The ferryman is an ancient figure with whom most of us are somewhat familiar. The medieval tradition of placing a coin over each closed eye of the dead is associated with making sure the souls have enough money to pay for their journey to the other side. Most tales of the ferryman involve some sort of toll that the soul must pay in order for it to gain entrance, often including a proper ceremony, burial or cremation.
Ancient Greeks believed in a series of rivers between this world and the underworld of Hades, one of which was Archeron, known as The River of Pain. It was this river where the ferryman made his appearance. The ferryman was called Charon and was often depicted as an ugly old man carrying his ferry punt, or less commonly as a repulsive demon clutching a double-sided hammer. The ferryman would collect his token payment of a small coin, which had been placed in the mouth of the dead, and then proceed to ferry the soul to its resting place. If the body had no coin then they were not permitted to pass and became lost souls. The Etruscans too had a ferryman in their mythology who was similar to that of the Greeks even in name, Charun, it is even quite possible that one came from the other, as there is often a diverse range of spellings for mythological figures.
The Old Norse Religion too held belief in the ferryman. He was named Farbauti, and is probably best known as father to Loki, the mischievous fire god. ‘Farbauti’ means an illness caused by the wind or cruel striker. He was a giant who ferried souls to the underworld. Celtic beliefs also fit with the ferry theme, having a ferryman named Manannan who was the son of the sea god Lir. He had a boat referred to as the ‘Ocean Sweeper’ which was drawn by a white mare and controlled only by the thoughts of Mannanan. The destination of this boat was to the land of eternal youth where those who died would remain as it suggests, eternally young. Another of the important ferryman figures to mention is that of the Ancient Egyptians. Known as Mahaf this ferryman would navigate the soul through the winding waters of the underworld.
The diversity of peoples who have an image of a ferryman in their myths demonstrates just one of the many similarities and links between religious beliefs throughout time and culture. It seems that if there was an underworld to get to then the ferryman would be the best bet to get there.
