#culso

Psychopomp means “conductor of souls” in Greek. The term refers to a specific type of spirit, entrusted with a specific type of function. These are the spirit guides who lead the soul between the lands of the living and the dead. (In addition, they sponsor, protect, and guide shamans who journey back and forth between the realms.) You will recognize them in your dreams or waking visions by the attributes they carry; traditional emblems for this class of spirits include a key, a cutting instrument, and/or a torch. Culso, an Etruscan psychopomp, for instance, awaits the arrival of all souls. He carries scissors in one hand to sever ties with the realm of the living and a bright flaming torch to light the way toward new adventures. Psychopomps include:

Angels: Gabriel, Azrael, and the unnamed “Angel of Death” (Jewish)

Anubis, Hathor, Wepwawet (Egypt)

Baron Samedi, Baron La Croix, and Baron Cimitiere (Vodoun)

Culso (Etruscan)

Freya and the Valkyries (Norse)

Giltine (Lithuania)

Hecate, Hermes (Greece)

Jizo (Japan)

Mother Holle (German)

Animals serve as psychopomps, too. The most famous are dogs, jackals, and other canines. Many spirit psychopomps manifest in these forms. These include Anubis and Kali (jackals), Hecate (dog), and Wepwawet (wolf). Other animal psychopomps include butterflies, snakes, and birds, especially ravens, crows, hornbills, and frigates. It is considered extremely auspicious if any of these creatures make a spontaneous appearance at a funeral or similar post-death rites. This indicates that the escort service for the soul has arrived and is intended to comfort and reassure the living.

Psychopomps may be petitioned to ease the travails of the dying, by the dying person or their loved ones alike.