Personifying Death or a Death deity is not, even a little, a unique aspect to my book. Death has been personified many times over. Here are a few examples that may have influenced my take on Thanatos.

Honorable Mentions that came about after I wrote Persephone but did such a good job, I had to include them.

Supernatural: Death cameod on Supernatural a number of times and the scenes were always intense and amazing.

The Book Thief: Beautifully narrated by Death. If you haven’t read this one, do.

Now to go way back….

Twilight Zone If you only ever watch one episode of Twilight Zone…I mean why would you only watch one, but okay, watch “One Night of Mercy.” They did such a great job making death a sympathetic and creepy character all at once. Amazing episode. Killer ending.

Meet Joe Black. The entire movie is about Death as a spoiler. I’ve never actually watched it, keep meaning to, but given how often I’m inspired by previews, I wouldn’t be surprised if some influence crept in to my Thanatos.

Because I Could not Stop for Death By Emily Dickinson. This poem and its influence cannot be ignored in any conversation about death personified. I don’t even remember when the last time I read it was. High School? Early college? But I can still recite it almost verbatim. It’s pervasive that way. Gets in your head and never leaves.

Can you think of any great examples of death personified?