Mythological
Orpheus
Mythical poet of ancient Greece, cited by Dante in Limbo among the spiriti magni alongside Linus and other ancient sages.
Profile
In Canto IV of the Inferno Dante lists, among the spiriti magni gathered in Limbo, several poets and sages of antiquity, and at verse 140 he explicitly mentions Orfeo, naming him together with Linus. The authorized note for the same canto qualifies Orfeo and Linus as mythical poets of ancient Greece, also recalled together by Virgil. The verse places him in the host of ancient figures that the poet encounters in the first cantica, alongside figures such as Empedocles, Heraclitus, and Zeno, without attributing to him any specific sin or role.
In the text
Linked verses
1 verses| Cantica | Canto | Verso | Testo | Open verse |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Inferno | Canto IV | 140 | Dïascoride dico; e vidi Orfeo, | Open verse |