home Charon Charon is the ferryman of Hades to the underworld Tartaros. He carries souls of the newly deceased and sometimes living across the rivers Styx that divided the world of the living from the world of the dead. A coin to pay Charon for passage, a dankae, was sometimes placed in or on the mouth of a dead person. Charon was not of great power, but had a very important job for Hades.
"There Chairon stands, who rules the dreary coastA sordid god: down from his hairy chinA length of beard descends, uncombed, unclean;His eyes, like hollow furnaces on fire;A girdle, foul with grease, binds his obscene attire."
Charon on his boat crossing the river Styx with the deceased Connection to The Lightning Thief In the book The Lighting Thief Percy, Annabeth, and Grover have to travel to the underworld to speak with hades. They arrive at the entrance and as expected, doing his job is Charon. Charon takes Percy, Annabeth, and Grover to the underworld after they pay him. Charon complains about how he deserves a raise and Percy Speaks to Hades about enhancing Charon's Salary.
Charon
Charon is the ferryman of Hades to the underworld Tartaros. He carries souls of the newly deceased and sometimes living across the rivers Styx that divided the world of the living from the world of the dead. A coin to pay Charon for passage, a dankae, was sometimes placed in or on the mouth of a dead person. Charon was not of great power, but had a very important job for Hades.
"There Chairon stands, who rules the dreary coast A sordid god: down from his hairy chinA length of beard descends, uncombed, unclean;His eyes, like hollow furnaces on fire;A girdle, foul with grease, binds his obscene attire."
Connection to The Lightning Thief
In the book The Lighting Thief Percy, Annabeth, and Grover have to travel to the underworld to speak with hades. They arrive at the entrance and as expected, doing his job is Charon. Charon takes Percy, Annabeth, and Grover to the underworld after they pay him. Charon complains about how he deserves a raise and Percy Speaks to Hades about enhancing Charon's Salary.
Sources
Information:
No Single Author. "Charon (mythology)." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 16 Sept. 2010. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charon_(mythology)>.
Riordan, Rick. The Lightning Thief. New York: Hyperion Books, 2006.
Images:
Charon, September 16, 2010, http://www.mlahanas.de/Greeks/Mythology/RM/Charon.jpg&imgrefur