In this painting by Michel-Martin Drölling, Hermes leads Eurydice into Hades, under the desperate gaze of Orpheus. Here the messenger of the gods plays the role of psychopomp, a figure who in some ancient religions had the function of accompanying souls to the afterlife. The word “psychopomp” comes from the Greek ψυχοπομπóς, it is composed of psyche – soul – and pompós – the one who sends. About 1820, oil on canvas, Musée Magnin, Dijon.
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