Key Points

- Personification of death

- Twin of Hypnos

Brief Bio

Thanatos, the personification of death, was a son of Nyx (Night) and a brother to Hypnos (Sleep).  He was not a malevolent figure, but rather an impartial executor of fate.  Unlike other figures of the underworld, Thanatos did not actively seek out victims; rather, he delivered the inevitable end to mortals, often in a quiet, unassuming way, rather than through violence.  

He was a silent, unseen presence, a constant reminder of mortality.  His very nature was to be elusive, elusive in both form and presence, making him a difficult figure to depict in art or story.