The Ferry Of The Dead: A Boat's Name And Purpose

The concept of a boat carrying the dead varies across different cultures and beliefs. In Greek mythology, Charon is the ferryman of the underworld, carrying souls of the dead across the rivers Acheron and Styx. Ancient Greek art and literature often depict Charon and his boat, with the ferryman being characterised as having a fierce or unkempt appearance. In other cultures, boats are used as tomb offerings, symbolising the journey to the afterlife. For example, Egyptian funerary boats represent the transport of the dead or their souls across the River Nile. Additionally, the term death ship has been used in literature to describe a decrepit boat, reflecting the idea that certain vessels carry the dead.

Charon, the ferryman of the Greek underworld

Charon is often depicted as an old man with a beard, wearing a tunic and conical hat, and standing in his skiff holding a pole. In ancient Greek art, he is shown with a crooked nose and unkempt hair, while later depictions give him a more refined appearance. The Roman poet Virgil describes Charon as having "eyes like jets of fire" and a "dirty cloak" in his epic poem, the "Aeneid". Dante, drawing from Virgil's depiction, describes Charon as having eyes of fire and an oar over his shoulder, ready to beat those who delay.

Charon's fee for transporting the dead across the river was a single obolos coin, which was placed in the mouth of the corpse upon burial. Those who could not pay the fee or had not received proper funeral rites were left to wander the shores of the Acheron for one hundred years before they were allowed to cross. Charon is also known to have ferried the living mortals Heracles and Aeneas to the underworld and back.

The name Charon is believed to derive from the Greek word "charon", meaning "of keen gaze", which may refer to fierce or flashing eyes. The ancient historian Diodorus Siculus suggested that the name and the figure of Charon were imported from Egypt. While Charon's exact origins remain uncertain, he is first mentioned in the fragmentary Greek epic poem "Minyas", dating back to the 6th century BC.

Charon has been depicted in various works of art throughout history, including Attic funerary vases from the 5th and 4th centuries BC, and in literary works such as Virgil's "Aeneid" and Dante's "Divine Comedy".

Ship burials, a traditional practice in Europe

In Greek mythology, Charon is the ferryman of the underworld, carrying the souls of the dead across the rivers Acheron and Styx. This belief is reflected in some Greek and Roman funeral practices, where low-value coins, generically known as Charon's obols, were placed in, on, or near the deceased.

Ship burials, or boat graves, were a traditional practice in Europe, particularly among the Germanic peoples and the Viking Age Norsemen. This style of burial was also practiced by various seafaring cultures in Asia. A ship burial involves interring a deceased person inside a ship or boat, which is then covered with a dirt mound. This custom was believed to help provide safe passage to the afterlife.

In Northern Europe, Viking ship burials are significant sources of information about the Viking Age and the historical character of those who lived during that time. Viking ship graves were costly and practiced for both men and women. A traditional Viking ship burial involved placing the body of the ship's owner inside, setting the ship on fire, and laying it in the water to be taken by the winds and tides on its journey to the afterlife. In Norse mythology, boats were a symbol of safe passage to the afterlife, reflecting the role they played in the lives of the Vikings.

Notable Viking ship burial sites include:

• Herlaugshaugen in Leka Municipality, Norway, which is the earliest known ship burial in Scandinavia, dating back to around 700 AD.
• Gokstad in Kongshaugen, Vestfold, Norway, where the largest preserved Viking ship in Norway was discovered in 1880.
• Oseberg in Vestfold, Norway, where a well-preserved Viking ship and an extensive collection of grave goods, including the skeletons of at least 10 horses and an ox, were found in 1904.
• Tune in Østfold, Norway, featuring a large Viking ship grave.
• Ladby in Denmark, an impressive Viking ship burial site.
• Port an Eilean Mhòir in mainland Britain, the only Viking ship burial discovered thus far in the country.

Egyptian funerary boats

Funerary boats were placed in graves in the Middle Kingdom period of Egypt to aid the deceased in their journey to the afterlife. These boats were also buried with members of the royal family in the Early Dynastic Period. Royals often had several boats buried inside their pyramids. In the Old Kingdom, boats may have been used to carry the deceased into the afterlife or as a means of transportation in the underworld.

The model of a wooden funerary boat from 1990 BCE features four pairs of oarsmen and a single figure in the stern holding a steering oar. This model was part of a group recovered from the coffin of a courtier to the Pharaoh. It was donated to the Hull Museums in the mid-1930s and is believed to have been excavated by John Garstang between 1902 and 1904 from Beni Hasan in Egypt.

Another notable discovery is a 62-foot-long boat dating back more than 4,500 years, found in a tomb in Abusir, Egypt. This ancient funerary boat is exceptionally well-preserved, with wooden pegs, plant fibre battens, and ropes still intact. The discovery provides valuable insights into ancient Egyptian watercraft and funerary practices.

The Death Ship, a novel by B. Traven

The Death Ship, a novel by the pseudonymous author B. Traven, revolves around the struggles of merchant seamen who lack documentation of citizenship, rendering them stateless and unable to secure legal employment or residence in any nation. The story unfolds just after World War I and centres on Gerard Gales, an American sailor stranded in Antwerp without a passport or working papers. Gales, who claims to be from New Orleans, faces repeated arrests and deportations as he is shuffled from one country to the next, falling prey to the indifference of government officials.

The narrative takes a turn when Gales finally obtains work on the "Yorikke," a decrepit and dangerous ship that gives the novel its name. The "Yorikke" is a "death ship," a term referring to vessels so dilapidated that their owners stand to gain more from insurance payouts by deliberately sinking them than from keeping them afloat. On the "Yorikke," Gales encounters a diverse crew of undocumented workers from around the world, all enduring exploitative conditions akin to slavery.

The Death Ship, originally written in German and published in 1926, is scathing in its criticism of bureaucratic authority, nationalism, and abusive labour practices. It has often been described as an anarchist novel. The novel is a powerful exploration of the dehumanisation and desperation faced by those trapped in a cycle of exploitation, their identities and very humanity questioned due to a lack of official recognition.

Beyond its political themes, The Death Ship is also a maritime tale, capturing the backbreaking labour and dangers faced by those working on such vessels. The narrative is infused with dark humour, reflecting the sarcastic gallows humour of men confronting their bleak existence with whatever means available. The novel's ending is oblique and bleak, mirroring the sense of hopelessness that permeates the story.

Charonosaurus, a hadrosaurid named in Charon's honour

In Greek mythology, Charon is the ferryman of the underworld, carrying the souls of the dead across the rivers Acheron and Styx. In honour of Charon, the large hadrosaurid dinosaur Charonosaurus was named after him, as its fossils were found along the banks of the Amur River in China and Russia. The name Charonosaurus means "Charon's lizard", derived from the ancient Greek word "sauros", meaning lizard.

Charonosaurus is a very large lambeosaurine hadrosaurid, estimated to be around 10 metres (33 ft) in length and 5 metric tons (5.5 short tons) in body mass. It lived during the Late Cretaceous period in Asia and is known from a partial skull discovered in 2000 on the south bank of the Amur River. The skull resembles that of Parasaurolophus, a North American hadrosaurid, and it is likely that Charonosaurus had a similar long, backward-projecting hollow crest. This would have given Charonosaurus a unique sound, and it is one of the largest hadrosaurs known from Asia.

The discovery of Charonosaurus provides important insights into the diversity of dinosaur species during the Late Cretaceous period. It indicates that lambeosaurines, a group of hadrosaurs characterised by their hollow crests, survived until the very end of the Cretaceous period. The fossil record of Charonosaurus also suggests that these dinosaurs lived near rivers or streams and were often scavenged upon or hunted by carnivorous dinosaurs.

The genus name Charonosaurus was chosen to honour Charon, the mythical ferryman of the underworld, as the dinosaur's fossils were found along a river, similar to how Charon carries the souls of the dead across the river Styx. This connection between the mythical Charon and the dinosaur Charonosaurus highlights the influence of mythology and ancient cultures on scientific discoveries and nomenclature.

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