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In his amazing, terrifying creation “The Divine Comedy,” Dante Alighieri painted pictures of the punishments of sinners. The expression “9 circles of hell” received a vivid visualization, which undoubtedly had a strong effect on believers. And in our time, Dante’s work is studied and interpreted, because as long as religion continues to exist, punishments for offenses before God will remain relevant. Our article is devoted to a description of the circles of hell based on the famous work. Let us imagine the unique picture that stretches before the eyes of the heroes of the Divine Comedy.

Generalized features of Hell according to Dante

Traveling through the terrible circles of hell, you can see a pattern. The first circles represent eternal punishments for intemperance during life. The further you go, the less material human sins are, that is, they affect the moral aspects of life. Accordingly, with each round the torture of sinners becomes more terrible. The way Dante presented the 9 circles of hell to readers causes a storm of emotions and, as we hope and what the ancient author hoped for, will warn people from bad deeds. Dante's picturesque idea of ​​the geography of hell, naturally, was not the original information. The poet expressed the experience and theories of philosophers and scientist predecessors, describing the 9 circles of hell. According to the Bible, such a concept is expressed in seven levels that purify the souls of sinners.

Thus, Dante in his work relies on the centric structure of hell, where groups of circles are characterized by different severity of sins. As we have already noticed, the closer to the center, the more serious the sin.

Aristotle in his work “Ethics” classifies sins into categories: the first is intemperance, the second is violence against others and oneself, the third category is deception and betrayal.

Now we will embark on a journey through the world, where punishment reigns, and every misdemeanor is rewarded in full - we begin to get acquainted with the circles of hell.

First lap. Limbo

In the first circle of hell, the suffering of sinners is painless. The punishment here is eternal sorrow, and it fell to the lot of those who were not baptized.

Thus, among the grieving souls on Limbo there are the righteous from (Noah, Abraham, Moses), ancient philosophers (including Virgil). The circle is guarded by Charon - the same carrier of souls through Next - about the interesting things that Dante's "Divine Comedy" contains, on other circles.

Circle two. Voluptuousness

In the second circle, created to punish those who are intemperate in love during life, sinners are guarded by the very father of the monster Minotaur. Here he also acts as a fair judge, distributing souls into appropriate circles.

There is constant darkness in this circle, in which a hurricane rages. The souls of those who cheated on their spouse are mercilessly thrown by the wind.

Circle three. Gluttony

In the third circle of hellish torment are those who were incontinent in food during their lifetime. The glutton is showered with cold rain, there is eternal mud underfoot.

A hellish dog with three heads, Cerberus, is assigned as guard to the gluttons. Those sinful souls that fall into his clutches, he gnaws. And we will continue to delve into how Dante presented the 9 circles of hell.

Circle four. Greed

On the next round, the punishments become even harsher. Here are the souls of those who were greedy in different areas of life. The punishment looks like this: on a vast plain, two masses of souls push huge stones towards each other. When the lines collide, you have to separate again and start the work again.

Plutos, the wealth mentioned in Homer's Odyssey, stands guard over greedy sinners.

Circle five. Anger and laziness

The fifth circle is a wide swamp. Violent and lazy souls fight incessantly while swimming in swamp water. Phlegias, the founder of the Phlegian robbers, the son of Ares, was assigned as a guard to the circle of terrible punishments.

Circle six. False teachers and heretics

Anyone who preached other gods and misled peoples ended up in the seventh (according to Dante) circle of hell. In the Burning City are the souls of such sinners. There they suffer in open, hot, oven-like graves. They are guarded by terrible monsters - mythical Fury sisters with snakes instead of hair. Between the sixth and next circles there is a fetid ditch demarcating it. Distant regions begin, where people are tortured for even more serious sins.

Seventh circle. Murderers and rapists

The 9 circles of hell presented by Dante continue with the seventh - a place where the souls of murderers of various types, including suicides and tyrants, are tormented.

The murderers and perpetrators of violence are in the middle of the steppe, over which a fiery rain is pouring. It scorches sinners, and here they are torn apart by dogs, caught and tortured by harpies. Even trees, forever standing helpless, are turned into murderers in the seventh circle of hell. The terrible mythical monster Minotaur monitors the regularly tortured souls.

Circle eight. Deceived

Ahead of us are the most impressive of the 9 circles of hell. According to the Christian Bible, just like in other religions, deceivers are subject to one of the most severe punishments. So in Dante they got a place so destructive that only immortal souls can exist here.

The eighth circle represents the Sinisters - 10 ditches in which fortune-tellers and soothsayers, delinquent priests, hypocrites, sorcerers, false witnesses, and alchemists walk among the sewage. Sinners are boiled in tar, beaten with hooks, chained to rocks and their feet doused with fire. They are tormented by various reptiles and diseases. The giant Geryon stands guard here.

Circle nine, center. Traitors and Traitors

In the center of hell, according to Dante's poem, there is Lucifer frozen in the icy lake Cocytus. His face is turned downwards. He also tortures other famous traitors: Judas, Brutus, Cassius.

In the midst of the hellish cold, all the other betrayed souls are also tormented. They are guarded by the giant Antaeus, the traitor to the Spartans Ephialtes and the son of Uranus and Gaia of the Briares.

Conclusion

Finally, we have emerged from the hellish world created by Dante Alighieri. The “Divine Comedy,” the content of which we have thus covered, is a work that has come to us through the centuries thanks to its ability to impress the minds of readers. The work is deservedly considered a classic and a must-read.

Now we know on what basis the legendary Dante created the 9 circles of hell, and what they are. Let us note once again that the pictures that appear before readers amaze with their scale and content: as if all of man’s fear of death was embodied in a single thought, expressed by the poem “The Divine Comedy”. If this book is not yet open in front of you, the 9 circles of hell are quite ready to accommodate your soul...

0 Many have heard the saying about some circles of Hell, but few can say that they know the meaning and origin of this phraseological unit. In this article we will talk about How many circles of hell are there in Dante??
However, before continuing, I would like to recommend you a few more interesting articles on the topic of street slang. For example, what is Bludnyak; how to understand the expression What a fright; what does Pisyun mean, what does Zadolbal mean, etc.
So let's continue How many circles of hell? Dante Alighieri first mentioned the circles of Hell in his " Divine Comedy". In his work there are only nine circles of Hell, and the final circles are divided into separate zones. Souls fall into different circles, and the lower the circle, the more serious the offense they committed during life.

How many circles of Hell- there are only nine main circles of hell, but people say to go through " seven circles of hell", that is, they imply that despite the fact that they led far from sinless lives, they never committed the most terrible crimes, deception of those who trusted them and betrayal.


How many circles of Hell- this is described in more detail in the poem by Dante Alighieri - " The Divine Comedy", which was created about 14 years from 1307 - 1321.


By the way, this work was published in full only after his death. Dante. Many consider this work one of the greatest works in human history.
It is worth noting that the Greek philosopher Aristotle mentioned the nine circles of hell in his work. Later Dante borrowed and popularized this idea. So, what is Dante's Inferno?

How many circles of Hell does Dante have?

First circle of hell. Designed for unbaptized babies and positive people.

Second circle of hell. Fornicators, adulterers and sensualists fall into it.

Third circle of hell. It contains gluttons, gourmets and gluttons.

The fourth circle of hell. Created for hoarders, greedy and wasteful citizens.

Fifth circle of hell. It is inhabited by angry and lazy individuals.

The sixth circle of hell. Designed for heretics and false teachers.

Seventh circle of hell. Here the souls of those who committed violence to one degree or another languish.
Moreover, the seventh circle is divided into three belts:

First belt. Tyrants and robbers live.

Second belt. It houses suicides, gamblers and spenders.

Third belt. Adherents of covetousness, blasphemers and homosexuals with lesbians.

The eighth circle of hell. It is intended for those who deceived people, that is, for deceivers, and it is divided into ten ditches.

First ditch. It contains pimps and seducers.

Second ditch. Flatterers languish here.

Third ditch. Lived by Simonists (adherents of the teachings of Saint-Simon) and holy merchants.

Fourth ditch. Sorcerers, astrologers, fortune tellers and wizards live here.

Fifth ditch. The souls of bribe-takers and bribe-takers languish in it.

Sixth ditch. This ditch is exclusively for hypocrites.

Seventh ditch. Thieves are concentrated in it.

Eighth ditch. Here are the crafty advisers.

Ninth ditch. In this place of sorrow, people are located, sowing confusion and discord.

Tenth ditch. This area is for counterfeiters only.

Ninth circle. It was created for traitors, and it is divided into five belts.

First belt (called Cain). Those who committed betrayal of their relatives serve their sentences here.

Second belt (called Antenor). Traitors of their Motherland and their like-minded people are imprisoned here.

The third belt (called Tolomeya). In this dark place the souls of traitors to friends and table comrades languish.

Fourth belt. (called Giudecca). Here traitors to their benefactors, human and divine greatness are found.

Fifth belt. (called Satan). Traitors of earthly and heavenly things serve their sentences here.

In Catholicism ninth circle of hell is considered the most terrible and merciless punishment for offenses committed by a person.

It is worth understanding that this entire book is imbued with religious dogmas, and is based on Christianity. However, where do the souls of those who worship other gods go? Also to Christian hell? Well, this is actually funny.

The first circle of Hell is Limbo, where the souls of those who were not convicted of unrighteous deeds reside, but died unbaptized. Limbo is home to ancient philosophers and poets (including Virgil), Noah, Moses and Abraham were also here - all the righteous men mentioned in the Old Testament - but then they were allowed to ascend to Paradise.

Guardian: Charon.
Punishment: Sorrow without pain.

2nd circle - Voluptuousness

At the entrance, travelers are met by King Minos (a fair judge and father of the Minotaur), who distributes souls in circles. Here everything is covered in darkness and a storm is constantly raging - gusts of wind throw the souls of those who were pushed onto the path of sin by love. If you coveted someone else's wife or husband, lived in debauchery - your soul will float restless over the abyss forever.

Guardian: Minos.
Punishment: Torsion and torment by a storm.

3rd circle - Gluttony



Gluttons are imprisoned in this circle: icy rain always pours here, souls get stuck in dirty slurry, and the demon Cerberus gnaws the prisoners who fall under the clawed paw.

Guardian: Cerberus.
Punishment: Rotting in the sun and rain.

4 circle - Greed



The abode of those who “spent and hoarded unworthily,” a gigantic plain on which stand two crowds. Pushing loads with their chests, they move towards each other, collide and then separate to start all over again.

Guardian: Plutos.
Punishment: eternal dispute.

Circle 5 - Anger and Laziness



A giant river, or rather the Stygian swamp, where people are exiled for laziness and anger. All circles up to the 5th are a haven for the intemperate, and intemperance is considered a lesser sin than “malice or violent bestiality,” and therefore the suffering of souls there is alleviated compared to those who live in the outer circles.

Guard: Phlegius.
Punishment: eternal fight up to your neck in the swamp.

6th circle - For heretics and false teachers



The flaming city of Dit (the Romans called Hades, the god of the underworld, Dit), which is guarded by the sisters of the Furies with balls of snakes instead of hair. Inescapable sorrow reigns here, and heretics and false teachers rest in open tombs, as if in eternal ovens. The transition to the 7th circle is fenced off by a fetid abyss.

Guardians: Furies.
Punishment: Being a ghost in a hot grave.

7th circle - For rapists and murderers of all stripes



The steppes, where it always rains fire and the same thing appears to the eye: the terrible torment of souls stained with violence. This includes tyrants, murderers, suicides, blasphemers, and even gamblers (who senselessly destroyed their own property). Sinners are torn apart by dogs, hunted by harpies, boiled in scarlet boiling water, turned into trees and forced to run under streams of flame.

Guardian: Minotaur.
Punishment: boil in a bloody river, languish in a hot desert near a burning stream, be tormented by harpies and hound dogs.

Circle 8 - For those who deceived those who did not trust



The haven of pimps and seducers consists of 10 ditches (Zlopazuchi, Evil Crevices), in the center of which lies the most terrible - the 9th - circle of Hell. Soothsayers, fortune-tellers, witches, bribe-takers, hypocrites, flatterers, thieves, alchemists, false witnesses and counterfeiters are tormented nearby. Priests who traded in church positions fall into the same circle.

Guardian: Geryon.
Punishment: sinners walk in two oncoming streams, scourged by demons, stuck in fetid feces, some of their bodies are chained in rocks, fire flows down their feet. Someone is boiling in tar, and if he sticks out, the devils will stick the hooks. Those clad in lead robes are placed on a red-hot brazier, sinners are gutted and tormented by vermin, leprosy and lichen.

Heaven and hell exist in the imagination of people, and many minds over the centuries have been occupied by the question: what does the place where souls move look like? Writers and artists try to give answers, and people look at the world through their eyes. No one knows for sure what the Underworld looks like, but many know what the circles of hell are like according to Dante Alighieri.

What are the circles of hell?

The concept of hell first appeared in the biblical New Testament. Christians were convinced that after death sinners go to the afterlife, where they are subjected to suffering and torment. After going through 7 circles of hell, they are cleansed of filth and can be accepted into heaven. A specific sin is clearly attached to each section, the punishment for it is determined in advance. No one says exactly how many circles of hell the offender must cross, but the hierarchy of the underworld changes in Catholicism. Aristotle increased the number of circles to nine, and then his idea was picked up by the Italian thinker Dante Alighieri.

9 circles of hell according to Dante

In his most famous work, The Divine Comedy, Alighieri builds a clear scheme for building the afterlife. In it, each new arrival, or rather his soul, finds himself at his own level - the so-called circle of hell. Dante was not the first to give the underworld such a structure, but his nine circles of hell received a colorful and detailed description. As a rule, the “Divine Comedy” is often remembered when talking about the Underworld and its appearance. Dante's circles of hell are located in the shape of a huge funnel, the narrow end of which rests on the very center of the Universe.

The number 9 is not accidental. You can divide nine by 3 by 3, and this number has a symbolic meaning for Dante:

  • his main work consists of three parts;
  • Every person has three powers of the soul (animal, natural, vital);
  • the three also reminds us of the years of Jesus’ life – 33.

Dante's first circle of hell

If you believe an authoritative source on the structure of the afterlife - “The Divine Comedy” - you can get into it if you pass through a dense forest covered in darkness. Alighieri began to “place” sinners even before entering hell. In front of the gate, according to his plan, there were crowds:

  • the so-called pitiful souls who, during their lifetime, do nothing good or bad;
  • angels (they could not be with God or the devil).

The gates swung open and the first circle of hell opened. All arrivals were greeted by the old man Charon, the hero of ancient Greek mythology. At this point, the souls of those who did not deserve eternal torment, but for reasons beyond their control, did not have the right to go to heaven, were in continuous sorrow. Limbo is the first circle of hell, in which unbaptized, virtuous non-Christians, ancient philosophers and poets languished.

The second circle of hell according to Dante

The second circle of hell, according to the Divine Comedy, was called “Lust.” Here were imprisoned voluptuous people, adulterers, all those whom love pushed onto the path of sin. The fair king Minos kept order. On this section of the sinful path, darkness reigned and a strong wind blew, twisting and throwing souls against the rocks. Those who arrived were forced to endure the torment of the storm forever and ever because they could not pacify their flesh during their lifetime.

Dante's Third Circle of Hell

In the third circle, gluttons - gluttons and gourmets - languish. Everyone who was not restrained in food during life is forced to rot under the incessant rain and hail. Bad weather is their main punishment. The 3rd circle of hell according to Dante is guarded by Cerberus - a huge three-headed dog with a snake tail, from whose mouth a poisonous mixture flows. He gnaws away especially guilty souls. He who ate without measure will be eaten himself.

The fourth circle of hell according to Dante

According to Dante, people were punished for greed and wastefulness by the 4th circle of hell. Those who did not know how to combine reasonable expenses were forced to fight with each other every day and carry heavy loads. The offenders dragged huge boulders across the field and rolled them up the mountain, collided at the top and began their difficult task all over again. Like the previous circles of hell according to Dante, this purgatory was guarded by a reliable guard. The Greek god of wealth Plutos kept order.


The fifth circle of hell according to Dante

The fifth circle of hell is the last refuge of lazy and angry souls. They are destined to fight in a huge dirty swamp (another option is the River Styx), the bottom of which is lined with the bodies of the most important lazy people who are bored even in the Underworld. Phlegias, the son of the god Ares and the ancestor of the mythical robber tribe of the Phlegians, was assigned to control the execution of punishments. The hellish swamp is a gloomy and unpleasant place; in order not to end up there, you must not be lazy during your life, not get angry and not be sad over trifles.

The sixth circle of hell according to Dante

The worse the offense, the greater the punishment awaiting it. And the 6th circle of hell according to Dante is a place where heretics who preached other gods during their lifetime languish in fiery graves. The souls of false teachers are constantly burning in open pits, as in furnaces. The guardians of this terrible place are three evil and grumpy sisters, Tisiphone, Alecto and Megaera. Instead of hair on their heads there are snake nests. The next circles of hell, according to Dante, are separated by a fetid ditch, because next they are tormented for the most terrible ones.

The seventh circle of hell according to Dante

In the steppes where it rains fire, the Minotaur guards souls stained by violence. Starting from the seventh, Dante's circles of hell are divided into separate segments. The seventh is delimited into belts:

  1. Rapists, tyrants, robbers boil in a ditch filled with hot blood. Those who emerge from the scarlet boiling water are shot with arrows by three centaurs.
  2. Suicides turned into trees in hell are tormented by harpies, and players (that is, those who violated themselves and their property) are chased by hounds.
  3. Blasphemers and sodomites are forced to vegetate in the fiery desert under the incessant rain of fire.

The Eighth Circle of Hell according to Dante

Just like the previous one, the eighth circle of hell is divided into sections - ditches. Under the supervision of the six-armed giant Geryon, deceivers of all stripes are punished. And each has its own “gap”:

  • seducers and pimps are scourged by demons;
  • flatterers are forever mired in feces;
  • the holy merchants are suspended upside down from the rocks, and fire flows down their feet;
  • fortunetellers and soothsayers are struck dumb, and their heads are thrown back;
  • bribe takers boil in tar, and demons turn purple on those who dare to stick their heads out;
  • hypocrites are clad in robes of lead;
  • thieves are annoyed by all sorts of reptiles - snakes, spiders, etc. - copulate with them;
  • the souls of crafty advisers burn in eternal fire;
  • those who became the instigators of discord are disembowelled;
  • false witnesses, falsifiers, counterfeiters suffer from diseases (dropsy, rabies).

The Ninth Circle of Hell according to Dante

The most terrible, ninth circle of hell is Alighieri’s last. It is a huge ice lake Cocytus with five belts. Sinners are frozen in ice up to their necks and forced to suffer eternal torment in the cold. Three giants Antaeus, Briareus, Ephialtes do not allow anyone to escape. The three-headed devil, cast down from heaven by God, is serving a life sentence here. Frozen into an ice floe, he torments the traitors who came to him: Judas, Cassius and Brutus. In addition to them, the ninth circle gathers apostates and traitors of all stripes. Traitors come here:

  • relatives and friends;
  • friends;
  • homeland;
  • God.

Circles of Hell according to the Bible

The highest quality, detailed description of the structure of the Underworld in secular literature belongs to Alighieri. His work from the late Middle Ages describes the afterlife from the point of view of the Catholic concept, but Dante's circles of hell differ from those presented in the Bible. The understanding of hell is interpreted in Orthodoxy as “conscious non-existence,” and each believer himself creates his own refuge forever and ever. After the death of the body, souls fall into fiery Gehenna.



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