Thanatos/Mors

**Thanatos** is the Greek god of peaceful death. He is the twin brother of Hypnos, whose Roman counterpart is Somnus. His Roman counterpart is **Mors**.

## Basic Info

### Alias

God of Peaceful Death, Lieutenant of Hades, Reaper of Souls, Son of Nyx, Son of Erebos, Da' (By George),

### Symbols

Theta, Poppy, Butterfly, Sword, Inverted Torch

## Family Info

### Siblings

* Hypnos (twin brother)
* Moros, Oneiroi, Momus, Geras, Dolos, Ponos, Epiphron, (Brothers)
* Keres, Oizys, Hesperides, Moirai, Nemesis, Apate, Philotes, Styx, Euphrosyne, Continentia, Petulantia, Misericordia, Pertinacia (Sisters)
* Nancy Campbell (half-sister)
* Ethan Reyes (half-brother)

### Offspring

George FloresThiago and Catarina Sarmiento

### Extended Family

Isaiah Castor and Eustace Mizéria (Nephews)Hayley Robles, Juniper Noveschosch, Amelia Cappello, Lilly Miller, Clara Astilla, Natalie Smith, Isabella Thompson, Emma Jones, Agatha Diaz (Nieces)

## History

### Early Life

The Greek poet Hesiod established in his *Theogony* that Thánatos has no father, but is the son of Nyx (Night) and brother of Hypnos (Sleep). Homer earlier described Hypnos and Thanatos as twin brothers in his epic poem, the *Iliad*, where they were charged by Zeus via Apollo with the swift delivery of the slain hero Sarpedon to his homeland of Lycia. Counted among Thanatos' siblings were other negative personifications such as Geras (Old Age), Oizys (Suffering), Moros (Doom), Apate (Deception), Momus (Blame), Nemesis (Retribution) and the Acherousian/Stygian boatman Charon. Thanatos was loosely associated with the three Moirai (for Hesiod, also daughters of Night), particularly Atropos, who was a goddess of death in her own right. He is also, at times, specified as being exclusive to a peaceful death, while the bloodthirsty Keres embodied violent death. His duties as a Guide of the Dead were sometimes superseded by Hermes Psychopompos. Conversely, Thanatos may have originated as a mere aspect of Hermes before later becoming distinct from him.

### Sisyphus

Thanatos was thus regarded as merciless and indiscriminate, hated by – and hateful towards — mortals and gods alike. But in myths which feature him, Thanatos could occasionally be outwitted, a feat that the sly King Sisyphus of Korinth twice accomplished. When it came time for Sisyphus to die, Zeus ordered Thanatos to chain Sisyphus up in Tartarus. Sisyphus cheated death by tricking Thanatos into his own shackles, thereby preventing the demise of any mortal while Thanatos was so enchained.

Eventually Ares, the bloodthirsty god of war, grew frustrated with the battles he incited, since neither side could suffer any casualties. He released Thanatos and handed his captor over to the god. Sisyphus would evade Death a second time by convincing Persephone to allow him to return to his wife stating that she never gave him a proper funeral. This time, Sisyphus was forcefully dragged back to the Underworld by Hermes, where he was sentenced to an eternity of frustration in Tartarus, rolling a boulder up a hill only to have it roll back down when he got close to the top

### Trials of Heracles

Thanatos wrestled with Hercules for the life of Alcestis, the wife of King Admetus. He lost the match to the mighty demigod and was forced to bring the queen back to life.

### Alkestis

As the son of Aeolus (and thus a descendant of the Titan Prometheus), Sisyphus was a more-than-mortal figure: when it came to ordinary humans, Thanatos was usually thought of as inexorable. The sole time he was successfully prevented from claiming a mortal life was by the intervention of the hero Heracles, a son of Zeus. Thanatos had come to take the soul of Alkestis, who had offered her life in exchange for the continued life of her husband, King Admetos of Pherai. Heracles was an honored guest in the House of Admetos at the time and offered to repay the king's hospitality by contending with Death itself for Alkestis' life. When Thanatos ascended from Hades to claim Alkestis, Heracles sprung upon the god and overpowered him, winning the right to have Alkestis remain, while Thanatos fled, cheated of his quarry

## Personality

Thanatos was believed to be merciless and undiscriminating, sharing a mutual hatred for most of the other gods and mortals. However, he may resent his job because doing so could cost his demigod rescuers their lives and he would be forced to bring them to the Underworld, prompting the other to ask if he even wanted to be free. Thanatos explains to them that death isn't fair, but it is his duty to stop souls from returning. He may have a dark sense of humor as once he is free, he checks his list of souls and when he doesn't see Hazel's, he tells her he could call Pluto and get this oversight taken care of. However, this could simply be him doing his job. Thanatos doesn't seem to care about returning favors. When Frank frees him, Frank asks if he would help and Thanatos said he will prevent those that die in this fight from returning, something he is supposed to do anyway as he is the god of death. Thanatos can be loving at times, loving Diademia more than anything, and loving his son, George. This is shown when Thanatos allows George to lead Melody out of the underworld, showing he accepts his relationship with the daughter of Apollo.

## Appearance

Thanatos is lean and muscular, with a regal face, honey gold eyes, and black hair flowing down his shoulders. His skin is the color of teakwood, and his dark wings glimmer in shades of blue, black, and purple. Thanatos is frequently mistaken for the god of love, Eros. Hazel describes him as the most beautiful man she has ever seen and called him timeless and remote.

## Powers and Abilities

### God Powers

Thanatos is a powerful and important god, as he is able to keep track of all souls in the underworld. This way he keeps the balance between the living and the dead, and stops the world from falling into chaos.

* **Necromancy**: Since Thanatos is the god of peaceful death, he has absolute control over death and the dead, as well as the ability to kill someone with a touch. As part of his duties, Thanatos is able to separate the dead from the living. He captures souls trying to escape from the Underworld and sends them back. It's thought that he has the same powers of Hades and Evan, only in a infinite extension.
* **Doors of Death Control**: As the god of peaceful death, Thanatos is usually in complete control of the Doors of Death, and is able to quickly pass between the world of the living and the dead. Interestingly, in The 9th Story, Thanatos referred to them as "the Doors of Me."
* **Necroscience**: As the God of Peaceful Death, Thanatos knows everything about death, the dead, the dying and who's going to die next.
* **Invisibility**: As revealed in *Caspian's Miscellaneous Myths*, after Ares frees Thanatos from Sisyphus, the god of peaceful death no longer openly approaches souls directly, and instead chooses to reap them while staying invisible.
* **Flight**: With the help of his huge dark wings, Thanatos can quickly glide through the air, which helps him capture souls at very high speeds.

## Magical Items

* **Souls List**: Thanatos owns a pure black iPad that he uses to keep track of the escaped souls. It is able to use video conferencing and has Pluto's Skype address.
* **Stygian Iron Scythe** Thanatos owns a long scythe with a Stygian Iron blade.

## Relationships

Thanatos is fiercely loyal to his master Hades and has a good relationship with Ares, since the god of war doesn't enjoy bloodshed without death.

## Etymology

The name Thanatos means 'Death' in Ancient Greek, just as Mors means 'Death' in Latin.

## Trivia

1. Thanatos is properly translated to Mors on many Greek to Latin translators.
2. Even if he is described to be the God of Peaceful Death, Thanatos is actually the God of Death itself, as when he is stuck, people stop dying, even if said people die in a violent way.
3. As it is thought that gods are capable of dividing his essence to being in different places at same time, Thanatos is very skilled at this as in *Caspian's Miscellaneous Myths,* he is described to be the one who goes to reap the souls and acts where and when you "kill" someone.
	1. However, it is possible too that he only is capable of sending his power to wherever he wants.
4. Thanatophobia, the fear of death, is named after him.
5. Thanatology, the scientific study of death, is named after him. This is the science that human Howard Claymore studies.
6. He and his twin brother are referenced in song in the classic novel, "The Grapes of Wrath." The line references sleep and death as brothers.
7. His depiction as carrying a scythe and being 'the Reaper of Souls' is similar to many folklores' description of the Grim Reaper; a hooded skeleton who carries a scythe to 'mow down' the dead. This implies Thanatos may have inspired these legends.
	1. Harper also compared him to the Angel of Death due to his big black wings.
8. Harper claims that when it comes to Death, the Romans let him stay Greek
	1. Even though Harper has stated that the Romans let Thanatos stay Greek, *Letus* or *Mors* is actually the Roman form of Thanatos.
9. His Egyptian equivalent is Anubis.
10. His Norse equivalent is Hel.
11. His Mayan equivalent is Ah-Puch.
12. His Hindu equivalent is Dharma Raja.
13. His Mesopotamian equivalents are Nergal and Namtar.