Dighenis and Charon (Legend), EUROPA Issue Tales and Legends, Republic of Cyprus

Dighenis and Charon (Legend), EUROPA Issue Tales and Legends, Republic of Cyprus

Postage stamps--Cyprus--History

Γραμματόσημα--Κύπρος--Ιστορία

In this stamp the designer portrays to us the struggle between Dighenis and Charon from the poem of the same name. Above them both is a golden bird. The legend is that God sent Charon to take the soul of Dighenis. When Dighenis and Charon met they went to the arena where they fought for three days and nights without either being able to win. Charon returned to God and asked that he should defeat Dighenis. God, however, got angry because Charon had fought rather than execute his order, and sent him back to accomplish the task. Charon transformed himself into a golden bird and took the soul of Dighenis to God. The legend says that Charon was a man and that God had summoned and told him to fetch him souls. When Charon went for the first time to take the soul of one on his deathbed, he saw on approaching the house that all the village folk had gathered to mourn him and his heart was saddened. He entered the sun room, the first in the house, and seeing the relatives crying his heart broke. When however he entered the dying man's room and heard the lamentations of his wife and the wailing of his children, he could not withstand it and went back to God without the man's soul. Where is the soul? asked God. I could not do it replied Charon. God then slapped him so hard that he turned deaf. That is why he no longer hears our wailing and we can exert no influence on him. One of his characteristics is his ability to transform himself and become unrecognizable. This is why he metamorphosed into a golden bird when he returned to take the soul of Dighenis. People say that he deceives children with rose petals and that is why they are smiling when asleep.

Cyprus Post, Republic of Cyprus

Κυπριακά Ταχυδρομεία, Κυπριακή Δημοκρατία

Cyprus Post, Republic of Cyprus

Κυπριακά Ταχυδρομεία, Κυπριακή Δημοκρατία

Library of Cyprus University of Technology

Digital Heritage Research Lab of Cyprus University of Technology

5th May 1997

Designer: L. Petridou - Mala

Απαγορεύεται η δημοσίευση ή αναπαραγωγή, ηλεκτρονική ή άλλη χωρίς τη γραπτή συγκατάθεση του δημιουργού.

www.cypruspost.gov.cy

TIFF

EL, EN

Image

1997-EUROPA-30

35.160417, 33.346556

Oriental Press, Bahrain