The Dickinson press., 1888-02-18
CROSSING THE sTYX.
HOW GREEK MEETS GREEK IN THE
OTHER WORLD.

Old Charon Still in tho Ferryboat Busi.
hess-Connection Between the Hillen.
ism of the Past and of the Present-A
Painful sight.
When death is expected, the attendant
mouili"rS IN the Greek islands have MANY
niue customs peculiar to themselves The
m"rl'nnd is handed Il bowl of water, into
wii'il Ii" puts Il pinch of salt for each person
w!fh whom he is at enmity, saying as he
docs SO: May my wrath perish as this salt;n
for II Is considered dreadful for q man to
die cavns an enemy behind him. His spirit.
ii is Ii lleved, will not rest, but will wander
;''1,'i as a poor ghost, sucking the blood of
ts rr:"is, like the shades in ancient hades.
I" gain strength for his earthly wanderings
II the complaint is consumption, they sun
l''s, that three Ermnyes stand ready to
l"'ln'e on children at the corners of the
r""m; hence the young ure kept out of the
way When the dying is in cxtremis, and a
hope is opened over his head to allow the
ErlnnycS to escape. Fevcrs are best cured
10y prle,tly incantatons; the name of the
disease is written on slip of paper, and
with prayer and much incellsins this is
bound to Il tree, hoping thereby to transfer
the mala,iy. Incense is much used by the
priest i'll his visitations to the sick; the whole
room is thick with it, and perhaps contagion
is thus often avoided.
Where the death has occurred tho women
rush on to the flat roof or some other conspic.
uolls place, wlcro they rend the air with
their cries, tear their hair und give way to
unbridled grief. The town crier is sent
round to announce the fact to the neighbors
and to summon friends to the death vail,
which takes place an hour or two after the
spirit has left tho body. After the body has
been washed in wine it is laid out on bier in
the center of the one roomed house, arrayed
i'll the dccease,ls best clothes, decked out with
flowers, and with lamps burning at the side,
reminding lis of the ancient custom of placing
the corpse thus i'll the midst of the hall
dressed in as handsome robe as the family
could afford, in order, according to Lucian.
that the dead may not be cold on the passage
To lla,les and may not bo seen naked by Ger
berus! Then begins the death wall ceremony.
IL scene of heart rending grief, such US took
place i'll Priams palace over tho dead body
of Hector
These death walls are, in fact one of the
most striking bonds of connection between
the llelIcnism of the past and the Helenism
OF the present, and in tho Greek islands, de-
spite the strictness Of the more civilized
members of the orthodox church, they cling
To them with surprising tenacity. A body
which dies unlamented cannot enter hadcs.
and wantlcrs about like that of Patrocius
and Elpcnor in misery i'll the upper air,
neither belonging to the living nor to tho
dead. Consequently, the death walls and
the huria!s take place as soon us possible
after death that the gates of hades may be
opened to them US soon us may be.
From these death walls VIC learn how much
that is hcatLcn is Incorporated in the belief
"l "lay respecting TN after life They sing
OF if''ics as II frozen, miserable place, where
the dead wander forever, anxious to return
t" the upper air, and endeavoring to steal
from Churom, the lord of the lower earth, his
keys, but Intellectually. Charon plants tho
bones of the departed in his garden, and
they come UP as weird plants His tent pegs
are heroes bones, and the ropes are made OF
maidens' tresses. IIe rides on horse to COL
lert his victims, driving the young and
strong before him, dragging the aged after
saddle the little children.
Sometimes, when n man dies who has been
conspicuous for his good fortune during life,
they will cut of his nails before the corpse
is removed and tie them up in a bag to be
preserved among the other sacred things
which aro hung up in the sanctuary belong
ing to every house
Before the corpse leaves the house a vase OF
water is broken on the threshold. When any
one starts Oh journey, it is customary to
spill water as an earnest Of his success and
safe return, and when the body goes on its
last long journey the vase is broken The
bier is carried by four male bearers, and
about n bier the Greek islanders have this
most grcwsome riddle: What is that which
he who makes does so to sell, he who buys
does not use himself, and he who uses does
not see. AS the funeral procession passes
through the village street the priests chant
tho offices of the dead, and from time to time
the Inourncrs, who go in front, break forth
into their hideous walls, and women como
forth from their houses to groan in concert
with the others.
Of truth Greek island funeral is pain
f'll sight u witness On reaching the church
the corpse is left in the porch, and while tho
liturgy is proceeding the mourners cease to
vail Then comes the very impressive
stichcrn of tho last kiss, which is chanted by
all the congregation, and begins, blessed is
the way tllon shalt 90 to-day whereat each
mourner advances and gives the last kiss to
the cold face of the corpse, and once more
the cxtrnvnSant demonstrations of grief
break forth Finally the corpse is lowered
without u coffin into it's shallow grave, and
each bystandcr casts on to it handful Of
Soil.-Scottish Review.