Chapter 1
Wings, scales, and scales of justice
Chapter 2
Dogs, owls, and butterflies of the Americas
Chapter 3
Guardians of the Eastern realms
Chapter 4
Valkyries and wailing spirits of Northern Europe
Ch 2 · Dogs, owls, and butterflies of the Americas
schopenhauer Psychopomps of the Americas
Guiding them home, guiding them home! Xolo, owl, and butterfly, guiding them home!
schopenhauer Purépecha communities view monarch butterflies as the physical vessels of returning spirits.
Fun Fact
Xoloitzcuintli dogs: The Aztecs believed hairless Xoloitzcuintli dogs were sacred guides created by Xolotl to swim souls across deep underworld rivers.
schopenhauer Owls served as sacred messengers flying between the living world and Xibalba.
Glossary
psychopomp (noun)
A deity, spirit, or creature that guides the souls of the deceased to the afterlife. Aztecs believed hairless dogs guided souls to Mictlan, while Purépecha saw returning monarch butterflies as ancestral spirits.
A deity, spirit, or creature that guides the souls of the deceased to the afterlife. Aztecs believed hairless dogs guided souls to Mictlan, while Purépecha saw returning monarch butterflies as ancestral spirits.
BETA
schopenhauer Match each spirit guide to its culture to discover how different traditions navigate the afterlife.
Quiz
Which insect is celebrated in Michoacán, Mexico, as the returning souls of ancestors?
schopenhauer Monarch butterflies connect Mexican indigenous communities to their ancestors.
Quiz
What hairless dog breed did the Aztecs believe guided souls across underworld rivers?
Quiz
Where do the Wayuu people believe souls travel after departing the physical world?