Examples Of Mythology In Dante's Inferno

Mythology Belongs in Hell
In Dante Alighieri’s poem Inferno, a strict Christian embarks on quest through the realm of Hell to get to the woman he loves in Paradise. Alighieri utilizes as much Greek and Roman mythology as he does Christianity in his work. Inferno features a variety of mythical creatures and figures for two reasons: to dramatize the epic poem and to criticize Non-Christian beliefs. Dante incorporates ancient history and mythology into his writing to degrade Pagan beliefs and to emphasize the authority and dominance of the Christian church.
Inferno is filled with multiple biblical references as well as allusions to Greek and Roman culture. Alighieri incorporates many classical figures and myths into his epic poem, however he only

Virgil was once known as the greatest poet in all of Rome, however he died before the time of Christ. The Christian church had not risen as a dominating religion yet, therefore Virgil and other classical writers believed in many supernatural gods and beings. Virgil is given special permission by God to guide Dante through Hell, however he cannot help him on his journey to Paradise. Alighieri believes that any blasphemous or heretic deserves to rot in Hell. He writes Virgil in the epic poem because he admired his work as a poet and wants to venerate his legacy. Therefore, he creates Limbo, the least punishing residence for Virgil and other classical writers who also died before the time of Christ. Limbo is inhabited by dwellers who had “sinned not; yet their merit lacked its chiefest fulfillment, lacking baptism, which is the gateway to the faith which thou

For example, in Greek mythology Minos was one of the three judges in the Underworld. His son was killed by a bull in Athens and as revenge, Minos placed a tax on athenians: seven boys and seven girls would be sacrificed to a minotaur under Minos’s palace in Crete. However, Dante distorts Minos himself into a grotesque minotaur that determines the severity of a sinner’s punishment. He signals which circle of Hell they are sentenced to by wrapping his tail around his body a certain amount times. Every soul stands before Minos, “each one to judgment passing, speaks, and hears his fate, thence downward to his dwelling hurl’d” (Alighieri Canto 5). Dante’s admiration for the classics is seen by him keeping Minos as a judge, however his distortion and disfigurement of Minos is proof of his distaste of the Pagan god himself. Dante’s intentional placement of Pagan gods and creatures in the Christian afterlife, reflects his belief that Christianity is the supreme religion. Dante includes mythical figures, no matter how disfigured or monstrous, to create a sense of glory and adventure in his epic, while still subsuming Non-Christian