psychopomp

/ˈsaɪkəʊpɒmp/

Etymology

From Latin psȳchopompus, from Ancient Greek ψῡχοπομπός (psūkhopompós), from ψῡχή (psūkhḗ, “soul”) + πομπός (pompós, “conductor”).

Why this word is great

PSYCHOPOMP — [Noun] A spirit, deity, or person who guides the souls of the dead to the afterlife. From Latin psȳchopompus, from Ancient Greek ψῡχοπομπός (psūkhopompós), from ψῡχή (psūkhḗ, "soul") + πομπός (pompós, "conductor"). Unlike "necropompo" (which escorts the dead through all realms of the afterlife) or "Valkyrie" (which claims only the warrior’s chosen), the psychopomp is an impartial companion to every soul. It is the black dog padding soundlessly through a moonlit graveyard, the owl’s wings brushing against the threshold of dreams, the pale hand extended to lead you across the river—always there, never seen, until the moment you need it most.

noun

  1. A spirit, deity, person, etc., who guides the souls of the dead to the afterlife.“As the souls of the departed are symbolized as rats, so is the psychopomp himself often figured as a dog. Sarameias, the Vedic counterpart of Hermes and Odin, sometimes appears invested with canine attributes; and countless other examples go to show that by the early Aryan mind the howling wind was conceived as a great dog or wolf.”