Charon - Wikipedia Charon From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to navigation Jump to search Ferryman of Hades in Greek-Roman mythology This article is about the mythological figure. For the moon of Pluto, see Charon (moon). For other uses, see Charon (disambiguation). Attic red-figure lekythos attributed to the Tymbos painter showing Charon welcoming a soul into his boat, c. 500-450 BC In Greek mythology and Roman mythology, Charon or Kharon (/ˈkɛərɒn, -ən/; Greek Χάρων) is a psychopomp, the ferryman of Hades who carries souls of the newly deceased across the river Styx that divided the world of the living from the world of the dead. A coin to pay Charon for passage, usually an obolus or danake, was sometimes placed in or on the mouth of a dead person.[1] Some authors say that those who could not pay the fee, or those whose bodies were left unburied, had to wander the shores for one hundred years, until they were allowed to cross the river.[2] In the catabasis mytheme, heroes – such as Aeneas, Dionysus, Heracles, Hermes, Odysseus, Orpheus, Pirithous, Psyche, Theseus and Sisyphus – journey to the underworld and return, still alive, conveyed by the boat of Charon. Contents 1 Genealogy 2 Etymology of name 3 Appearance and demeanor 4 Underworld geography 5 In astronomy 6 In paleontology 7 Modern usage as Haros 8 See also 9 References 10 Relevant literature 11 External links Genealogy[edit] Charon is the son of Nyx.[3] He was also the brother of, among many others, Thanatos and Hypnos. Etymology of name[edit] The name Charon is most often explained as a proper noun from χάρων (charon), a poetic form of χαρωπός (charopós), "of keen gaze", referring either to fierce, flashing, or feverish eyes, or to eyes of a bluish-gray color. The word may be a euphemism for death.[4] Flashing eyes may indicate the anger or irascibility of Charon as he is often characterized in literature, but the etymology is not certain. The ancient historian Diodorus Siculus thought that the ferryman and his name had been imported from Egypt.[5] Appearance and demeanor[edit] Charon as depicted by Michelangelo in his fresco The Last Judgment in the Sistine Chapel Charon is depicted frequently in the art of ancient Greece. Attic funerary vases of the 5th and 4th centuries BC are often decorated with scenes of the dead boarding Charon's boat. On the earlier such vases, he looks like a rough, unkempt Athenian seaman dressed in reddish-brown, holding his ferryman's pole in his right hand and using his left hand to receive the deceased. Hermes sometimes stands by in his role as psychopomp. On later vases, Charon is given a more "kindly and refined" demeanor.[6] In the 1st century BC, the Roman poet Virgil describes Charon, manning his rust-colored skiff, in the course of Aeneas's descent to the underworld (Aeneid, Book 6), after the Cumaean Sibyl has directed the hero to the golden bough that will allow him to return to the world of the living: There Charon 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.[7] Other Latin authors also describe Charon, among them Seneca in his tragedy Hercules Furens, where Charon is described in verses 762–777 as an old man clad in foul garb, with haggard cheeks and an unkempt beard, a fierce ferryman who guides his craft with a long pole. When the boatman tells Heracles to halt, the Greek hero uses his strength to gain passage, overpowering Charon with the boatman's own pole.[8] In the second century, Lucian employed Charon as a figure in his Dialogues of the Dead, most notably in Parts 4 and 10 ("Hermes and Charon" and "Charon and Hermes").[9] In the Divine Comedy, Charon forces reluctant sinners onto his boat by beating them with his oar. (Gustave Doré, 1857). In the 14th century, Dante Alighieri described Charon in his Divine Comedy, drawing from Virgil's depiction in Aeneid 6. Charon is the first named mythological character Dante meets in the underworld, in Canto III of the Inferno. Dante depicts him as having eyes of fire. Elsewhere, Charon appears as a mean-spirited and gaunt old man or as a winged demon wielding a double hammer, although Michelangelo's interpretation, influenced by Dante's depiction in the Inferno, shows him with an oar over his shoulder, ready to beat those who delay (“batte col remo qualunque s'adagia”, Inferno 3, verse 111).[10] In modern times, he is commonly depicted as a living skeleton in a cowl, much like the Grim Reaper. The French artist, Gustave Dore, depicted Charon in two of his illustrations for Dante's Divine Comedy. The Flemish painter, Joachim Patinir, depicted Charon in his Crossing the River Styx. And the Spanish painter, Jose Benlliure y Gil, portrayed Charon in his La Barca de Caronte. Underworld geography[edit] A 19th-century interpretation of Charon's crossing by Alexander Litovchenko Greek underworld Residents Aeacus Angelos Arae Ascalaphus Cerberus Ceuthonymus Charon Erinyes Eurynomos Hades/Pluto Hecate Hypnos Macaria Melinoë Menoetius Minos Moirai Mormolykeia Persephone Rhadamanthus Thanatos Geography Acheron Asphodel Fields Cocytus Elysium Erebus Lethe Phlegethon Styx Tartarus Famous Tartarus inmates Danaïdes Ixion Salmoneus Sisyphus Tantalus Titans Tityus Visitors Aeneas Dionysus Heracles Hermes Odysseus Orpheus Pirithous Psyche Theseus v t e Most accounts, including Pausanias (10.28) and later Dante's Inferno (3.78), associate Charon with the swamps of the river Acheron. Ancient Greek literary sources – such as Pindar, Aeschylus, Euripides, Plato, and Callimachus – also place Charon on the Acheron. Roman poets, including Propertius, Ovid, and Statius, name the river as the Styx, perhaps following the geography of Virgil's underworld in the Aeneid, where Charon is associated with both rivers.[11] In astronomy[edit] Charon, the largest moon of the dwarf planet Pluto, is named after him.[12] In paleontology[edit] The hadrosaurid Charonosaurus is named in Charon's honor because it was found along the banks of the Amur River in the Far East.[13] Modern usage as Haros[edit] Haros or Charos (Greek: Χάρος) is the modern Greek equivalent of Charon. It is used in common phrases such as "from the teeth of Haros" (Greek: από του Χάρου τα δόντια) meaning to come close to death or "you will be eaten (i.e. taken) by Haros". During the Korean War, the Greek Expeditionary Force defended an outpost called Outpost Harry.[14] The Greek soldiers referred to it as "Outpost Haros".[15] See also[edit] Charon's obol - a coin placed in the mouth of the dead Charun - an Etruscan counterpart to Charon Isle of the Dead - a painting Manannán mac Lir - Ferryman from Irish mythology Manunggul Jar - Early depiction similar figure on burial jar from Tabon Caves on Palawan Phlegyas - another god often associated with ferrying the dead Psychopomp - the general word for a guide of the dead Urshanabi - Ferryman from Mesopotamian mythology References[edit] ^ Not on the eyes; all literary sources specify the mouth. Callimachus, Hecale fragment 278 in R. Pfeiffer's text Callimachus (Oxford UP, 1949), vol.2, p. 262; now ordered as fragment 99 by A.S.D. Hollis, in his edition, Callimachus: Hecale (Clarendon Press, Oxford 1990), pp. 284f., from the Suidas, English translation online, specifying the mouth, also Etymologicum Graecum ("Danakes"). See also Smith's Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology, entry on "Charon" online for placement in the mouth, though archaeology disproves Smith's statement that every corpse was given a coin; see article on Charon's obol. ^ Virgil, Aeneid 6, 324–330. ^ Hesiod, Theogony from The Homeric Hymns and Homerica with an English Translation by Hugh G. Evelyn-White, Cambridge, MA.,Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann Ltd. 1914. ^ Liddell and Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon (Oxford: Clarendon Press 1843, 1985 printing), entries on χαροπός and χάρων, pp. 1980–1981; Brill's New Pauly (Leiden and Boston 2003), vol. 3, entry on “Charon,” pp. 202–203. ^ Christiane Sourvinou-Inwood, "Reading" Greek Death (Oxford University Press, 1996), p. 359 online and p. 390 online. ^ Grinsell, L. V. (1957). "The Ferryman and His Fee: A Study in Ethnology, Archaeology, and Tradition". Folklore. 68 (1): 257–269 [p. 261]. doi:10.1080/0015587x.1957.9717576. JSTOR 1258157. ^ Virgil, Aeneid 6.298–301, as translated by John Dryden. ^ See Ronnie H. Terpening, Charon and the Crossing: Ancient, Medieval, and Renaissance Transformations of a Myth (Lewisburg: Bucknell University Press, 1985 and London and Toronto: Associated University Presses, 1985), pp. 97–98. ^ For an analysis of these dialogues, ss Terpening, pp. 107–116. ^ For an analysis of Dante's depiction of Charon and other appearances in literature from antiquity through the 17th century in Italy, see Terpening, Charon and the Crossing. ^ See Kharon at theoi.com for collected source passages with work and line annotations, as well as images from vase paintings. ^ Dennis, Overbye (2 July 2013). "Two of Pluto's Moons Get Names From Greek Mythology's Underworld". The New. The New York Times. Retrieved 15 July 2015. ^ Godefroit, Pascal; Shuqin Zan; Liyong Jin (2000). "Charonosaurus jiayinensis n. g., n. sp., a lambeosaurine dinosaur from the Late Maastrichtian of northeastern China". Comptes Rendus de l'Académie des Sciences, Série IIA. 330: 875–882. Bibcode:2000CRASE.330..875G. doi:10.1016/S1251-8050(00)00214-7. ^ War History Compilation Committee (1977), The History of the United Nations Forces in the Korean War, 6, Seoul: Republic of Korea Ministry of National Defense, OCLC 769331231 ^ "The soldiers of the Greek Expeditionary Forces called it Outpost "Haros" the Greek name for Death. It was classic wartime humor, a dark pun borne of a hopeless mission". outpostharry.org. Relevant literature[edit] Bzinkowski, Michal. 2017. Masks of Charos in Modern Greek Demotic Songs: Sources, Representations, and Context. Krakow: Jagiellonian University Press. ISBN 978-83-233-4330-1 Smith, William; Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology, London (1873). "Charon" External links[edit] Media related to Charon at Wikimedia Commons The dictionary definition of Charon at Wiktionary The Theoi Project, "KHARON" Images of Charon in the Warburg Institute Iconographic Database v t e Ancient Greek religion and mythology Classical religious forms Ancient Greek religion Gnosticism Paleo-Balkan mythology Proto-Indo-European religion Hellenistic religion Alchemy Orphism Pythagoreanism Mycenaean deities Mystery religions and sacred mysteries Delos Mysteries Dionysian Mysteries Eleusinian Mysteries Imbrian Mysteries Mithraism Samotracian Mysteries Main beliefs Ages of Man Apotheosis Euhemerism Eusebeia Greek Heroic Age Interpretatio graeca Monism Mythology Nympholepsy Paganism Paradoxography Polytheism Theism Texts/epic poems/odes Aretalogy Argonautica Bibliotheca Cyranides Derveni papyrus Dionysiaca Ehoiai Greek Magical Papyri Homeric Hymns Iliad Odyssey Interpretation of Dreams (Antiphon) Oneirocritica Papyrus Graecus Holmiensis Sibylline Books Telegony The golden verses of Pythagoras Theogony Works and Days Epic Cycle Theban Cycle Rites and practices Amphictyonic League Amphidromia Animal sacrifice Apotheosis Baptes Curse tablet Daduchos Delphinion Funeral and burial practices Hymns Hero cult Heroon Hierophany Hierophant Hierophylakes Hieros gamos Hypsistarians Iatromantis Interpretatio graeca Kanephoros Kykeon Libations Mystagogue Nekyia Necromancy Necromanteion Nymphaeum Panegyris Pharmakos Prayers Orgia Sacrifices Temenos Thyia Temples Votive offerings Sacred places Oracles, sanctuaries, Necromanteion Aornum Delphi Didymaion Dodona Oracle of Apollo Thyrxeus at Cyaneae Oracle of Artemis at Ikaros island Oracle of Menestheus Tegyra Mountain Cretea Mount Ida (Crete) Mount Ida (Turkey) Mount Lykaion Olympus Caves Cave of Zeus, Aydın Cave of Zeus, Crete Psychro Cave Vari Cave Islands Achilles island Delos Others Athenian sacred ships Eleusis Hiera Orgas Kanathos Olympia Sacred Way Mythical beings Dragons in Greek mythology Greek mythological creatures Greek mythological figures List of minor Greek mythological figures Deities Primordial deities Aether Aion Ananke Chaos Chronos Erebus Eros Gaia Hemera Nyx Phanes Pontus Thalassa Tartarus Uranus Titans First generation Coeus Crius Cronus Hyperion Iapetus Mnemosyne Oceanus Phoebe Rhea Tethys Theia Themis Second generation Asteria Astraeus Atlas Eos Epimetheus Helios Leto Menoetius Metis Pallas Perses Prometheus Selene Third generation Hecate Hesperus Phosphorus Twelve Olympians Aphrodite Apollo Ares Artemis Athena Demeter Dionysus Hephaestus Hera Hermes Hestia Poseidon Zeus Aquatic deities Amphitrite Alpheus Ceto Glaucus The Naiads The Nereids Nereus The Oceanids Phorcys Poseidon The Potamoi Potamides Proteus Scamander Thaumas Thetis Triton Love deities Erotes Anteros Eros Hedylogos Hermaphroditus Himeros Hymen/Hymenaeus Pothos Aphrodite Aphroditus Philotes Peitho War deities Adrestia Alala Alke Amphillogiai Androktasiai Ares Athena Bia Deimos Enyalius Enyo Eris Gynaecothoenas Homados Hysminai Ioke Keres Kratos Kydoimos Ma Machai Nike Palioxis Pallas Perses Phobos Phonoi Polemos Proioxis Chthonic deities Psychopomps Hermanubis Hermes Thanatos Achlys Angelos Hades / Pluto Hecate Hypnos Keres Lampad Macaria Melinoë Persephone Health deities Aceso Aegle Artemis Apollo Asclepius Chiron Eileithyia Epione Hebe Hygieia Iaso Paean Panacea Telesphorus Sleep deities Empusa Epiales Hypnos Pasithea Oneiroi Messenger deities Angelia Arke Hermes Iris Trickster deities Apate Dolos Hermes Momus Magic deities Circe Hecate Hermes Trismegistus Other major deities Azone Eileithyia The Erinyes Harmonia The Muses Nemesis Pan Unknown God Zelus Heroes/heroines Abderus Achilles Actaeon Aeneas Argonauts Ajax the Great Ajax the Lesser Akademos Amphiaraus Amphitryon Antilochus Atalanta Autolycus Bellerophon Bouzyges Cadmus Chrysippus Cyamites Daedalus Diomedes Dioscuri (Castor and Pollux) Echetlus Eleusis Erechtheus Eunostus Ganymede Hector Heracles Icarus Iolaus Jason Meleager Odysseus Oedipus Orpheus Pandion Peleus Pelops Penthesilea Perseus Theseus Triptolemus Mythical tribes Amazons Anthropophage Atlantians Bebryces Curetes Dactyls Gargareans Halizones Korybantes Lapiths Lotus-eaters Myrmidons Pygmies Telchines Oracles/seers Aesacus Aleuas Amphiaraus Amphilochus Ampyx Anius Asbolus Bakis Branchus Calchas Carnus Carya Cassandra Delphic Sibyl Elatus Ennomus Epimenides Halitherses Helenus Iamus Idmon Manto Melampus Mopsus Munichus Phineus Polyeidos Polypheides Pythia Sibyl Telemus Theiodamas Theoclymenus Tiresias Magic Apotropaic magic Greek Magical Papyri Pella curse tablet Philia Mythical realms Aethiopia Atlantis Erytheia Hyperborea Libya Nysa Ogygia Panchaia Scheria Scythia Themiscyra Underworld Entrances to the underworld Rivers Acheron Cocytus Eridanos Lethe Phlegethon Styx Lakes/swamps Acherusia Avernus Lake Lerna Lake Caves Charoniums Charonium at Aornum Charonium at Acharaca Cave at Cape Matapan Cave at Lake Avernus Cave at Heraclea Pontica Ploutonion Ploutonion at Acharaca Ploutonion at Eleusis Ploutonion at Hierapolis Places Elysium Erebus Fields of Asphodel Fields of Punishment Isles of the Blessed Tartarus Judges Aeacus Minos Rhadamanthus Guards Campe Cerberus Ferryman Charon Charon's obol Symbols/objects Bident Cap of invisibility Animals, daemons and spirits Ascalaphus Ceuthonymus Eurynomos Hade's cattle Mythological wars Amazonomachy Attic War Centauromachy Cranes-Pygmies war Gigantomachy Indian War (it is described at Dionysiaca) Theomachy Titanomachy Trojan War Mythological and religious objects Adamant Aegis Ambrosia Apple of Discord Ara Baetylus Caduceus Cornucopia Dragon's teeth Diipetes Galatea Golden apple Golden Fleece Gorgoneion Greek terracotta figurines Harpe Ichor Lotus tree Minoan sealstone Moly Necklace of Harmonia Omphalos Orichalcum Palladium Panacea Pandora's box Petasos (Winged helmet) Philosopher's stone Ring of Gyges Rod of Asclepius Sacrificial tripod Sceptre Shield of Achilles Shirt of Nessus Sword of Damocles Talaria Thunderbolt Thymiaterion Thyrsus Trident Trojan Horse Winnowing Oar Wheel of Fortune Wheel of fire Xoanon Symbols Arkalochori Axe Labrys Ouroboros Owl of Athena Mythological powers Divination Eidolon Eternal youth Evocation Fortune-telling Immortality Language of the birds Nympholepsy Magic Ornithomancy Shamanism Shapeshifting Weather modification Storage containers, cups, vases Amphora Calathus Chalice Ciborium Cotyla Hydria Hydriske Kalpis Kantharos Kernos Kylix Lebes Lekythos Loutrophoros Oenochoe Pelike Pithos Skyphos Stamnos Urn Musical Instruments Aulos Barbiton Chelys Cithara Cochilia Crotalum (Castanets) Epigonion Kollops Lyre Pan flute Pandura Phorminx Psaltery Salpinx Sistrum Tambourine Trigonon Tympanum Water organ Games Panhellenic Games Olympic Games Pythian Games Nemean Games Isthmian Games Agon Panathenaic Games Rhieia Festivals/feasts Actia Adonia Agrionia Amphidromia Anthesteria Apellai Apaturia Aphrodisia Arrhephoria Ascolia Bendidia Boedromia Brauronia Buphonia Chalceia Diasia Delphinia Dionysia Ecdysia Elaphebolia Gamelia Haloa Heracleia Hermaea Hieromenia Iolaia Kronia Lenaia Lykaia Metageitnia Munichia Oschophoria Pamboeotia Pandia Plynteria Pyanopsia Skira Synoikia Soteria Tauropolia Thargelia Theseia Thesmophoria Vessels Argo Phaeacian ships Modern offshoot religions Discordianism Gaianism Feraferia Hellenism Modern popular culture Greek mythology in popular culture Authority control GND: 119009129 PLWABN: 9810555476205606 SUDOC: 028003780 VIAF: 47562307 WorldCat Identities: viaf-47562307 Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Charon&oldid=998025236" Categories: Greek death gods Greek underworld Psychopomps Hidden categories: Articles with short description Short description matches Wikidata Use dmy dates from June 2013 Articles containing Greek-language text Commons category link from Wikidata Wikipedia articles with GND identifiers Wikipedia articles with PLWABN identifiers Wikipedia articles with SUDOC identifiers Wikipedia articles with VIAF identifiers Wikipedia articles with WORLDCATID identifiers Navigation menu Personal tools Not logged in Talk Contributions Create account Log in Namespaces Article Talk Variants Views Read Edit View history More Search Navigation Main page Contents Current events Random article About Wikipedia Contact us Donate Contribute Help Learn to edit Community portal Recent changes Upload file Tools What links here Related changes Upload file Special pages Permanent link Page information Cite this page Wikidata item Print/export Download as PDF Printable version In other projects Wikimedia Commons Languages Afrikaans العربية Български Bosanski Brezhoneg Català Čeština Corsu Cymraeg Dansk Deutsch Eesti Ελληνικά Español Esperanto Euskara فارسی Français Gaeilge Galego 한국어 Հայերեն Hrvatski Bahasa Indonesia Italiano עברית ქართული Latina Lëtzebuergesch Lietuvių Ligure Magyar Nederlands 日本語 Norsk bokmål Norsk nynorsk Occitan Plattdüütsch Polski Português Română Русский Sicilianu Simple English Slovenčina Slovenščina Српски / srpski Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски Suomi Svenska ไทย Türkçe Українська Tiếng Việt Winaray 吴语 中文 Edit links This page was last edited on 3 January 2021, at 12:12 (UTC). Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization. Privacy policy About Wikipedia Disclaimers Contact Wikipedia Mobile view Developers Statistics Cookie statement