The mythology or religion of most cultures incorporate a god of death or, more frequently, a divine being closely associated with death, an afterlife, or an underworld. They are often amongst the most powerful and important entities in a given tradition, reflecting the fact that death, like birth, is central to the human experience. In religions where a single god is the primary object of worship, the representation of death is usually that god's antagonist, and the struggle between the two is central to the folklore of the culture. In such dualistic models, the primary deity usually represents good, and the death god embodies evil. Similarly, death worship is used as a derogatory term to accuse certain groups of morally abhorrent practices which set no value on human life. In monotheistic religions, death is commonly personified by an angel or demon standing in opposition to the god.

In polytheistic religions which have a complex system of deities governing various natural phenomena and aspects of human life, it is common to have a deity who is assigned the function of presiding over death. This deity may perform the act of taking life or, more commonly, simply rule over the afterlife of that particular belief system. A single religion may have separate deities performing each tasks, as is seen in Greek mythology with Thanatos and Hades. The deity in question may be depicted as good, evil, or neutral and simply doing their job, in sharp contrast to modern portrayals of death deities (which tend to be villainizing due to prominent cultural fears surrounding death). The Greek underworld deity Hades is an especially common target due to Christian theology, in which the term "Hades" is typically interchangeable with "death" or "hell". The inclusion of such a "departmental" deity of death in a religion's pantheon is not necessarily a glorification of death.

Both male and female death deities are common, unlike those of other functions that tend to be one gender in particular; for example, fertility and earth deities are typically female, while storm deities are typically male. A single religion/mythology may have death gods of more than one gender existing at the same time, and they are often envisioned as a married couple ruling over the afterlife together, as seen with the Aztecs, Greeks, and Romans.

In monotheistic religions, a single god governs both life and death, as well as all other domains. This manifests as rituals and traditions that differ substantially with those of polytheistic religions, and varies according to a number of factors, including geography, politics, traditions, and the influence of other religions.

Ossetian

Emperor(s) of Youdu (Capital City of the Underworld)

Judges of the Ten Underworld Courts

The rest only have surnames including Li, Yu, Lu, Bi, Lu and Xue.