When it comes to guiding souls, many ancient cultures populated their pantheons with dedicated escorts. Below we unveil ten more psychopomps that shepherded the dead, each with a unique twist on the after‑life journey.
Exploring More Psychopomps
10 Ogmios
Ogmios, the Celtic deity of eloquence, doubles as a psychopomp. He’s often likened to an elder Heracles or even Hermes, using the sheer force of his speech to lure mortals toward the netherworld. Beyond persuasive oration, he could craft defixiones—cursed tablets—to bind souls to his will. Once a spirit agreed, Ogmios would fasten a chain to the victim’s tongue and pull it through the ears, a supernatural twist on the classic tin‑can telephone. Roman author Lucian notes that those attached to Ogmios felt grateful for the tether, yet grew melancholy if it were removed.
9 Papa Ghede
Papa Ghede reigns as the Voodoo god of death, believed to be the corpse of humanity’s first mortal to die. He lingers at the crossroads between life and the afterlife, steering newly departed souls toward Guinee, the spirit realm often visualized as Africa itself. All‑knowing and ever‑watchful, he’s depicted with a jaunty hat and a cigar, and he’s famed for a rib‑tickling, sometimes bawdy sense of humor. During other deities’ ceremonies, Papa Ghede is notorious for crashing the party, sipping rum, and getting delightfully drunk.
8 No-Mikoto
Izanami‑no‑Mikoto serves Shinto as both creator and death goddess. Though not a classic psychopomp, she is a shinigami—a deity capable of causing mortal deaths, directly or indirectly. Her name translates to “she who invites.” Together with her husband‑partner Izanagi‑no‑Mikoto, she fashioned the first land. Tragedy struck when she perished giving birth to Kagu‑Tsuchi, the fire deity. In retaliation, Izanagi slew their son, enraged by the loss.
7 Oya
Oya, a Yoruba goddess, commands fire, destruction, and the underworld, while also presiding over the Niger River. As the gatekeeper of death, she awaits souls and escorts them onward, yet she embodies life and the cycle of reincarnation. Offerings of eggplant or a glass of red wine are said to win her favor.
6 Anguta
Among the Inuit, Anguta stands as the supreme god who first drags departed souls down to Adlivun, a chilling purgatory. There, he administers a punishment proportional to the deceased’s earthly sins—often lasting about a year. Once the penalty is satisfied, the spirit may travel to Quidlivun, the Moon‑lit heaven. His name means “man with something to cut,” earned after he severed his daughter, who then rose as a goddess.
5 Veles
Veles is the Slavic god of earth, cattle, and the underworld. His name stems from the Lithuanian “vele,” meaning “shadow of death.” Myth portrays the cosmos as a massive tree, with Veles coiled like a serpent around its roots. He perpetually clashes with thunder god Perun, especially after stealing Perun’s cattle. Early Christian missionaries later recast him as a devilish figure.
4 Gwyn Ap Nudd
In Welsh lore, Gwyn Ap Nudd rules both the fairy realm and Annwn, the underworld. Unlike many afterlife deities, mortals could wander in and out of his domain at will. He also heads the Wild Hunt, riding the skies with spectral hounds called Cwn Annwn to reap the souls of fallen Celtic warriors. Legends portray him with a blackened visage.
3 Ixtab
Ixtab, the Mayan “Rope Woman,” watches over those who end their own lives by hanging—a practice regarded as honorable in Mayan culture. She is also the guardian of warriors slain in battle and women who die in childbirth, ferrying them to a blissful paradise. Her iconography includes a rope around the neck and a distinctive black circle on her cheek, symbolizing post‑mortem decay.
2 Head And Horse-Face
Ox‑Head and Horse‑Face are Chinese underworld sentinels, each bearing the head of their namesake animal. Their duty is to escort fresh souls to Diyu, the realm of the dead. Clever tricksters can outwit them; the monkey god Sun Wukong erased his name from the book of the dead to achieve immortality. Beyond guiding, they mete out punishment before souls may be reborn.
1 Yama
Yama, the Hindu god of death, presides over Naraka—a multi‑leveled purgatory where souls face retribution for their sins before reincarnation. He assigns each spirit to the appropriate tier and also directs worthy souls toward one of seven Swarga heavens. Armed with a noose in his left hand, he lassoes souls from their corpses. Legend recounts that Shiva once killed Yama for disrespect, after which Yama was resurrected, making Shiva the only deity he truly reveres.