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Mortal

World Religion
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

A being subject to death, often contrasted with the immortal divine.

Detailed Definition
The mortal condition—human life with its inherent limitations, fragility, and certainty of death—is a central concern of religion. It defines the human predicament from which religions offer salvation, liberation, or meaning. In poetry, 'mortal' evokes the transient beauty of life, the urgency of spiritual seeking, the pain of loss, and the humility of being created. Contrasting the mortal with the immortal highlights themes of longing for eternity, the nature of the soul, and the scale of divine grace that bridges the gap between the human and the divine.
Example
Example in poetry:
In Christian poetry, Mortal frailty contrasts divine eternity: “Dust I am—Mortal, yet made for glory”; In Buddhist verse, Mortal life is fleeting: “Cherry blossoms fall—Mortal beauty, brief and bright”; In contemporary elegy, Mortal becomes tender: “Your hands—Mortal, warm, now still”; Poets affirm Mortal dignity: “Though Mortal, I carry stars in my chest.”
Additional Notes
Mortal underscores the human condition of finitude, central to existential and religious reflection; in contrast to immortal gods or liberated souls, mortals seek meaning through legacy, love, or devotion; poets use mortality to heighten urgency—urging carpe diem in secular verse or memento mori in sacred contexts as a call to awaken before death.
Other Meanings of “Mortal”
Also Known As
Human Earthly Being
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