Then looking farther onwards I beheld
A throng upon the shore of a great stream:
Whereat I thus: "Sir! grant me now to know
Whom here we view, and whence impell'd they seem
So eager to pass o'er, as I discern
Through the blear light?" He thus to me in few:
"This shalt thou know, soon as our steps arrive
Beside the woeful tide of Acheron."
Then with eyes downward cast and fill'd with shame,
Fearing my words offensive to his ear,
Till we had reach'd the river, I from speech
Abstain'd. And lo! toward us in a bark
Comes on an old man hoary white with eld,
Crying, "Woe to you wicked spirits! hope not
Ever to see the sky again. I come
To take you to the other shore across,
Into eternal darkness, there to dwell
In fierce heat and in ice. And thou, who there
Standest, live spirit! get thee hence, and leave
These who are dead." But soon as he beheld
I left them not, "By other way," said he,
"By other haven shalt thou come to shore,
Not by this passage; thee a nimbler boat
Must carry." Then to him thus spake my guide:
"Charon! thyself torment not: so 't is will'd,
Where will and power are one: ask thou no more."
extract from gantes inferno
dante and his guide see firstly the ferryman charon who carrys the souls of the damned to hell
(yes I played the new game coz I know someones gonna ask)
A throng upon the shore of a great stream:
Whereat I thus: "Sir! grant me now to know
Whom here we view, and whence impell'd they seem
So eager to pass o'er, as I discern
Through the blear light?" He thus to me in few:
"This shalt thou know, soon as our steps arrive
Beside the woeful tide of Acheron."
Then with eyes downward cast and fill'd with shame,
Fearing my words offensive to his ear,
Till we had reach'd the river, I from speech
Abstain'd. And lo! toward us in a bark
Comes on an old man hoary white with eld,
Crying, "Woe to you wicked spirits! hope not
Ever to see the sky again. I come
To take you to the other shore across,
Into eternal darkness, there to dwell
In fierce heat and in ice. And thou, who there
Standest, live spirit! get thee hence, and leave
These who are dead." But soon as he beheld
I left them not, "By other way," said he,
"By other haven shalt thou come to shore,
Not by this passage; thee a nimbler boat
Must carry." Then to him thus spake my guide:
"Charon! thyself torment not: so 't is will'd,
Where will and power are one: ask thou no more."
extract from gantes inferno
dante and his guide see firstly the ferryman charon who carrys the souls of the damned to hell
(yes I played the new game coz I know someones gonna ask)
Category Artwork (Digital) / Fantasy
Species Unspecified / Any
Size 1000 x 1000px
File Size 571 kB
I was fascinated with Dante's Inferno from the first time I read some of it a few years back. Started up a morbid fascination with Hell I still have. This is a very interesting rendition of Charon.
I too have played the game, and one thing that I wondered about was how Dante manages to kill folks like ol' Charon, and Minos. I imagine they'd simply keep coming back to life to carry out their eternal duty.
I too have played the game, and one thing that I wondered about was how Dante manages to kill folks like ol' Charon, and Minos. I imagine they'd simply keep coming back to life to carry out their eternal duty.
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