Psychopomp

Dragon Mood? -- elated

Scanning an old, familiar website, I found a new one, Wordsmith, which I think I will be revisiting frequently!

The word, psychopomp, caught my eye:

PRONUNCIATION:
(SY-ko-pomp)

MEANING:
noun: A guide of souls, one who escorts soul of a newly-deceased to the afterlife.

ETYMOLOGY:
From Greek psychopompos (conductor of souls), from psycho-, from psyche (breath, spirit, soul) + pompos (conductor, guide).

USAGE:

"Harold Bloom here presents himself as a mystagogue and a soothsayer, a psychopomp of our times, conducting souls into unknown territories."
~ Marina Warner; Where Angels Tread; The Washington Post; Sep 15, 1996

I AM excited!