Caino

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In Inferno XX, v. 126, within the framework of the reckoning of time marked by the stars, Virgil recalls the moment of the full moon by indicating the horizon of Seville and the boundary between the two hemispheres, where "Cain and the thorns" rises or sets. The exegetical notes specify that the expression is a periphrasis to indicate the moon, rooted in a popular tradition that discerned in the lunar spots the figure of Cain carrying a bundle of thorns. The character, therefore, does not act on the infernal stage: his mention has an astronomical-symbolic value and is grafted onto the lunar calendar, recalling the figurative identification of Cain with the spots on the face of the moon. No other biographical data or placement in the journey is authorized by the verses and notes of Canto XX.