Wood of Thorns
The Wood of Thorns, also called the Wood of the Suicides, constitutes the second round of the Seventh Circle in Dante's Inferno, a place reserved for those who committed violence against themselves. It is a dark and tangled forest, utterly devoid of any path, where the souls of the suicides are not merely punished but transformed into the very trees that compose the wood. This grim landscape embodies the contrapasso of self-destruction: those who rejected their own bodies in life are now denied human form and are trapped forever in a vegetable state, their only voices emerging as pained cries when their branches are broken.
Appearance and Inhabitants
The wood is described as a savage, untrodden place, with foliage not green but of a dusky colour, branches not smooth but gnarled and intertangled, and fruit not apples but thorns with poison. It is more dense and tangled than the thickets between Cecina and Corneto, a region known for its wild beasts. Within this forest, the hideous Harpies make their nests. These creatures, who chased the Trojans from the Strophades with prophecies of doom, have broad wings, human faces and necks, feet with claws, and great feathered bellies. They feed upon the leaves of the trees, causing them pain, and their laments fill the air. The souls of the suicides are thus imprisoned within the thorny trunks, their only release a cry of anguish when a branch is torn.
The Punishment of the Suicides
The contrapasso for suicide is both literal and symbolic. When the exasperated soul abandons the body by its own hand, it is consigned by Minos to the seventh abyss. It falls into the forest, and wherever Fortune hurls it, it germinates like a grain of spelt, springing up as a sapling and then a forest tree. The Harpies feed on its leaves, creating pain and an outlet for that pain. At the Final Judgment, these souls will not be reunited with their bodies, for it is not just to have what one has cast off. Instead, their bodies will be dragged through the forest and hung upon the thorns of their molested shades, a perpetual reminder of the self-rejection that defined their earthly lives.
Key Figures and Encounters
The most prominent soul encountered in the Wood of Thorns is Pier della Vigna, the former chancellor and confidant of Emperor Frederick II. He explains that he held both keys to Frederick's heart, turning them so softly that he kept most secrets, and that he was faithful to his glorious office until envy and the lies of courtiers turned the emperor against him. In his despair, he committed suicide, believing he could escape disdain by dying. He swears by the roots of the wood that he never broke faith with his lord, and he asks Dante to restore his memory in the world. The wood also witnesses the punishment of two other violent souls, Lano and Jacopo da Sant' Andrea, who are chased by black she-mastiffs and torn to pieces. Jacopo, who had used the bush of a Florentine suicide as a screen, is also torn apart, and the bush itself laments, revealing its own identity as a citizen of Florence who hanged himself from his own roof.
Narrative and Thematic Significance
The Wood of Thorns serves as a powerful meditation on the nature of self-violence and the rejection of God's gift of life. The transformation of human souls into trees that bleed and speak when broken underscores the horror of their sin, while the Harpies' constant feeding represents the eternal torment of a conscience that cannot find peace. The encounter with Pier della Vigna is particularly poignant, as it explores themes of loyalty, betrayal, and the tragic consequences of despair. The wood also functions as a transitional space, leading to the third round of the Seventh Circle, the burning sand where the violent against God are punished. The entire episode reinforces Dante's moral universe, where every sin receives a punishment that is both just and poetically fitting.
