# Death and his scythe **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 14, 2026, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/death-and-his-scythe/1030072 "2026-05-14T17:20:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2026, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/death-and-his-scythe/1030072/1 "2026-05-14T17:20:47Z")
I was perusing the OOTS the thread and ran across this > [@Order of the Stick book 7 discussion thread](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-7-discussion-thread/847438/2162): > > Roy says that within seven weeks Belkar will meet “someone bony with a black robe and a big scythe” It got me thinking - why carry a scythe? Because it’s badass? Because he is a reaper of souls? Death takes you by touching you, I thought. Why the need for tool, if so… show of power? ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2026, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/death-and-his-scythe/1030072/2 "2026-05-14T17:28:02Z")
The Grim Reaper imagery appeared during the Black Death in Europe in the 14th century, when death was an everyday event for everyone. His scythe represents the reaping of souls, as you suggest. Most people were farmers and were familiar with scythes. > **[Where Does the Concept of a “Grim Reaper” Come From? | Britannica](https://www.britannica.com/story/where-does-the-concept-of-a-grim-reaper-come-from)** > > For thousands of years, various cultures have had figures to represent death. ---
**Author:** ![MrAtoz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MrAtoz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrAtoz)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2026, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/death-and-his-scythe/1030072/3 "2026-05-14T17:29:31Z")
The personification of Death as “the Grim Reaper”–a skeletal figure carrying a scythe–goes back to at least the Middle Ages in western culture. He carries a scythe precisely because he is “a reaper of souls.” He separates the soul from the body just as quickly and completely as a farmer cuts through grain with a scythe. ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2026, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/death-and-his-scythe/1030072/4 "2026-05-14T17:30:48Z")
Makes sense. And I can see why the image carried over - it’s quite powerful. ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2026, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/death-and-his-scythe/1030072/5 "2026-05-14T18:15:05Z")
> [@Lucas\_Jackson](#): > > Why the need for tool, if so… show of power? Image is everything. Originally, he was a businessman in a 3,000 dollar suit and an alligator briefcase, but that just wasn’t working. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2026, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/death-and-his-scythe/1030072/6 "2026-05-14T18:19:52Z")
I dunno, when it sounds like Norm MacDonald, it ain’t all that scary. ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2026, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/death-and-his-scythe/1030072/7 "2026-05-14T18:31:11Z")
The image has changed over time. In the middle ages, he was often portrayed with a spear. But when the plague hit, people likened it to a farmer mowing down vast swaths of humanity. During World War One, that meme made a comeback. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2026, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/death-and-his-scythe/1030072/8 "2026-05-14T18:42:43Z")
Maybe Death should be modernized. Give him an Uzi. Or a Flamethrower, Or a chainsaw, like Ash in _Army of Darkness_.That’d be cool! ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2026, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/death-and-his-scythe/1030072/9 "2026-05-14T18:53:29Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > Maybe Death should be modernized. Give him an Uzi. Or a Flamethrower, > > Or a chainsaw But…Death is not an action figure, or a killer himself. He’s a harvester of the souls of those whose time has come. If his image _was_ to be accurately modernized, he should probably be depicted driving one of these: [![](https://www.estesperformanceconcaves.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/auger-platforms-R4D012314-1366x768-1.jpg) ](https://www.estesperformanceconcaves.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/auger-platforms-R4D012314-1366x768-1.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2026, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/death-and-his-scythe/1030072/10 "2026-05-14T19:04:07Z")
> [@solost](#): > > He’s a harvester of the souls of those whose time has come. Nah – chainsaws, aside from maniacs and mafia guys, are also used by lumberjacks to harvest trees. Perfect imagery. And a lot more badass than a combine harvester. ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2026, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/death-and-his-scythe/1030072/11 "2026-05-14T19:06:41Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > Nah – chainsaws, aside from maniacs and mafia guys, are also used by lumberjacks to harvest trees. Perfect imagery. OK, whaddaya harvest with a flamethrower then-- some tasty BBQ? 😏 ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2026, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/death-and-his-scythe/1030072/12 "2026-05-14T19:24:25Z")
> [@Jasmine](#): > > Image is everything. Originally, he was a businessman in a 3,000 dollar suit and an alligator briefcase, but that just wasn’t working. Probably because he didn’t have the matching alligator shoes. > [@solost](#): > > But…Death is not an action figure, or a killer himself. Which was kind of my point, why then the need for a weapon at all? ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2026, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/death-and-his-scythe/1030072/13 "2026-05-14T19:25:31Z")
> [@Lucas\_Jackson](#): > > Which was kind of my point, why then the need for a weapon at all? It’s not a weapon, it’s a harvesting tool. A metaphoric harvesting tool, in Death’s case. It’s like asking why the Statue of Liberty carries a torch-- is she, like, a pyromaniac or something? ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2026, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/death-and-his-scythe/1030072/14 "2026-05-14T19:42:38Z")
oh, never mind. 😊 ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2026, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/death-and-his-scythe/1030072/15 "2026-05-14T20:03:25Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > Nah – chainsaws, aside from maniacs and mafia guys, are also used by lumberjacks to harvest trees. Perfect imagery. And a lot more badass than a combine harvester. The point of the scythe imagery is that it shows Death taking hundreds of lives at a stroke, just as a skilled scythe user can cut hundreds of stalks of grain with a single swing. A chainsaw is a poor replacement here, because a chainsaw takes a relatively long time to fell a single tree. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2026, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/death-and-his-scythe/1030072/16 "2026-05-14T20:07:30Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > A chainsaw is a poor replacement here, because a chainsaw takes a relatively long time to fell a single tree. Aside from a bulldozer, or dynamite, there isn’t a practical tool for felling lots of trees at once. Maybe Death should drive a Husqvarna. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2026, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/death-and-his-scythe/1030072/17 "2026-05-14T20:08:26Z")
Which is why trees are a poor substitute for human lives in this specific metaphor. ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2026, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/death-and-his-scythe/1030072/18 "2026-05-14T20:08:32Z")
Death is a character in the Terry Pratchett Discworld stories: _\> As an aspect of the entity Azrael, Death of Universes, the Discworld’s own anthropomorphic personification of Death takes the traditional form of a scythe-carrying, black-robed skeleton. His eyes appear to be two tiny blue stars flaring within his bony sockets, as if viewed across the gulf of space. Death has no need for vocal cords; his sonorous voice arrives directly in the heads of those he speaks to without bothering to pass through their ears. It might come as a surprise to most that his steed is a flesh-and-blood stallion by the name of Binky, but as skeletal horses need wiring back together on a regular basis, a real horse makes far more sense._ _\> There’s no guarantee that Death will personally attend a demise. Understanding which deaths he will facilitate requires a good knowledge of point incarnation and node focusing. In Mort he finds it easiest to explain it as ‘GENERALLY I’M ONLY EXPECTED TO MAKE AN ACTUAL APPEARANCE ON SPECIAL OCCASIONS. ’ Wizards, witches, royalty and significant or infamous figures are usually collected by Death himself, though he is not swayed by status and has even been known to attend personally to a tube worm, a tiny sea creature, and a sack of drowned kittens, the latter making him ’ VERY ANGRY INDEED’._ ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2026, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/death-and-his-scythe/1030072/19 "2026-05-14T20:10:34Z")
In _Sandman_, Death is an extremely attractive, very kind woman. ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2026, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/death-and-his-scythe/1030072/20 "2026-05-14T20:25:18Z")
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