13 Days of Halloween: Day Eleven

Today, the memento mori, a genre of art and music that spans history from the Middle Ages through today. It was particularly in vogue in times when death was of particular concern to people; during the Black Death, for example, or in Puritan times. It was also said that the phrase “memento mori”– which means “remember you are mortal”– was repeated by a servant to Roman generals receiving a triumph. They often consisted of depictions of Death personified as a skeleton, skulls and bones in general, and images related to time, such as hour glasses.

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Wargamer and RPG'er since the 1970's, author of Adventures Dark and Deep, Castle of the Mad Archmage, and other things, and proprietor of the Greyhawk Grognard blog.