The Codex
Opening the collection
Gathering the story, context, and related paths…
Preparing this page
The Codex
11 gods & spirits
Lords of the Underworld
Death was never the end to the old peoples — only a crossing, and every crossing has its keeper. These are the rulers of the lands below, the ferrymen and judges who receive the dead with more mercy than we expect.
11 gods & spirits
Hel
queen of the quiet dead
Anubis
the jackal who keeps the threshold
Osiris
the green lord of the silent land
Mictlantecuhtli
lord of the ninth hell, keeper of bones
Ereshkigal
queen of the great below
Yama
the first-dead, keeper of the final road
Arawn
king of Annwn, lord of the otherworld
Charon
the silent oar across the black water
Thanatos
the gentle hand that ends the day
Persephone
the maiden who reigns in two worlds
Babalú-Ayé
lord of plague and its passing
Also gathered in
Sumerian · 10 min read
Inanna and the Seven Gates
A descent into the Great Below, where a queen gives up every sign of power and learns that no return is without a cost.
Nahua/Mexica · 9 min read
Quetzalcoatl and the Precious Bones
A descent to Mictlan, a silent conch, and the broken bones from which the people of the present world are made.