Real
Ethiopia
Ethiopia is mentioned by Dante in the seventh bolgia of the Inferno (XXIV 89) as a comparative measure for the quantity of serpents that appear there, and in XXXIV 44 in relation to the Nile.
Description
In the seventh bolgia of the eighth circle of the Inferno, dedicated to thieves, Dante compares the great throng of serpents that appears before the observer to what was ever displayed «with all Ethiopia» (Inf. XXIV 89), establishing a topos of boasting: the bolgia surpasses the serpentine variety described by Lucan in the Libyan desert. Ethiopia also appears in the XXXIV canto, regarding the blackest color of Lucifer: his faces are compared to those of the inhabitants of the region where the Nile «s'avvalla», that is, descends from the mountains to the plain (Inf. XXXIV 44), according to a symbolic interpretation in which black corresponds to ignorance and blindness.
In the text
Linked verses
1 verses| Cantica | Canto | Verso | Testo | Open verse |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Inferno | Canto XXIV | 89 | mostrò già mai con tutta l’Etïopia | Open verse |