Origin of death

Did You Know?

• In Christianity, death is a consequence of the fall of man from a prior state of innocence, as described in the Book of Genesis.
• In an early Greek myth, death is a consequence of the disagreement between Zeus and Prometheus, resulting from Pandora opening her box.
• The modern common deity of death is the Grim Reaper.

Africa

Across many African myths, death did not exist at the very start. A supreme being could restore youth to the elderly, or people might die and simply continue living in heaven. Eternal life was often lost due to a human flaw like greed, curiosity, stubbornness, or arrogance. It could also come as punishment for disobedience, from human indifference, a failed message delivery, a broken connection between heaven and Earth, or even an accident. In these traditions, death is frequently seen as the start of a new journey.

In Asante mythology, death entered the world through a series of contests between the god Tano and Owuo, the Asante embodiment of death. They competed to claim a hunter, but neither could win outright. They then agreed that whenever a warrior was dying, both would race to claim the soul. If Tano arrived first, the person survived; if Owuo arrived first, the person died. The Asante view death as a natural, unavoidable end for all living things, with no exceptions. When a young person dies, it is blamed on foul play. Owuo’s birthday falls on Wednesday, so people born on that day are believed to be connected to this force.

According to Krachi tradition, death began when a young boy poured reviving medicine into the eye of a dead Owuo. Owuo had been killed after a boy cannibalized three people. The townspeople set Owuo’s long hair on fire, but hidden in his hair was a reviving medicine. They used it to splash on the victims’ bones and bring them back to life. Feeling pity for Owuo, who had been kind to him, the boy poured some of the medicine into Owuo’s eye, reviving it. Now that eye winks, and every time it does, someone dies.

North America

The origin of death is a common theme in Native American mythology. Among the plateau tribes, the trickster Coyote is blamed for its origin, and the Chiricahua Apache myth also blames Coyote. Plains tribes ascribe death to unfavorable chance; for example, in the Blackfeet account, Old Man and Old Woman argued over whether people should die, and Old Woman used magic to ensure the agreed-upon sign gave her desired result.

Among native peoples of the Western United States, a common explanation is that death resulted from a debate between two beings, one favoring death and the other immortality. In the Thompson Indians story, Raven wanted death because there would otherwise be too many men. Coyote preferred sleep to death but was outvoted by Crow, Fly, and Maggot, who sided with Raven. Raven's daughter then became the first to die, and Raven wanted to reverse his choice, but Coyote said the decision was irrevocable.

Oceania

Across Oceania, a widespread story tells that humans once could renew themselves by casting off their skin, just as snakes do. But when an elderly woman did this, her grandchildren became so frightened that they cried until she put her old skin back on. This choice meant that all people after her would have to die.

In Polynesian tradition, death came about through the hero Māui. He tried to pass through Hine-nui-te-pō, the goddess of night, to grant humans immortality. However, a bird accompanying him laughed, waking the goddess, who crushed Māui. With his death, the chance for eternal life was lost.