Charon (mythology)

From Srafopedia

Charon, according to Ancient Greek mythology, was the boatman across the river Styx. When a person died, the myth goes that they travel to the World of the Dead, Hades. To ensure that the person is actually dead, Charon ferrys them across the river, which will kill them if they are alive, just in case. In the His Dark Materials trilogy, a boatman whose name we do not find out ferrys Lyra and Will across a river, seperating her from Pantalaimon and him from Kirjava, who did not exist until the time she was wrenched from his heart.