Biblical figures
Lia
A woman who presents herself to Dante in Purgatory as Lia, a historical figure who moves about and gathers flowers to make garlands, contrasted with her sister Rachel.
Profile
In Canto XXVII of Purgatorio (v. 101) Lia presents herself to Dante with the words «ch'i' mi son Lia, e vo movendo intorno», declaring her own identity and describing herself in the act of moving about gathering flowers. The figure speaks directly to Dante, who meets her in the Earthly Paradise, where the dialogue takes place in which she is contrasted with Rachel, who, according to the same voice, does not move from her mirror and sits all day long. The authorized verse alone does not allow other biographical data about Lia to be drawn, nor does it allow it to be established whether her placement is further specified by other notes in the same canto, and therefore any additional information about this character is omitted.
In the text
Linked verses
1 verses| Cantica | Canto | Verso | Testo | Open verse |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Purgatory | Canto XXVII | 101 | ch’i’ mi son Lia, e vo movendo intorno | Open verse |