Alichino

Alichino is one of the twelve Malebranche, the demonic guardians of the Fifth Bolgia in the Eighth Circle of Hell, where the sin of barratry (political corruption) is punished by immersion in boiling pitch. He is named by the leader Malacoda as part of the escort assigned to guide Dante and Virgil across the broken bridge, and his subsequent behavior—marked by impulsive aggression, gullibility, and a disastrous loss of self-control—makes him a key figure in the devils' failed mission and the poets' narrow escape.

Identity and Role Among the Malebranche

Alichino is one of the ten demons Malacoda dispatches to accompany the poets, alongside Calcabrina, Cagnazzo, Barbariccia, Libicocco, Draghignazzo, Ciriatto, Graffiacane, Farfarello, and Rubicante. Malacoda appoints Barbariccia as their leader, and the group sets off with a grotesque signal: each demon thrusts his tongue between his teeth toward Barbariccia, who responds by making a trumpet of his rump. Alichino's name, likely derived from the Italian "alicino" (a type of lure or enticement), foreshadows his role as one who is easily deceived and who, in turn, becomes the instrument of the devils' undoing.

The Pursuit of Ciampolo and the Fall into the Pitch

When the Navarrese sinner Ciampolo is hauled from the boiling pitch by Graffiacane, Alichino is among the demons who torment him. After Ciampolo offers to whistle up more Italian sinners from the pitch, Cagnazzo suspects a trick, but Alichino, eager for the sport, overrules him: "If thou dive, I will not follow thee upon the gallop, but I will beat my wings above the pitch; the height be left, and be the bank a shield to see if thou alone dost countervail us." This boast proves fatal. Ciampolo seizes the moment, plants his feet on land, and leaps into the pitch, escaping. Alichino, stung by shame—"he most who was cause of the defeat"—immediately gives chase, but his wings cannot outstrip the sinner's dive. Ciampolo goes under, and Alichino, flying upward, is left "cross and weary."

The Quarrel with Calcabrina and the Ensuing Chaos

Infuriated by the mockery, Calcabrina, who had been following behind, turns his talons on Alichino instead of pursuing the escaped sinner. The two demons grapple in midair above the moat and fall together into the boiling pitch. The heat acts as a "sudden intercessor," but they are so thoroughly coated with pitch that they cannot rise. Barbariccia, lamenting, orders four of the remaining demons to fly to the other side with their gaffs and rescue the ensnared pair, who are already "baked within the crust." This chaotic interlude leaves the poets momentarily unguarded, and Virgil seizes the opportunity to lead Dante away from the Malebranche, descending into the next Bolgia to escape their wrath.

Narrative Role and Thematic Significance

Alichino's role in the Fifth Bolgia episode exemplifies the Malebranche's nature as both instruments of divine justice and figures of grotesque comedy. Their cruelty toward the sinners is matched by their own petty rivalries, pride, and vulnerability to deception. Alichino's impulsive pursuit and subsequent fall into the pitch he was meant to guard mirrors the contrapasso of the barrators themselves: just as the corrupt officials are submerged in the boiling pitch they abused for personal gain, Alichino is trapped in the very substance he was policing. His failure also serves a crucial narrative function: it creates the opening that allows Dante and Virgil to escape the demons' escort and continue their journey through Malebolge, demonstrating that even the infernal machinery of Hell can be disrupted by the very vices it punishes.