The Seventh Circle of Hell: Violence
Violence is the seventh circle of Dante's Hell, described in Cantos XII–XVII. It holds the violent — against others, against themselves, against god, nature and art. The punishment: three rings. Boiled in Phlegethon, a river of blood, for violence against others. Turned into thorn trees and torn by harpies, for violence against the self. Pinned on burning sand under a slow rain of fire, for the rest.
The punishment
Three rings. Boiled in Phlegethon, a river of blood, for violence against others. Turned into thorn trees and torn by harpies, for violence against the self. Pinned on burning sand under a slow rain of fire, for the rest.
They spilled blood, so they drown in it. They threw away their bodies, so they never get one back.
Who guards it
The Minotaur, and centaurs who shoot anyone who rises too far out of the river.
Who Dante puts here
Named residents of the seventh circle include:
- Alexander the Great
- Attila the Hun
- Pier della Vigna
- Brunetto Latini
The modern read
The circle with the most fine print. Dante splits it three ways because he takes the difference between what you do to others and what you do to yourself seriously.
Sending someone to Violence
The friend who breaks their own stuff. Usually on purpose. Usually at 2am.
Damnation Vacation sells a numbered, permanent plot in one of Dante's nine circles of Hell. You pay $6.66, pick who it's for, name their cardinal sin in twenty characters or fewer, and choose their circle. They get a public gravestone page with their name on it, their plot number, and a counter tracking how many days they've been down there. Violence is Circle VII, and it has open plots.
Common questions
What is the seventh circle of Hell?
Violence, described in Cantos XII–XVII of Dante's Inferno. It holds the violent — against others, against themselves, against god, nature and art, whose punishment is: three rings. Boiled in Phlegethon, a river of blood, for violence against others. Turned into thorn trees and torn by harpies, for violence against the self. Pinned on burning sand under a slow rain of fire, for the rest.
Which circle of Hell is violence?
The seventh — Circle VII of nine.
Who guards the seventh circle?
The Minotaur, and centaurs who shoot anyone who rises too far out of the river.