The Forbidden Fountain of Oz food, which occurs most famously in the "forbidden fruit" of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil in the Book of Genesis, but in other contexts too. The idea of water that purges the drinker's memory is also ancient. In Greek mythology it occurs as the river Lethe: the souls of the dead lose their memories of their earthly lives by drinking its water. The same idea can also be found in Eastern and other literatures, as in the "Well of the Waters of Forgetfulness" and other guises. "The 'Drink of Forgetfulness' is found in Greek, Hindu, Norse, and
Children of Blood and Bone making it easy for bothering African and Western readers to understand they help souls pass on. They can understand the soul's needs and emotions. Having an intimate connection with the dead, they can bend souls to their will. Reapers can command animations made from earth and the souls of the dead or just souls in the form of shadows. Their powers feed on their rage, but there is also a peaceful use for their magic. Zélie demonstrates the empathy Reapers have for passing souls. They feel what they need and can feel if they are too "weighed down by sin