The Order of Death — The Reapers of Grimm Fairy Tales

Spoilers for Grimm Fairy Tales: Death and Grimm Tales of Terror Annual: Goddess of Death. I wanted to go through the Reapers in Grimm Fairy Tales, because Keres is the one we spend the most time with, but she was part of a whole Order of Death. Each realm had its own Reaper, and they weren't all the same person wearing a different face. The order came out of what happened to Madam Morana, the original goddess of life and death. After the Keepers brought her down, they divided her power among chosen beings from the realms. Those beings became the Reapers, with the Judge helping keep the order together. They were supposed to take souls when it was their time. They weren't supposed to go around deciding who deserved an early death. Keres pushed against that, and after her trial the order began taking a more active role. But the individual Reapers still had different personalities and different ways of using their power. Keres — the Nexus Keres is the Reaper of our world. She's the one who keeps getting involved when people are hurting others, and she can be unbelievably cruel to the people she decides deserve it. In the tenth anniversary story, a knife through her throat barely slows the conversation down. She takes it out and keeps going. We see her use disguises, summon wolves against the people she's punishing, and fight with her scythe. In Goddess of Death she makes a scammer's body rot while he's still standing in front of her. She's also capable of caring about the people she's protecting. Her experience as Tara, and her love for Tara's daughter, are a big part of why the order changes. Later she takes in the power of the other Reapers and becomes the Omega. That increase doesn't last. She spends their power sealing Hell, and the ending explicitly tells us those powers are gone from her. Abaddon — Myst Abaddon is the jackal-headed Reaper of Myst. He's male, and even though his appearance might make you think of Anubis, this character is Abaddon. He's able to bend time. That's how he helps Keres go back and save Tara and Lisa after her trial. He can also materialize in places he's been before, and in the fight with Morana we see him use his staff to send out golden serpents that bind her. He usually comes across as the one trying to get Keres to think before she acts. But he cares about her, and he isn't so committed to the rules that he'll ignore an innocent child who could still be saved. When everything falls apart in Hell, he gives the last of his life to bring her back. Their friendship is a huge part of both stories. Thanatos — Neverland Thanatos looks like a young boy, and the annual tells us he was the youngest of those chosen to become Reapers. He still has that childlike innocence. The first thing we see him doing in his part of the story is helping the soul of a dead frog move on. His opal scythe can cut holes in reality so he can travel between places. The opening closes after he passes through it. He's also far more dangerous than his appearance suggests. Even while restrained in Hell, he fights back and kills Astaroth with his scythe. But the Kings exploit him. A crocodile filled with demons injures him, and then they trick him into coming to Hell by claiming Morana has already returned. He goes alone to find out whether it's true rather than putting the other Reapers in danger. They capture him, and Asmodeus kills him. His blood helps bring Morana back for real. Ankou — Oz Ankou is the Reaper of Oz, the blue, skeletal-looking member of the order. He's one of the Reapers judging Keres in the anniversary story, and he's the one shown beginning the punishment that sends her through human lives and deaths. He doesn't get the same amount of individual time as Keres, Abaddon, or Thanatos. But he is part of the same shared power, and his death weakens the survivors. In the annual, the Kings capture him and kill him alongside Pesta and the Judge. His spirit is among those who return to Keres afterward. The power connected to Oz becomes part of what she uses against Morana and to close Hell. Pesta — Wonderland Pesta is the Reaper of Wonderland. She's the gaunt woman among Keres's peers at the trial, and she also belongs to the original order formed after Morana's defeat. Like Ankou, she gets less individual development in these stories. She helps judge Keres, and later she's taken prisoner in the attack on the order. She's killed with Ankou and the Judge, but her spirit comes back with the others to offer Keres a choice about what happens next. Wonderland's power is part of what they carry. It's one of the things Morana can't simply reclaim as her own, because the Reapers' connection to their realms has become part of their strength too. The Judge The Judge belongs in this conversation even though he isn't the Reaper assigned to one of those five realms. He was appointed to guide the order and settle disputes. He's the one presiding over Keres's trial and explaining why she can't make herself judge, jury, and executioner over human beings. He also has his own way of moving between places: he can turn a natural element into a portal. Later he's captured and killed with Ankou and Pesta. His spirit helps Keres understand the choice in front of her after Abaddon saves her. One thing I liked about all this is that the order has rules, disagreements, and relationships. Abaddon can think Keres is going too far and still be willing to break a rule for her. Thanatos can be powerful enough to kill a King of Hell and still get caught because he's trying to protect the others. And the ending changes everything. By the close of Goddess of Death, this isn't a group of five Reapers still sitting together in judgment. Keres has lost them. They help her one last time, she gives up their power to seal Hell, and she's left carrying the memory of what happened.