> [[white-j]]. "The Ferryman of the Underworld (Who was he? Where does he come from?)". > [YouTube](https://youtu.be/7AArGLbIIFw) > [mp4](white-j2021-ferryman.mp4) ## Description The Ferryman is one of the oldest characters in human history, and his purpose was to take you to the Underworld. So why does he turn up in so many stories and cultures? He has a past that has a huge history, and here we look at some of his myths, and use our understanding of him and his common traits, to see if we can trace him back, back far in time, and probably far longer back than you would first imagine, making him one of the oldest characters in story telling history. And with the information we discover we can start understanding how our ancestors thought of death. So welcome to myths of Odin, the Proto Indo Europeans and their Centum and Satem divisions, and the Persians. We discuss bridges, boats, and psycho-pomps, and how our view of death has changed over time. And welcome to the story of the Ferry man. ## Timestamps [0:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7AArGLbIIFw&list=PLru2Z4KGjAVIOyMEKaYcgIUrdOBHhuoBe&index=11&t=0s) Introduction [0:58](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7AArGLbIIFw&list=PLru2Z4KGjAVIOyMEKaYcgIUrdOBHhuoBe&index=11&t=58s) The Greek Myth of Kharon and Charon, and his personification [5:15](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7AArGLbIIFw&list=PLru2Z4KGjAVIOyMEKaYcgIUrdOBHhuoBe&index=11&t=315s) Where did the Greeks think the Ferryman come from? [7:10](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7AArGLbIIFw&list=PLru2Z4KGjAVIOyMEKaYcgIUrdOBHhuoBe&index=11&t=430s) What are the common traits of the Ferryman in Greek culture? [10:35](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7AArGLbIIFw&list=PLru2Z4KGjAVIOyMEKaYcgIUrdOBHhuoBe&index=11&t=635s) Old Norse stories of the Ferryman [16:30](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7AArGLbIIFw&list=PLru2Z4KGjAVIOyMEKaYcgIUrdOBHhuoBe&index=11&t=990s) The Ferryman in Celtic culture [20:16](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7AArGLbIIFw&list=PLru2Z4KGjAVIOyMEKaYcgIUrdOBHhuoBe&index=11&t=1216s) What does all this mean, and the Two Branches of the Proto Indo Europeans [21:42](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7AArGLbIIFw&list=PLru2Z4KGjAVIOyMEKaYcgIUrdOBHhuoBe&index=11&t=1302s) The Russian Laments [22:37](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7AArGLbIIFw&list=PLru2Z4KGjAVIOyMEKaYcgIUrdOBHhuoBe&index=11&t=1357s) The Indian Hymns and Vedic Culture [28:44](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7AArGLbIIFw&list=PLru2Z4KGjAVIOyMEKaYcgIUrdOBHhuoBe&index=11&t=1724s) Why the difference in the beliefs and doctrines? [31:08](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7AArGLbIIFw&list=PLru2Z4KGjAVIOyMEKaYcgIUrdOBHhuoBe&index=11&t=1868s) Zarathustra's influence and his names meaning [33:01](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7AArGLbIIFw&list=PLru2Z4KGjAVIOyMEKaYcgIUrdOBHhuoBe&index=11&t=1981s) The Ferryman's actual name and our view of death [34:02](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7AArGLbIIFw&list=PLru2Z4KGjAVIOyMEKaYcgIUrdOBHhuoBe&index=11&t=2042s) The Myth of Orpheus [35:20](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7AArGLbIIFw&list=PLru2Z4KGjAVIOyMEKaYcgIUrdOBHhuoBe&index=11&t=2120s) The Native American Tribes have a story [36:32](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7AArGLbIIFw&list=PLru2Z4KGjAVIOyMEKaYcgIUrdOBHhuoBe&index=11&t=2192s) Coincide or a 15,000 year old story? [37:22](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7AArGLbIIFw&list=PLru2Z4KGjAVIOyMEKaYcgIUrdOBHhuoBe&index=11&t=2242s) The true age and meaning of the Ferryman ## Primary Sources [[pausanias-description]]10.28.2 [[shatapatha-brahmana]]4.2.5.10 [[shvetashvatara-upanishad]]2.8 [[denkard]]3.182 [[mandukya-upanishad]]1.2.7 [[aristophanes-frogs]]139f [[euripides-alcestis]]441 [[yasna]]46.10 [[voyage-of-saint-brendon]] [[lucian]] [[Russian Laments for the Dead]] [[poetic-edda]] [[prose-edda]] [[vita-merlini]] [[de-bello-gothico]] [[vergil-aeneid]] [[mahabharata]] ## Secondary Sources [[eck1981]] [[smith-b1985]] [[gayton1935]] [[lincoln1991]]