Meanings of Death-Religion & Mythology
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Aanspreeckers-in the New Amsterdam Dutch of the American colonies this was a person hired to invite people to a funeral

Ala-Goddess of fertility and death to the Nigerian Ibo

Akh-the immortal resulting from the union between Ba and Ka

Al-Aaraf-according to the Koran this is a bridge that a body passes over after being judged

Andromeda-according to Greek myth she was sacrificed on a hill by her father and rescued by Perseus

Anerneq- accoding to Artic and Alaskan belief the sprit/soul leaves the body for the underworld following death

Aron-wooden casket used by the Jews

Artume Etruscan-goddess of death and growth

Asin-according to beliefs in the Pacific Northwest this is a thief of children

Asto Vidatu- a Persian demon of death who chases souls with a noose to keep them from getting to heaven

Aunga-the good part a man which dies with them...leaving behind the bad part or a ghost

Auraka-"all-devouring" god of death in the myth of the Polynesians 

Azrael-Muslim angel of death

Ba-in Egyptian myth this was a person's soul

Bar minen-Jewish term for a dead person

Bulu-Land of dead (Fijian)

Cereberus-three-headed dog that guards the gates to Hades

Chamer-God of death (Mayan)

Charon-the boatman on the river Styx (Greek)

Charontes-Etruscan demons of death

Cherrah kaddisha-Holy Brotherhood in Judaism dedicated to funerals and burial

Chicomemictlan-eternal house of the dead (Aztec)

Christian Burial Permit-a document from a church stating a person is eligible for rites

Christian Prayer Service-prayers said in lieu of rosary by the Roman Catholic Church at wake

Cizin- god of death (Mayan)

Cur-a force that brings fear, sadness and death (Tamil)

Cyhiraeth-Goddess of streams who's scream foretold death (Celtic)

Dahaka-god of death and deceit (Persian)

Dou-mu-Goddess who records all lives and deaths (Chinese)

Duat-underworld (Egyptian)

Egyptian Book of the Dead-a set of 200 spells, written on papyrus by 1400 BC, that were prayers from the dead person for help on the trip to the next world

Elysian Fields-version of heaven (Greek)

Ereshkigal-death goddess (Sumerian and Babylonian)

Eschatology-a branch of theology dealing with the end of man or the world

Field of reeds-afterlife (Egyptian)

Flower death-a good death wished for in fighting (Aztecs)

Gallu-demons of death (Akkadian)

Gehinnom-hell (Jewish)

Ghusl-washing of the body in preparation for burial (Muslim)

Giltine-death goddess (Lithuanian)

Guinee-a place where dead souls go (voodoo)

Hades-god of the underworld

Hafaza-guardian angels who protect deceased souls against satans after death

Haurvatat-diety associated with perfection and life after death (Hindu)

Heaven-a place of residence for God, the angels and admitted souls

Hel-half-woman, half-corpse goddess of death (Northern)

Hell- a place for condemned souls, devils, Satan

Hesped-eulogy delivered by a rabbi for the dead (Judaism)

Hisa-demonesses of death (Japanese)

Holler-god of death and destruction (Norse)

Ixtab-a god who brought those who committed suicide, were hung, were slain in battle, were sacrificed, were priests or died during childbirth to paradise (Mayan)

Johnnycakes-cakes made in a Jamaican voodoo burial ritual to provide food for the deceased

Kaddish-prayer for the dead (Jewish)

Karma-the idea that what goes around comes around (Hinduism and Bhuddism)

Keres-female spirit of death and doom later thought to be the avenging dead

Last rites-Christian sacrament/ritual performed for a dying person

Lazarus-a Biblical figure who returned from the dead

Levaya-funeral procession (Judaism)

Mass of Angels-Catholic funeral service for children

Methusaleh-oldest figure in the Bible, who lived to 969

Miclantecutli-place where a body waits for 4 years after traveling to the underworld (Aztec)

Month's Mind Mass-Catholic rite one month after funeral liturgy

Nine eight-a festival held in the Jamaican voodoo practices at the time of a loved one's death

Nirvana-state of perfection the ends the cycle of rebirth (Buddhism)

Paschal candle-a candle put between casket and alter during funeral mass (Catholic)

Potter's field-a place for burial of indigents, a biblical allusion

Preetam-Indian ghost

Purgatory-place where good souls may wait to make up for sins

Relics-an object kept for religious reasons

Reliquary-a container for holding relics

Requiem-a musical composition for the All Saint's Day mass

Shiva-one of the three great gods to the Hindu...the god of destruction

Sin eaters-those who were given the task of eating ritual foods to help the dead out of purgatory (ancient England, Ireland, Wales and India)

Saint Peter-the person supposedly in charge of heaven's gates (Christian)

Styx-a river that must be crossed to get to the world of the dead (Greek)

Tachrichim-white linen shroud for burial (Jewish)

Taharah-final bathing of the body (Jewish)

Tibetan Book of the Dead-a book expressing the belief that people must confront their fear of death directly (Tibet)

Trisagion-three prayers said before a funeral (Eastern Orthodox church)

Viewing-a custom where the corpse is seen and family visited (American Christian)

Wanagi-ghost (Native American)