Ganymede

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Ganymede is a figure from classical mythology, recalled by Dante as an example of a boy abducted by the gods and for this reason abandoned by his own family. His mention occurs at the beginning of the Purgatorio, in the passage in which the poet, immersed in sleep on the threshold of Purgatory, is described as dreaming of being carried upward by an eagle. The notes to the canto explain that the mythological episode of Ganymede is recalled alongside those of Procne and Philomela, grouped together by Christian tradition as figures of grief and contrition of heart, in anticipation of the scene of confession about to take place. In the Commedia Ganymede does not appear as a speaking character nor is he placed in a specific circle or terrace: he is simply an allusive term of comparison.