Thanatos is...? Thanatos in mythology, art and psychology

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2018-03-22 21:59:12

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Thanatos is the God personifying death in the mythology of ancient Greece. Most often depicted in the form of a young man in a black cloak with wings, holding the extinguished torch in his hand, as a symbol of wasted life.

Thanatos in art

A Huge part of the art of ancient Greece was devoted to myths - that sculptures, paintings and frescoes, and vessels. In modern culture we can also find works on the subject of myths. In addition, the image of death for many artists is very attractive.

The image On the left Eros and Thanatos, the Life Instinct and the Death Instinct, modern sculpture. Right - Thanatos, the bas-relief on a marble pillar in the temple of Artemis.this is Thanatos

Every rich, self-respecting person had to have his house painted vessels and vases, which masters was commemorated with various scenes from mythology and life of the ancient Greeks.

The vessel, below, depicts the twin brothers Hypnos (left) and Thanatos (right), carrying the warrior Sarpedon from the battlefield. Just as the Greeks imagined Thanatos.Eros and Thanatos

Thanatos in mythology

Thanatos is son of NYX (Nutty, Knicks) and the God of darkness erebos. Nikta - the goddess of night, mother of Thanatos and Ether (eternal light), Hemera (day light) and Kera (destruction) and Hypnos (sleep), Eris (discord), Apty (cheating) and many others.

The God of death lives in Tartarus, but usually lives next to the throne of the God of the dead Hades. He also has a twin brother Hypnos, which you already read above. Hypnos - God, always accompanying Death, bringing on its wings a dream. He is calm and kind to people. The goddess of fate Moira and Nemezida (goddess of justice) was their sisters.

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The Only God who does not recognize gifts is Thanatos. Mythology also reports that he had an iron heart, and he was the object of hatred of all Greek gods.

When the term of life allotted to man by the goddesses of fate moir, was over, the man was Thanatos. This meant inevitable death. However, in every rule there are exceptions, but about them later. According to legend the God of death cut with his sword the dying a lock of hair in dedication to her Hades, and then took the souls of the dead.the mother of Thanatos and ether

How Hercules defeated Death

The ancient Greeks it was believed that only depends from Thanatos the death of a person that only he can decide to kill or leave alive. That is, he could give someone a second chance at life, or it can be persuaded to do it.

King Admetus and his wife Alcestis (Alcestis) was the happiest, loving and richest people in Thessaly. But then Admet dramatically and very seriously ill, can not move neither hands nor feet, falls into unconsciousness. Alceste can only pray to the gods that her beloved husband has recovered. She prayed, took his heavy hand from her husband the God of death Thanatos. It worked.

However, instead of Admetus should go into the realm of the dead anyone. And neither the parents nor friends did not dare to take the death for wonderful of Admetus. Alceste had to take the hit, and she died.

Admetus recovered, but did not find a place forever to be sad and grieve for his wife. This time he comes to visit Hercules. First, Admet pretends nothing happened, and then runs crying out of the room. Then Hercules and learns the sad history of the king's old servants and decides to save Alceste, calling for a duel Thanatos. He won it, never touching the body of the God of death, because it was believed that one touch of the Thanatos takes the life. And then demanded the return Alceste. The God of death nothing remained but the consent, otherwise Hercules would have pierced his neck with his sword. Alcestis back to her husband from the dead. Hercules conquered Death.

Below are the Frederic Leighton painting on this myth, but Hercules still touches the Thanatos.Thanatos Freud

How Sisyphus cheated Death

Sisyphus, the Corinthian king, who twice cheated death. Once to Sisyphus, Zeus sent Thanatos, which was, as befits the God of death, to take the life and soul of Sisyphus. But the cunning ruler of Corinth did not panic and deception chained the God of death in chains - he only asked to explain how to use them.

And remained in custody at Sisyphus for a few years, angry Thanatos. This contributed to the fact that God could not perform his functions, and people are simply become immortal. Even if a man was beheaded, he remained alive. Mortally wounded could not die. I wonder how a couple of years the gods of Olympus could not see it? First came the fury of Hades, when they finally realized souls to his Kingdom are not available. And then the gods sent Ares to the poor, freed Thanatos.

Sisyphus for this act was immediately taken to the realm of the dead, but he's able to show off the trick. Before his death, the king asked his wife not to perform funeral rites and to offer sacrifices. Sisyphus asked the God of death a respite of three days, to punish his wife for such an offense, but the back, as you may have guessed, did not return, and Hermes had to catch.

And Sisyphus was severely punished by Hades for his actions. That's what the idiom "Sisyphean task". His task - to roll a huge boulder tothe top of the mountain, but each time almost at the very top of the stone breaks down, and Sisyphus have to start all over again. Is not to be trifled with death, isn't it?Thanatos mythology

Thanatos in psychology

Many philosophers of different times have been puzzling over what motivates human activity. The famous psychologist and psychiatrist Sigmund Freud was also thinking about this question and decided to study it in more detail.

Freud began to consider the initial attraction that drives the vital functions, such concepts as "instinct of life" and "death instinct" - Eros and Thanatos. Freud writes that on the basis of these two instincts of the entire human activity.

They are constantly interacting with each other. Thanks to Eros evolving culture, because the instinct of life and love helps people to interact, and to unite the family, nation, state. Troubles, devastation and horror that brought the First world, indicate the inclination of man to violence, aggression and self-destruction, this led Freud to think about the "instinct of death".

"the Purpose of all life is death" - said Freud, Eros and Thanatos are constantly fighting with each other. Agree with it or not - you decide.Statue in the cemetery

A Few words about mythology

The Greek mythology, like any other, carries a lot of information about the people, in the beautiful tales are hidden-any lessons (remember the story of Sisyphus, who was playing with death?). Myths are easy to remember, because they are a huge set of simple and clear images.

Mythology was the impetus for the development of art, this subject was very popular among artists of different times and peoples. So read, learn, see and think.


Article in other languages:

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DE: https://tostpost.com/de/news-und-gesellschaft/14575-thanatos-ist-thanatos-in-der-mythologie-der-kunst-und-der-psychologie.html

ES: https://tostpost.com/es/noticias-y-sociedad/14582-thanatos-es-thanatos-en-la-mitolog-a-el-arte-y-la-psicolog-a.html

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TR: https://tostpost.com/tr/haber-ve-toplum/14577-thanatos---bu-thanatos-mitoloji-sanat-ve-psikoloji.html

UK: https://tostpost.com/uk/novini-ta-susp-l-stvo/14573-tanatos---ce-tanatos-v-m-folog-mistectv-ta-psiholog.html






Alin Trodden - author of the article, editor
"Hi, I'm Alin Trodden. I write texts, read books, and look for impressions. And I'm not bad at telling you about it. I am always happy to participate in interesting projects."

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