History Main / TheFerryman

--> ''Don't pay the ferryman!''\\

[[http://fondationdraco.fr/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/SR_Tarot-8.jpg]]

* In ''Franchise/TheElderScrolls'' ActionAdventure spin-off game, ''The Elder Scrolls Adventures: Redguard'', the ferryman is a large upper half of a skeleton attached to the ferry itself. Though [[TheSpeechless silent]], he will take you to the Isle of N'Gasta only when you pay three gold pieces.

* Botan of ''Manga/YuYuHakusho'' [[note]]along with the other ferry girls[[/note]] is the Japanese equivalent of the Ferryman, which is why she wields a paddle as a weapon.

* Enma Ai's job in ''Anime/HellGirl'' is to ferry people across the Sanzu River to Hell after they are sent there by means of Hell Correspondence. [[spoiler:As of the end of the fourth season, Michiru has the same job.]]

[[folder:Card Games]]
* Sylvan Ferrylotus in the ''TabletopGame/YuGiOh TCG''. In his artwork, he's guiding Marshalleaf to his next destination. In Sylvan Waterfall Ride, Ferrylotus looks scared and steadies himself by holding onto the lotus leaf. Despite this, the Peaskeeper trio is still heading for their next destination.
* One of the gods of Theros (each inspired by Greek deities) in ''TabletopGame/MagicTheGathering'' is Athreos who's an {{Expy}} of Charon. His duties are incorporated into his card's effect, which forces your opponent to pay a toll of life in order to ensure that your creatures stay dead.
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* In the original ''ComicBook/TheBooksOfMagic'' miniseries, the Trenchcoat Brigade (the Phantom Stranger, John Constantine, Doctor Occult and Mister E) serve as ferrymen for Tim Hunter, showing him DC's Post-Crisis magical universe, its many worlds, its history, and its future.

* In the original 1981 ''Film/{{Clash of the Titans|1981}}'', Charon appears as a [[DemBones living skeleton]] ferrying Perseus and party across the River Styx to Medusa's lair. Charon also appears in the [[Film/{{Clash of the Titans|2010}} remake]] as a living skeletical ship.

* There's a character in ''[[Literature/HisDarkMaterials The Amber Spyglass]]'' who is basically Charon, though he's not named. He (unwillingly, as they're not actually dead yet) ferries Lyra and Will to the land of the dead.
* The Ferryman plays a very important symbolic role in Creator/HermannHesse's ''Siddhartha'', where he enables Siddartha to pass between various phases in his life.
* In ''Literature/AnElegyForTheStillLiving'' Acheron himself shows up...as the name of an ocean, which then proceeds to play this trope straight.
* In ''Literature/TheFriendshipSong'', the ferryman appears as Harper and Rawnie's school principal, demanding gold or something worth gold.
* In ''Literature/WarriorCats'', 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.
* In ''Literature/ForLoveOfEvil'', when Satan has just assumed the Office, he tries to order Charon to take the soul of a woman who is struggling in the Styx. Eventually, he succeeds through the power of song (one of his main gifts).

* In the fairy tale "The Devil with the Three Golden Hairs", on his way to the Underworld to fetch the Devil's hairs, the protagonist meets a mysterious ferryman who is growing tired of his job of ferrying souls to Hell. The protagonist learns, by eavesdropping on the Devil, that the ferryman can get someone to take his place by getting them to take his oar. Sure enough, the next person to come by (who happens to be [[LaserGuidedKarma the king who'd spent the whole story trying to get rid of the protagonist]]) falls for it, and is forced to take up the ferryman's job.

* ''{{TabletopGame/Pathfinder}}'' features Charon as not just a ferryman, but also as one of TheFourHorsemenOfTheApocalypse, and consequently a NeutralEvil OmnicidalManiac. If someone (rather reasonably) doesn't want to try and enlist an archfiend, they can pay a thanadaemon to transport them anywhere the River Styx goes instead. Though Charon does have a habit of impersonating them, so that's not entirely safe either.

* [[spoiler:Eponine and Fantine]] serve as the ferrymen to the afterlife for [[spoiler:Jean Valjean]]. [[spoiler:Fantine]] appears first, [[DarkReprise echoing]] Valjean's words to comfort [[spoiler:her as she's dying]] before disappearing when Cosette and Marius enter. However, when [[spoiler:Valjean]] is fully dead, the pair come to him and take him to heaven, where [[spoiler:Enjolras, Gavroche, and the other dead students]] are waiting. In the 2012 film, [[spoiler:Eponine]] is replaced by the Bishop from early in the show (despite the fact that the Bishop's death is only mentioned in the book and not in the show or movie).

* In ''VideoGame/SamAndMaxBeyondTimeAndSpace'' episode 5, Harry Moleman takes the literal role of Charon as a conductor for the [[AfterlifeExpress SoulTrain]].

* ''VideoGame/{{Touhou}}'''s Komachi Onozuka is technically a {{Shinigami}}, but she works as a ferrywoman rather than a reaper. She's simultaneously TheSlacker and BrilliantButLazy - Komachi goes at a slow pace and accumulates a huge work backlog, but spends a lot of time [[DontFearTheReaper having friendly chats]] with each soul she ferries across the Sanzu River to be judged by her superior, or takes breaks to give advice to the living.

* In ''VideoGame/SecretOfEvermore'', there is a desert ferryman who will ferry you across the desert to the Nobilia Trading Market... at the cost of [[NoHeroDiscount one Amulet of Annihilation]]. He's chatty for a skeleton, constantly remarking on the desert scenery like a tour bus captain.
* In the NES game ''VideoGame/DayDreaminDavey'', one of the stages of Ancient Greece has Charon in Hades' underworld lair who will guide Davey through the River Styx at the cost of one coin.
* In ''Franchise/TheElderScrolls'' ActionAdventure spin-off game, ''The Elder Scrolls Adventures: Redguard'', the ferryman is a large upper half of a skeleton attached to the ferry itself. Though [[TheSpeechless silent]], he will take you to the Isle of N'Gasta only when you pay three gold pieces.
* Charon himself appears in ''VideoGame/GodOfWarChainsOfOlympus''. [[spoiler: You kill him.]]
* ''VideoGame/ZorkGrandInquisitor'' has you paying Charon, who appears as a skeletal ferryman in a jaunty blue and white cap, in order to cross into Hades as part of your quest. Of course, calling Charon in the first place is [[ForInconveniencePressOne a puzzle in itself]], as is getting back when he refuses to let anyone make return trips.
* Charon is in ''Videogame/DantesInferno'' as the boat that leads damned souls to their judgment in Hell. Since so many people went to Hell, he's had to grow to gargantuan sizes.

* One is encountered in the AncientGreece levels of ''VideoGame/{{Daikatana}}'', forcing you to find some drachma to pay him with before you can proceed to the next stage.

* In ''VideoGame/{{Shadowgate}}'', there is a ferryman who leads the player character to the final boss's room. Passage requires a large gold coin, but only needs to be paid once.
* Captain Briney serves this role in ''VideoGame/PokemonRubyAndSapphire''. After rescuing his Wingull Peeko from a {{Mook}}, he offers to ferry you aroud, letting you freely go between Petalburg City, Dewford Island, and Slateport City, all several hours before you can teach your pokemon surf to go there by yourself.
* ''VideoGame/{{Undertale}}'' has a mysterious hooded riverman ([[AmbiguousGender "Or am I the riverwoman...? It doesn't really matter."]]) who will rather cheerfully row you back to previous areas once you reach Hotland.
* ''VideoGame/DragonAgeOrigins'' has an example PlayedForLaughs, a goofy [[MageKiller templar]] you need to convince to take you to the [[MageTower Circle of Magi]]. Depending on your active PlayerParty, you have various options, including him being DistractedByTheSexy... or offering him a bribe of cookies. (The game files instruct the voice actor to play him as a Monty Python-like character.)
* Charon is waiting for the player character if you die in ''VideoGame/OedipusInMyInventory''.
* In ''VideoGame/BoxxyQuestTheGatheringStorm'', the Fine Bros. (yes, ''those'' [[Creator/TheFineBrothers Fine Bros.]]) begrudgingly agree to become this when the party needs an airship to reach the high-flying Wayback Machine. They make it clear that it’s a one-way trip, though: they’ll get you up there alright, but then you’re on your own.
* The Underwhere in ''VideoGame/SuperPaperMario'' is clearly based on Hades, including a creature named Charold who ferries Mario across the River Twygz.

* Charon himself shows up in several strips of ''Webcomic/IrregularWebcomic'' in the Imperial Rome and Death themes, [[http://www.irregularwebcomic.net/1139.html beginning here]].

* In ''WesternAnimation/LegendOfTheThreeCaballeros'', Charon has turned his ferryboat into a party cruise ship and taken on a more light-hearted persona to better attract customers and actually have some fun with his job.

The most classic depiction is Charon of the River Styx[[note]]early sources have him ply the River Acheron instead[[/note]], [[{{Psychopomp}} 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 ''literal'' ferryman; 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|s}}, even adviser, as the ferryman can guide through more than just the obstacles of the physical spectrum… though usually at a price/reason of fair enough degree (be it a coin of burial gold, or a promise to aid the nation's resistance against the [[TheEmpire Empire]].)

* In ''Film/OperationDumboDrop'', Goddard is a cheerful French boatman, who loves the Americans, complete with having a framed photo of UsefulNotes/LyndonJohnson. Captain Cahill, [[GenreSavvy who has worked with Goddard in the past]], turns the picture over, to reveal [[DoubleAgent a photo of Ho Chi Minh]].

[[folder:Anime & Manga]]

[[folder:Myths & Religion]]

* In one issue of the Kon-El ''Comicbook/{{Superboy}}'' comic, during the period when Brainiac-13 had turned Metropolis into a literal City of Tomorrow, Superboy discovers the {{Absurdly Spacious Sewer}}s are traversed by a guy who found a rubber raft and a stick with an outboard motor on the end, and decided to become an archetype.

* In one issue of the Kon-El ''Comicbook/{{Superboy}}'' comic, during the period when Brainiac-13 had turned Metropolis into a literal City of Tomorrow, Superboy discovers the AbsurdlySpaciousSewers are traversed by a guy who found a rubber raft and a stick with an outboard motor on the end, and decided to become an archetype.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Animaniacs}}'' has Charon appear to help the Warner Brothers (and Sister) escape from Hell. [[CrowningMomentOfFunny And then he sings with them.]] No, really.

!!Examples

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[[folder:Film]]

* Han Solo in ''Franchise/StarWars Film/ANewHope'' explicitly [[NotInThisForYourRevolution only signs on to give Luke and Obi-Wan a ride]] to the planet Alderaan to take the [[MacGuffin Death Star plans]] to Bail Organa, and [[OnlyInItForTheMoney for a considerable fee at that]]. He gets caught up in the rest of the adventure when [[EarthShatteringKaboom Alderaan goes bye-bye]] courtesy of the Death Star, they are captured by the Imperials and he ends up helping rescue Princess Leia.

[[folder:Live Action TV]]

[[folder:Theatre]]

[[folder: Web Comics]]

[[folder:Web Original]]
* The Merchant from Perseth recovers a drowning Applejack in ''[[Blog/AskAPony Ask Crapplejack]]'' and becomes her guide during her time in the Interstice dimension.
* Charon is waiting for the player character if you die in ''VideoGame/OedipusInMyInventory''.
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[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/dont_pay__the_ferryman.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:300:Venice ain't what it used to be.]]

* ''Film/GhostShip'': The Ferryman turns out to be the BigBad, [[spoiler:using the disguise of a human named [[MeanginfulName Jack Ferriman]]]]. He describes himself as a "salvage expert", only he collects souls to ferry them to hell, and takes a remarkably sadistic and bloodthirsty approach in doing so.

* ''Film/GhostShip'' John Ferryman.

* In ''WesternAnimation/LegendOfTheThreeCaballeros'', Charon has turned his ferryboat into a party cruise ship and taken on a more light-hearted persona to better attract customers and actually have some fun with his job.

* ''{{TabletopGame/Pathfinder}}'' features Charon as not just a ferryman, but also as one of TheFourHorsemenOfTheApocalypse, and consequently a NeutralEvil OmnicidalManiac.

* [[EveryoneIsJesusInPurgatory Potentially referenced in]] ''WesternAnimation/OverTheGardenWall'' via the character of Beatrice (note the name reference to ''Literature/TheDivineComedy)''. In Chapter 6, she helps Wirt and Greg sneak aboard a ferry whose crew and passengers are all frogs. They don't have the [[Myth/ClassicalMythology two pennies required to pay for the ride]] and find themselves pursued by law enforcement. [[spoiler:Given the revelation that the boys [[NearDeathExperience are fighting for their lives]], many viewers have wondered whether they don't have the money because they aren't dead.]]

* In ''VideoGame/SamAndMaxBeyondTimeAndSpace'' episode 5, Harry Moleman takes the literal role of Charon as a conductor for the SoulTrain.