Parents Nox and Scotus | Greek equivalent Thanatos | |
Siblings Somnus, Invidia, Discordia, Tenebrae, Somnia, Charon, Dirae, and many others | ||
In ancient Roman myth and literature, Mors (also known as Letum) is the personification of death equivalent to the Greek Thánatos. The Latin noun for "death", mors, genitive mortis, is of feminine gender, but ancient Roman art is not known to depict Death as a woman. Latin poets, however, are bound by the grammatical gender of the word. Horace writes of pallida Mors, "pale Death," who kicks her way into the hovels of the poor and the towers of kings equally. Seneca, for whom Mors is also pale, describes her "eager teeth." Tibullus pictures Mors as black or dark.
Contents
Mors is often represented allegorically in later Western literature and art, particularly during the Middle Ages. Depictions of the Crucifixion of Christ sometimes show Mors standing at the foot of the cross. Mors' antithesis is personified as Vita, "Life."
Genealogy
Mors is the offspring of Nox (Night), and sibling to the personification of sleep, Somnus.
Roman mythology
Mors is often connected to Mars, the Roman god of war; Pluto, the god of the underworld; and Orcus, god of death and punisher of perjurers.
In one story, Hercules fought Mors in order to save his friend's wife. In other stories, Mors is shown as a servant to Pluto, ending the life of a person after the thread of their life has been cut by the Parcae, and of Mercury, messenger to the gods, escorting the dead person`s soul, or shade, down to the underworld's gate.