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Death is the end of life; the irreversible cessation of all biological functions that sustain a living organism. [ 1 ] The remains of a former organism normally begin to decompose shortly after death. [ 2 ] Death eventually and inevitably occurs in all organisms.
Death is dealt with differently in cultures around the world, and there are ethical issues relating to death, such as martyrdom, suicide and euthanasia. Death refers to the permanent termination of life-sustaining processes in an organism, i.e. when all biological systems of a human being cease to operate. Death and its spiritual ramifications ...
The human skull is an obvious and frequent symbol of death, found in many cultures and religious traditions. [1] Human skeletons and sometimes non-human animal skeletons and skulls can also be used as blunt images of death; the traditional figures of the Grim Reaper – a black-hooded skeleton with a scythe – is one use of such symbolism. [2]
Memento mori (Latin for "remember (that you have) to die") [2] is an artistic or symbolic trope acting as a reminder of the inevitability of death. [2] The concept has its roots in the philosophers of classical antiquity and Christianity, and appeared in funerary art and architecture from the medieval period onwards.
A common term for the personification of death across Latin America is "la Parca" from one of the three Roman Parcae, a figure similar to the Anglophone Grim Reaper, though usually depicted as female and without a scythe. Mictlantecutli in the Codex Borgia. In Aztec mythology, Mictecacihuatl is the " Queen of Mictlan " (the Aztec underworld ...
Thanatology. Thanatology is the scientific study of death and the losses brought about as a result. It investigates the mechanisms and forensic aspects of death, such as bodily changes that accompany death and the postmortem period, as well as wider psychological and social aspects related to death.
A wake, funeral reception[ 1 ] or visitation is a social gathering associated with death, held before a funeral. Traditionally, a wake involves family and friends keeping watch over the body of the dead person, usually in the home of the deceased. Some wakes are held at a funeral home or another convenient location.
The origin of death is a common theme in Native American mythology. [6][7] The myths of the plateau tribes blame its origin on the interference of the trickster figure Coyote. [6] The Chiricahua Apache myth also blames Coyote. [8] The plains tribes ascribe it to the result of unfavorable chance. For example, in the Blackfeet account, Old Man ...