Alex Wolfe
The Graveyard Book - pg 1-60
1/7/19
The Lady On the Grey
“At the end of your days, Rides the Lady on the Grey, Where she takes you, none can
say, For all of They have passed away.” - Unknown. Early in the novel The Graveyard Book we
are introduced to an interesting and mysterious character, The Lady On The Grey. The Lady on
the Grey is a woman described with a peaceful look who is often seen wearing white, grey, or
black. She rides a solid white horse, called a grey, and guides spirits and lost souls to the
afterlife. The Lady on the Grey is the personification of death in this novel and will come back to
save Bod in the end.
“But do not fear of her today, She will help you on your way,” Due to its prominent
place in human culture, death is frequently imagined as a personified force, also known as the
Grim Reaper. The idea that Death rides a pale horse, traces back to the Bible in Revelation 6:8, it
says “... looked, and there before me was a pale horse! Its rider was named Death, and Hades
was following close behind him.” Death is apart of many cultures, for example in Ancient Greek
religion and Greek mythology, death, known as Thanatos is one of the children of night. He has a
twin, Hypnos, the god of sleep and together, Thanatos and Hypnos generally represent a gentle
death. In America, Death is seen as a tall hooded figure often carrying a scythe and is one of the
four horsemen along with famine, war, and conquest. The grim reaper can be seen in many
different ways throughout regions and time.
“Once you truly pass away, Follow the Lady on the Grey.” Something interesting is
when the 300 active spirits are arguing about keeping Bod, she appeared and told them “The
dead should h...
