07-27-2003, 04:08 AM
|
|
|
So Fucking Banned
Industry Role:
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: the beach, SoCal
Posts: 107,089
|
Quote:
Originally posted by BigFrog
Q: Why were coins placed on the eyes of the dead?
A: At the time of death, the muscles relax. Until the later 19th century, undertakers needed a way in which to gently hold the eyelids closed until the muscles and tissues set in a fixed position. Sometimes, the coins were left in place even though they were no longer needed. Without knowing the exact reason for using the coins, people explained their presence in another way. Harkening back to the ancient mythology, it was believed that the deceased needed money in the afterlife, especially to pay Charon who operated the ferry across the River Styx, which separated the earthly world from the underworld. Other cultures also share the belief that the dead may have to provide a payment so they are thus prepared.
|
cross post  |
|
|