Image: Wikimedia Commons

Charon

Ferryman of Hades in Greek-Roman mythology

EntityGreek deity death deity psychopompQ6612

Also known as Kharon · Charon (mythology)

Instance of: Greek deity
, death deity
, psychopomp

Overview

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia · Read full article · Text CC BY-SA 4.0

In Greek mythology, Charon or Kharon is the ferryman of the Greek underworld. He transports the souls of those who have been given funeral rites across the river 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.

Overview

All data

57 statements · 11% with external sources · numbers in brackets are citations

Occupation: ferryman
Father: Erebos
Mother: Nyx
Sex or gender: male
Worshipped by: Ancient Greek religion
Name in native language: Χάρων
Different from: Charun
Present in work: Hades subject has role: non-player character
Residence: Greek underworld
1
Sources
1.universalis.fr/encyclopedie/charon/Retrieved 2024-01-30
View statement on Wikidata ↗
IPA transcription: ˈçaːʁɔn language: German · applies to name of subject: Charon

On other databases

40 identifiers linking Charon across the web's reference databases

Data quality

statements

11%

externally sourced

Source last edited August 13, 2026. AIDB refreshes this page daily.

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AIDB. (2026). Charon (Q6612). Retrieved from https://aidb.si/e/charon-Q6612