Humans love to anthropomorphize. Our ancestors turned the sun, moon, and stars into gods. They deified personality traits and cultural values – just look at Athena and Odin, both war and wisdom gods, as proof. It’s no surprise that they did the same thing to death. Some, like the Greek Hades and the Hindu Yamraj, rule underworld realms. Others, like the Grim Reaper, are death personified. Grim is recognizable by the shadowy robes and scythe, but where did this otherworldly figure come from?  

The Danse Macabre in Medieval Europe  

The COVID-19 pandemic has rocked the modern world. Unsurprisingly, Grim’s origins may lie in another pandemic – the Black Death. Encyclopedia Britannica’s Amy McKenna mentions that it claimed nearly one-third of Europe’s population in the 14th century. The first plague outbreak occurred from 1347 to 1351, with several subsequent outbreaks after that. With so many friends and loved ones dying from this mysterious ailment, medieval Europeans became well acquainted with death. 

Before Grim assumed the familiar form, skeleton motifs were common in medieval European art. Atlas Obscura discusses the “Danse Macabre,” a trope depicting dancing skeletons that escorted humans to their graves. The most common versions showed rich and poor alike – farmers, peasants, clergy, and nobles. Regardless of one’s class or wealth, everyone met the same end. While the first known Danse Macabre art dates to 1424, it does demonstrate the connection between skeletons and death in medieval culture. Europe’s recurring plague epidemics gave the image lasting power in people’s minds.  

The Black Death and Grim’s Origins 

The Grim Reaper’s imagery is rather straightforward. Most versions depict Grim dressed in a long black hooded robe and carrying a scythe with thin skeletal hands. Depending on the artist, you may see the face of a skull under the hood. McKenna comments that skeletons are a common symbol of death: After all, they’re the only things we leave behind after our bodies decay. She adds that Grim’s robes could have been modeled after those worn by clergy. Men in certain religious orders often wore hooded robes known as cowls. 

Grim’s skeletal form and robes have clear symbolic meaning. But what about the scythe? Before modern farm equipment existed, farmers used scythes to harvest their crops. Just as these farmers harvested their crops, Grim harvested human souls when their bodies died.

How Grim Got His Name 

Grim’s imagery could have been familiar to medieval Europeans. But if you were to say the phrase “Grim Reaper” around them, they might have gotten a little confused at first. That’s because Grim wasn’t known by this name until the mid-1800s. Merriam-Webster mentions that the first known use dates to 1846. The moniker appeared in “The Circle of Human Life,” which was published in 1847.

A Chicken-and-Egg Question 

Does Grim’s reaping cause a person’s death, or is Grim simply a psychopomp guiding souls to the hereafter? It depends on who you ask. The Amateur’s Guide to Death and Dying describes Grim more as a guide, like Charon ferrying souls across the Styx River. But others depict him as a reaper. One example comes from the Book of Revelation: As one of the four horsemen of the apocalypse, Death rides a pale horse and is granted the power to kill.  

Human beings have incredible imagination, depth, and insight. This is evident in personification: By giving objects and abstract ideas human form, we characterize their emotional impact on us. Personification is also a useful storytelling device. It’s easier to pass down tales if your characters have names and personality traits. How we’ve treated death is no different. The Grim Reaper’s skeletal appearance is a reminder that death doesn’t make exceptions for any of us.