Charon

The immortal offspring of Erebus and Night, he was an old man with a depressing visage, who performed the duties of the boatman carrying the souls of the dead who had arrived at the river Acheron separating the upper from the lower world. He was niggardly and demanded from the dead an obol for the fare across the river. But by no means would he ferry anyone who had not been buried. Thus their souls would be forced to wander about for one-hundred years until they could enter the kingdom of Hades. Heracles succeeded, by striking him a few blows, in forcing him to carry him in his boat. Charon was as a result punished for his negligence and was sent into banishment for a year from the nether world. The Charon legend inspired Lucian in his famous dialogues of the dead. [Kyriazis, Constantine D. Eternal Greece. Translated by Harry T. Hionides. A Chat Publication. p. 84]

[Kyriazis, Constantine D. Eternal Greece. Translated by Harry T. Hionides. A Chat Publication.]

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