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Possible inspiration for kindred?

Evewynn·5/14/2016, 11:27:51 PM·1 votes·1,230 views

So, we all know that Kindred is the embodiment of death in the League of Legends universe. The concept of the "grim reaper" comes to mind readily, especially for western cultures, but I feel as if there is a more relevant representation of the entity known as Kindred.

In comes the Psychopomp.

According to Greek mythology, psychopomps are the beings that greet mortals upon their death in order to guide them into the afterlife. They take no part in what happens after they die, only bringing them to the point in which their souls are judged. Their forms are varied depending upon their depiction, often taking on various anthropomorphic animal traits. In the popular role playing game Pathfinder, psychopomps are characterized by the masks that they wear.

Sounding familiar? I feel as if the concept of psychopomps (which the grim reaper falls under) was a heavy--if not the main--inspiration for the champion.

What's everyone's thoughts on the matter?

4 Comments

Dreamspitter5/14/2016, 11:35:30 PM1 votes

Thought this was going to be another Chiara Bautista thread. Refreshing in that sense but....kind of obvious. I dont THINK anyone has talked about it, because everyone already took it for granted.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychopomp

Cardinal Sinveil5/15/2016, 6:39:38 PM1 votes

I wonder if Kindred is the Thanatos-type or Charon-type of Grim Reaper (or something else). That is to say are they the one that:

  1. Decide whose life is time to come to an end (think Atropos)
  2. The one who, after the decision is made, grants Death to the individual (think Achlys)
  3. The one that guides the deceased to the Netherworld (think Thanatos & sometimes Hermes)
  4. The one who takes them to their next destination (think Charon)

As we can see, there are several types of psychopomps, and it's tricky to define which one is the Kindred exactly. There are many others I forgot to list, such as the Judge-type (think Anubis, although that would be more fitting for Nasus) or possibly an Underworld Ruler archetype such as Hades or Hel. I'd personally label the Kindred as a combination of 1) & 2) but it's anybody's guess.