Phlegethon
Encyclopedia
In Greek mythology
, the river Phlegethon (Φλεγέθων, English translation
: "flaming") or Pyriphlegethon (Πυριφλεγέθων, English translation: "fire-flaming") was one of the five rivers in the infernal regions of the underworld
, along with the rivers Styx
, Lethe
, Cocytus
, and Acheron
. Plato
describes it as "a stream of fire, which coils round the earth and flows into the depths of Tartarus
." It was parallel to the river Styx
. It is said that the goddess Styx was in love with Phlegethon, but she was consumed by his flames and sent to Hades. Eventually when Hades allowed her river to flow through, they reunited.
Inferno
Phlegethon is described as a river of blood that boils souls. It is in the Seventh Circle and is guarded by centaurs, who force souls to remain at their level. Here are punished the shades who committed crimes of violence against their fellow men (see Canto XII, 46-48). Here are murderers and tyrants: men who through their violent deeds in life caused hot blood to flow and now themselves are sunk in flowing, boiling blood. Dante sees Attila the Hun and Alexander the Great up to their eyebrows in it. He gets across it with help from Nessus
.
In Oedipus
by Seneca the Younger
, the first singing of the chorus, which mainly describes the plague that has settled in Thebes
, includes the line, "Phlegethon has changed his course and mingled Styx with Theban streams." While this is not essential to the plot of the play, the line figuratively serves to suggest Death has become physically present in Thebes
. The line also reveals the common preoccupation with death and magic found in Roman tragedy.
In Edgar Allan Poe's short story "Descent into the maelstrom," the narrator, looking down on the whirlpool from a mountain, refers to the water as "the howling Phlegethon below," signifying its danger and coiling effect.
Greek mythology
Greek mythology is the body of myths and legends belonging to the ancient Greeks, concerning their gods and heroes, the nature of the world, and the origins and significance of their own cult and ritual practices. They were a part of religion in ancient Greece...
, the river Phlegethon (Φλεγέθων, English translation
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
: "flaming") or Pyriphlegethon (Πυριφλεγέθων, English translation: "fire-flaming") was one of the five rivers in the infernal regions of the underworld
Greek underworld
The Greek underworld was made up of various realms believed to lie beneath the earth or at its farthest reaches.This includes:* The great pit of Tartarus, originally the exclusive prison of the old Titan gods, it later came to be the dungeon home of damned souls.* The land of the dead ruled by the...
, along with the rivers Styx
Styx
In Greek mythology the Styx is the river that forms the boundary between the underworld and the world of the living, as well as a goddess and a nymph that represents the river.Styx may also refer to:-Popular culture:...
, Lethe
Lethe
In Greek mythology, Lethe was one of the five rivers of Hades. Also known as the Ameles potamos , the Lethe flowed around the cave of Hypnos and through the Underworld, where all those who drank from it experienced complete forgetfulness...
, Cocytus
Cocytus
Cocytus or Kokytos, meaning "the river of wailing" , is a river in the underworld in Greek mythology. Cocytus flows into the river Acheron, across which dwells the underworld, the mythological abode of the dead. There are five rivers encircling Hades...
, and Acheron
Acheron
The Acheron is a river located in the Epirus region of northwest Greece. It flows into the Ionian Sea in Ammoudia, near Parga.-In mythology:...
. Plato
Plato
Plato , was a Classical Greek philosopher, mathematician, student of Socrates, writer of philosophical dialogues, and founder of the Academy in Athens, the first institution of higher learning in the Western world. Along with his mentor, Socrates, and his student, Aristotle, Plato helped to lay the...
describes it as "a stream of fire, which coils round the earth and flows into the depths of Tartarus
Tartarus
In classic mythology, below Uranus , Gaia , and Pontus is Tartarus, or Tartaros . It is a deep, gloomy place, a pit, or an abyss used as a dungeon of torment and suffering that resides beneath the underworld. In the Gorgias, Plato In classic mythology, below Uranus (sky), Gaia (earth), and Pontus...
." It was parallel to the river Styx
Styx
In Greek mythology the Styx is the river that forms the boundary between the underworld and the world of the living, as well as a goddess and a nymph that represents the river.Styx may also refer to:-Popular culture:...
. It is said that the goddess Styx was in love with Phlegethon, but she was consumed by his flames and sent to Hades. Eventually when Hades allowed her river to flow through, they reunited.
Literary references
In Dante'sDante Alighieri
Durante degli Alighieri, mononymously referred to as Dante , was an Italian poet, prose writer, literary theorist, moral philosopher, and political thinker. He is best known for the monumental epic poem La commedia, later named La divina commedia ...
Inferno
The Divine Comedy
The Divine Comedy is an epic poem written by Dante Alighieri between 1308 and his death in 1321. It is widely considered the preeminent work of Italian literature, and is seen as one of the greatest works of world literature...
Phlegethon is described as a river of blood that boils souls. It is in the Seventh Circle and is guarded by centaurs, who force souls to remain at their level. Here are punished the shades who committed crimes of violence against their fellow men (see Canto XII, 46-48). Here are murderers and tyrants: men who through their violent deeds in life caused hot blood to flow and now themselves are sunk in flowing, boiling blood. Dante sees Attila the Hun and Alexander the Great up to their eyebrows in it. He gets across it with help from Nessus
Nessus
Nessus can have a number of meanings:* Nessus , a famous centaur from Greek mythology* The Tunic or Shirt of Nessus, the poisoned shirt of the centaur Nessus, in the story of Hercules...
.
In Oedipus
Oedipus (Seneca)
Oedipus is a tragic play that was written by Lucius Annaeus Seneca at some time during the 1st century AD. It is a retelling of the story of Oedipus, which is better known through the play Oedipus the King by the Athenian playwright, Sophocles...
by Seneca the Younger
Seneca the Younger
Lucius Annaeus Seneca was a Roman Stoic philosopher, statesman, dramatist, and in one work humorist, of the Silver Age of Latin literature. He was tutor and later advisor to emperor Nero...
, the first singing of the chorus, which mainly describes the plague that has settled in Thebes
Ancient Thebes (Boeotia)
See Thebes, Greece for the modern city built on the ancient ruins.Ancient Thebes was a Boeotian city-state , situated to the north of the Cithaeron range, which divides Boeotia from Attica, and on the southern edge of the Boeotian plain...
, includes the line, "Phlegethon has changed his course and mingled Styx with Theban streams." While this is not essential to the plot of the play, the line figuratively serves to suggest Death has become physically present in Thebes
Ancient Thebes (Boeotia)
See Thebes, Greece for the modern city built on the ancient ruins.Ancient Thebes was a Boeotian city-state , situated to the north of the Cithaeron range, which divides Boeotia from Attica, and on the southern edge of the Boeotian plain...
. The line also reveals the common preoccupation with death and magic found in Roman tragedy.
In Edgar Allan Poe's short story "Descent into the maelstrom," the narrator, looking down on the whirlpool from a mountain, refers to the water as "the howling Phlegethon below," signifying its danger and coiling effect.