- An allusive term for the coin placed in or on the mouth of a dead person before burial
- Green and Latin sources specify the coin as an obol and explain it as a payment or bribe for Charon, the ferryman who conveyed souls across the river that divided the world of the living from the world of the dead
- In ancient times some believed that placing a coin (Charon’s obol) in the mouth of the deceased would pay the toll for the ferry to cross the Acheron River, which would lead one to the entrance of the underworld. If someone could not pay the fee, they would never be able to cross the river.
- This ritual was performed by the relatives.
- This ritual was performed by the relatives.