Ancient Myths and Legends about Death

Life in the ancient world was often short and brutal, which led the people who lived in it to spend a lot of their time thinking about its end. It meant that many ancient myths, legends and rituals had death at their centre, with some dealing with the unexpected death of a loved one, like in Orpheus and Eurydice, and others teaching us to live now, whilst we still can. We want to talk about some popular ancient myths and legends about death from the ancient European world, highlighting where these stories overlap with our own tendencies and cultural practices, and where they present some interesting facts about death.

Greek myths and legends about death

Greek myth is a limitless treasure house of stories and characters that are still found to be inspiring and vivid today. In fact, as we shall see, the Romans found it so interesting that they decided to steal it all for themselves! Some of the best ancient myths and legends about death came from Ancient Greece; here are just a few.

Alcestis

The story of Alcestis was told in a play by Euripides. King Admetus, who is dying, learns that if someone else is willing to die in his place, he’ll be able to keep on living. His wife, Alcestis, gives up her life for him, before recognising that in doing so, her husband’s life would be badly diminished. Hercules appears in the nick of time to bring her back to her husband before Death takes her away.

It’s a rare example of a Greek myth with a happy ending. It teaches us that, while it is natural to sometimes feel like we want to avoid death, it wouldn’t necessarily be better to avoid it, even if we were able to. Sometimes, finding the strength to accept our own mortality can act as a springboard for us to get the most out of life whilst we can, and it can help us to accept the death of someone we love, if we are struggling to cope with the death of a parent, for instance. In fact, when he was diagnosed in 2017 with motor neurone disease, our own founder, Paul Jameson, learned this very lesson from his confrontation with his own mortality. Since then he has taken the difficulty of his terminal illness, and turned it into a life-affirming positive that makes a difference. 

Sisyphus

Sisyphus was the crafty king of Corinth, in Greece, who tried to cheat death three times. The first time, he tricked death himself by binding him in the coils of his own chain when he came to take him away; he then hid him away inside a cave. After living out his life in peace, it finally came Sisyphus’s turn to die – but he didn’t want to give up just yet. Lying on his death bed, he made his wife promise not to have a funeral for him, to which she reluctantly agreed. With that, he closed his eyes for the final time … or so they all thought.

When he got down before Pluto, the King of the Dead, he argued that because he had not had a proper funeral, he should be allowed to return to the land of the living. Pluto, convinced, agreed with him, and off he went, back to the land of the living. But, when Sisyphus got back to the surface, blearily opening his eyes again, Zeus was waiting for him. This time, he would not be able to avoid his fate. As punishment for trying to trick the gods so many times, Pluto ordained that Sisyphus would now spend eternity pushing a boulder up a hill, and that each time he was nearing the top, he’d lose control of it and it would roll all the way back to the bottom, from where he’d need to start again.

It’s a strange story with many lessons to teach us: The Greeks felt that it was foolish to try to outrun death because it comes to us all. Ultimately, fear of death is perfectly normal and natural, and maybe if Sisyphus had tried talking about death and dying with those around him, he wouldn’t have gotten himself into such a difficult situation.

It also teaches us the importance of having a funeral for someone who has died, whether or not we want to specifically mark the passing with a ceremony, and of sending them off properly, however they choose. Whilst we may not be worrying too much about placating Zeus or Hades when we arrange a funeral, each one of us can recognise the importance of honouring loved ones with a meaningful celebration of life.

Ancient Roman myths and legends about death

It’s strange that possibly the best retelling of the Greek myths was made by Ovid – a Roman poet – in Latin. Ovid loved them so much that he made his greatest work a retelling of over 250 of them in his Metamorphoses. Ovid gave us some of the most memorable retellings of ancient myths and legends about death.

Orpheus and Eurydice

Orpheus was the half-son of Phoebus, God of music, and he was born with supernatural musical powers. On his wedding day, his beloved, Eurydice, was bitten by a snake and she died.

Orpheus decided to go to the Underworld to get her back. He sang to Pluto that even he, the King of the Dead, had been conquered by love and that he should understand. Pluto was moved to tears by his song, and agreed to give Eurydice back to him. But, on the condition that whilst leading Eurydice back to the surface, he mustn’t look back at her – if he did, he’d lose her again, permanently.

Whilst almost at the entrance to the underworld again, Orpheus suddenly felt afraid that he’d been tricked by Pluto. He couldn’t resist sneaking a glimpse over his shoulder. But when he did, he saw that he had found and lost Eurydice all over again. She vanished in a cloud of dust before him. Panicking, he ran back down to Pluto, but this time he could not move the Gods to help him. He didn’t see Eurydice until he himself had died, finally then being reunited with her.

The Orpheus myth shows us the power of music to express feelings that words cannot, but also of how love endures throughout death and beyond. A common fact about death is that those of us who’ve been bereaved, and who are coping with grief sometimes envision the appearance of those we’ve lost, and in a way, this may have been what Orpheus was really doing.

Philemon & Baucis

Jupiter and his son Mercury came down from Olympus to visit a town, putting the residents to a test of hospitality. They were disguised as weary travellers; with the rain pouring down and darkness setting in, nobody was willing to shelter them. Deciding to try one more house, they climbed the hill to the door of Philemon and Baucis, who let them in.

Once the wizened, slow, old couple had fed them from their meagre food store, and got a flickering fire going, the travellers revealed who they truly were: the King of the Gods, and his son. Stunned and embarrassed by their poverty, the old couple sank to their knees with difficulty, bowing before the gods. The gods made them rise, and asked them to join them outside.

Overlooking the town, Jupiter told the old couple, in thanks for their hospitality in poverty, to ask him for anything and he’d grant it. They simply asked that their house be turned into a temple to Jupiter, and that they could serve the rest of their days as its priests; they also asked that they should be allowed to die at the same time, so that neither should be deprived of the presence of the other.

All this, Jupiter granted, but before doing so, he sank the rest of the town before their eyes beneath a lake, turning all the other residents into fish, in punishment for their selfishness. Philemon and Baucis spent their remaining years in peace together, looking after the temple. Then, one day, they each found that they had been turned into a tree in their final moment, with their trunks entwining together into a single archway above the steps of the temple that had been their home.

Evergreen

It’s a beautiful story (leaving aside the fate of the townsfolk!) showing us that wanting to control death is a natural impulse that we have felt forever. When given the chance to ask Jupiter for any prize, peace of mind about their deaths is what Philemon and Baucis chose, as well as the chance to avoid the pain of saying goodbye to a loved one. Whilst we can’t take control of our fates with the help of Jupiter, Aura’s prepaid funeral plans offers an opportunity to take control of your end-of-life wishes!

Trees are also an abiding symbol of life and hope, used touchingly in this story. It’s perhaps for that reason that one of the most popular cremation ashes ideas is the memorial tree, where we mingle our ashes with the sapling of a new tree, growing again after death.

Ancient Egyptian myths and legends about death

The Ancient Egyptians, perhaps more than any other culture, were famous for their obsession with death, and as a result, they have given us some of the best ancient myths and legends about death. That’s no more emphasised than by their mummification process, and their Book of the Dead.

The Book of the Dead

An ancient Egyptian knew that they would need to live a good life in order to reach the afterlife. After death, their spirit would need to make it through some tough challenges, for which they would be prepared with a copy of the ancient Egyptian equivalent of a guide for what to do when someone dies: the Book of the Dead. The Ancient Egyptians were already considered to be ancient by the Romans and the Greeks, so they are truly ancient to us. British people, it’s fair to say, typically find it quite hard to talk about death, whether opening up conversations about dying with our family, announcing a death to friends, or even just talking to your family about direct cremation. Well, the Ancient Egyptians were the masters of planning for the end.

What was the Book of the Dead?

The ancient Egyptian book of the dead was half-route-map and half-spell-book. It was enclosed within the coffins of Egyptians who’d died and been mummified in preparation for their journey to the afterlife. The spirit of the person who’d died would use it to guide themselves towards (and, if they were lucky, successfully into) the afterlife. The permanent and complete loss of your soul and access to the afterlife was a very real possibility if the journey went wrong, or, worse, if your heart was finally weighed in the balance and found wanting.

The mummification process

The body would be ritually embalmed with a special salt called natron to slow decomposition. It’s one of the most popular modern funeral myths that embalming preserves the body permanently; whilst this isn’t true, the ancient Egyptian process was remarkably effective. The only organ that would remain inside the body was the heart, which the Egyptians thought was the centre of our intelligence, character, and personality. The priests would wrap the body in enchanted linen; hundreds of yards per body. Finally, an enchanted scarab amulet would be placed over the heart. 

Death and social status in Ancient Egypt 

Wealthier people in Egypt would be able to spend money on all kinds of things that could enhance their chances of passage to paradise. A popular (and untrue) modern cremation myth is that coffins are re-used prior to cremation. Well, the ancient Egyptians certainly didn’t reuse their coffins, as they were often beautifully adorned and customised to the individual. The poorer in society had to settle for off-the-shelve versions of the Book of the Dead, with typos in all the wrong places, hoping and praying that their plan for their funeral and afterlife was safe. “Are funeral plans safe?” is a question we might ask ourselves today in relation to what happens to our money, but an ancient Egyptian was more likely to worry about how far they could trust the spells at their disposal – if they used the wrong one at the wrong time, it could cost them immortality!

Paradise found

Souls that successfully pass the test are carried by the Sun god Ra to meet Osiris, who is the Egyptian God of the Underworld. He gives you final approval to enter paradise. Modern beliefs on death and funerals in religion vary widely; the Egyptians imagined paradise as a lush, agricultural haven where you’d be reunited with your family, and where there was no cold, pain or sadness. Each person would work to cultivate their own plot of land in this realm, and endlessly live in peaceful, sunlit contentment.

The journey undertaken by Ancient Egyptian souls, using the Book of the Dead, teaches us many valuable lessons. It pays to think in advance about end-of-life planning, such as by buying a custom-made version of the Book for yourself.

Aura and end-of-life planning

We hope that you have enjoyed this whistle-stop tour through ancient myths and legends about death. Aura was started in 2019 as a platform that could help people to plan their own funeral and prepare for the end of their lives. Since those days, we have evolved into the UK’s top-rated ‘Cremation Services’ provider on Trustpilot, with 4.9/5 stars. We’ve earned this high praise from the families who’ve entrusted themselves to our care, and who’ve appreciated our compassionate, family-run approach to service. 

Our funeral services are available to those seeking a direct cremation now at short notice, as well as those seeking a funeral plan for the future. In either case, our industry-leading, exceptional Aura Angels will be there to guide families through the difficulty of funeral arranging. Whilst they might not have much advice on how to enter the Ancient Egyptian afterlife, you can count on them to coordinate a funeral, either for yourself or a loved one, with diligence and respect, making sure that all paperwork is completed correctly, and even lending an ear where needed.

If you’re looking for a bit more information on planning your own funeral, why not download our helpful funeral plan brochure? Take the time you need to think things through, and, should you have any questions, you can always call us. Our wonderful team is always available on the phone should you need them, and they are waiting for your call.