Alternately, some legends also state him to be like a shadow that seems to be of an old man wearing a hat. He is believed to appear as a man or a skeleton who wears a black cloak and wields a scythe. His depiction is quite similar to that of the image of the Grim Reaper today.

In Breton mythology, and Cornish and Norman French folklore, death was personified as Ankou. This simply shows that the Greeks did not see death as something horrific, but accepted it as a part of life. He is depicted as a pleasant-looking young man with wings and a sword. The portrayal of Thanatos isnвЂ™t scary and intimidating.

In Greek mythology, Thanatos is the deity associated with death, who was the twin brother of Hypnos, the god of sleep. The ultimate symbolism of the Grim Reaper is death. In Mythology and FolkloreДЄnkou Figure of Death in Breton Mythology However, as mentioned earlier, various artists have depicted this horseman in a skeleton figure, some of them include, John Haynes after John Hamilton Mortimer in his 1784 painting вЂњDeath on a Pale HorseвЂќ, and Victor Vasnetsov in his 1887 painting, вЂњFour Horsemen of ApocalypseвЂќ. If you carefully observe the image on the right, you would see the fourth horseman on the extreme left, riding a pale and skinny horse, and is himself quite the same, giving an almost skeleton-like look. And they were given authority over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword and with famine and with pestilence and by wild beasts of the earth.ДЄlthough the scripture doesnвЂ™t call death, вЂњthe Grim ReaperвЂќ, nor does it say about it wearing a black-hooded cloak holding scythe, it does act as a link to the depiction of the Grim Reaper riding a pale horse. When he opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, вЂњCome!вЂќ And I looked, and behold, a pale horse! And its riderвЂ™s name was Death, and Hades followed him. The following excerpt has been taken from the English Standard Version. The Fourth Horseman of the ApocalypseДЇour Horsemen of the Apocalypse by Albrecht DГјrerДЄs mentioned earlier, Death is identified as the fourth horseman of which the Bible says in the Book of Revelation (6:1-8). The following sections will brief you about some notable instances or entities in history, that will help understand the story behind the emergence of the Grim Reaper. The presence of this nightmarish entity has captured the imagination of storytellers, writers and artists. Legend of the Grim Reaper: Folklore, Myths, and BeliefsДЄlthough there are different accounts of the manifestation of death, the Grim Reaper has become a conceptual personification of death the world over. Similarly, there are different mythological and religious entities that come from different cultures and beliefs from all over the globe, that somehow link with the origin of the personification of death in the form of the Grim Reaper. In ancient Greek mythology, Charon was such an entity, who carried the souls of the recently deceased in a ferry across the river that separated the world of the living from the dead. The Grim Reaper is considered this psychopomp who performs his duties of carrying souls of the dead to the world of the nonliving. Many religions believe a particular spirit or deity is responsible to look after the souls after the death of a person. His skeletal face bears a grim expression that successfully haunts a number of people, instilling the never-ending fear of death and departure. While some believe that he arrives on an old coach drawn by white horses, others believe he arrives on a single horse, without any coaches. It is believe that this entity escorts souls of the deceased to the unknown territory of life after death. The scythe that he wields symbolizes the weapon of the harvester or keeper of souls. The Grim Reaper is a diabolically dark figure that has captured the imagination of many people around the world! Was he the answer that man found to his questions about the death and dying? This entity features in folklore and movies. The fourth rider is death, and is often depicted as a skeletal figure wrapped in a pale cloak in many artworks, such as an 1887 painting by Victor Vasnetsov. Throughout the history of mankind, the concept of death as an omnipotent entity has had a significant impact on human psyche.Дid you know that, вЂThe Book of RevelationвЂ™, which is the last book of the New Testament of the Bible, records of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse? The four ride a white, red, black, and pale horse, respectively. The Grim Reaper or the 'Angel of Death' is a conceptual entity that is depicted as pale skeletal figure in a long black cloak with a hood, and scythe in hand.

The grim reaper