Introduction
After crossing the river Acheron Dante and Virgil stand on
the brink of hell where Dante sees hell as a circular funnel shaped bottomless
pit with a series of ledges. These ledges, nine in total, are the Dantean
circles.
Limbo
Here Dante finds the souls that were sinless, however they
are here because they were not baptized. Dante after passing through a citadel
finds on a green meadow a group of souls surrounded by a radiant dome of light.
He discovers that they are the great noble souls of the poets, philosophers,
heroes, artists and scientists of history. Virgil says “The signature of honour they left on earth is recognized in Heaven and
wins them ease in hell out of God’s favour.”
Purpose of Limbo
The first circle is the famous limbo or Orco where the
shadows of the deceased reside. Here all the caves of the earth are astrally
connected. Here the souls of the deceased reside until they are given a new
body and life on the surface of the earth. If, however they have used up all of
their 108 lives they descend further into the abyss.
Summary
In the vestibule of hell is the river Acheron and the
ferryman Charon, who ferries the souls of the deceased into hell. ‘Acheron’
comes from the Greek meaning the river of pain. Once the river Acheron is
crossed, begins the first circle of hell.
End (360).
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