Dante's journey into the underworld mimics that of the journey Aeneas takes in Book VI of the Aeneid, as well as of Odysseus in Book XI of the Odyssey. Charon carries Dante and Aeneas across the River Styx and Acheron. Very few mortals are allowed to descend into the underworld and this assisted journey by Charon marks another influence of the classics that so greatly touched Dante's heart.

Aeneas, the Sibyl with the Golden Bough and Charon.