Where did this come from???!


Question: In a lot of classic movies, and even in some modern day movies, I have seen this concept of a when a person dies, someone puts coins or pennies on their eyes. This always seemed weird to me, and I've always wanted to know what the deal is, as far as this. Can anyone get me some information on this???


Answers: In a lot of classic movies, and even in some modern day movies, I have seen this concept of a when a person dies, someone puts coins or pennies on their eyes. This always seemed weird to me, and I've always wanted to know what the deal is, as far as this. Can anyone get me some information on this???

...superstitious urban legend has it, that putting pennies on the eyes of a corpse is supposed to represent payment to a spiritual ferryman, who is supposed to transport the spirit of the dead person to his preordained afterlife destination; supposedly, if the coins are not placed, the spirit of the dead person wanders forever in a sort of purgatory...

...from a scientific viewpoint, the coins were placed to keep the corpses eyes closed, which were sometimes difficult to close; this would prevent one's seeing a definitively creepy open-eyed 'dead' look, about the deceased...

(edit)

...here is some specific information, regarding the subject. for your edification...

they did this because they use to think that if you didn't cover the eyes with riches the would die in hell

It's to keep their eyes closed

Actually, this custom goes far back into ancient times, with the belief of Charon ferrying spirits across the river Acheron~although I have seen the Styx mentioned some places. The passenger would pay Charon~but only when the other bank was reached. Chris De Burgh wrote a song about this practice: "Don't Pay the Ferryman", with the added caution: "until he gets you to the other side.

Other reasons have been suggested, including the weight of the coins keeping the lids closed and guarding against carrion birds feeding on the eyes.

Now, I shall look for a source that backs up what I read and heard decades ago.

From Wikipedia:
The deceased were buried with an obolus (Greek coin), placed under the tongue or on the eyes of the corpse, in order that, once a dead person's shade reached the underworld of Hades, it would be able to pay Charon for passage across the river Acheron. Those without enough wealth, or whose friends refused to follow proper burial rites, were forced to wander the banks of the Acheron for one hundred years.
TRIVIA:
In popular culture, the obol was used in the cult indie film "The Boondock Saints." Two brothers, in their role as vigilantes, place obols over the eyes of a murdered Mob Boss. This is an allusion to the aforementioned ancient Greek tradition.

In the Beatles song "Taxman", lyricist George Harrison makes reference to the practice of placing the oboloi on the eyes of the dead with the lines:
“Now my advice for those who die, (taxman)
Declare the pennies on your eyes. (taxman)
'Cause I’m the taxman,
Yeah, I’m the taxman.

Also from Wikipedia:
Superstition about "touch pieces": Coins placed on the eyes of the dead, if briefly dropped into the drink of a husband or wife, would "blind" them to any infidelities in which the partner might be involved.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~...
In "Vampire Circus", as the Circus of Night comes to town, their leader (Adrienne Corri) cries out, "We've come to steal the pennies from dead men's eyes!" (Forgive me if I misquote.) Of course, the townspeople are horrified! So, it's apparent that these beliefs were widespread, as this takes place in Middle Europe(?).

Here's Chris De Burgh's fantastic "Don't Pay the Ferryman":
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tvHhngeD2...
Believe it or not, the Ferryman is not played by Tom Baker, earning him the fans' appellation of "Tom Baker Clone".

The custom first came from the Greeks, who would put coins on the eyes of the dead so that they would be able to pay the ferryman to get them across the River Styx to the Underworld, ruled by Hades. If coins weren't placed on their eyes, their souls would roam around, never able to get across.
It was mythology, but it was widely believed.

The coins are to pay the ferryman to take you to the land of the dead



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