Charon's obol

Noun

Charon's obol (plural Charon's obols)

1. (Greek, Roman) A coin placed in or on the mouth of a deceased person as a bribe or payment for Charon, the ferryman of Hades.
   • Also, the Charon's obol of classical tradition was a low-value coin, a symbol that death makes rich and poor equal.2018, Rory Naismith, editor, Money and Coinage in the Middle Ages, →ISBN, page 337
   • However, in tombs all over the cemetery the use of "Charon's obols" was widely practiced, primarily in the form of the local Kolkhidki minted after the Persian weight standard.2020, Franco De Angelis, editor, A Companion to Greeks Across the Ancient World, →ISBN, page 445

   Synonyms:

   death penny