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{{Short description|Eighth circle of hell in Dante's Inferno}}
{{about|the location in ''Divine Comedy's Inferno''|the programming language|Malbolge|the character from the ''Spawn'' comics|Malebolgia}}
{{More references|date=February 2019}}
[[File:Stradano Inferno Canto 18.jpg|thumb|Sinners in the second bolgia, as illustrated by [[Stradanus]].]]
In [[Dante Alighieri]]'s ''[[Inferno (Dante)|Inferno]]'', part of the ''[[Divine Comedy]]'', '''Malebolge''' ({{IPAc-en|lang|ˌ|m|æ|l|ɪ|ˈ|b|ɒ|l|dʒ}} {{respell|MAL|ib|OLJ}}, {{IPA|it|ˌmaleˈbɔldʒe|lang}}; {{lit|evil ditches}}), or '''Fraud''', is the eighth circle of [[Hell]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=AHC |title=Inferno |url=https://ahc.leeds.ac.uk/discover-dante/doc/inferno/page/5 |access-date=2024-08-08 |website=ahc.leeds.ac.uk |language=en}}</ref> It is a large, funnel-shaped cavern, itself divided into ten concentric circular trenches or ditches, each called a {{langnf|it|bolgia|pouch|paren=left}} or 'ditch'). Long causeway bridges run from the outer circumference of Malebolge to its center, pictured as spokes on a wheel. At the center of Malebolge is the ninth and final circle of hell, known as [[Cocytus#In the Divine Comedy|Cocytus]].

==Overview==
In Dante's version of Hell, categories of [[sin]] are punished in different circles, with the depth of the circle (and placement within that circle) symbolic of the amount of punishment to be inflicted. Sinners placed in the upper circles of Hell are given relatively minor punishments, while sinners in the depths of Hell endure far greater torments. As the eighth of nine circles, Malebolge is one of the worst places in Hell to be. In it, sinners guilty of "simple" fraud are punished (that is, fraud that is committed without particularly malicious intent, whereas malicious or "compound" fraud—fraud which goes against the bonds of love, blood and honor, or the bond of hospitality—would be punished in the ninth circle). Sinners of this category include counterfeiters, hypocrites, grafters, seducers, sorcerers and [[simony|simoniacs]].

Dante and his guide, [[Virgil]], make their way into Malebolge by riding on the back of the monster [[Geryon]], the personification of fraud, who possesses the face of an honest man 'good of cheer,' but the tail of a scorpion, who flies them down through the yawning chasm that separates the eighth circle from the seventh circle, where the violent are punished. Dante and Virgil plan on crossing Malebolge by way of the system of bridges, but find their path disturbed by many broken ledges and collapsed bridges that were destroyed during the [[Harrowing of Hell]]. They must then cross some of the bolgias on foot and even rely on [[demon]]s to guide them. Eventually, they make it to the inner ledge where, after a brief look at the [[Giant (mythology)|giants]], the babbling [[Nimrod]] to the hostile [[Aloadae|Ephialtes]] and heavily chained [[Hecatonchires|Briareus]], Virgil convinces the giant [[Antaeus]] to lower them down to the ninth circle's frozen lake, [[Cocytus]].

== The Malebranche ==
{{Main|Malebranche (Divine Comedy)}}
[[File:Gustave Dore Inferno Canto 21.jpg|200 px|thumb|The Malebranche threaten Virgil and Dante in the fifth bolgia, portrayed by [[Gustave Doré]].]]

Thirteen demons known as the Malebranche ('Evil Claws'), guard the fifth bolgia of the Malebolge. Their leader is [[Malacoda]] ('evil tail'), while the others are [[Scarmiglione]] ('ruffle-haired'), Barbariccia ('curly beard'), [[Alichino (devil)|Alichino]] (derived from ''Arlecchino'', the [[Harlequin]]), [[Calcabrina]] ('one who walks on the frost'), [[Cagnazzo]] ('bad dog'), Libicocco ('love notch' <ref>Durling & Martinez, 1996{{full|date=December 2022}}</ref>), Draghignazzo (possibly from ''drago'' 'dragon' and ''sghignazzo'' 'guffaw'), [[Ciriatto]] (possibly 'little pork'), Graffiacane ('dog scratcher'), Farfarello ('butterfly'), Rubicante (possibly 'red' or 'rabid'), and a thirteenth Malebranche who was never named in the text. They try to trick Virgil and Dante by telling them of a path which does not really exist.

==The Ten Bolgias==

The ten ditches of the Malebolge, in descending order, are listed thus:

=== First Bolgia (Panderers and Seducers) ===
Panderers and seducers are punished here. They are forced to march, single file around the circumference of their circle, constantly lashed by horned demons.

=== Second Bolgia (Flatterers) ===
Sinners guilty of excessive flattery are punished in this bolgia, immersed forever in a river of human excrement, similar to what their flatteries were. [[Thaïs]] the [[hetaira]] is found there.

=== Third Bolgia (Simoniacs) ===
[[Simony|Simoniacs]] are punished here. They are turned upside down in large [[baptismal font]]s cut into the rock, with their feet set ablaze by oily fires. The heat of the flames burns according to the guilt of the sinner. Popes condemned to the Third Bolgia all go into the same font, the earlier ones pushed down by the later arrivals. [[Pope Nicholas III]] is found here, and informs Dante that [[Pope Boniface VIII]] will follow.

=== Fourth Bolgia (Sorcerers) ===
Sorcerers, astrologers, seers, and others who attempted to pervert [[God]]'s laws to divine the future are punished here. Their heads have been twisted around to face backwards, and thus they are forced to walk backwards around the circumference of their circle for all eternity. They also are blinded by their tears; therefore they cannot walk in straight paths. The seers [[Tiresias]] and his daughter, [[Manto (daughter of Tiresias)|Manto]], reside in this bolgia.

=== Fifth Bolgia (Barrators) ===
Barrators ([[Speculation|speculators]], [[extortion]]ists, [[blackmail]]ers and unscrupulous businessmen: sinners who used their positions in life to gain personal wealth or other advantages for themselves) are punished by being thrown into a river of boiling pitch and [[tar]]. In addition, should any of the grafters try to escape the pitch, a horde of demons known as [[Malebranche (Divine Comedy)|Malebranche]], armed with [[grappling hook]]s and barbs, stands guard over them, ready to tear them to pieces.

=== Sixth Bolgia (Hypocrites) ===
[[Hypocrisy|Hypocrites]] are punished in this bolgia. They are forced to wear heavy lead robes as they walk around the circumference of their circle. The robes are golden and resemble a monk's cowl but are lined with heavy lead, symbolically representing hypocrisy. Also, [[Caiaphas]], the [[Pharisee]] who insisted on the execution of [[Jesus]], and all of the [[Sanhedrin]] are [[Crucifixion|crucified]] in this circle, staked to the ground so that the ranks of the lead-weighted hypocrites march across him.

=== Seventh Bolgia (Thieves) ===
This bolgia houses the souls of fraudulent [[Theft|thieves]].<ref name=":02">Barolini, Teodolinda. “''Inferno'' 24: Metamorphosis (Ovid).” ''Commento Baroliniano'', Digital Dante. New York, NY: Columbia University Libraries, 2018. https://digitaldante.columbia.edu/dante/divine-comedy/inferno/inferno-24</ref> In ''Inferno'' 24, the thieves are trapped in a self-perpetuating cycle of being bitten and bound by [[Serpent (symbolism)|serpents]], [[dragon]]s and other vengeful [[reptile]]s.{{sfn|Alighieri|1996|p={{pn|date=December 2022}}}} Thieves are bitten by snakes, turning their bodies into ash before spontaneously regenerating their bodies again for further torment.{{sfn|Alighieri|1996|p={{pn|date=December 2022}}}} Others are bitten by snakes and are transformed into snakes that, in turn, minister the punishment onto other souls.{{sfn|Alighieri|1996|p={{pn|date=December 2022}}}} Here, the souls turn against each other, reflecting how theft breaks the intrinsic bonds of trust and community that hold society together.<ref name=":22">Barolini, Teodolinda. “''Inferno'' 25: Shape, Substance, Sex, Self.” ''Commento Baroliniano'', Digital Dante. New York, NY: Columbia University Libraries, 2018. https://digitaldante.columbia.edu/dante/divine-comedy/inferno/inferno-25/</ref> In ''Inferno'' 25, the pilgrim witnesses a group of [[Florence|Florentine]] nobles violently latch onto each other, transmuting their bodies into a monstrous hybrid.{{sfn|Alighieri|1996|p={{pn|date=December 2022}}}} These transformations reference tales from the ''[[Metamorphoses]]'' of [[Ovid]], such [[Salmacis]] and her fusion with [[Hermaphroditus]].<ref name=":02" />{{sfn|Alighieri|1996|p={{pn|date=December 2022}}}} Just as the thieves robbed others of their property, this punishment robs the fraudulent thieves of their most inalienable properties: their bodies and identity.<ref name=":02" /><ref name=":22" /> 

In this bolgia, the pilgrim also meets [[Vanni Fucci]], a thief who lived in [[Pistoia]].{{sfn|Alighieri|1996|p={{pn|date=December 2022}}}} Vanni Fucci delivers a prophecy about Dante's fate in Florence before throwing an obscene gesture towards God and is punished by the centaur [[Cacus]].{{sfn|Alighieri|1996|p={{pn|date=December 2022}}}}

=== Eighth Bolgia (Counselors of Fraud) ===
The eighth bolgia is dedicated to the counselors of fraud—individuals who provided fraudulent advice or used fraud to bring about the downfall of others.{{sfn|Alighieri|1996|p={{pn|date=December 2022}}}}<ref name=Ahern1982>{{cite journal |id={{ProQuest|1290948168}} |last1=Ahern |first1=John |title=Dante's Slyness: The Unnamed Sin of the Eighth Bolgia |journal=Romanic Review |volume=73 |issue=3 |date=May 1982 |pages=275–291 }}</ref> Here, the souls are burned in brilliant flames.{{sfn|Alighieri|1996|p={{pn|date=December 2022}}}}<ref name=Ahern1982/> 

In ''Inferno'' 26, the pilgrim meets [[Odysseus|Ulysses]] and [[Diomedes]], in the form of twin flames, who are placed in this bolgia for using the [[Trojan Horse]] as a trap to besiege [[Troy]] and for deceiving [[Achilles]] to war.{{sfn|Alighieri|1996|p={{pn|date=December 2022}}}} Ulysses tells an altered version of his last voyage: instead of returning to Ithaca, Ulysses and his crew shipwrecked in front of [[Purgatory|Mount Purgatory]] in a quest for knowledge.{{sfn|Alighieri|1996|p={{pn|date=December 2022}}}}<ref name=Thompson1967>{{cite journal |last1=Thompson |first1=David |title=Dante's Ulysses and the Allegorical Journey |journal=Dante Studies, with the Annual Report of the Dante Society |date=1967 |issue=85 |pages=33–58 |jstor=40165987 }}</ref> Ulysses' last voyage draws many parallels to the pilgrim's journey in the ''Divine Comedy''. Both embark on a journey for the pursuit of greater understanding.<ref name=Thompson1967/> In Ulysses' case, his pursuit for knowledge was misguided, which ultimately led to his spiritual shipwreck.<ref name=Thompson1967/> Unlike Ulysses, the pilgrim's journey is ordained by divine powers.{{sfn|Alighieri|1996|p={{pn|date=December 2022}}}} Thus, the pilgrim's journey into the self will not end in disaster.<ref name=Ahern1982/>{{sfn|Alighieri|1996|p={{pn|date=December 2022}}}}

In ''Inferno'' 27, the pilgrim encounters [[Guido I da Montefeltro|Guido da Montefeltro]], who was placed in this bolgia for providing fraudulent advice that lead in exchange for a promise of salvation from [[Pope Boniface VIII]].{{sfn|Alighieri|1996|p={{pn|date=December 2022}}}} He first asks the pilgrim about the current state of affairs in Florence before narrating what led to his downfall and eventual placement in Hell.{{sfn|Alighieri|1996|p={{pn|date=December 2022}}}}

=== Ninth Bolgia (Sowers of Discord) ===
{{Wikisource|Divine Comedy (Longfellow 1867)/Volume 1/Canto 28}}

Sinners who, in life, promoted scandals, [[schism]], and discord are punished here; particularly those who caused schism within the church or within politics. They are forced to walk around the circumference of the circle bearing horrible, disfiguring wounds inflicted on them by a great demon with a sword. The nature of the wound mirrors the sins of the particular soul; while some only have gashes, or fingers and toes cut off, others are decapitated, cut in half (as schismatics), or are completely disemboweled. Among those who are tormented here is [[Muhammad]], prophet of Islam and his son-in-law and successor [[Ali]], who both eviscerate their own bodies, and [[Bertran de Born]], alleged agitator of the [[Revolt of 1173–74]], who carries around his severed head like a lantern.

=== Tenth Bolgia (Falsifiers) ===
[[File:Inferno Canto 29 verses 52-56.jpg|thumb|[[Gustave Doré]]- Dante and Virgil overlooking the tenth bolgia, Canto XXIX)]]
Falsifiers, those who attempted to alter things through lies or [[alchemy]], or those who tried to pass off false things as real things, such as [[Counterfeit money|counterfeiters]] of coins, are punished here. This bolgia has four subdivisions where specific classes of falsifiers (alchemists, impostors, counterfeiters, and liars) endure different degrees of punishment based on horrible, consumptive diseases such as [[rash]]es, [[dropsy]], [[leprosy]] and [[tuberculosis|consumption]] (known today as tuberculosis). Among them is [[Myrrha]], who suffers from insanity after she seduced her father.

The lower edge of Malebolge is guarded by a ring of titans and earth giants, many of whom are chained in place as punishment for their rebellion against God. Beyond and below the giants lies Cocytus, Hell's final depth.

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Sources==
* {{cite book |last1=Alighieri |first1=Dante |title=The Divine Comedy of Dante Alighieri |date=1996 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-977033-5 |oclc=728659634 }}

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