Phlegethon

Phlegethon is the river of boiling blood that flows through the first round of the seventh circle in Dante's Hell, serving as the eternal punishment for those who committed violence against their neighbors. Its existence is part of the elaborate hydrological system of the Inferno, originating from the tears of the Great Old Man of Crete and flowing downward through the circles of Hell before joining Cocytus at the frozen center. The river is described as an "ample moat bent like a bow" that encompasses the plain, and its boiling, vermilion waters are guarded by Centaurs who patrol its banks, shooting with arrows any soul that emerges from the blood beyond the depth allotted to its crime.

Description and Location

The Phlegethon is located in the first round of the seventh circle, which is reserved for the violent. It is described as a "river of blood, within which boiling is whosoever by violence doth injure others." The river is shaped like a bow, forming an ample moat that encircles the plain. Its waters are vermilion and boiling, and the souls of tyrants and murderers are immersed within it to varying depths according to the gravity of their sins. The Centaurs, led by Chiron, patrol the banks, armed with bows and arrows, and shoot at any sinner who raises himself above the level of the blood that justice has assigned to him.

The Centaurs and the Punishment

The Centaurs, including Nessus, Chiron, and Pholus, serve as the guardians of the Phlegethon. They are described as running in file along the bank, armed with arrows, and they shoot at any soul that emerges from the blood beyond its allotted depth. When Dante and Virgil descend to the seventh circle, three Centaurs detach themselves from the squadron and approach, with one crying out to ask the purpose of their descent. Virgil explains that Dante is alive and that they are on a journey ordained by Heaven, and he requests an escort to guide them across the ford. Chiron then assigns Nessus to guide them and to warn aside any other band they may encounter.

The Depth of the River and the Sinners

As Dante and Nessus proceed along the bank, they observe sinners immersed at different depths according to their sins. Some are submerged up to their eyebrows, and Nessus identifies them as tyrants who dealt in bloodshed and pillaging, including Alexander the Great, the fierce Dionysius, Ezzelino III da Romano, and Obizzo d'Este. Further along, the river becomes shallower, and sinners are visible only up to their throats, then their chests, and finally only their feet. Nessus explains that the river diminishes in depth on this side, and on the other side it declines further until it reunites where tyranny is punished. He points out Attila, Pyrrhus, Sextus Tarquinius, Rinier da Corneto, and Rinier Pazzo, who are tormented in the boiling blood for their violent deeds.

Origin and Mythological Context

The Phlegethon is one of the four infernal rivers that originate from the tears of the Great Old Man of Crete, a statue whose head is of gold, arms and breast of silver, brass down to the fork, and the rest of iron except for the right foot of baked clay. The tears that drip from a fissure in the statue gather and form Acheron, Styx, and Phlegethon, which then flow downward to form Cocytus. Virgil explains this to Dante as they walk along the bank of the Phlegethon, noting that the river's redness is a distinctive feature. The Phlegethon is also mentioned in the context of the boiling of the red water, which Virgil says might solve one of Dante's questions about the infernal rivers.

Narrative Significance

The Phlegethon serves as a vivid and gruesome example of the contrapasso, the principle of divine justice that ensures the punishment fits the sin. The violent, who shed blood in life, are now immersed in boiling blood for eternity. The varying depths of immersion reflect the varying degrees of their guilt, with the most violent submerged the deepest. The Centaurs, as guardians, ensure that no sinner escapes his allotted torment. The river also marks a significant stage in Dante's journey through Hell, as it is the first major punishment he encounters in the seventh circle, and its description reinforces the moral and theological framework of the Inferno.