The Macabre Origins of the Grim Reaper (feat.

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There are fewer images of Death personified than the scythe-wielding skeletal form of the Grim Reaper. But where did it come from? You may have heard that this haunting figure emerged as a result of the Black Plague, but that’s only a fraction of the story. Featuring ‪@AskAMortician‬, this episode looks at the long history of skeletal Death in religion, literature, art, and pop culture. From violent reaper to dark lover and virtually everything in between, there’s a lot more to Death than, well, Death. #grimreaper #mythology #MonstrumPBS
Written and Hosted by: Dr. Emily Zarka
Director: David Schulte
Executive Producer: Amanda Fox
Producer: Stephanie Noone
Illustrator: Samuel Allen
Editor: Ray Lux
Produced by Spotzen for PBS Digital Studios.
The world is full of monsters, myths, and legends and Monstrum isn’t afraid to take a closer look. The show, hosted by Emily Zarka, Ph.D., takes us on a journey to discover a new monster in each new episode. Monstrum looks at humans' unique drive to create and shape monster mythology through oral storytelling, literature, and film and digs deep into the history of those mythologies.
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Bibliography
Burke, Joseph P. The Black Death. Greenwood Press, 2004.
"Chronos." Britannica Academic, Encyclopædia Britannica, 26 Sep. 2018.
"Cronus." Britannica Academic, Encyclopædia Britannica, 26 Sep. 2018.
Gertsman, Elina. The Dance of Death in the Middle Ages: Image, Text, Performance. Brepolis, 2010.
Goetz, Hans-Werner. Life In the Middle Ages: From the Seventh to the Thirteenth Century. E-book, Notre Dame, Ind.: University of Notre Dame Press, 1993.
Guthke, Karl S. The Gender of Death: A Cultural History in Art and Literature. Cambridge University Press, 1999.
Kinch, Ashby. “Image, Ideology, and Form: The Middle English ‘Three Dead Kings’ in Its Iconographic Context.” The Chaucer Review, vol. 43, no. 1, The Pennsylvania State University Press, 2008, pp. 48-81.
Kurtz, Leonard P. The Dance of Death and the Macabre Spirit in European Literature. Gordon Press, 1975.
OED Online, Oxford University Press, March 2021.
Roberts, Michael. “Sickles and Scythes: Women’s work and Men’s Work at Harvest Time.” History Workshop, no. 7, Spring 1979, pp. 3-28.
Stone, David. Decision-Making in Medieval Agriculture, Oxford University Press, Incorporated, 2005.
Tholuck, August. The Circle of Human Life. New York: Robert Carter & Brothers, 1860.

[@Corporis]

This episode has something for everyone: Greek mythology, vivid depictions of death incarnate, and Caitlin's bangs

[@itwasagoodideaatthetime7980]

Yes Death Momma Catlin Doughty & Dr Z together in the same video! 😁😄👍 What an *AWESOME* gift for the 4th of July! 💀

[@emv8869]

I totally read this is Stefan’s voice

[@Corporis]

@@emv8869 as intended 😊

[@thetedentertainmentstudio]

What about the Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy?

[@rdrgz6217]

Don’t forget that cool t-shirt Dr Z was using

[@Schlachti10]

"The Grimm Reaper should be the Grimm Mower" - Caitlin "Scytheman" - Germany

[@Das_Kaenguru]

Scytheman got unemploymed years ago in Germany. We have „Lawn Mower Man“ now….cause we are into efficiency and stuff

[@scytheslash]

@@Das_Kaenguru So what do i do?

[@Richard_Nickerson]

Grim* Grim means dark, depressing, uninviting. Grimm is the surname from the fairytales. Grim comes from the same place Grimm does, but one's a name and the other's an adjective. A Grimm Reaper is one who reaps people named Grimm.

[@Carewolf]

@@Richard_Nickerson No, he is just the Reaper named Grimm.

[@Richard_Nickerson]

@@Carewolf Nah. Grammatically, it's what I said.

[@misssomayea]

This is the crossover we needed.

[@Spectrulus]

I don't have the words for how delighted I am to see this. Legendary feels close though.

[@josediego9219]

I agree

[@sriprakhyapochiraju9498]

Definitely!

[@JimmyNails27]

I came here to say exactly this

[@marinara3306]

I got so excited.

[@cramerfloro5936]

The fact that they pointed out the difference between Chronos and Kronos gave me physical pleasure!

[@doomedmessenger]

I never knew about the pronunciation difference between them! That's the first time I've heard them be different.

[@VergilsApprentice]

@@doomedmessenger I think she mispronounced it, since if you plug in the greek pronunciation of Chronos into google translate it sounds much more like Chronos than whatever she said.

[@VergilsApprentice]

At least it sounded like she mispronounced it the first time she said it; subsequent pronunciations sound much closer.

[@cramerfloro5936]

@@VergilsApprentice it doesn't bother me that much: there isn't any word with an aspirative followed by a consonant in English, so her adding a short E after the aspirative is a close enough approximation.

[@gabrielasolis2657]

I'm still at the beginning but this gives me serotonin

[@MysticMindAnalysis]

"DONT THINK OF IT AS DYING," said Death. "JUST THINK OF IT AS LEAVING EARLY TO AVOID THE RUSH."

[@RodLandaeta]

I love that quote from Good Omens. I REMEMBER WHEN ALL THIS WILL BE AGAIN.

[@ladykoiwolfe]

Terry Pratchett always wrote my favorite Death.

[@RodLandaeta]

@@ladykoiwolfe it was his favourite character. A true genius.

[@fist-of-doom487]

Here’s a Death Quote for you from The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy: Billy: why do the good die young? Grim Reaper: Well usually it’s because I get confused

[@ladykoiwolfe]

@@RodLandaeta one can tell when the Author truly cares about a character. I would guess Granny Weatherwax to be his second favorite. I know she's one of mine. Her death tore me up just about as much as his did.

[@freiht7508]

Dr. Z and Caitlin talking about The Grim Reaper, this is pure perfection.

[@monsternside1509]

Great, now I'm imagining Death running around chasing folks with a push mower.

[@itwasagoodideaatthetime7980]

ROTFLMAO!🤣🚜💀

[@fruitygarlic3601]

In Terry Pratchett's Discworld, the Grim Reapers of other planets sometimes use combine harvesters.

[@giladpellaeon1691]

And the Death of the Discworld defeats a combine harvester in a John Henry style contest (with the help of some sabotage)

[@kaylathehedgehog2005]

Funnily enough, the manga/anime "Black Butler" actually has a Grim Reaper character that modified his scythe to look like a push mower. The character's name is Ronald Knox, if you want to look him up.

[@thoughtengine]

I'm imagining him trying to start it whilst streaming expletives in small capitals...

[@titangirl161]

Fun fact: Scythe's are not practical as weapons. Sometimes farmers would use them in an uprising because it was what they had. This would make the grim reaper using one less of a warrior and more of a farmer. But there are also battle scythes, which were specifically made to be weilded in a fight.

[@mortified776]

I was so keen for this I didn't even notice that it said this is a collab with Ask a Mortician. I screamed like a little girl when Caitlin appeared! Animated skeletons are easily my favourite horror trope. If they're yours too I strongly recommend Percival Landon's short story _Thurnley Abbey._

[@jessicaclakley3691]

Thank you for the recommendation

[@Spectrulus]

I also screamed...

[@mortified776]

@@jessicaclakley3691 My pleasure! Hope you enjoy it!

[@dianaadhdchannel]

I’ve now just learned about her because of this channel. I love her already 🤩

[@mortified776]

@@dianaadhdchannel Welcome young Deathling!

[@memmermiller]

They did all this without mentioning Sandman or Discworld? Here’s hoping “It’s Lit” do a literary-focused follow-up 🖤

[@theasinclaire52]

I want that! I bet Lindsay Ellis has talked about Death.

[@catherinefilcher236]

I think they have already done a "it's lit" on death. It's great and they talk about the discworld Death.

[@FlorenceFox]

Right? They even brought up humanizing portrayals of Death in particular.

[@erkindanger]

Lindsay's Loose Canon episode on Death: kzbin.info/www/bejne/b5Kxkqtnh82mY9k

[@giladpellaeon1691]

@@theasinclaire52 Yes she has and mentions Death of the Discworld

[@nemilyk]

OMG MY TWO FAVORITE KZbinRS TOGETHER!!

[@dseray9494]

Same!

[@lancebiggerstaff2660]

Right?!

[@itwasagoodideaatthetime7980]

Yes Death Momma Catlin Doughty & Dr Z together in the same video! 😁😄👍 What an *AWESOME* gift for the 4th of July! 💀

[@IshbelJekyllhyde]

Yessss

[@AslamGreyFox]

Yeah...this was the 1st vid I saw.. Omgosh my heart fluttered, 2 most beautiful people in in the same video.. And the day after watching one being preserved with formaldehyde... Ahahahaa my own fairy-tale 😁

[@Gandalf-The-Green]

I always loved Terry Pratchett's stories on his Discworld version of the Grim Reaper, especially the one in which his mortal apprentice had to take over because Death had a midlife crisis. I hope that when the reaper came for him he came as an old friend which is the most you can expect from death. By the way what a great idea to get Caitlin on board, can't imagine a better collab.... unless LED Zeppelin and Rush were doing a gig together.

[@kanrup5199]

I think the story of book 'soul music' has some to do with death of Death's daughter and mort, and Death's granddaughter Susan.

[@dlollard]

Until now, the character Death, from Neil Gaiman's Sandman, was the only female Death I was aware of. Thank you for a fascinating trip through the history of Death.

[@andrewmalinowski6673]

Another version is Azrael from Lucifer, she was mentioned as Lucifer and Amenadiel's sister but doesn't show up until episode 326 (S3E26). It was interesting seeing a version who was a kind and pleasant dork rather than a terrifying image; "I only ever hang out with dead people they're so...morose."

[@originaluddite]

I was quite pleased to hear that, because in my D&D game the death deity appears as masculine, feminine or skeletal-neuter depending on circumstances, and also is neither evil nor good.

[@scipio109]

In Spain we always see death as a woman, there is even an old military song where soldiers refer to themselves as Death‘s groom, you know like they are her boyfriend?

[@staceyt557]

Not necessarily Death, but In the Supernatural series, the first Reaper was male until Crowley killed him off, then the new Reaper was female. I thought that was a very different take on the it,, to see that the gender of the Reaper could be either gender as long as they were good for the role.

[@Moonfire289]

The Kindred in LoL are two entities that never leave each other's side, and Lamb is (I'm assuming anyways by her voice) a female

[@MWhaleK]

The Discworld Novels have the best depiction of Death.

[@foreverpinkf.7603]

Yeah, the most funny death ever.

[@andrewbond4353]

I like to think death from disc world is the real grim reaper he just knows how to put the fun back in to your death.

[@devilbydeed11]

@@andrewbond4353 You can't spell Funeral without FUN!

[@LeeDeeThe1]

5:36 "Just butting in here for some scythe facts" is exactly what I imagine Caitlin beeing like at partys.

[@fireflyer97]

So, the grim reaper is basically a medieval meme.

[@DavidTokugi44]

A timeless meme

[@nunyabiznes33]

Undying meme

[@notimetolive12]

Medieval version of Coffin dance meme.

[@vee-bee-a]

An eternal meme.

[@DocHolliday1851]

Seasons don't fear the reaper Nor do the wind, the sun, or the rain

[@nightthought2497]

My personal favourite depiction of the Reaper is the Terry Pratchett Death.

[@andrewmalinowski6673]

I'd say it's between Death from Hogfather and Azrael from Lucifer. One is calm but authoritative and compassionate "Then we have an agreement," the other is kind and somewhat dorky and had a great reveal as the Angel of Death; "what too cool to call me Rae-Rae anymore?"

[@HarryBuddhaPalm]

You might be a king or a little street sweeper but sooner or later you'll dance with the Reaper.

[@adnaanu]

Thumbs up 👍for the Bill and Ted reference

[@andrewbond4353]

This was actually said by a prisoner just before his execution in the USA

[@HarryBuddhaPalm]

@@andrewbond4353 It was also said by the Grim Reaper in "Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey". kzbin.info/www/bejne/hGq8oaGhob6brrs

[@emiliaortiz2458]

Oh, I like that. is that a quote or entirely you?

[@HarryBuddhaPalm]

@@emiliaortiz2458 It's from "Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey". kzbin.info/www/bejne/hGq8oaGhob6brrs

[@EveloGrave]

Aww, was hoping to see mention of Malthael in Diablo using two sickles or how death can be portrayed to children as in the Cartoon Network show "The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy"

[@themerryreaper4667]

There is a book called the Book Thief and it is written from the perspective of one of the best depictions of death as someone neutral and fair. For people that are as interested in the concept of death as me.

[@macdege6754]

Ah i have to read that book again, I remember liking it.

[@thefragrantwookiee]

Pratchett's Death is iconic: Albert - "Never say die, that's our motto!" Death - "I CAN'T SAY IT'S EVER BEEN MINE." Teatime - "Don't try any last-minute stuff!" Death - "I *AM* LAST MINUTE STUFF."

[@gracemanock2471]

I didn't give you a start, I gave you a stop!

[@williamwhitney5266]

No I'm the Final Note ...Silence... -Bill Door💀

[@cuppiesaur]

As a number one fan of PBS shows and of Cait - this video makes me SO HAPPY ♥

[@itwasagoodideaatthetime7980]

Yes Death Momma Catlin Doughty & Dr Z together in the same video! 😁😄👍 What an *AWESOME* gift for the 4th of July! 💀

[@gwendolyn2001]

Re: Female Grim Reapers--in Greece, Hekate is closely associated with death and a goddess triad, ruled the underworld before Hades came along. In Norse myth, the underworld has a goddess, not a god, of death. In Celtic myth, the Morrigan, also a triple goddess, is the goddess of death and war. There are precedents for female "reapers." And well done!

[@asmith8692]

Macaria, daughter of Hades and Persephone.

[@gwendolyn2001]

@@asmith8692 I have studied Greek myth rather extensively and never heard of Macaria! Thanks for introducing her to me. However, the sources which I found say her mother is unknown. She is mentioned in the Suda, apparently, but that work is from the 10th. century. I can't find any other info about her.

[@pedroarjona6996]

The White Lady or maybe the Lady in White, "La Alba Doncella" o "La Dama Blanca", a very thin and pale or skelitical well dressed female in a white dress, that will kiss you, sometimes in the forehead or the cheek, other deeply in the mouth, and with that kiss take your soul to your judgment.

[@gwendolyn2001]

@@pedroarjona6996 Thanks for the info! Interesting.

[@Nightwalker-zk6ce]

Isn’t the underworld god in ancient Japanese mythology also female?

[@trollkienofficial1225]

If I die and the death coming for me is not Death from Neil Gaiman's Sandman comics, I'm not dying.

[@itwasagoodideaatthetime7980]

I haven't read Sandman, but if it's the same Death there as in the. Terry Pratchett Discworld novels then I can whole heartedly agree with you. 💀

[@giladpellaeon1691]

@@itwasagoodideaatthetime7980 Sandman's Death is female and less "skeleton in robes".

[@Lucius1958]

@@giladpellaeon1691 Who else thinks Caitlin could do a great cosplay of Death from Sandman?

[@itwasagoodideaatthetime7980]

@@giladpellaeon1691 Cool, but I think I'd prefer Terry Pratchett's Death to come for me. Then I could at least have a curry before I went to the Great Beyond. 🍛💀 🤣

[@giladpellaeon1691]

@@itwasagoodideaatthetime7980 And probably get to pet a kitty too. Because CATS ARE NICE

[@tskmaster3837]

THERE IS NO JUSTICE, THERE IS JUST ME. With regards and thanks to Mr Terry Practhett. Oh and never quote Death, only Ravens.

[@itwasagoodideaatthetime7980]

GNU Sir Terry Pratchett 😔

[@giladpellaeon1691]

GNU Sir Terry

[@amarketing8749]

@@itwasagoodideaatthetime7980 Excuse my ignorance, but what does GNU stand for?

[@BeatrixOnyx]

@@amarketing8749 it comes from Going Postal. In the book the Discworld have gained internet-like technology called Clacks. GNU is a code that means: "“G” means that the message must be passed on, “N” means “not logged”, and “U” means the message should be turned around at the end of a line."

[@Lilithksheh7723]

@@BeatrixOnyx @a marketing It can also be construed as “Good Night Universe”.

[@aisadal2521]

Aaahhhh! First I screamed when I saw you were covering the Grim Reaper, and then I screamed again when I saw you had Caitlin Doughty as a guest speaker here! 😍😍😍😍😍😍

[@itwasagoodideaatthetime7980]

Yes Death Momma Catlin Doughty & Dr Z together in the same video! 😁😄👍 What an *AWESOME* gift for the 4th of July! 💀

[@pandapounce]

I know!

[@kellydalstok8900]

"It’s funny. The day you lose someone isn’t the worst - at least you’ve got something to do. It’s all the days they stay dead." - The Doctor

[@TheBearAspirin]

The Grim Reaper: the OG skinny legend.

[@ladykoiwolfe]

I love the way Terry Pratchett wrote Death. It was always so personal and relatable. Though I think Susan was my favorite part-time Death.

[@jeswicas]

Oh my, the collaboration I didn't know I needed! Love it 😊

[@alexandraburton232]

One of my favourite portrayals of Death/Grim Reaper is from the comics by Jenny-Jinya. She raises awareness for a lot of animal issues and Death in her stories is so sweet and you sympathise with him. He just has to do his job but tries to comfort the animals he takes at the same time.

[@princekrazie]

I am reminded with the words of John the Baptist: "The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.... His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire"

[@Rendezman562]

amazing episode, very educational!! thank you!!

[@PrestonC3po]

The image of despair and dread, the one thing that we cant run from, hide from, the one thing we cant beat, we can maybe push back its arrival, but like the old ones of H.P Lovecrafts mythos, there is no stopping death.

[@drrocketman7794]

Well said.

[@mg4361]

4:28 correction: in Slavic languages (at least the two that i know) the word for death, smrt, is female and is depicted as a pale, skinny old woman in stories.

[@Miraihi]

Can confirm, death is female in Russian, my mother tongue.

[@riograndedosulball248]

Actually shocked to learn that there are cultures in which Death is NOT female

[@pkups.79]

As a Pole, I caught this mistake too (śmierć is a female noun)

[@rotciv557]

Death is often seen as female in Spanish speaking countries too (the pronoun used to refer to Death, "La", is exclusively used for female nouns which the spanish word for Death, "Muerte", counts as. We refer to Death as a concept or person as "La Muerte")

[@Ellestra]

@@riograndedosulball248 You're not the only one - one of the most common questions (besides the Sto Lat one) Terry Pratchett got when he came to Poland was why is DEATH male.

[@llamacado_animates6314]

I-I’ve waited so long for this… this collaboration… this… changes… everything….

[@myragroenewegen5426]

I'd love a little commentary on how the entire costume of the grim reaper became as fixed as it is. The raggy , full-length hooded robe or cloak garment is pretty fixed now. Does it originate with monks? Older mythological references? regular farm fashion plus deterioration and black for death? Also, with everything else so fixed, it's interesting that death's face goes from skeleton, to white ghost face, to wizened old man(in the tarrot) , and is often hiding beneath the hood entirely, which implies a fair bit about the unknown. It'd be fun to explore the history and meaning creation of that.

[@theintern2960]

Caitlin? My KZbin subscriptions are turning into some kind of cinematic universe!

[@lorysafernandez8666]

OMG! my 2 favorite channels teamed up for a crossover on Death it self. This fangirl is in Shangri-La, keep doing your mythical and morbid thing you eloquent Queens of Darkness

[@loretaarroyo]

OMYGOD DR. EMILY AND CAITLYN OMG OMG 😭😭😭😭 THE CROSSOVER WE LIVE FOR 😭😭😭😭

[@itwasagoodideaatthetime7980]

Yes Death Momma Catlin Doughty & Dr Z together in the same video! 😁😄👍 What an *AWESOME* gift for the 4th of July! 💀

[@wendychavez5348]

Such an odd topic to squee about, but ... SSSQUEEEEEEEEEE!!! Two of my favorite creators combined!

[@philipalmeida4490]

"Death is before me today: like the recovery of a sick man, like going forth into a garden after sickness. Death is before me today: like the odor of myrrh, like sitting under a sail in a good wind. Death is before me today: like the course of a stream; like the return of a man from the war-galley to his house. Death is before me today: like the home that a man longs to see, after years spent as a captive." -The Sandman: Preludes & Nocturne - The Sound of Her Wings

[@rachelk4805]

Oh man 😭🤗

[@lycadia]

He was quoting Miriam Lichtheim's translation in Ancient Egyptian Literature, Volume 1: The Old and Middle Kingdoms. I believe it is from a fragment of The Book of The Dead original.

[@millepor2154]

PBS used to be my favorite thing as a kid and now it’s found my way back to my life! I’m here for it!!

[@S08R01]

This personification reminds me of the Indian belief of death talking the form of Yama and his assistants - The Yamadutas (Sanskrit: यमदूत), who wield a whip (made from all the materialistic attachments) instead of the scythe, to pull out the soul of the dead. Yama, quite like the Grim Reaper, is pictured in various advertisements that help spread awareness, such as road safety or in recent times, to protect oneself from the pandemic.

[@lunacouer]

Now THIS is something I want to hear more about. Death has been personified all over the world. I'd like to hear more than just the European version.

[@helenl3193]

So the whip frees you from your material attachments so your spirit can go in to the afterlife /reincarnation, or something?

[@S08R01]

@@helenl3193 Yes, the whip is meant to free one's soul from all worldly attachments.

[@helenl3193]

@@S08R01 that's a great concept, makes so much sense to me! 😁 Thanks

[@jocelyn5423]

This is an amazing collab, I absolutely love this

[@kathleenjackson3258]

Lindsay Ellis put up a video quite a while ago about fictional representations about the personification of death. If you like this you could watch those too. All the great KZbinrs talking about death!

[@tigressjolie]

Two of my favorite people in one video?! This is amazing.

[@mr.midnight23]

A crossover...between two of my favorite grim-themed YT channels...sponsored by a site I use almost daily? Awesome

[@darhaha3391]

The Chronos vs Kronos thing was amazing to me... 😲 thanks a lot for that.

[@ghoultiful]

Dream team up tbh! Love this

[@itwasagoodideaatthetime7980]

Yes Death Momma Catlin Doughty & Dr Z together in the same video! 😁😄👍 What an *AWESOME* gift for the 4th of July! 💀

[@jonasholzer4422]

Omg this crossover with "ask a mortician" is all I ever wanted 😍✨💀🦴

[@jso6790]

As always a wonderful episode, showing us the origins of our ideas and how they connect to the real world. I never knew that the 3 Princes story was so significant artistically. I had heard of it, but the idea of it being the first European personification of animated corpses. Whoever that person was who first drew it.. literally sent ripples throughout the culture of the world. (probably a monk)

[@glambertmonika9220]

I can already tell this'll be a great collab

[@colmhain]

Never saw this colab coming. Great mix, thanks, ladies!

[@Mikeztarp]

4:35 In French, Spanish and Portuguese and Latin, the word for "death" is feminine. I don't know about the others, but I think this explains why the personification of Death was female. PS: My favorite version of a personification of Death is Terry Pratchett's in the Discworld series. :)

[@thomasboyd1402]

In Slavic languages (at least the three I speak) the word is grammatically feminine, but the grim reaper is still a masculine figure..

[@Mikeztarp]

@@thomasboyd1402 Interesting. So much for my theory!

[@toropazzoide]

Same for italian. "Morte" is feminine. Also, kinda unrelated, but I love her pronunciation of Trionfo della Morte lol

[@AntediluvianRomance]

Bretons also have a male Ankou.

[@tomasvrabec1845]

@@thomasboyd1402 in Slovak and Czech it is grammatically female but it is depicted either way, especially in modern media such as Czech comedies. :d I remember one with an old skinny lady that only played death to scare someone. 😂😂😂 "I suggest you for the death! No n ed for a costume, natural beauty will do" 😂😂 thanks

[@gregcampwriter]

One of the best portrayals is when the Warner Brothers and their Sister Dot meet Death. And Terry Pratchett's Death is the definitive version.

[@itwasagoodideaatthetime7980]

Sir Terry Pratchett made Death more relatable than any other writer I know of. GNU Sir Terry 😔

[@giladpellaeon1691]

I've read that many terminally ill fans found comfort in Pratchett's portrayal of Death.

[@GryphonBrokewing]

I haven't lost a game of checkers since the beginning of time...I think it was a Tuesday. Not a lot of people know that.

[@ericharkleroad7716]

I subscribe to both KZbinrs already and never imagined this crossover/colab, but it was great

[@biorph8597]

I love the segment, but I admit I was a little sad that neither Terry Pratchett nor Neil Gaiman's interpretations got mentioned

[@izabellahortega2971]

Two Monstrum episodes in two weeks!!! Who-Hoo!!!!!😁😁😁

[@henriniemela1746]

I FORGOT THIS CHANNEL EXISTED I first watched in when there were only a few videos, and got one in my recommended. Fast forward to now and I can binge all the new ones! Back when this was monstrum.

[@masterrafferty4065]

sees scythe: "Is it about the hedge?"

[@thexalon]

The salmon mousse!

[@andrewtongue7084]

One of your best & "most excellent" presentations, Emily - nice touch to have the 'Queen Of Death' featured as a co-presenter; whilst one (inexorably) sees Death as an unwelcome visitor, I am pleased that you show this incarnation's more humanitarian facet. As a physician, I have seen entirely too many lose their lives to this current Pandemic. Thank you for a more philosophical denouement to this (unfiortunately) taboo subject. Keep safe & well, Best, Andrew :)

[@Ninjaananas]

The grim repear is absolutly a cool thing. One of my favorites.

[@Son0v4l1ch]

If you like bayonetta and borderlands then you'll be pleased to play darksiders 2

[@Ninjaananas]

@@Son0v4l1ch I have played Darksider 2 but have never finished it.

[@mythicalcreaturesdoctorsor3589]

Grim reaper : 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 England medieval forest death spirit men dark hooded skeleton reaper scythe die people

[@kidney4curt]

This my favorite episode so far! Dr. Emily and Caitlin is an amazing combination!

[@Umbra-r4k]

I remember fighting him in dragon's dogma but damn he one hit kills you a lot.

[@houselightkell]

Might I ask how many people scream "TATAKAE" around you?

[@BawonoSA173]

Really? It's instead a fresh memory for me of Dante's Inferno

[@lindafreeman7030]

Two of my favorite KZbin explicators, in one fine film!

[@ScaerieTale]

NGL Neil Gaiman's Death is my favorite, but Sir Terry Pratchett's is a close (nearly equal) second 😍 Excellent video as always, Dr Z! I've always wondered when the Grim Reaper started to become synonymous with death (and hwy the scythe). Thank you both

[@carolynsaffoe8718]

This makes me so happy. Two of my favorites on KZbin doing a collab! I wonder when a sort of standardized image of the Grim Reaper came into existence. Would also be interesting to know a bit about how the Grim Reaper is connected to the Angel of Death.

[@alexandriacollins7119]

Surprised you never referenced Death from Terry Prachett's 'Discworld' franchise.

[@petesolo70]

Fascinating. Great episode Dr Zarka.

[@rriotghoul]

Yes!!!!!! The Deathling Queen has joined :D

[@JonathanDJCureton]

This collaboration is AMAZING!

[@Bacopa68]

That "Bowling Death" AIDS PSA is pretty wild. It was used quite effectively in Vincent Ward's The Navigator. And that's a pretty trippy movie too.

[@masterseal0418]

One of the most iconic portrayals of the Grim Reaper in Western Animation is Grim in both Grim and Evil as well as The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy! He's a well meaning guy, voiced by Greg Eagles(current voice of Aku Aku in the Crash Bandicoot franchise)and considered a Butt-Monkey since he was treated terribly by two kids who hired him. There's plenty of Reapers in popular culture to pick out, but another meaning of death(aside from other personifications such as Thanatos and Chronos)goes by the title of Dance Macabre, aka the dance to death. Another example is a Japanese entity known as the Shinigami(translated from Japanese as Death God, since the former wife or sister of Izanagi called Izanami, who died giving birth to the God of infernal flames Hinokazawa), but those are related stories to tell, but not for long.

[@AslamGreyFox]

Ohhh myyy... Be still my beating heart... It skipped a beat when I saw this video... Great combination death and beauty... Caitlin, formaldehyde yesterday and Grim today 😁 ❤️

[@geasciantuition7290]

Grim Reaper in Russian "смерть с косой" - Great video - I love this channel. I've been using all these stories, characters & creatures with my students for years - now, finally there is a channel I can point them to for more information. Keep up the amazing work!

[@themadowl9224]

YES AMAZING COLLAB, Hello there Caitlin!!

[@loganburnette5485]

My favorite form of death has always been Kindred from League of Legends. How they personify a peaceful and brutal death, the way they speak to one another and others, can't get enough of them. "Those who run from death, stood still in life"

[@ShadowFungus]

Without the grimm reaper, our way to the afterlife would be lonely. I’m glad he’s there so we can talk to someone on the otherside.

[@joanmayer304]

Great to see Caitlin on your video. Love both channels. Keep them coming. ❤️ from 🇨🇦

[@marinabarcellos9859]

Caitlin talking about myths and monsters???? Yes??? One hundred times yes! These 2 have to partner up more often!

[@vladislavgonkov1244]

Dr. Zarka made my day by pronouncing the name Chronos so nicely to emphasise the difference. It is a pleasure to listen to people that put the effort in research.

[@TheHallow31]

I'm kinda surprised Grim from the Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy wasn't mentioned. His character is one of the funniest and most entertaining takes on the entity, in my opinion.

[@diontaedaughtry974]

The story about the grim reaper and grim mower was very insightful.

[@kouvang522]

Don’t know why, but I want Emily to watch “The Ancient Magus Bride” and give her best theory on what Elias is.

[@Eontologist]

YES PLEASE

[@BriAngel476]

a good husband is what he is :)

[@MichaelSHartman]

Life? One can not exist without the other. I am not familiar with the story.

[@tylermadison6896]

I loved the Dead Like Me reference. It was such a good show

[@kelsey.targaryen]

AHHHHH I WAS LITERALLY THINKING THEY SHOULD ASK “ASK A MORTICIAN” I love it!!!

[@DrBunnyMedicinal]

Thanks for including the bloopers Dr Z!

[@BaldingClamydia]

Seriously! I recently started watching Caitlin and now she's on here! I have to get out of my internet bubble. 😆 all my KZbinrs crossover in each others' videos

[@itwasagoodideaatthetime7980]

Yes Death Momma Catlin Doughty & Dr Z together in the same video! 😁😄👍 What an *AWESOME* gift for the 4th of July! 💀

[@treeheckler762]

What a great episode! Thank you.

[@markredacted8547]

This could and should have been so much longer I absolutely loved it, not in a macabre way. I am absolutely fascinated with our (humanities) fear of "The Grim Mower" 😜 I would love to see this cross-over again maybe explaining in detail its earliest depictions and how it evolved and changed through history.

[@clintmullins8670]

Hi Emily, hi Kaitlyn, glad to see you back in my feed! Thanks for doing this one, I've always wanted to know more about the reaper

[@thomasdevine867]

Grim also means "masked." As in Isengrim, Iron Mask, the beast fable name for a wolf.

[@TheMusicBabe2010]

This is a brilliant cross over! So happy this encompassed the history and understanding. Plus you have Caitlin Doughty on this?! Even BETTER!!! ❤❤❤❤

[@emv8869]

Oh hey it’s my favorite Mortician!!

[@marievaleur7877]

It is after 1am and I was going to go to bed and this popped up! Big yay for this colab, Dr Z, my favorite spooky scholar and Caitlin, my favorite mortician!!

[@MrMman30]

The DMV persona was best presented by the late Terry Pratchett, in his Discworld novels, Death was a bored bureaucrat trying to leave his dull monotonous life and live a more vibrant one, going so far as to adopt a child (a female in a nod to the Grim Mowress alluded to in this video), make friends and have hobbies. This version of death was probably the most endearing to Gen X and Y English language readers, of whom I'm one, since it tried to disarm a malevolent character and show it a more benevolent if not humane light... This obviously ended with Pratchett's career/life and now we are back to the scary hardcore death of past years.🤦‍♂️

[@johndemeritt3460]

Death as a DMV persona . . . I don't remember this being brought up in the video, but your mention just reminded me of Paul Simon's song "The Afterlife". Just fill in the form and stand in the line . . . .

[@merlapittman5034]

Great episode! I really enjoy both Storied and Ask a Mortician, so this was great! My favorite personification of Death is the one in Terry Pratchett's Discworld novels. I'd like him to be the one who comes for me when it's time

[@kenichiotaku3693]

If I have my Japanese mythology straight, the Shinto religion also portrays death as a bunch of human-like figures that watch the mortal realm and harvest the lives of people who are about to die and they are called "shinigami" which in Japanese means death god, god/s of death or spirits of death.

[@micwclar]

OMG! This is the crossover I never knew I needed!!!!!