Legend says that the Grim Reaper appears when someone is just moments from death. It is believed that he uses his sharp scythe to separate the human soul from the body.
For thousands of years, various cultures have had figures to represent death. One of the most common and enduring of these is the Grim Reaper—usually a skeletal figure, who is often shrouded in a dark, hooded robe and carrying a scythe to “reap” human souls.