charon

/'keərən/

Thân thiện

Definition

1. Proper noun:
   • The ferryman of the dead in Greek mythology: Charon is the mythological figure who transports the souls of the deceased across the rivers Styx or Acheron to the underworld, Hades. Payment for the passage was traditionally a coin placed in the mouth of the dead.

Examples of Usage

• Proper noun:
  • In the myth, the hero had to persuade Charon to ferry him across the river Styx.
  • Ancient Greeks placed a coin, called an obol, with the dead as payment for Charon.

Advanced Usage

• "Charon's obol": The coin placed in or on the mouth of a dead person as payment for Charon.
  • Archaeologists found a silver coin, likely a Charon's obol, in the ancient burial site.
• "Charon's ferry": A poetic or literary reference to the boat or the act of crossing into the underworld.
  • The poet described the journey on Charon's ferry as a passage into eternal silence.

Variants and Related Words

• Charonic (adj): Pertaining to or resembling Charon or his ferry.
  • The scene had a Charonic gloom, suggesting a journey to the afterlife.

Synonyms

• Ferryman of the dead: A descriptive synonym.
• Psychopomp: A broader term for a guide of souls to the afterlife (Charon is a specific psychopomp).

Related Phrases

• To pay Charon: An idiomatic reference to providing payment for a final, inevitable passage.
  • He joked that the expensive toll was like having to pay Charon.

Related Idioms

• Charon's toll: Refers to a final, unavoidable fee or cost.
  • The inheritance tax felt like a modern Charon's toll.

Học thuật

Noun

1. (Greek mythology) the ferryman who brought the souls of the dead across the river Styx or the river Acheron to Hades

Từ đồng nghĩa

• charon