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River Styx
Overview of the River Styx
Mythology
The souls or ghosts of the
dead were escorted by Mercury
(Greek: Hermes), the Messenger of the gods, to the boatman
or ferryman, whose name was
Charon.
Charon would only ferry the souls who could pay him the fare
across the Styx.
River Styx and Hades
Mythology
The River Styx
was a river which formed the boundary between Earth and the
Underworld (Hades). The river was believed to encircle Hades
nine times. According to mythology and legends there were
five rivers that separated Hades from the world of the
living all of which converged on the center of the Hades on
a great marsh. The names of the five rivers were as follows:
Acheron - the river of woe *** Cocytus - the river of
lamentation *** Phlegethon - the river of fire *** Lethe - the river of
forgetfulness *** Styx - the river of hate
The River Styx - Charon
the Boatman or Ferryman
Charon was believed to be
the son of the ancient gods Erebus who was the god of day
and Nyx who was the goddess of night in the realm ruled by
the Titans. The Titans consisted of six sons and six
daughters, the one-hundred-armed giants (Hecatonchires) and the one-eyed
giants, the Cyclopes. According to
Roman Mythology the
12
Olympian gods gained their supremacy
over the Titans after Jupiter led his brothers to victory in
war against them. The Titans were sentenced to spend
eternity in
Tartarus, the place
of torments. Charon served as a ferryman to the Titans
delivering the souls of mortals to the underworld. He
continued this role for the Olympians with Pluto as the god
of Hades.
River Styx and the role of
the Boatman
The role of Charon the boat
was to ferry the dead across the river Styx to the entrance
of Hades however he expected to be paid for his work. A coin
for his payment was therefore placed on or in the mouth of
the dead person. Failure to pay the boatman resulted in the
dead person's soul having to wander the shores of Hades for
a period of one hundred years.
River Styx
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