The Ferry Man: Difference between revisions

[[File:dont pay the ferryman.jpg|frame|Venice ain't what it used to be.]]

 

 

The most classic depiction is [[Psychopomp|Charon of the River Styx]], who aided souls across said river if he was paid, as there was a worse price to pay if you tried to swim through the waters. And like Charon, the archetype's representative need not be good or even evil; the character need not also be a (male) keeper of a ferry; practically anything that can transport something/someone from one place to another is considered acceptable, including flight, teleportation, or even "dream walking".

In some cases the Ferryman is the neutral counterpart to [[The Mentor]], even adviser, as the ferryman can guide through more than just the obstacles of the physical spectrum... though usually at a price or reason of fair enough degree (be it a coin of burial gold, or a promise to aid the nation's resistance against the empire.)

 

 

{{examples}}

* Botan of ''[[Yu Yu Hakusho]]'' <ref>along with the other ferry girls</ref> is the Japanese equivalent of the Ferryman,{{verify}} which is why she wields a paddle as a weapon.

* Oddly enough Truthkun of [[Fullmetal Alchemist (manga)|Fullmetal Alchemist]] (only in the manga and second anime). He is neutral, requires a toll, is oddly personal, knows more than he's saying, and is connected to death.

 

* In ''The Grievous Journey of Ichabod Azrael (and the Dead Left in His Wake)'', the ferryman appears as a grizzled old prospector type who carries each soul down the river towards judgement.

* In the series ''All Star Superman'', Lex Luthor is aided from his escape from prison by his niece Nasthalthia, who acts a ferryman by rowing Lex and Clark Kent to safety.

 

* There's a character in ''[[The Amber Spyglass]]'' who is basically Charon, though he's not named. He (unwillingly) ferries Lyra and Will to the land of the dead.

* The Ferryman plays a very important symbolic role in Herman Hesse's ''Siddartha'', where he enables Siddartha to pass between various phases in his life.

* In ''[[Warrior Cats]]'', this role is shared by all of StarClan. They pick one of their warriors to guide a cat who is dying to them, usually one who was important in the dying cat's life. The only cat this didn't happen for is {{spoiler|Ashfur}}.

 

* "Don't Pay the Ferryman", [[Chris de Burgh]]'s first hit single in the UK, is about not paying "the hooded old man at the rudder" until after he's completed his service, no matter what happens during the journey.

 

* Charon is the [[Ur Example]].

* There is also the lesser-known [[wikipedia:Phlegyas|Phlegyas]]

* Charon himself appears in [[God of War (series)|God of War]]: Chains of Olympus. {{spoiler|You kill him.}}

 

* ''[[Animaniacs]]'' has Charon appear to help the Warner Brothers (and Sister) escape from Hell. [[Crowning Moment of Funny|And then he sings with them.]] No, really.

 

 

{{reflist}}

[[Category:Characters As Device]]

[[Category:Archetypal Character]]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ferry Man, The}}