________________
The Grim Reaper
The Grim Reaper is a ghost-like figure who appears at the scene of every human death. He knows beforehand where a death will occur, and as the soul leaves the dying person's body, he takes charge of it and escorts it to its assigned place in the afterlife. Some descriptions of him say that he can also act as an executioner and kill someone whose time is up. If so, this would give him a role similar to that of the "Angel of Death" mentioned in ancient writings. But although he is a supernatural being, he normally isn't considered to be an angel.
Artists usually depict the Grim Reaper as a skeletal figure wearing a hooded cloak and wielding a large scythe. He is often shown standing near the scene of a death, or lurking in the background. But he is also sometimes shown on horseback, because some Christians identify him with the mysterious figure named "Death" who appears in the visions of the Book of Revelation as the Horseman of the Apocalypse who rides on a pale horse.
The above image, called The Vision of Death, is an engraving by the 19th-century French artist Gustave Dore.
