagery would translate to a traditional Halloween monster. For example, French, Spanish and Italian speakers often consider the Grim Reaper to be female because the word for “death” is feminine in their languages. In English-speaking countries the Grim Reaper is usually thought of as a male character but this is not the case everywhere. Sometimes, the reaper may be also depicted as holding an hour glass as he waits for the sands of time to run out on a life before he reaps that soul. In addition, and this is just my personal opinion, the plague doctor’s mask looks both a bit skeletal, but also, to me it has a similar shape to a scythe. Similarly, the reaper cuts down and reaps human souls as easily as wheat. The wielder would cut swaths of wheat from the earth. The scythe is a farming tool from the time period. The black cloak hides him in the shadows and also is similar to that of a plague doctor as depicted in historical art. A walking skeleton is literally walking death. The iconic imagery of the Grim Reaper doesn’t need much explanation. Death literally walked among us, so the personification of death seems inevitable in those circumstances. Because of the speed and how many were affected, bodies did actually pile up. During this period, between 25 and 75 million were estimated to have been killed. But this imagery makes sense when you look at the origin.Īccording to every source I looked at, the Grim Reaper originated out of Europe in the 14th century during the plague called the Black Death. One of the most common and enduring images of death, the Grim Reaper, is usually a skeletal figure, shrouded in a dark, hooded robe, and carrying a scythe. The idea of those earlier incarnations is like that of angels or sometimes gods/goddesses/demigods who help you through the steps of passing into the afterlife. And, in fact, many of those images are figures who are not terrifying, but who are helpful, kind, and even attractive. Various cultures through history have personified death. Today, let’s take a look at the GRIM REAPER. For several years, I’ve been on a fact-finding mission focused on the history of traditional Halloween “monsters” including their origins and evolution in folklore, literature, and pop culture.
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