Grim Reaper: Difference between revisions
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''For the being of | {{wikipediainfo}} | ||
[[File:Grim reaper.jpg|right|thumb|250px|A [[Terileptil android]] dressed so as to assume the likeness of the Grim Reaper. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Visitation (TV story)|The Visitation]]'')]] | |||
{{For|the creatures of the same name|Reaper}} | |||
The '''Grim Reaper''', also known as the '''Great Reaper''', was a representation of Death that appeared in the [[mythology]] of many cultures of the [[planet]] [[Earth]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[Dead Man Walking (TV story)|Dead Man Walking]]'', ''[[The Visitation (TV story)|The Visitation]]'') [[Death (mythology)|Death]] herself, described in many accounts as a real being with whom [[the Doctor]] had dealings, once appeared to the Doctor in the form of the robed skeleton, though carrying no scythe. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Timewyrm: Revelation (novel)|Timewyrm: Revelation]]'') | |||
Early woodcuts showed a [[Weevil]] in a shroud and scythe, implying that the idea of the Grim Reapers came from [[human]]s having associated the Weevils with death. A representation of [[Death (mythology)|Death]] who resembled a walking skeleton appeared in [[Cardiff]] in [[1479]]. The Grim Reaper also appeared on the Death card of the [[Tarot]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[Dead Man Walking (TV story)|Dead Man Walking]]'') | |||
In [[ | In [[Heathrow Airport|Heathrow]] in [[1666]], a group of [[Terileptil]]s dressed up their [[Terileptil android|android]] as the Grim Reaper to terrify the superstitious local humans. The fear was especially effective due to an association of the reaper with [[Bubonic Plague]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Visitation (TV story)|The Visitation]]'') | ||
[[Rose Tyler]] once had a [[nightmare]] involving the Grim Reaper and the [[Brothers Grimm]] story ''[[Godfather Death]]'', prompting the [[Ninth Doctor]] to recount the story to her. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[The Knight, The Fool and The Dead (novel)|The Knight, The Fool and The Dead]]'') | |||
== | == Behind the scenes == | ||
A leaflet on the [[Series 2 (Torchwood)|series 2]] version of the [[Torchwood website]] went into the history of the depiction of the embodiment of death. It said that in Slavic paganism, Death took on the form of "a benevolent, philanthropic figure; a woman in white". This depiction lasted well into the middle ages, until the figure of the Grim Reaper, or "death as we commonly recognise it in western culture" came to prominence in the 15th century. One of the earliest depictions of "death" dates from the early 15th century — a woodcut discovered in 1905 that depicts "a shrouded figure with a skeletal frame carrying a scythe", alongside two subservient figures with gauntlets suggesting they were knights taken by Death.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/torchwood/sites/arg/pages/episodes.shtml?folder=tw_case_ep07&tab=1 |title=Episodes - Dead Man Walking - St. Mary's Church - The Grim Reaper (leaflet) |date of source= |website name=[[Torchwood website|BBC - Torchwood]] |accessdate=26 July 2013}}</ref> | |||
== | == Footnotes == | ||
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[[Category:Personifications of death]] | |||
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[[Category:Mythological figures]] | [[Category:Mythological figures]] | ||
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Latest revision as of 20:44, 10 April 2024
- For the creatures of the same name, see Reaper .
The Grim Reaper, also known as the Great Reaper, was a representation of Death that appeared in the mythology of many cultures of the planet Earth. (TV: Dead Man Walking, The Visitation) Death herself, described in many accounts as a real being with whom the Doctor had dealings, once appeared to the Doctor in the form of the robed skeleton, though carrying no scythe. (PROSE: Timewyrm: Revelation)
Early woodcuts showed a Weevil in a shroud and scythe, implying that the idea of the Grim Reapers came from humans having associated the Weevils with death. A representation of Death who resembled a walking skeleton appeared in Cardiff in 1479. The Grim Reaper also appeared on the Death card of the Tarot. (TV: Dead Man Walking)
In Heathrow in 1666, a group of Terileptils dressed up their android as the Grim Reaper to terrify the superstitious local humans. The fear was especially effective due to an association of the reaper with Bubonic Plague. (TV: The Visitation)
Rose Tyler once had a nightmare involving the Grim Reaper and the Brothers Grimm story Godfather Death, prompting the Ninth Doctor to recount the story to her. (PROSE: The Knight, The Fool and The Dead)
Behind the scenes[[edit] | [edit source]]
A leaflet on the series 2 version of the Torchwood website went into the history of the depiction of the embodiment of death. It said that in Slavic paganism, Death took on the form of "a benevolent, philanthropic figure; a woman in white". This depiction lasted well into the middle ages, until the figure of the Grim Reaper, or "death as we commonly recognise it in western culture" came to prominence in the 15th century. One of the earliest depictions of "death" dates from the early 15th century — a woodcut discovered in 1905 that depicts "a shrouded figure with a skeletal frame carrying a scythe", alongside two subservient figures with gauntlets suggesting they were knights taken by Death.[1]
Footnotes[[edit] | [edit source]]
- ↑ Episodes - Dead Man Walking - St. Mary's Church - The Grim Reaper (leaflet). BBC - Torchwood. Retrieved on 26 July 2013.
