Farfarello

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In the Commedia Farfarello is numbered among the Malebranche, the squad of devils that guards the bolgia of the barrators. His name is pronounced in the list of the decuria in Inferno XXI (v. 123: "e Farfarello e Rubicante pazzo"). In Inferno XXII (v. 94) Malacoda addresses him directly with the title of "gran proposto," showing a role of prominence within the group. The critical note to canto XXI clarifies that the name recalls Old French Farfadet (sprite) and the Tuscan farfanicchio, placing Farfarello among the names coined by Dante for the devils, in which visual and phonic elements create an effect of grotesque arrogance typical of the comic interlude of the bolgia.