Content Notice
This piece contains images of human remains
As the days shorten, leaves wither, and we even get the odd overcast, rainy day[1], we have been reflecting on death. So sit down, put on some music, and join us in our reflection.
(Don’t want to read about death? Skip to the end for pictures of a puppy)
Have you ever written about death? How do you approach the topic?
Lauren
Only in the ghost-and-ghoul vein, to be honest. It’s one of those topics that I have been exceedingly fortunate to experience only rarely in my immediate family, and I suppose I’m a little superstitious about it, like by writing about it I’m inviting it into my life.
On the other hand, tales of the paranormal were probably my first real interest, sparked mostly by my mum’s old illustrated copy of The Hound of the Baskervilles from the 70s (which I still have!!). From there it was as many ghosts and creepy mysteries as I could lay my little hands on. I’ve had chronic anxiety since I can remember, but horror movies (about ghosts, not the slashy kind) I’ve always been able to enjoy. A mystery in itself…
Brittany
The idea of death features prominently in my short stories “I-M-S-C-A-R-E-D” and “The Stone Maiden”, though, as with Lauren, these stories are very much of the ghouls-and-ghosts horror style. And, in the spirit of ghouls-and-ghosts, in these stories horror lies in failing to die. Or at least, not dying all the way, being unable to rest in peace, and leaving behind some remnant.
Again as with Lauren, I have also been fortunate enough to experience death only rarely in my family. But I, unlike Lauren, am not superstitious about writing about it (guess who picked this topic).
Do you have a favourite fictional personification of death?
Lauren
Immediate yes!!! Death as the narrator of Markus Zusak’s The Book Thief absolutely blew my mind as a kid. Not only is he(?) lyrical and eloquent and sees the world in so many bright colours, which is not what you’d expect of death, but the very concept of Death as a narrator—especially with such a weighty setting as Nazi Germany—just really made me stop and think about so many things I took for granted about writing. Techniques, character, voice, perspective… Death was a person, he was a storyteller, and he’s still one of my all time faves.
(Random aside, but I embarrassed my friends by showing up to the movie adaptation in costume and with my copy of the book, like Mr Zusak himself was going to be there 😂)
Brittany
I was tossing up about this one. A top contender is Death from Terry Pratchett’s Discworld. One of my favourite Discworld books is Hogfather, in which someone tries to assassinate the Hogfather (a stand in for Santa Claus) right before Hogswatch (a stand in for Christmas). So, Death fills in for him.
But, I realise Death’s role as a psychopomp is not why I like the story.
With that in mind, I’d pick Death from Neil Gaiman’s the Sandman comics[2] as my favourite personification of death. Death in the Sandman is a kind, cheerful character—much more so than the brooding Dream (the titular Sandman). She loves life, and is depicted wearing an ankh necklace—a symbol of life.
As I recall, Death first appears in “The Sound of Her Wings”. To drag Dream out of a funk, she takes him along as she collects the souls of the recently departed, offering brief snapshots into people’s lives.
If, when I die, I were to be met with a fictional personification of death, I think I’d pick Death from the Sandman.
What is a symbolic representation of death you find compelling?
Brittany
A dance of death; people from all walks of life dance along with death personified towards the grave. There, everyone is equal; emperors, priests, labourers, beggars.
In 14th century Europe, people faced famine, war, and pestilence. Crop failures beginning in 1315 caused famine across much of Europe. England and France fought the Hundred Years’ War between 1337 and 1453. From 1346 to 1353, the Black Death ravaged the continent. There is, in fact, a Wikipedia page dedicated to Crises in the 14th and 15th centuries. Death was a constantly looming spectre. This was reflected in the art of the time.
During this period we see the Danse Macabre, or Dance of Death. Depictions vary, but it is in essence art of people dancing towards the grave with death. There will be people from all walks of life, from Kings, through beggars, and children, following Death, or dancing between the dead. These images show death as a great equaliser, subverting societal hierarchies. I find the Danse Macabre fascinating.
If you didn’t click the music link at the beginning, it leads to “La Danse Macabre” by Camille Saint-Saëns.
Lauren
I really, really, really love “The Ambassadors”, a well-known painting by 16th century artist Hans Holbein the Younger. (My FAVOURITE ARTIST OF ALL TIME BY THE WAY. Sorry for the caps. I just love his stuff.) Anyway, the painting says so much about time and the short space between birth and death and the experiences and objects and people we fill it with. It just symbolises death on such a personal scale but also on a cultural one, how generations change and society evolves. And, it’s got SO MANY little Tudor-specific references to death.
And, it’s got that awesome elongated skull that looks digitally added somehow and we still don’t know who the eponymous ambassadors even ARE and I just love it and I’m most sorry for the ramble!
What is a memorial, or resting place you find moving?
Brittany
Several years ago, back before the COVID-19 pandemic, I visited Europe with my family[3]. While in the Czech Republic, we visited Sedlec Ossuary[4]. A chapel of human bones, artistically arranged. A bone chandelier hangs from the ceiling. Bones form the House of Schwarzenberg coat of arms. It is, I think, an awe inspiring place.
In the 14th century—as I have mentioned, a tumultuous time, with a high mortality rate—something like 30,000 people were buried in Sedlec cemetery. In the 15th century, many of these bones were exhumed, and moved to the ossuary. There, they were artistically arranged, and have been maintained to this day.
Lauren
I think I’m interested in much the same thing, but the catacombs in France spring to mind first. They’re so extensive people get lost in them, sometimes forever, or so the stories say. Walls of skulls and elaborate patterns woven together with bones… I just think that every one of those bones supported a human just like me and I feel small, but also part of something so much larger. It minimizes the boundaries between “us” and “them”, I think, because politics and prejudice don’t matter when we’re bones decorating some future society’s underground tunnels.
Well, this has been a touch grim. Anything good happen recently?
Lauren
As for something good… I’m waiting on a call to schedule an interview for a government job I applied for so that’s pretty big. Apparently it’s good, I keep having people tell me “congratulations” but I mostly just feel stressed out 😂😂
Brittany
Have I mentioned my family’s new puppy, Argyle? He’s a lively boy, who’s getting very good at digging holes in the garden, and it starting to get the hang of “sit”. Argyle is not, however, fond of me sitting down to work on this post, he wants someone to play with him.
The fruit on our mandarin tree is also almost ripe, we should be able to eat them soon!
If you haven’t yet, don’t forget to take a look at Mildew Manor, a horror story by Matthew R. Davis.
And, keep an eye out for our next story at the end of the month, featuring its own representation of death. If you don’t want to miss it, make sure to subscribe to our email list.
It may not hold a candle to Holbein, but Banksia Journal has its own skull artwork, available on Redbubble. Where we are, the nights are getting chillier. Perhaps it’s time for a new blanket? Or, with winter (hopefully) approaching, a new jumper may be in order. And, can you ever really have too many socks?
Brittany’s notes
1. Though, winter really has been dragging its feet this year, hasn’t it? [back]
2. I realise there is a popular TV adaptation of the Sandman. I have not watched it (yet); I’m only familiar with the comics [back]
3. If you read our post Ringing in the Year of the Dragon, the photo of the fire-breathing Wawel dragon sculpture was also taken on this trip [back]
4. If you’re not familiar with the term, an ossuary is a place where bones are kept [back]
Brittany Lee is the co-founder, and editor of Banksia Journal. She is a writer from Perth, Western Australia, with a BA in Linguistics, and Postgrad Diploma in Journalism. Her work has appeared in AntipodeanSF, Dusty Attic Publishing, and Perth’s Raine Square Story Dispenser. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, knitting, and taking photos of flowers (such as banksias).
You can find her online at brittanyerinlee.com.
Lauren Hancock-Coffey is the co-founder and financial manager of Banksia Journal. She’s also a writer and devourer of historical fiction with a speculative twist and an avid fantasy RPG-er with more books and games than sense. She’s a full-time editor with a BA in Linguistics and an MA in Professional Writing and Publishing.