In the Greek and Roman religions, Charon was the ferryman in Hades, who was tasked with transporting the souls of the dead across the River Acheron. According to ancient literature, no living soul could be transported to the other bank, with the sole exceptions of Aeneas, Theseus, Ulysses, Orpheus, and Cuman Sibyl. Drawing upon Virgil’s description of the brutal ferryman in the Aeneid, Dante turns Charon into the dominant figure of the third canto of the Inferno, intensifying his terrifying, threatening features (“The demon Charon, with his eyes like embers”) and transforming him – with respect to the ancient translation – into a figure entirely subordinated to the execution of a diabolical will.