Alternative names for the Ferryman

[NRSASD]

In Greek mythology, there is an entity, Charon, who runs the ferry that crosses the river Styx, the river that separates the living from the dead. This myth has proven to have a long lasting appeal; even today, one will see Charon referenced in phrases like "time to pay the ferryman".

In my own campaign setting, I have a similar figure who escorts the souls of the dead to the next world. However, he is a winged avian humanoid, and he escorts them by accompanying the spirits down the deep, dark well of souls.

If Charon is informally referred to as the Ferryman, what is a good word to refer to my winged reaper?

Thanks in advance!

[Max_Killjoy]

In Greek mythology, there is an entity, Charon, who runs the ferry that crosses the river Styx, the river that separates the living from the dead. This myth has proven to have a long lasting appeal; even today, one will see Charon referenced in phrases like "time to pay the ferryman".

In my own campaign setting, I have a similar figure who escorts the souls of the dead to the next world. However, he is a winged avian humanoid, and he escorts them by accompanying the spirits down the deep, dark well of souls.

If Charon is informally referred to as the Ferryman, what is a good word to refer to my winged reaper?

Thanks in advance!

Is this deity viewed as a raptor, swooping down to pick off helpless prey?

As a carrion bird?
* a filthy squawking vulture picking at corpses?
* a majestic agent of karma carrying the soul away from the body?
* a trickster (raven, crow, jay) who will engage in games or bargains?

As a dove or other bird of peace, bringing final rest to the dead?

As something of the owl archetype, wise but uncaring?


There can even be cultural / sectarian disagreement over which is "true".

[Xuc Xac]

Does it actually do any reaping or did you unconsciously call it a "reaper" because of the other common depiction of death with long-lasting appeal in everyday speech?

A figure (like Charon) who escorts spirits between the worlds of the living and the dead is called a psychopomp.

[Max_Killjoy]

Does it actually do any reaping or did you unconsciously call it a "reaper" because of the other common depiction of death with long-lasting appeal in everyday speech?

A figure (like Charon) who escorts spirits between the worlds of the living and the dead is called a psychopomp.

Good point -- despite the similar imagery often used, Charon was not "a reaper".

[Frozen_Feet]

The Scandivians called those Valkyries. Christians occasionally call those angels. Or the angel (of death), based on the idea that there's just one.

The general term from Greek would be psychopomp. The Japanese have taken to using Shinigami for the same concept.

Just to point out obvious overlap with a couple of existing concepts.

[NRSASD]

You're right, I misspoke. This is definitely a psychopomp, not a reaper figure. Though I'd prefer not to call it a psychopomp cause that's always been one of my least favorite words.

The feel I'm going for is very similar to Charon. No one wants to meet him, but everyone will. He can be made to feel pity, but only in the most extreme of cases (Orpheus). Neither good nor bad, neither an honor or a disgrace, it's just a fact of life.

As far as what it looks like, there's very much a raptor (bird of prey) vibe to it. It's the last known member of a creator race that vanished millennia ago, a race which very few people know anything about. Quite the aura of mystery about it.

I've been toying with the concept of calling it the "angel of death", but I was wondering if there's a better, more unique term I could use.

Thanks everyone for all the help so far!

[Xuc Xac]

The Scandivians called those Valkyries. Christians occasionally call those angels. Or the angel (of death), based on the idea that there's just one.

There's little scriptural support for it, but in the folk traditions or "biblical fan-fiction", there are two "angels of death". Azrael is the psychopomp who writes your name in the book of life when you're born, crosses it out when you die, and escorts your spirit to the afterlife. He's like Heaven's coroner. Gabriel is the "angel of death" that kills people when his boss orders a hit to make a point or send a message because it's part of his role as messenger.

The crow from the movie "The Crow" or the crow and the skull cowboy from the comic are also psychopomps. The crow carries your spirit to the land of the dead and sometimes it brings a soul back to finish some business that it needs to settle before it can rest.

Death from the Sandman comics is similar to Azrael. She's there when you're born and she takes you when you die.

[Xuc Xac]

I've been toying with the concept of calling it the "angel of death", but I was wondering if there's a better, more unique term I could use.

There are many ferrymen, but only one is called "the Ferryman". Why not call your raptor psychopomp "the Raptor"?

[Frozen_Feet]

There's little scriptural support for it, but in the folk traditions or "biblical fan-fiction", there are two "angels of death". Azrael is the psychopomp who writes your name in the book of life when you're born, crosses it out when you die, and escorts your spirit to the afterlife. He's like Heaven's coroner. Gabriel is the "angel of death" that kills people when his boss orders a hit to make a point or send a message because it's part of his role as messenger.

The concept has largely been relegated to apocrypha in contemporary times, but it's rooted in much older ideas.

[1337 b4k4]

How revered is the creature in question? If people view it with revulsion/anger or otherwise strongly dislike it, The Vulture would work, especially since it doesn’t look like a vulture so the name would be disrespectful.

Since the crossing imagery in your case is a well, the “Rope Man” might work alluding to the rope a bucket on a well would be lowered by.

Or maybe the creature itself has a name of some sort, but the turn of phrase in society is “save some coins for your final flight” or something to that effect where the creatures name is more or less irrelevant

[Xuc Xac]

Or maybe the creature itself has a name of some sort, but the turn of phrase in society is “save some coins for your final flight” or something to that effect where the creatures name is more or less irrelevant

Do people throw coins into wells in this world? That's probably seen as inviting death instead of something you do to make a wish.

Unless it's a death wish. I guess throwing some coins in a well would be a thing to do before committing suicide or going on a suicide mission or being executed. Sort of symbolically setting your affairs in order to indicate "I'm not planning on coming back from this." It might be kind of badass to do before a duel to show that you're willing to kill or die before the end of the day: "Penny for the Raptor, because one of us is going down the well of souls tonight."

[Durkoala]

What about The Guide or The (last) Companion?

How revered is the creature in question? If people view it with revulsion/anger or otherwise strongly dislike it, The Vulture would work, especially since it doesn’t look like a vulture so the name would be disrespectful.

Since the crossing imagery in your case is a well, the “Rope Man” might work alluding to the rope a bucket on a well would be lowered by.

Or maybe the creature itself has a name of some sort, but the turn of phrase in society is “save some coins for your final flight” or something to that effect where the creatures name is more or less irrelevant

...Or the Wingman.

I do like "Rope Man", though.

[VincentTakeda]

In the same vein as bloody mary and beetlejuice, if you utter his name three times he will appear.

His name is 'Bird'

[1337 b4k4]

Do people throw coins into wells in this world? That's probably seen as inviting death instead of something you do to make a wish.

Unless it's a death wish. I guess throwing some coins in a well would be a thing to do before committing suicide or going on a suicide mission or being executed. Sort of symbolically setting your affairs in order to indicate "I'm not planning on coming back from this." It might be kind of badass to do before a duel to show that you're willing to kill or die before the end of the day: "Penny for the Raptor, because one of us is going down the well of souls tonight."

This is awesome and will be shamelessly stolen. Sorry, not sorry.

[Honest Tiefling]

What, does this guy not have a name? I mean, you spend a millennia with everyone calling you the 'The Guide' or 'The Last Companion' and you'd get pretty sick of it too.

Did he have any titles from before he might have kept? What would HE liked to be called?

[NRSASD]

@Xuc Xac: That phrase is awesome and I'm definitely stealing it! Thanks!

@Honest Tiefling: He's not much of a talker. Even if he remembered his name, it isn't pronounceable verbally.

Spoiler: Unnecessary Campaign Lore Explanation

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My players all work with birds of prey for a living, but I don't, so I've had to do a fair bit of research to avoid the human-in-a-funny-suit syndrome with the Raptor and his culture. His species were basically 7ft tall raptors with opposable thumbs, rather than humanoid bird people, and one of things that real life birds do is communicate almost entirely through body language. Any calls we hear are the bird equivalent of putting up billboard signs along the road, not regular conversation. As such, the Raptor only "talks" with his posture, feather positioning (raised, flattened, puffed out, or normal), and eye contact. This focus on body language goes so far that their written language doesn't use lettering or even hieroglyphics, but giant portraits of this species constructed out of tiny mica flakes with a permanent illusion glamour. It makes the whole image like a giant holographic card, so it can be "read" by walking from right to left while watching the mural shift subtly. Basically makes books impossible but I really want to emphasize that this species has nothing in common with the player races.

[KillianHawkeye]

There are many ferrymen, but only one is called "the Ferryman". Why not call your raptor psychopomp "the Raptor"?

You could have a bit of a play on words between "raptor" and "rapture", even.

[Xuc Xac]

You could have a bit of a play on words between "raptor" and "rapture", even.

It's not much of a play on words. They're directly related. They have the same relationship to each other as "captor"/"capture" or "doctor"/"doctorate".

[KillianHawkeye]

It's not much of a play on words. They're directly related. They have the same relationship to each other as "captor"/"capture" or "doctor"/"doctorate".

Right, but the word "rapture" in the Biblical sense, which I'm guessing more people are familiar with, has nothing to do with birds.