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This isn't a particularly Amish practice. The custom actually predates Christianity, in Greek folklore, and is strong among Roman Catholics. You "copper the eyes" to pay Charon the fare for ferrying the deceased across the River Styx.

This is a long, involved question, not well suited for the limits of this wiki. (Wiki-wiki is Hawaiian for "quick") However, I would recommend Harlan Ellison's short story "Pretty Maggie Moneyeyes". It's a 1967 story, but it's not at all hard to find; it's been widely anthologized, and I see that a text file of the story is high in the search rankings. I'd recommend "I have no mouth and I must scream" or "Voices from the edge III" on the basis of the other stories in those collections. They are excellent.

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12y ago

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What is the purpose of coins in eyes of sacrificial animals?

I'm not familiar with this practice on sacrifical animals, however amongst people it was traditional to place coins on the eyes of the dead so that they could pay the fare to Charon, the boat man who carried the souls of the dead across the river Styx.


Why did they put coins on Lincoln's eyes when he died?

The main reason they put coins on Abraham Lincolns eyes when he dies was to keep his eyelids closed. There is also a wives tale about the pennies allowing the dead to travel to the river Styx.


What is the effect of putting coins on the eyes of the dead?

The coins on the eyes of the dead are meant to provide the dead with payment for Charon, the ferryman who takes the dead across the River Styx and into the Underworld.


What famous myth hades involved with?

Coins on the eyes of the dead


What happend to the ancient greeks people when they died?

they placed coins in there eyes


Did the Jews put coins of the eyes of their dead?

Yes, in ancient Jewish burial customs, it was common to place coins on the eyes of the deceased. This practice was believed to ensure that the deceased would have the means to pay Charon, the ferryman of the underworld in Greek mythology, for safe passage to the afterlife. However, this practice is not universally documented and may have varied among different communities and time periods.


Why do Hindu's wear copper coins on their eyes when they die?

i dont really know


Is placing coins upon the eyes of the deceased a Catholic ritual?

The application of coins upon the eyes is not really a Catholic practice; it is more a cultural custom and thus is practiced by those peoples or families who decide to do so. Whether the peoples or families who practice this custom are Catholic is purely incidental. Besides this, the custom is very ancient. In pre-Christian times pagans used to place the coins with the deceased as payment for Charon, the boatman of the Underworld, who ferried souls across the river Styx to the land of the dead. If the shroud of Turin (the burial shroud of Christ) is accepted as authentic, then Jesus Christ Himself was buried with coins upon his eyes as these - right down to their image and inscription - are imprinted in the shroud.


Why did they put coins in dead person eye?

In Greek mythology, the coins were so the souls could pay the cost for Charon to ferry them across the River Styx. Different cultures have different reasons for doing this. It is a custom in some cultures to place coins on the eyelids of the dead to keep their eyes closed. The custom is thought to have begun for cosmetic reasons. When a person dies, in a short time their eyes sink far back into their head as they dehydrate, causing the face to present an appearance that many people find disturbing. Placing coins over the eye sockets covered the eyes and made the visage less unpleasant for the bereaved. Nowadays morticians slip plastic fillers behind the eyelids to eliminate this effect.


What is the place that you enter it your eyes are closed and you get out of it your eyes opened?

Blindfold lodge


Do catholics put coins in the eyes of the dead?

No, Catholic tradition does not involve putting coins in the eyes of the dead. This practice comes from ancient Greek and Roman customs to pay the ferryman to transport the deceased across the river Styx in the afterlife. It is not a part of Catholic funeral rites.


Why did John Ryder put the coins on Jim's eyes in the film The Hitcher?

To send him to Heaven faster and safer.......