In Greek mythology, Charon or Kharon (in Greek, Χάρων — the bright[1]) was the ferryman of Hades. Greek mythology is the body of stories belonging to the ancient Greeks concerning their gods and Heroes the nature of the world and the origins and significance The Ancient Greek language is the historical stage in the development of the Hellenic language family spanning the Archaic (c See also Merchant ship A ferry is a form of transport usually a Boat or Ship, used to carry (or ferry) passengers and Hades (from Greek, Hadēs, originally, Haidēs or, Aidēs, probably from Indo-European *n̥-wid- 'unseen' refers both to the ancient He was the son of Erebus and Nyx. In Greek mythology, Erebus or Erebos ( Ancient Greek:, English translation: "deep blackness/darkness or shadow" was the son of a primordial
Charon took the newly dead across the river Acheron or Styx if they had an obolus to pay for the ride. This article concerns the Greek river For other uses see Acheron (disambiguation. The obolus (or obol) is a Greek silver Coin worth a sixth of a Drachma. Those who could not had to wander the banks of the Acheron for one hundred years. Corpses in some regions in ancient Greece were buried or burned with 2 silver coins, called an obolus, on their eyes to pay the fare. Greece (Ελλάδα transliterated: Elláda, historically, Ellás,) officially the Hellenic Republic (Ελληνική Δημοκρατία The obolus (or obol) is a Greek silver Coin worth a sixth of a Drachma.
In various myths, the heroes Heracles, Orpheus, Aeneas, Dionysus and Psyche all journeyed to and fro on the boat of Charon. In Greek mythology, Heracles or Herakles ("glory of Hera " or Orpheus ( Greek: Ὀρφεύς ˈɔrfiəs ( OHR-fee-uhs) or /ˈɔrfjuːs/ ( OHR'-fews) in English is a figure from Greek mythology born in This article is about the Roman hero For other uses see Aeneas (disambiguation. In Classical mythology, Dionysus or Dionysos (in Greek, Διόνυσος or Διώνυσος; associated with Roman The Tale of Cupid and Psyche (or The Tale of Amor and Psyche) first appeared as a digressionary story told by an old woman in Lucius Apuleius ' Novel, According to Virgil's Aeneid (book 6), the Cumaean Sibyl directs Aeneas to the golden bough necessary to cross the river while still alive and return to the world. Publius Vergilius Maro ( October 15, 70 BCE &ndash September 21, 19 BCE later called Virgilius, and known in English as Virgil or For the group of nine Ancient Egyptian deities see Ennead. The Aeneid (əˈniːɪd in The ageless Cumaean Sibyl was the priestess presiding over the Apollonian Oracle at Cumae, a Greek colony located near Naples, This article is about the Roman hero For other uses see Aeneas (disambiguation. Orpheus also made the trip to the underworld and returned alive. Orpheus ( Greek: Ὀρφεύς ˈɔrfiəs ( OHR-fee-uhs) or /ˈɔrfjuːs/ ( OHR'-fews) in English is a figure from Greek mythology born in
Charon was depicted as a cranky, skinny old man or as a winged demon wielding a double hammer, although Michaelangelo's interpretation, right, shows differently. Aristophanes, in The Frogs, had him spewing insults regarding people's girth. Aristophanes (Ἀριστοφάνης ˌærɪˈstɒfəniːz in English ca Frogs ( Ancient Greek: grc Βάτραχοι grc-Latn Bátrachoi) is a comedy written by the Ancient Greek playwright Aristophanes. In modern times, he is commonly depicted as a living skeleton in a cowl, much like the Grim Reaper or Dickens' Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come. This article is about the garment used by monks For other uses see Cowl (disambiguation or Cowling (disambiguation. In English Death is often given the name the " Grim Reaper " and shown as a skeletal figure carrying a large Scythe, and wearing a midnight black gown robe The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come is a character in English novelist Charles Dickens 's A Christmas Carol.
Most accounts, including Pausanias (x. Pausanias ( Greek:) was a Greek traveller and Geographer of the 2nd century CE, who lived in the times of Hadrian, Antoninus 28) and, later, Dante's Inferno (book 3, line 78), associate Charon with the swamps of the river Acheron. Nevertheless, it is a popular notion that he ferried souls across the river Styx. This is suggested by Virgil in his Aeneid (book 6, line 369):
- There Chairon stands, who rules the dreary coast -
- A sordid god: down from his hairy chin
- A length of beard descends, uncombed, unclean;
- His eyes, like hollow furnaces on fire;
- A girdle, foul with grease, binds his obscene attire.
Dante Alighieri also described Charon in his Divine Comedy. The Divine Comedy He is the same as his Greek counterpart, being paid an obolus to cross Acheron. He is the first named character Dante meets in the underworld, in the third Canto of Inferno.
See also
| Greek underworld | |
|---|---|
| Residents | |
| Geography | |
| Famous Inmates | |
- Charun - an Etruscan counterpart to Charon
- Psychopomp - the general word for a guide of the dead
References
- ^ Liddell-Scott, Greek-English Lexicon s. The Greek Underworld is a general term used to describe the various realms of Greek mythology which were believed to lie beneath the earth or beyond the horizon Aeacus (also spelled Eäcus, Greek, "bewailing" or "earth borne" was a mythological king of the island of Aegina In Greek mythology, Cerberus or Kerberos ( Greek Κέρβερος Kérberos) the ker or Daimon of Hades (from Greek, Hadēs, originally, Haidēs or, Aidēs, probably from Indo-European *n̥-wid- 'unseen' refers both to the ancient In Greek mythology, Minos ( Ancient Greek:) was a mythical king of Crete son of Zeus and Europa. In Greek mythology, Persephone ( Kore or Cora) was the embodiment of the Earth's fertility at the same time that she was the Queen of the Underworld In Greek myths, Rhadamanthus ( also transliterated as Rhadamanthys or Rhadamanthos) was a wise king the son of Zeus and This article concerns the Greek river For other uses see Acheron (disambiguation. The Asphodel Meadows is a section of the Ancient Greek underworld where indifferent and ordinary souls were sent to live after death Cocytus or Kokytos, meaning "the river of wailing" (from the Greek κωκυτός, "lamentation" is a river in the underworld in In Greek mythology, Elysium ( Greek:) was a section of the Underworld (the spelling Elysium is a Latinization of the In Greek mythology, Erebus or Erebos ( Ancient Greek:, English translation: "deep blackness/darkness or shadow" was the son of a primordial In Classical Greek, Lethe (λήθη Classical Greek, Modern Greek:) literally means "forgetfulness" or "concealment" In Greek mythology, the river Phlegethon ( English translation: "flaming" or Pyriphlegethon (English translation "fire-flaming" was In classic Greek mythology below Heaven, Earth, and Pontus is Tartarus, or Tartaros ( Greek Τάρταρος deep place In Greek mythology, Ixion was king of the Lapiths, the most ancient tribe of Thessaly, and a son of Ares or Antion or the notorious In Greek mythology, Sisyphus ( Greek: Σίσυφος, Latinized: Sisyphus (ˈsɪsɨfəs was a King punished in In Greek mythology Tantalus ( Greek Τάνταλος was a son of Zeus and the Nymph Plouto. In Greek mythology, the Titans ( Greek: Tītā́n; plural Tītânes) were a race of powerful Deities that ruled during the legendary In Etruscan mythology, Charun (also spelled Charu, or Karun) was the Psychopomp of the Underworld, not to be confused with the lord Many religious belief systems have a particular spirit, Angel, or Deity whose responsibility is to escort newly-deceased souls to the Afterlife v. charôn and charopos
External links
Media related to Charon (mythology) from the Wikimedia Commons.
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