The Grim Reaper

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Where Does the Concept of a “Grim Reaper” Come From?

For thousands of years, various cultures have had figures to represent death. One of the most common and enduring of these is the Grim Reaper—usually a skeletal figure, who is often shrouded in a dark, hooded robe and carrying a scythe to “reap” human souls. But how and when did this imagery come to be associated with death?

The Grim Reaper seems to have appeared in Europe during the 14th century. It was during this time that Europe was dealing with what was then the world’s worst pandemic, the Black Death, believed to be the result of the plague. It is estimated that about one-third of Europe’s entire population perished as a result of the pandemic, with some areas of the continent suffering far greater losses than others. The original outbreak of the plague occurred during 1347–51, and outbreaks then recurred several other times after that. So, clearly, death was something that the surviving Europeans had on their mind, and it is not surprising that they conjured an image to represent it.

But why the skeletal figure? Why the scythe? Why the robe? Skeletons are symbolic of death, representing the human body after it has decayed. The robe is thought to be reminiscent of the robes that religious figures of the time wore when conducting funerary services. The scythe is an apt image taken from agricultural practices of the time: harvesters used scythes to reap or harvest crops that were ready to be plucked from the earth…and, well, that’s kind of what happens when humans die: they are plucked from this earth.

Source: Britannica








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Source: You Tube (Polydor 1000) Key Words: Spirit Sky Greenbaum

Spirit in the Sky - Norman Greenbaum

When I die and they lay me to rest
Gonna go to the place that's the best
When I lay me down to die
Goin' up to the spirit in the sky

Goin' up to the spirit in the sky (spirit in the sky)
That's where I'm gonna go when I die (when I die)
When I die and they lay me to rest
I'm gonna go to the place that's the best

Prepare yourself you know it's a must
Gotta have a friend in Jesus
So you know that when you die
He's gonna recommend you
To the spirit in the sky (spirit in the sky)

Oh he'll recommend you to the spirit in the sky
That's where you're gonna go when you die (when you die)
When you die and they lay you to rest
You're gonna go to the place that's the best

Never been a sinner, I never sinned
I got a friend in Jesus
So you know that when I die
He's gonna set me up
with the spirit in the sky

Oh set me up with the spirit in the sky (spirit in the sky)
That's where I'm gonna go when I die (when I die)
When I die and they lay me to rest
I'm gonna go to the place that's the best
Go to the place that's the best

Comments

Sir Joseph said…
Hi Graham,

It seems that the Grim Reaper appeared in Europe with the Black Death, the world´s worst pandemic It was devastating. A lot of people perished. Death is always in our mind, now and before, also there are people who remind us frequently with accidents, kidnapping, wars and so on. Everyone identifies the scythe and the black skeletal shroud with death. When I was young in my village, I remember that I´m afraid an enormous scythe which farmers carried to reap the grains of wheat, then I was not afraid to Reaper but the same scythe. Everyone is afraid of Reaper, al least respect.

There is an example on the page which says that the nation is in mourning for the passing of the monarch, but I don´t believe it, it seems strange that people are so close to the monarch. In another example it said that it´s funny when the Spanish say that celebrate a funeral, but the word celebrate in Spanish means too "reverenciar" and "venerar solemnemente", that is, revere and venerate solemnly.

Instead of the song of spirit in the sky of Norman Greenbaum I copy a verse of Spanish Jorge Manrique, in Spanish because it´s very difficult to translate it to English:

Recuerde el alma dormida,
avive el seso y despierte
contemplando
cómo se pasa la vida,
cómo se viene la muerte
tan callando,
cuán presto se va el placer,
cómo después de acordado
da dolor
cómo a nuestro parecer
cualquier tiempo pasado
fue mejor.

See you.
Saturday, 10 December, 2022
Graham said…
Good morning Joe,

I hope that you click on some of the links I add to the blog posts. You can click on any tweets you find and tweet me a reply. Don't forget Deepl - you can copy and paste texts to get a good idea of the meaning.

Remember the sleeping soul,
awaken your mind and wake up
contemplating
how life flies by,
how death comes
so quietly,
how quickly pleasure departs,
how after agreed upon
gives pain
how in our opinion
any time past
was better.


It seems that the Grim Reaper appeared in Europe with the Black Death, the world´s worst pandemic. It was devastating. A lot of (informal) / Many (more formal) people perished. Death is always on our mind, now and before, also we are frequently reminded of it when we hear of accidents, kidnapping, wars and so on. Everyone identifies the scythe and the black skeletal shroud with death. When I was young in my village, I remember that I was afraid of an enormous scythe which farmers carried to reap / gather the grains of wheat, then I was not afraid of the Reaper, just the scythe. Everyone is afraid of the Reaper; we should respect him.
Wednesday, 14 December, 2022
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