Ankou in La Roche-Maurice, Finistère, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 by Ifernyen. Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ankou The image has not been changed and the author does not endorse this blog.
This article should be read in conjunction with The Grim Reaper, an Aspect of Grimnir the Hooded One. There is very little serious reading matter on the subject of the Grim Reaper and this is why I urge my readers to study the aforementioned article for background information. What has inspired me to revisit this subject is the current plague that threatens both Europe and the rest of the world. Coronavirus brings in its wake the spectre of death. Italy is a prime example of this; there are nearly as many deaths from the virus as there are recoveries. Some people refer to Italy's 'aging population' to explain the high number of deaths from the virus but this explanation is not particularly convincing. 29.4% of the population in Italy is above 60 years of age but this is similar to other European countries such as Germany (28%), Portugal (27.9%), France (25.7%), Spain (25.3%), the United Kingdom (25.3%) and Belgium (24.6%). These figures it should be noted date back to 2017.
I believe that the reason for the large number of deaths is to be found in the large number of cases of the virus. It is as simple as that. Once the figures get into the thousands in the United Kingdom one can expect to see a similar death toll. Forget the nonsense about the likelihood of just 1% dying. That is pure political propaganda and wishful thinking. What we are facing is a real plague which is only just starting and will be here well into next year.
Interestingly between November 2019 and January 2020 both my partner and myself received a series of strange and recurring dreams concerning death. I believe that this was a warning about the plague that was about to hit the world. Such dreams should not be ignored but be acted upon, taken as warnings. Such dreams are not necessarily premonitions of personal death but a warning to take care. At the very least I would expect all of my readers to avoid public places (regardless of your age), carry an anti-bacterial sanitiser, wear a face mask and gloves and do not use public transport. If you do not own a car or a motorcycle now is the time to invest in either a bicycle or push scooter or just use what the Gods gave you: your feet! Despite my bad knee I have been daily increasing the amount of walking that I do so that I avoid using the buses entirely. They are a breeding ground for disease at the best of times but especially for Coronavirus. Anyone within just short of 15ft of a diseased person may become infected by this virus on a bus and particles can remain airborne for 30 minutes.
In addition to taking these minimum precautions now is the time to set your final affairs in order and this includes writing a Will and getting it witnessed. Too many people die intestate without making their wishes and intentions known. Apart from these practical measures now is the time to invoke the Gods for their protection. Thunor is the deity that I would turn to first for this. Those of you who share our faith, wear your Thunor's Hammer and visualise Thunor's protection all around you, enclosing you in a sphere of red light.
As I mentioned in my earlier article there is a clear association between Odin as Grimnir and the Grim Reaper; both persons acted as psychopomps for the dead. There is also an association the ferryman Charon of Greek mythology and Odin appearing as Harbard the ferryman in the Lay of Harbard in the Elder Edda. Interestingly in the Netherlands and parts of Belgium the Grim Reaper is known as Magere Hain ('meager death') and Pietje de Dood ('Little Peter the death'). This concept is said to predate Christianity and thus older than the mediaeval image of the Grim Reaper. The origins of the mediaeval image of the robed, skeletal and scythe carrying Grim Reaper are obscure and whilst Odin as Grimnir feeds into this image it would of course be incorrect to argue that Odin is the sole source for the arising of this psychopomp. The image of the Grim Reaper that has come down to us makes His first appearance in 14th century Europe at the time of the Black Death (1347-1351) which like the Coronavirus originated in Asia and killed between 30-60% of the population of Europe. A figure from Cornish, Welsh and Breton legend, Ankou bears a remarkable similarity to the Grim Reaper. Like the mediaeval Grim Reaper He often appears as a skeleton, wearing a robe and carrying a scythe. The Ankou is said to be protect the graves of the dead and to also collect their souls. (See The Celtic Legend of the Beyond by Anatole le Braz.) Sometimes like Odin He wears a large hat which covers His face and a black robe. How far back Ankou can be traced is difficult to say as folklore is to a certain extent influenced by later cultural accretions. I will at some point do a separate study of Ankou.
However for the Germanic mind it is perfectly reasonable in my opinion to draw a clear association between Odin and the Grim Reaper. Likwise in the Celtic mind it is also reasonable to associate Ankou with the Grim Reaper. What is clear is that this image is firmly present in the Northern European collective psyche and may be traced back to pre-Christian Germanic and Celtic religion. His purpose is to assist us in the transition between life in midgard and those realms beyond this one. For this reason we should as I have said before welcome Him when the time comes for He is our guide.
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