Memento mori facts for kids

This page is about the concept. For other uses, see Memento mori (disambiguation).

The outer panels of Rogier van der Weyden's Braque Triptych (c. 1452) show a skull, a reminder of life's end.

Memento mori on a gravestone from 1746 in Edinburgh.

Memento mori is a Latin phrase that means "remember that you have to die." It's an artistic idea or symbol that reminds us that life doesn't last forever. This concept has been around since ancient times with philosophers and in Christianity. You can see it in art and buildings from the medieval period onwards.

The most common symbol for memento mori is a skull, often with bones. Other symbols include a coffin, an hourglass (showing time passing), or flowers that are wilting (showing life's impermanence). These symbols often appear in paintings, like portraits, or in special art styles such as vanitas paintings and the Danse Macabre (Dance of Death).

Understanding "Memento Mori"

How to Say It and What It Means

In English, you usually say it like "mə-MEN-toh MOR-ee."

The word Memento means "remember!" It's like a warning to keep something in mind. Morī means "to die." So, the phrase literally means "you must remember to die." But it's often understood as "remember death" or "remember that you will die." It's a reminder to appreciate life and live it well.

A Look Back: The History of This Idea

Ancient Thinkers and Philosophers

Long ago, philosophers like Plato and Socrates thought a lot about death. They believed that thinking about death could help people live better and wiser lives.

The Stoics, another group of ancient philosophers, also focused on this idea. For example, Epictetus taught his students to remember that everyone is mortal, even when they were happy. This helped them appreciate the present moment. The Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius wrote in his Meditations about how short and precious life is.

During some Roman triumphs (celebrations for victorious generals), a person would stand near the general. Their job was to remind the general that even though he was powerful, he was still a human and would eventually die. This was often said as, "Remember, Caesar, you are mortal."

In Early Religions

The idea of remembering death also appears in ancient religious texts. In the Old Testament, there are verses that remind people that life is temporary. For example, it says, "you are dust, and to dust you shall return" (Gen. 3:19). Psalm 90 asks God to teach people "to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom" (Ps. 90:12). These passages encourage people to live wisely because life is short.

As Christianity grew, the idea of memento mori became very important. It reminded people about heaven, hell, and the importance of living a good life to save their soul for the afterlife.

From Medieval Times to the Victorian Era in Europe

Christian Beliefs

In Christianity, memento mori became a way to encourage people to focus on spiritual life rather than just earthly pleasures. It reminded them that worldly things are temporary. The goal was to inspire people to live without sin and prepare for the afterlife. A common saying was, "in all thy works be mindful of thy last end and thou wilt never sin" (Ecclesiasticus 7:40). This idea is still seen in traditions like Ash Wednesday, where ashes are placed on people's heads with the words, "Remember, Man, that you are dust and unto dust, you shall return."

Art and Buildings

A skeleton on Diana Warburton's tomb (1693) in St John the Baptist Church, Chester. This kind of tomb was a strong reminder of death.

You can find memento mori in many old buildings and artworks, especially those related to funerals. One striking example is the cadaver tomb. These tombs, popular among wealthy people in the 1400s, showed the deceased as a skeleton. They were a stark reminder that even rich people couldn't escape death.

Another example is chapels made of bones, like the Capela dos Ossos in Évora, Portugal, or the Capuchin Crypt in Rome. These chapels have walls covered with human bones. The entrance to the Capela dos Ossos even has a message: "We bones, lying here bare, await yours."

Visual Artworks

Philippe de Champaigne's Vanitas (c. 1671) shows a skull, a flower, and an hourglass, representing life, death, and time.

Many artworks used symbols to remind people about time and death. Public clocks sometimes had sayings like ultima forsan ("perhaps the last [hour]") or tempus fugit ("time flies"). Some clocks even had figures of Death that would strike the hour.

People also wore memento mori jewelry in the 16th and 17th centuries. These pieces included mourning rings, pendants, and brooches with tiny skulls, bones, or coffins. They often had messages or names of loved ones who had passed away.

During this time, a type of painting called vanitas became popular, especially in Holland. These paintings showed collections of symbolic objects like human skulls, candles burning down, wilting flowers, soap bubbles, and hourglasses. Together, these objects showed that human efforts and earthly beauty are temporary and will eventually fade.

Stories and Poems

Memento mori is also a big theme in literature. In Shakespeare's play Hamlet, Hamlet holds the skull of Yorick, a jester, and thinks about how everyone eventually dies. This is a famous memento mori moment. Many poems from the 1700s, called elegies, also explored the theme of death and loss.

Music and Dance

Music, especially requiem and funeral music, often deals with death. In medieval Europe, during times of bubonic plague, people sang songs that reminded them of death. These songs encouraged them to live good lives to prepare for Judgment Day.

The danse macabre, or "Dance of Death," is another famous example. It shows a dancing Grim Reaper leading people from all walks of life – rich and poor, kings and peasants – to their death. This theme was often painted on church walls.

Art Gallery

An ancient Roman mosaic showing the Wheel of Fortune. It reminds us that life's ups and downs are temporary, and death makes everyone equal.
The tomb of René of Châlon (died 1544) shows him as a skeleton, offering his heart. This was a powerful reminder of life's end.
A 16th/17th-century ivory pendant from France, showing a Monk and Death, symbolizing that death is certain.
A memento mori ring from between 1500 and 1650, with a skull and the message "Die to Live."
Frans Hals, Young Man with a Skull, c. 1626–1628.
A memento mori in the shape of a small coffin from the 1700s.
A mourning brooch with braided hair from 1843.
An alarm clock shaped like a coffin, from 1840–1900.
Still Life: An Allegory of the Vanities of Human Life is a Dutch vanitas painting that explores the memento mori theme.
Hans Holbein's The Ambassadors includes a hidden, distorted image of a skull at the bottom.

In Early America

Thomas Smith's Self-Portrait (1680), showing a skull as a memento mori.

In 17th-century colonial America, Puritans used memento mori images a lot. They believed that art should remind people of God and living a good life. Portraits were allowed because they recorded history. Thomas Smith, a Puritan painter and sailor, included a skull in his self-portrait. This showed his awareness that death could come at any time.

A poem below the skull in his painting showed his acceptance of death:

Why why should I the World be minding, Therein a World of Evils Finding. Then Farwell World: Farwell thy jarres, thy Joies thy Toies thy Wiles thy Warrs. Truth Sounds Retreat: I am not sorye. The Eternall Drawes to him my heart, By Faith (which can thy Force Subvert) To Crowne me (after Grace) with Glory.

Mexico's Day of the Dead Celebrations

The Mexican festival of Day of the Dead (Día de Muertos) is a wonderful example of memento mori in action. It's a time to remember and honor loved ones who have passed away. This celebration includes fun things like skull-shaped candies and special bread loaves decorated with "bones."

The Mexican artist José Guadalupe Posada famously created images of people as skeletons, showing that death comes to everyone, no matter their background.

Another fun tradition is the Mexican "Calavera." These are funny poems written about people who are still alive, but as if they were dead. Friends often share these humorous poems during Day of the Dead.

Thinking About It Today

Today, some thinkers suggest that memento mori is still a valuable idea. It can help us live more fully and appreciate each day. As Albert Camus said, "Come to terms with death, thereafter anything is possible." It's about realizing that life is precious and making the most of it.

Similar Ideas Around the World

In Buddhist Traditions

In Buddhism, there's a practice called maraṇasati, which means "awareness of death." It's very similar to memento mori. Buddhists meditate on death to understand that everything is temporary. This helps them live with more wisdom and kindness.

Japanese Zen and Samurai Culture

In Japan, Zen Buddhist ideas influenced the samurai warriors. The ancient samurai guide, Hagakure, says that a samurai should "practice of death, considering whether it will be here or be there." This meant always being ready for death, which helped them live bravely and honorably.

The Japanese tradition of appreciating cherry blossoms (hanami) and fall colors (momijigari) also connects to this idea. They believe things are most beautiful just before they fade. This teaches people to live and die with grace.

Tibetan Buddhism

A Tibetan Citipati mask, showing a skull. It reminds us that life is impermanent and that life and death are a continuous cycle.

Tibetan Buddhism has a practice called Lojong, which includes "The Four Thoughts that Turn the Mind." One of these thoughts is about impermanence and death. Meditators think about how:

All things that are put together will eventually fall apart.
The human body is one of these things.
So, the body will definitely die.
We don't know when death will happen.

These reflections help people live in the present and make good choices.

In Islamic Teachings

In Islam, "remembrance of death" (Tadhkirat al-Mawt) is a very important spiritual topic. The Qur'an and the teachings of the prophet Muhammad encourage believers to "remember often death, the destroyer of pleasures." Some Sufis (Islamic mystics) would visit graveyards to think about life's shortness and how to live a meaningful life.

Norse Wisdom in Scandinavia

The Hávamál, an old Norse poem from the 13th century, also shares memento mori ideas. It includes proverbs that remind people about death. One famous verse says:

Deyr fé,
deyja frændur,
deyr sjálfur ið sama;
ek veit einn at aldri deyr,
dómr um dauðan hvern.

Animals die,
friends die,
and thyself, too, shall die;
but one thing I know that never dies
the tales of the one who died.

This means that while everything living eventually ends, the stories and memories of people can live on.