The Metamorphoses of the Thieves

After Vanni Fucci's blasphemy, a Centaur named Cacus appears, covered in serpents. Three Florentine thieves—Agnello Brunelleschi, Buoso degli Abati, and Puccio Sciancato—arrive. A six-footed serpent fastens onto Agnello, and they merge into a single monstrous form. Another serpent, Cianfa de' Donati, transfixes Buoso, and they exchange forms: the serpent becomes human and the human becomes a serpent. Puccio alone remains unchanged. Dante witnesses these grotesque transformations, which surpass the myths of Ovid and Lucan. This episode is a tour de force of poetic invention, illustrating the complete loss of identity that accompanies the sin of theft.