| Thanatos | Letus |
| “ | When it comes to death... we're happy to let him stay Greek. | ” |
–- Hazel about the differences between Thanatos and Letus in, The Son of Neptune. | ||
Letus (also known as Mors) is the Roman counterpart of Thanatos. As Letus, he becomes more disciplined, militaristic, and warlike. In ancient Roman myth and literature, Mors is the personification of death. Letus' antithesis is personified as Vita (Life).
History
In one story, Hercules fought Mors in order to save his friend's wife. In other stories, Mors is shown as a servant to Pluto, ending the life of a person after the thread of their life has been cut by the Parcae and of Mercury, messenger to the gods, escorting the dead person's soul or shade, down to the Underworld's gate.
The Heroes of Olympus
The Son of Neptune
While Letus is the Roman form of Thanatos, Hazel explains that the Roman Legion refer to him by the Greek name Thanatos. This is because Letus is a god of death, so they prefer him to stay Greek.
Thanatos, his Greek counterpart
Trivia
- Letus is the Latin word for Death.
- Depictions of the Crucifixion of Christ sometimes shows Mors standing at the foot of the cross.
- Hazel claims that when it comes to Death, the Romans let him stay Greek.
- Letus is where lethal, an English word meaning 'Causing death' came from.
- The French word Mort (the 't' is silent) which means Death is derived from Thanatos' other Roman name, Mors, which also means Death.
