Momento Mori

“Momento Mori”- (Remember Death)

Representations of The Three Living and the Three Dead appeared in books and church art from the thirteenth century and are illustrations of a story, whose exact origins are unknown.
A memento mori functioned not only as a reminder that all must die, but intrinsically it was a prompt to live well, i.e. to put away earthly pleasures which were a risk to the soul’s salvation in the afterlife.

The ancient story goes that three Kings who enjoyed greatly all the comforts and joys of the world at the expense of their subjects were met one day on a road while traveling by the souls of three dead Kings. The wandering souls warned the transience of life and exhorted the young men to live well as death may come at any time.