Yes, I do believe you are correct–the coin is the fare and I see no record of a tipping Charon, so you’re probably fine just leaving a positive review.
What if Charon only accepts coins with a certain concentration of silver, and later on when currencies began using mostly tin, people didn’t know because no one alive has crossed the river Styx, so they keep burying their dead with these coins but their souls just got stuck on the river bank because ol Charon’s just like “What do you play me for a fool? This coin is mostly tin!”
Outside of Game of Thrones, there’s a lot of anecdotal evidence of coins being placed on the eyes of the dead. I saw one example of Polish folklore who believed that when a person died with their eyes open, they were searching for a loved one to drag into death with them, so heavy coins were placed to keep their eyelids closed and protect their living family.
I also remember reading in a 40 year old novel that silver coins were placed on the eyes of vampire victims to prevent them from returning as undead. Obviously that one isn’t a reliable source, but shows the idea has been around for a while.
FYI - Game of Thrones places stones with eyes painted on them on their dead, not coins. So I thought that’s where my confusion was coming from, but I may have been exposed to the coin-on-the-eyelids you mention here.
Yes. That’s why the ancient Greeks buried their dead with a coin over each eye.
Edit: Oops, looks like the burial of the Barathian king in Game of Thrones has infected my memory. The coin goes in the mouth.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charon’s_obol
Edit: And the coin is the fare, not the tip. If you don’t pay, you don’t cross. Make sure your loved ones know about this.
Hey Papa John, pick one. Delivery fee and actually pay your employees or no delivery fee and I tip. No fucking double dipping.
Wasn’t this “just” the standard payment though to cross the river? E.g. if you can’t pay the fare you don’t cross?
Yes, I do believe you are correct–the coin is the fare and I see no record of a tipping Charon, so you’re probably fine just leaving a positive review.
Historians don’t like when people talk about it, but the tipping coin goes in the ass. Source: pulled it out my ass
You handle my ass
penniesdrachmae every day!Switching to ass nickels has been a pain
We must hang out with different historians!
5/5 would die again.
What if Charon only accepts coins with a certain concentration of silver, and later on when currencies began using mostly tin, people didn’t know because no one alive has crossed the river Styx, so they keep burying their dead with these coins but their souls just got stuck on the river bank because ol Charon’s just like “What do you play me for a fool? This coin is mostly tin!”
Outside of Game of Thrones, there’s a lot of anecdotal evidence of coins being placed on the eyes of the dead. I saw one example of Polish folklore who believed that when a person died with their eyes open, they were searching for a loved one to drag into death with them, so heavy coins were placed to keep their eyelids closed and protect their living family.
I also remember reading in a 40 year old novel that silver coins were placed on the eyes of vampire victims to prevent them from returning as undead. Obviously that one isn’t a reliable source, but shows the idea has been around for a while.
FYI - Game of Thrones places stones with eyes painted on them on their dead, not coins. So I thought that’s where my confusion was coming from, but I may have been exposed to the coin-on-the-eyelids you mention here.
https://www.nickmaskell.com/comicsandstories/opossum-in-the-underworld-1