Proudly serving monsters since 1998.
This monstrous section is devoted to thanatology in its original sense. Death as a fundamental universal concern has been examined and re-examined in a wide variety of disciplines, dating back to prehistory.
Some of these fields of study are academic in nature; others have evolved throughout history as cultural traditions. Because death is such a broad and complex subject, Monstrous.com relies on a holistic approach.
According to Gaston Paris (Romania, xxiv., 131; 1895), Macabre is a French word that makes its first known appearance in the fourteenth century, in a fragmented poem by Jean le Fèvre’s Respit de la mort (1376) “Je lis de Macabre la danse”. The term is supposed by some sources to have developed from Maccabee, the … Read more
It is true that death is universal and that there are many common traits among death rituals. Furthermore, when examining death rituals cross-culturally it is easy to attribute the same symbolic significance to similar rituals. Nevertheless, after looking at the rituals, used in the context of the culture they were created in, the symbolic meaning … Read more
In the Bible, death is viewed under form of an angel sent from God, a being deprived of all voluntary power. On some occasions this described in terms fitting Azrael, and on others as fitting Samael. The biblical Book of Job (xxxiii. 22) uses the general term “destroyer” (“memitim”), which tradition has identified with “destroying … Read more
Names Ghul, Ghulah, Ghul of the waste, Grave-creature, coffin-fiend. Etymologically “Ghul” is a calamity, a panic fear; and the monster is evidently the embodied horror of the grave and the graveyard. It is sometimes confused with the Indian Vetala. The star Algol is also named after this creature from Arabian legend. Origin Ghouls have their … Read more
The fear of death is anxiety caused by thoughts of one’s own death, and is also referred to as thanatophobia. It differs from necrophobia, which is a general fear of dead or dying things, or things associated with death. According to the 2017 “Survey of American Fears” conducted by Chapman University, 20.3% of Americans are … Read more
All the religions and beliefs about death mentions a particular spirit, deity, demon or angel whose responsibility is to escort souls of the dead to the Afterlife or the underworld (depending on the myths). These creatures are called psychopomps, from the Greek word ψυχοπομπóς (psuchopompos), literally meaning the “guide of souls”. Their role is not … Read more
Omen In most parts of the world the raven is considered a prophet and a bad omen. The Arabs call it Abu Zajir which means “Father of Omens.” In Ireland it was once domesticated for use in divination practices and the term “Raven’s Knowledge” meant second sight. In many areas of the ancient world, the … Read more
A draugr is a corporeal undead, from the Norse Mythology. Draugrs were believed to live in the graves of dead vikings, being the body of the dead. The draugr were said to be either hel-blar (“death black”) or, conversely, na-folr (“corpse-pale”). Views differed on whether the personality and soul of the dead person lingered in … Read more