my vision of hell

[izkariote]

I did this one for Western Literature class. Imagine your favorite people roasting here, if you want. :D

Given the harsh realities and trials that the denizens of our world face, many are often led to believe that a realm like the Inferno doesn’t exist because existence on earth in itself is torture. While this might be true in a pessimistic sense, I believe otherwise and agree with Dante that there must be a hell or some version of it at work.

In my view, Satan is an apathetic being. Long ago, when he was first cast out from the light, he might have wailed and ground his teeth about being thrown down from heaven, but the millennia have made him hard and embittered. Mastering hell and the creatures in it along with balancing the politics between him and the other fallen have embittered him to this grim task of punishing the souls of the dead. He doesn’t even need their souls, or their repentance. In many aspects, the shades themselves are begging punishment for the atrocities they committed while they were alive.

Hell is a world that turns upon its own axis around the Citadel of Lucifer at its center. As it is God and Satan’s Hell, there is no room in it for souls who come of a different belief to Catholicism, or who simply do not believe in God. It only serves punishment for the so-called “lost sheep” of our flock, ones who did believe in the faith at one point in their life or still do and yet could afford to rebel against the teachings.

Throughout my work, I will refer to the souls of the sinners in the same fashion used within Dante’s work, the Inferno. Thus, it is advised to follow along with how Dante defined them.

The first circle lies farthest from the center. It is a field of vast emptiness, barren of color, sound and life. This is a purgatory in itself, for the souls of the newly dead wander it aimlessly until divine will segregates them. Those who are deemed for greater punishment are immediately swept away into the place designated for them; those who are destined for purgatory or paradise are likewise removed. If the soul is that of the uncommitted or neutral in their faith in God, however, they will end up walking the empty field for all eternity, left to go mad at having nothing but silence and grays. This is where most Catholics might end up falling under, as secularization — that is, setting faith apart from one’s life rather than integrating it — is an increasingly popular phenomenon in society.

The second and third circles play host to a carnival, an eternal celebration staged by the daemons and the fallen angels to hail their now silent master. The first landmark is the carousel at the center of the festival grounds, where the souls of the lustful serve as mounts for whoever wishes to ride. The second landmark is the open-air banquet table, where the members of Lord Lucifer’s court feast upon the roasted flesh of the souls who committed the sin of wrath and drink wine made from the crushed and liquefied spirits of the sullen. The souls of the gluttons are chained like dogs at the center of the hollow square table, scrambling over each other in the pit of mud in an attempt to catch whatever scraps of meat the court members may choose to throw in their direction in odd bouts of cruel kindness. Note that the roasted or liquefied souls are restored the next day, only to be run down, captured, cooked and eaten again the next evening.

The fourth circle is based on the network of roads leading further into the center. Right after stepping out of the lights and revelry of the dark carnival, a traveler will catch sight of the large hills of trash and debris that pockmark the twilight valley. In the brief flashes of lightning that illuminate the place at odd intervals, one can see the souls of the avaricious, the greedy, the simonists, the grafters, the evil counselors, the impersonators, the counterfeiters, the false witnesses and the prodigal labor endlessly, driven onward by demons brandishing nine-tailed whips. They are tasked to find what scraps of gold there are buried within the mounds to add to Lucifer’s treasury in the hopes of being pardoned and given a place at his court. In reality, however, it is a trick set up by Lucifer’s court members, for whenever the sinners approach their demon masters with their findings the gold crumbles to lead and ruin, causing the slave drivers to punish them further and task them to work on the hills again. Many politicians in the Philippine government will find themselves here in the afterlife, as will the likes of President George Bush.

There is a river of blood separating the fourth circle from the fifth circle; the blood comes from the souls of thieves, sowers of discord, traitors of all kinds (family, country, God, guests and friends) and murderers that hang above the river, suspended upon the branches of trees from the dark wood within the fifth circle. They are wounded and mutilated constantly by the winged monstrosities that patrol Hell’s skies — many of them are half-eaten by the end of the day. They are restored in the morning, when the monsters return to their slumber within the caves and crevices of Lucifer’s palace. It is another vicious cycle, for the beasts will awaken hungry with the night and come for them again.

If the traveler succeeds in bargaining a price with the habitually silent boatmen that sail the river of blood (one being Charon, the traditional river man of Greek mythology), they will be brought into the dark wood of the fifth circle. All of the flora there is black and twisted, for they serve as vessels to the souls of the suicides… if one listens closely enough, one might be able to hear their screams whenever their jagged leaves are rustled by the passing breeze, or by the aftermath of the mighty wings of demons and monsters when they pass over. Other than that, it is as silent and gray as the empty field in the first circle. A traveler must beware when walking through the forest, for the souls of the panders, the seducers and the flatterers run rabid within it, afflicted by horrible, flesh-eating or mind-consuming diseases.

One will reach the sixth circle upon emergence from the dark wood. There is a long pathway made of checkered marble stretched out across a vast lagoon leading towards the Citadel of Lucifer. The water is also made from the liquefied remains of the sullen, and the luminous butterflies that dance over the water are the souls of the baby and children innocents who perished before they could be baptized. If the traveler chooses to, he or she can linger on the walkway… if one holds still long enough, the butterflies will revert to their real forms and speak to them. If it pleases the traveler, he or she may entertain the children, as they remain abandoned throughout eternity. Even if they are not punished actively like the other denizens of hell, there is no room for kindness in the Inferno… the only mercy showed to them is that they are not touched by the demons. As expected, this leads to a very sad and lonely existence.

Sometimes, on the request of a particularly virtuous soul from heaven, angels will descent to collect some of the butterflies and bring them into the light. This, however, happens very rarely.

The Citadel itself makes up the seventh and last circle of Hell. It is made of promethium, diamond, glass and hell stones pulled out from the mountains of debris and ruin in the fourth circle. Discordant music plays throughout its corridors, and its galleries are filled with strange sights and structures of disturbing beauty. The halls wind like snakes, and are painted in such a fashion to make one think of stained glass — without a guide in form of the Citadel’s servants, who are the souls of Satanists who worshiped Lucifer in their earthly lives, a traveler can easily get lost within.

While Lucifer no longer cares what happens to his realm and only rises up as master of all within it if an outside force from another dimension threatens them, others are left to run matters of Hell and the Citadel in his place. The fallen angels live in places of their choosing throughout the inferno, and can only be found if they wish to be found; thus, the task of administration is left with seven Homonculus of Lucifer’s creation, each representing one of the deadly sins. They are the Dark Lady (Lust, in the form of a woman of irrepressible sex appeal), the Changeling (Envy, who possesses the ability to take any form he wishes), the Ravenous Man, (Gluttony, a horribly fat and bald man who views the world like an overgrown baby), the Lost Child (Wrath, a messy-haired boy with eyes matching the color of Satan’s own before his Fall), the Slow Sentinel (Sloth, a huge gorilla of a man who moves little and says less), the Aged Swordsman (Pride, whose pleasantries are spiked with occasional bouts of merciless judgment) and the Statesman (Greed, a man whose hands twitch constantly with the need to have something in his posession).

Note that it is because of the Homonculus that certain souls have a special place in court and can live eternally in Hell without punishment; Lucifer originally pardoned these ‘exceptions’ himself, but in his current state of ennui such matters are left to his attendants. The homosexuals and practitioners of magic, for example, are allotted chambers within the Citadel where everything is given to them save that which is unreasonable in the judgment of the Homonculus. The reason why they are not condemned is because in the eyes of the Homonculus, there is no need for punishing something that did little radical harm to other people on earth; unlike the sins in the other circles, where it affected others, sins like homosexuality and practicing sorcery are only condemned in traditional sectors because ‘it goes against the Bible’. Thus, these shades are permitted to wander the circles of Hell — some are even guests in the palaces of the other fallen angels, and a lucky few befriend them or fall in love with them. They cannot, however, leave Lucifer’s realm, or torment those already being punished… breaching this will cause them to be judged as the other souls were, and the Homonculus will show them no mercy. Many of them, however, soon forget ever wanting to leave or power trip in the first place, for there is no other place for them but Hell.

Lucifer himself remains locked within his chambers at the top of the Citadel. It has been centuries since he last came down and walked among his followers and his unwilling residents. No one knows what he is doing at present. All in hell are, however, certain that he is still alive, for the desolate winds that buffet Hell constantly still carry a taste of his breath and his voice.


I absolve myself of all typos. I'm too lazy to fix em. Maybe another time. XD

If you all can think of anybody else (famous figure or an example of a particular group of people) who should be added, let me know who and where.


The four flavors I ended up with. Funky test, this one.

Mmm, I am Lemon Flavoured. I am bitter and twisted. Expect from me acerbic humour and sharp commentary. While I may seem nasty at first, I'm actually quite good company if I like you, so long as you don't mind a bit of cutting to the chase. What Flavour Are You?

I taste like Smoke. I'm an unusual taste; I can be strong and potent, or I can be a mere hint, almost not there. I can blow away on the wind, or I can stick to your clothes that you left out when your neighbour was having a bonfire. I'm mean that way. What Flavour Are You?

Buzz buzz, I am Coffee flavoured. I am popular in the workplace, even though I am often bitter. I am energetic to the point of being frenetic; buzz buzz, out of my way. I tend to overwork myself and need periods of recovery time. What Flavour Are You?

I taste like Menthol. I am refreshingly different; some people don't appreciate that. My sharp honesty gets up some people's noses, while others really enjoy it. I am something of an acquired taste. What Flavour Are You?

Comments

[http://users.livejournal.com/_stillframe_/]

Beautiful piece. I was able to picture the images, especially those of the Homonculus, quite vividly.

Have you ever read Sarah Dunant's The Birth of Venus? It also bears several allusions to the Inferno, and a perspective wherein humans absorb the tapestries of hell faster and with more effect than they do the tapestries of heaven because of the fact that humans on earth already suffer torture and embody it enough for it to be of human quality, therefore presenting hell to be equipollent to something familiar and almost humane.

Thanks for giving me something to think about for the remainder of today...

[chantee.livejournal.com]

I loved that little tidbit about Bush and the corrupt Philippine officials.

Oh, and really, I don't know why, but the Dark Lady seems to fascinate me.

I loved your piece, like what Peep said, I could really picture these images in my head.