Boat of the Dead – According to folklore it is a water conveyance used to transport souls to the spirit world. There was always a ferryman. The best known is the Greek Charon (Kharon), who took the souls with his boat across River Styx to Hades. That concept is an ancient one and is supported by the custom of boat-coffin burials among some early peoples. The boats were either placed on the water or were suspended on high poles on riverbanks. It is assumed by some that the present shape of the coffin can be traced back to these enclosed boat-coffins. – B: 1078, 1020, T: 7617.
