Grim Reaper
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Grim Reaper:
A figure commonly used to represent death. The Grim Reaper is a skeleton or solemn-looking man carrying a scythe, who cuts off people’s lives as though he were harvesting grain.
This is may or may not be a myth....read if you dare!
Cronus: Titan, Reaper, Father Time... Crow?
Chronos (or Chronus) is the personification of time, which is what the word means. It is used in "chronology" and other modern words. It was used originally in a solely poetic sense. There isn't a god or goddess directly associated with time per se in Greek myth. But there may have been a Titan of time...
Cronus (or Kronos) was the father of Zeus and his siblings. He was part of a group of beings called Titans that existed before the Greek gods.
His parents were Uranus (Heaven) and Gaia (Earth). They had many children, but Uranus was fearful of them and kept them confined inside of Gaia. She didn't like this much. She gave Cronus a sickle, and he castrated his father the next time he came near. When this happened the blood that was spilled formed creatures like the Giants and the Furies, and the genitals of Uranus were thrown into the sea and would eventually produce Aphrodite.
With Uranus out of the way, Cronus married his sister Rhea and ruled the Titans. Cronus was afraid that one of his children would overthrow him as he had overthrown his father, so as each child was born he swallowed them one by one. He had already disposed of Poseidon, Hades, Hera, Hestia and Demeter in this fashion before Zeus was born. This time Rhea had Zeus hidden and tricked Cronus into swallowing a stone instead.
When Zeus was old enough to take care of himself, Rhea got Cronus to release the children he had swallowed, either by talking him into it or by giving him a potion that induced vomiting. When the other gods were free they joined Zeus to fight the Titans and overthrew them.
From these stories and other facts it is believed that Cronus was a harvest god from long ago, worshipped by a culture before the Greeks. His sickle is a tool used in harvesting grain. Many people believe that the story of his overthrow by Zeus represents the overthrow of the culture that worshipped Cronus and the old gods by the people who worshipped Zeus and the other more familiar Greek gods.
The Romans identified Cronus with their god Saturn. Saturn, the Sower, was also a god of agriculture. The Roman god's festival, called the Saturnalia, was held from the 17th to the 19th of December and was quite popular.
Cronus and Saturn were also identified with time. Harvest and time might be related in the first place, but some suspect this relationship may have happened because of a confusion between the words Cronus and Chronus.
Harvest was also associated with death because of the end of growing season. Kronos eating his children was used in a poetic sense for time devouring all things, as in the old saying "nothing lasts forever."
Our concepts of Father Time (usually found in cartoons around New Year's Eve these days, but historically found as part of the Saturnalia festival when it was pushed to the first of the new year to avoid conflict with Christmas) and the Grim Reaper carrying a scythe are directly derived from Cronus. Both of these more modern figures are sometimes accompanied by a crow. Robert Graves wrote that the word Cronos and the god may have actually meant "crow," but once again it could just be a result of confusion with the similar-sounding words for crow (Latin "cornix" or Greek "corone").
The three Greek words that were either related originally or related through confusion later were: Chronus (meaning "time"), Cronus (the god of harvest before the Greek gods took over), and corone (meaning "crow"). Sometimes just having words similar to each other is enough to mix stories up with one another. Whether they are connected because they sound similar or because they have similar roots is unknown.
All three words are definitely now linked in some fashion. Images of the Grim Reaper in engravings in the Middle Ages that show a skeletal figure holding a scythe and hourglass with a crow nearby show this connection. (You can go to the Grim Reaper picture page to see some of these images.)
Also note that the origins of words in Ancient Greek are uncertain. It could be that Chronus and Cronus were supposed to be the same thing originally, or that Cronus originally did mean crow. We don't have enough information on the beliefs of the pre-Greeks to know if Cronus was intended to be a crow or not. Many people think the three words coming together was just a silly coincidence, but there's no firm proof one way or another.
Crows were sometimes associated with fertility figures in other cultures, but that doesn't necessarily prove anything. Also, crows could be associated with death (by going after corpses) as well as harvest (by going after grain).
Like most things in mythology, the concepts go back so far in time that we can't trace the origins reliably.
A figure commonly used to represent death. The Grim Reaper is a skeleton or solemn-looking man carrying a scythe, who cuts off people’s lives as though he were harvesting grain.
This is may or may not be a myth....read if you dare!
Cronus: Titan, Reaper, Father Time... Crow?
Chronos (or Chronus) is the personification of time, which is what the word means. It is used in "chronology" and other modern words. It was used originally in a solely poetic sense. There isn't a god or goddess directly associated with time per se in Greek myth. But there may have been a Titan of time...
Cronus (or Kronos) was the father of Zeus and his siblings. He was part of a group of beings called Titans that existed before the Greek gods.
His parents were Uranus (Heaven) and Gaia (Earth). They had many children, but Uranus was fearful of them and kept them confined inside of Gaia. She didn't like this much. She gave Cronus a sickle, and he castrated his father the next time he came near. When this happened the blood that was spilled formed creatures like the Giants and the Furies, and the genitals of Uranus were thrown into the sea and would eventually produce Aphrodite.
With Uranus out of the way, Cronus married his sister Rhea and ruled the Titans. Cronus was afraid that one of his children would overthrow him as he had overthrown his father, so as each child was born he swallowed them one by one. He had already disposed of Poseidon, Hades, Hera, Hestia and Demeter in this fashion before Zeus was born. This time Rhea had Zeus hidden and tricked Cronus into swallowing a stone instead.
When Zeus was old enough to take care of himself, Rhea got Cronus to release the children he had swallowed, either by talking him into it or by giving him a potion that induced vomiting. When the other gods were free they joined Zeus to fight the Titans and overthrew them.
From these stories and other facts it is believed that Cronus was a harvest god from long ago, worshipped by a culture before the Greeks. His sickle is a tool used in harvesting grain. Many people believe that the story of his overthrow by Zeus represents the overthrow of the culture that worshipped Cronus and the old gods by the people who worshipped Zeus and the other more familiar Greek gods.
The Romans identified Cronus with their god Saturn. Saturn, the Sower, was also a god of agriculture. The Roman god's festival, called the Saturnalia, was held from the 17th to the 19th of December and was quite popular.
Cronus and Saturn were also identified with time. Harvest and time might be related in the first place, but some suspect this relationship may have happened because of a confusion between the words Cronus and Chronus.
Harvest was also associated with death because of the end of growing season. Kronos eating his children was used in a poetic sense for time devouring all things, as in the old saying "nothing lasts forever."
Our concepts of Father Time (usually found in cartoons around New Year's Eve these days, but historically found as part of the Saturnalia festival when it was pushed to the first of the new year to avoid conflict with Christmas) and the Grim Reaper carrying a scythe are directly derived from Cronus. Both of these more modern figures are sometimes accompanied by a crow. Robert Graves wrote that the word Cronos and the god may have actually meant "crow," but once again it could just be a result of confusion with the similar-sounding words for crow (Latin "cornix" or Greek "corone").
The three Greek words that were either related originally or related through confusion later were: Chronus (meaning "time"), Cronus (the god of harvest before the Greek gods took over), and corone (meaning "crow"). Sometimes just having words similar to each other is enough to mix stories up with one another. Whether they are connected because they sound similar or because they have similar roots is unknown.
All three words are definitely now linked in some fashion. Images of the Grim Reaper in engravings in the Middle Ages that show a skeletal figure holding a scythe and hourglass with a crow nearby show this connection. (You can go to the Grim Reaper picture page to see some of these images.)
Also note that the origins of words in Ancient Greek are uncertain. It could be that Chronus and Cronus were supposed to be the same thing originally, or that Cronus originally did mean crow. We don't have enough information on the beliefs of the pre-Greeks to know if Cronus was intended to be a crow or not. Many people think the three words coming together was just a silly coincidence, but there's no firm proof one way or another.
Crows were sometimes associated with fertility figures in other cultures, but that doesn't necessarily prove anything. Also, crows could be associated with death (by going after corpses) as well as harvest (by going after grain).
Like most things in mythology, the concepts go back so far in time that we can't trace the origins reliably.
There were a family of funeral planners who's name was Reaper. Everytime they would come to visit people whenever their loved ones died they always looked very sad, forlorn and grim. Hence the name.
Are these the guys responsible for crop circles?
No , that was another family. They were the Jerk family, they used to sit around and ........well you get the rest of the story.
Only the ego dies, the true self remains. But if you are identified with your ego, then you will die, if you are identified with the true-self, you will never die, only your ego.
Ego "holds the power of death", because it is the only part of our multi-dimensional self that is constrained by time.
I don´t believe in a separate entity that is called "Satan", a fallen angel or whatever you want to call it, I don´t believe in it.
What I do believe is that we are all one with nature, just call it "everything" and you have unified virtually everything, that is not understandable for us, and that is what some people call God.
On the other hand there is our judgement and understanding, our mind; everything that you have been told since you were a little baby and you have believed it because others "say so"; I mean, virtually everything that you were not born with is what I´m reffering to as your ego; and this is the only separation of you from the "all", from God.
I also think that the Bible have many refferences on this matter, reffering to the ego as Satan or Devil.
who does man?
All is God, and it is within us; but because of duality, Satan is also in each and every one of us, and it is called the ego. The ego is the only separation from you and God.
Let me rephrase that, because in that context, your ego is also "God". And it is true, because God is everything; BUT the ego is the thing that keeps you from seing this perspective, the ego is that thing that keeps you from really experience God. The ego is part of God, but because of it, you don´t know it yet.
The grim reaper is another example of the mixing in of paganism with Christianity.
The bible does mention reapers.
But the reapers in the bible are Angels not the black clad skeleton often depicted in pop culture.
Jesus gave a parable where he mentioned the reapers.
Matthew 13
24 Another parable He put forth to them, saying: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field; 25 but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way. 26 But when the grain had sprouted and produced a crop, then the tares also appeared. 27 So the servants of the owner came and said to him, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?’ 28 He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ The servants said to him, ‘Do you want us then to go and gather them up?’ 29 But he said, ‘No, lest while you gather up the tares you also uproot the wheat with them. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, “First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn.”’”
So there are two reapers. Jesus went on to explain to the disciples:
Matthew 13
36 Then Jesus sent the multitude away and went into the house. And His disciples came to Him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the tares of the field.”
37 He answered and said to them: “He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. 38 The field is the world, the good seeds are the sons of the kingdom, but the tares are the sons of the wicked one. 39 The enemy who sowed them is the devil, the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are the angels.
The book of Revelation also mentions these two angels.
Revelation 14
14 Then I looked, and behold, a white cloud, and on the cloud sat One like the Son of Man, having on His head a golden crown, and in His hand a sharp sickle. 15 And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to Him who sat on the cloud, “Thrust in Your sickle and reap, for the time has come for You to reap, for the harvest of the earth is ripe.” 16 So He who sat on the cloud thrust in His sickle on the earth, and the earth was reaped.
17 Then another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, he also having a sharp sickle.
18 And another angel came out from the altar, who had power over fire, and he cried with a loud cry to him who had the sharp sickle, saying, “Thrust in your sharp sickle and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth, for her grapes are fully ripe.” 19 So the angel thrust his sickle into the earth and gathered the vine of the earth, and threw it into the great winepress of the wrath of God. 20 And the winepress was trampled outside the city, and blood came out of the winepress, up to the horses’ bridles, for one thousand six hundred furlongs.
So one reaper who you want to be reaped by and one reaper that you would prefer to avoid.
All Praise The Ancient Of Days
The bible does mention reapers.
But the reapers in the bible are Angels not the black clad skeleton often depicted in pop culture.
Jesus gave a parable where he mentioned the reapers.
Matthew 13
24 Another parable He put forth to them, saying: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field; 25 but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way. 26 But when the grain had sprouted and produced a crop, then the tares also appeared. 27 So the servants of the owner came and said to him, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?’ 28 He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ The servants said to him, ‘Do you want us then to go and gather them up?’ 29 But he said, ‘No, lest while you gather up the tares you also uproot the wheat with them. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, “First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn.”’”
So there are two reapers. Jesus went on to explain to the disciples:
Matthew 13
36 Then Jesus sent the multitude away and went into the house. And His disciples came to Him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the tares of the field.”
37 He answered and said to them: “He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. 38 The field is the world, the good seeds are the sons of the kingdom, but the tares are the sons of the wicked one. 39 The enemy who sowed them is the devil, the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are the angels.
The book of Revelation also mentions these two angels.
Revelation 14
14 Then I looked, and behold, a white cloud, and on the cloud sat One like the Son of Man, having on His head a golden crown, and in His hand a sharp sickle. 15 And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to Him who sat on the cloud, “Thrust in Your sickle and reap, for the time has come for You to reap, for the harvest of the earth is ripe.” 16 So He who sat on the cloud thrust in His sickle on the earth, and the earth was reaped.
17 Then another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, he also having a sharp sickle.
18 And another angel came out from the altar, who had power over fire, and he cried with a loud cry to him who had the sharp sickle, saying, “Thrust in your sharp sickle and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth, for her grapes are fully ripe.” 19 So the angel thrust his sickle into the earth and gathered the vine of the earth, and threw it into the great winepress of the wrath of God. 20 And the winepress was trampled outside the city, and blood came out of the winepress, up to the horses’ bridles, for one thousand six hundred furlongs.
So one reaper who you want to be reaped by and one reaper that you would prefer to avoid.
All Praise The Ancient Of Days
Enmos
Valued Senior Member
And you do ? What then, you have no ego ? Or everybody that hasnt got the same view as you have is egoistic ? Come on..
Enmos
Valued Senior Member
The origins of the Grim Reaper go back to old Celtic folklore in which he was known as Ankou.
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ankou:
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ankou: