Talk:Psychopomp
|
|
Given the definition of psychopomp that appears at the top of this article, I am puzzled that the Greek section lists Artemis rather than Charon. Is this a case of the latter doing the real work while a divine middle manager takes the credit? -- Alan Peakall 18:24 Dec 10, 2002 (UTC)
- Charon doesn't actually escort anybody to the Afterlife, he just takes them across the river into Hades proper. With that said, it's certainly debatable if he counts as a psychopomp or not, though I'd be inclined to say no unless I see an authoritative source define him as such, but I wouldn't remove it if you added him. Artemis is more confusing -- I'm the one that made the list and added her -- and, honestly, I don't know why she is considered one, but I created the list by doing a search for "psychopomp" on google and adding whoever came up, described as one. If I remember correctly, Artemis is believed to have been worshipped extensively in really ancient Greece and her function was slightly different, so I'm guessing she was originally a psychopomp, though Hermes fulfilled that role during the classical period of Greek mythology. I could certainly be wrong about all this, but I think that's why the list is as it is. Tokerboy 20:19 Dec 10, 2002 (UTC)