Charon

In Greek mythology, Charon or Kharon ( KAIR-on, -⁠ən; Ancient Greek: Χάρων Ancient Greek pronunciation: [kʰá.rɔːn]) is the ferryman of the Greek underworld. He transports the souls of those who have been given funeral rites across the river (often called Acheron or Styx) that borders the underworld. Archaeology confirms that, in some burials, low-value coins known generically as Charon's obols were placed in, on, or near the mouth of the deceased, or next to the cremation urn containing the ashes. In Virgil's epic poem, Aeneid, the dead who could not pay the fee, and those who had received no funeral rites, had to wander the near shores of the Styx for one hundred years before they were allowed to cross the river. Charon also ferried the living mortals Heracles and Aeneas to the underworld and back again.