Me: So where are the pillows?
Charon: You don’t get that here.
Me: Blankets?
Charon: You don’t get that here. Wouldn’t you say so, Noah? (laughs)
Noah: You don’t get that here.
In the biblical story of Noah the ark takes on the meaning of a ship of life: rescuing human and animal life from the dangers of Nature’s peril; the sea appears as the expression of sinister wrath. The lesson to be learned: devoutness on the inside and mercy from above are all that are needed to defy annihilation. The course of the ship’s journey is closely related to the course of human life, including the happy ending: the promise of salvation. Under the protection of Christ as the helmsman, the believer will reach his or her destination safe and sound: the Port of God, Elysian eternity. It is no coincidence that the ship’s mast resembles the Christian symbol of the crucifix.
In stark contrast to the Ship of Life, images from Egyptian and Greek mythology depict the Ship of Death and the journey across the River of Death. The ship serves as a means of transport for the soul on its way into the afterlife. As peaceful as all this may sound, Michelangelo’s representation of Charon on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel shows a pretty rough scene: Charon is casting the damned down to hell.
Image: Michelangelo (Buonarroti), The Last Judgement -- Boat of Charon from Sistine Chapel (section)
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