Toynbee "Lucìfero"

Lucifer, the King of Hell, [Inf. xxxiv. 1], [Inf. xxxiv. 28]; cast out from Heaven by the Archangel Michael, [Inf. vii. 11-12], before his fall was the fairest and noblest of created things, [Inf. xxxiv. 18], [Inf. xxxiv. 34]; [Purg. xii. 25-26]; [Par. xix. 47]; the cause of his fall was pride, [Inf. vii. 12], [Inf. xxxiv. 35]; [Purg. xii. 25-27]; [Par. ix. 127-128], [Par. xix. 46], [Par. xxvii. 26], [Par. xxix. 55-56]; he is now as ugly as he was fair before, [Inf. xxxiv. 34]; his place is in the nethermost pit of Hell, in the centre of the earth, and hence of the universe, [Inf. xi. 64-65], [Inf. xxxi. 142-143], [Inf. xxxiv. 107-108]; [Par. xxix. 56-57]; he fell from Heaven on the side of the earth opposite to our hemisphere, to which the land which was previously in the other hemisphere retired, its place being taken by the sea [Inf. xxxiv. 121-124]; at the place where he fell was opened the abyss of Hell, the earth retreating from him, and thus forming the island and Mt. of Purgatory, the only dry land in the opposite hemisphere, [Inf. xxxiv. 124-126]; he is a liar and the father of lies, [Inf. xxiii. 143-144]; Mon. III. iii. 8; and the origin of all woe, [Inf. xxxiv. 36]; it was he who spoke to Eve in the shape of the serpent, V.E. I. ii. 6, V.E. I. iv. 2 (cf. [Purg. viii. 98-99]. [Purg. xxxii. 32]); Christ's rebuke to Peter, 'get thee behind me, Satan' ({Matth. xvi. 23}), Mon. III. ix. 10; Ezekiels reproach to Lucifer (in the person of the prince of Tyre, {Es. xxviii. 12-13}), Epist. xiii. 76.

Lucifer figures among the examples of defeated pride in Circle I of Purgatory, where he is portrayed (in allusion to {Luc. x. 18}) as falling like lightning from heaven, [Purg. xii. 25-27]. [Superbi.]

As D. and Virgil enter Giudecca, the fourth division of Circle IX of Hell, V. warns D. that they are approaching Lucifer, and tells him to see whether he can be seen in the distance ([Inf. xxxiv. 1-3]); D. dimly sees something resembling a windmill (being Lucifer's six huge fanning wings), and then, feeling a great wind, he shrinks behind V. for shelter ([Inf. xxxiv. 4-9]); when they have advanced somewhat farther, V. suddenly stepping aside from before D. makes him halt, and points to Lucifer just in front of them ([Inf. xxxiv. 16-21]); D., half-dead with terror, sees before him a gigantic monster, emerging as far as the middle of his breast from the ice ([Inf. xxxiv. 22-29]); his enormous bulk is such that D. says he himself more nearly compares with a giant in size than does a giant with Lucifer's arm ([Inf. xxxiv. 30-33]); the monster has three faces, the one in front being crimson, that on the right yellowish-white, and that on the left black ([Inf. xxxiv. 37-45]); beneath each face is a pair of huge wings, not feathered, but like those of a bat ([Inf. xxxiv. 46-50]); with the flapping of these wings are generated three winds, the blast of which causes the waters of Cocytus to freeze ([Inf. xxxiv. 50-52]); from his six eyes flow tears, which, mingled with bloody foam from his mouths, drip down over his three chins ([Inf. xxxiv. 53-54]); in each mouth he crunches a sinner, in the front one Judas Iscariot, whose back is at the same time flayed by Lucifer's claws, in the right one Cassius, and in the left one Brutus ([Inf. xxxiv. 55-67]); D. having gazed on this terrible sight, V. tells him that he has seen all, and that now they must be gone from Hell ([Inf. xxxiv. 68-69]); V. then, with D. on his back, climbs down Lucifer's shaggy sides into the icy chasm ([Inf. xxxiv. 70-75]); when he has reached the monster's middle, V. with a great effort turns himself so that his head is where his legs had been before, and then commences to climb up (Lucifer being so situated that the upper part of his body, from head to middle, is in the N. hemisphere, while the lower part, from middle to feet, is in the S. hemisphere, to the surface of which D. and V. are now ascending, their descent having ceased at Lucifer's middle, which coincides with the centre of the earth), so that D. thinks they are returning to Hell ([Inf. xxxiv. 76-84]); at last they issue forth through a perforated rock, and D. to his amazement sees that Lucifer is holding his legs upwards, instead of downwards as he had seen them previously ([Inf. xxxiv. 85-93]), before they proceed on their way he asks V. for an explanation of this marvel, and learns that they are now in the S. hemisphere ([Inf. xxxiv. 100-117]); V. then also explains to him how Lucifer fell to the earth on this side, and drove away the land, which retreated to the N. hemisphere, the sea taking its place, and how where he fell the abyss of Hell was formed, the displaced earth from which went to make the island and Mt. of Purgatory ([Inf. xxxiv. 12-16]); they now quit Hell and make their way upwards to the outer air ([Inf. xxxiv. 33-39]).

Lucifer is represented as having six wings ([Inf. xxxiv. 46-50]) inasmuch as he had before his fall been one of the seraphim, quei fuochi pii / che di sei ali fatt'han la coculla ([Par. ix. 77-78]). The three winds generated by the wings are commonly understood to typify pride, luxury, and avarice.

Attempts have been made to calculate the dimensions of Lucifer from the data supplied by D. ([Par. ix. 30-33]). The height of the giant Nimrod is calculated from D.'s data ([Inf. xxxi. 58-66]) to be about 70 ft., or about twelve times D.'s stature [Nembròt]. The proportions then are: as D. is to Nimrod, so is Nimrod to Lucifer's arm, which would give about 840 ft. as the measurement of Lucifer's arm, and consequently (taking the length of the arm to be one-third of the total height) about 840 yds. as his approximate height.

The commentators are by no means agreed as to the symbolism of the three faces of Lucifer. B. Lombardi, L. G. Blanc, and others, take them to represent the three continents of the known world, viz. Europe, Asia, and Africa, the complexions of whose inhabitants would answer, respectively, to the three colours, red, yellow, and black. The early commentators regard Lucifer's triple visage as an antitype of the Godhead in Trinity, representing the three qualities diametrically opposed to the divine attributes of power, wisdom, and love, viz. impotence, ignorance, and hatred, which are denoted respectively by the yellow, the black, and the red of the three faces; thus Benvenuto says:

Sicut enim Deus est trinus et unus, in quo est summa potentia, summus amor, et summa sapientia; ita in isto est summa lmpotentia, summum odmm, summa ignorantia.

The words Vexilla regis prodeunt inferni' 'the banners of the king of Hell go forth', spoken by Virgil ([Inf. xxxiv. 1]) as they first come in sight of Lucifer (the 'banners' being his enormous flapping wings) are partly borrowed from the opening of the hymn by Venantius Fortunatus. [Vexilla regis prodeunt]