As All Hallows’ Eve draws near, the world grows ancient whispers. It is a time when the veil between life and death thins, and creatures once thought to belong only to myth emerge to remind us of the unknown. From the Raven’s croak to the Cat’s silent tread, animals bound to death and the afterlife serve as both guides and harbingers.
Let us wander through the shadowed paths of folklore and mythology, exploring five animals who embody the mysteries of the beyond.
THE RAVEN Harbinger of souls and messenger of gods
Black as a starless night and wise as old gods, the Raven has been a symbol of death and prophecy for millennia.
In Norse mythology, Odin’s Ravens, Huginn (Thought) and Muninn (Memory), soar across the world, gathering whispers of the living and the dead.
In many cultures, the Raven is seen as a psychopomp, a guide for souls making their final journey. The Greeks believed that Ravens were sacred to Apollo, god of prophecy, serving as omens of death or transformation.
But nowhere does their symbolism run deeper than in Edgar Allan Poe’s haunting poem, where the Raven perches “upon a bust of Pallas” and speaks a single, fateful word: “Nevermore.”
The Raven’s presence evokes the weight of eternal sorrow and the inescapable nature of death, making them an enduring symbol of life’s dark mysteries.
THE DEATH’S-HEAD HAWKMOTH Skull-bearing specter of the night
The Death’s-Head Hawkmoth, named for the skull-like pattern on their thorax, flutters through the night like a spectral omen from beyond.
These Moths, who can be found from Europe to Africa, are not just visually unsettling; they are a symbol steeped in folklore and mystery. Their eerie, squeaking cry adds to their spectral presence, reminiscent of something out of Edgar Allan Poe’s tales of woe. In The Raven, Poe’s use of dark symbolism and haunting motifs parallels the Moth’s ominous reputation — a bearer of death’s secrets.
Unlike their floral nectar-loving relatives, the Death’s-Head Hawkmoth boldly invades beehives, using their stealth to feast on honey. This audacious act mirrors their defiance of nature’s rules, much like the figures of Gothic literature that challenge the boundaries between life and death.
With their haunting skull-shaped pattern, the Death’s-Head Hawkmoth is a creature of both natural wonder and unsettling symbolism. This Moth inspired Edgar Allan Poe’s short story The Sphinx. In the tale, a protagonist is terrorized by what appears to be a monstrous creature with a skull-like head, which turns out to be a close-up view of this Moth.
Poe’s use of the Moth in The Sphinx captures the fragile line between perception and terror, turning the Moth into a symbol of the mind’s capacity to amplify fear. The Death’s-Head Hawkmoth’s reputation as a harbinger of misfortune has deep roots in European folklore, where they are often seen as a living omen.
Their eerie squeaks, unusual for a Moth, only add to their ghostly reputation, as though the Moth themself carries a lament from the other side. This haunting cry, along with their nocturnal habits, further cements their connection to death and the supernatural, much like the relentless presence of death in Poe’s works.
THE BLACK DOG Spectral guardians of the afterlife
Ever lurking at the edge of moonlit roads and hidden paths, the black Dog is a figure steeped in both fear and reverence.
Known by many names — Barghest, Black Shuck, or simply the Hellhound — these spectral beasts have been seen as guardians of the underworld. In British folklore, sightings of a black Dog are often a portent of death, a harbinger whose fiery eyes burn with the secrets of the beyond. These canines are not just omens, but also protectors.
In Greek mythology, Cerberus, the three-headed hound of Hades, stands at the gates of the underworld, ensuring that the dead stay in — and the living stay out.
Meanwhile, in ancient Egypt, Anubis, the Jackal-headed god of mummification, is often depicted with a black Dog. Anubis guides souls through the afterlife, weighing their hearts against the feather of Ma’at to judge their fate.
The black Dog, then, is not merely a sign of doom but a guardian of cosmic balance.
THE VULTURE Keeper of the dead and the afterlife’s gatekeeper
In the desolate places of the earth, Vultures glide silently on unseen thermals, drawn by the scent of decay. To many, they are grim reminders of mortality, but in the mythology of ancient Egypt, Vultures were revered as protectors.
The goddess Nekhbet, often depicted as a Vulture, was a guardian of Upper Egypt and a symbol of motherly protection over the dead.
The Vulture’s role in the natural world is one of profound importance; they cleanse the earth of death, turning decay into renewal. In the sky burials of Tibetan and Mongolian cultures, Vultures are seen as sacred, carrying the souls of the deceased into the heavens. Through this act, they become more than mere scavengers; they are intermediaries between the mortal and the divine, reminding us that death feeds life in an endless, sacred cycle.
THE CAT Silent sentinels of the beyond
Slipping silently between the worlds of the living and the dead, the Cat has long been seen as a creature of supernatural power.
In ancient Egypt, Cats were sacred to Bastet, the Lioness-headed goddess of home, fertility, and the protective energies of the sun. Bastet was also a fierce defender against the dark forces that threatened the dead, making Cats the guardians of the threshold between this world and the next.
But Cats are not just protective; they are also mysterious. Their eyes, which glow in the dark, are said to see beyond the veil, gazing into realms unseen by human sight.
To the Celts, Cats were the companions of witches and the guardians of hidden knowledge. They are the silent sentinels of the spirit world, embodying the quiet mysteries that lie just beyond the edge of our understanding.
EMBRACING THE CREATURES OF DEATH AND THE AFTERLIFE
As we move through the season of All Hallows and All Souls, when the boundary between our world and the afterlife thins, these creatures remind us that death is not merely an end but a transformation.
They are symbols and sentinels, guides and guardians, existing in the liminal spaces. Whether through the Raven’s watchful eye, the Vulture’s cleansing flight, or the Cat’s silent vigil, these animals serve as a bridge between the known and the unknowable.
