| “ | Behold the Power of Phlegyas, Guardian of the River Styx. Only he may grant passage across the swamp, to the city of darkness and the circles below. | ” |
–Filippo Argenti | ||
Phlegyas was the giant guardian of the fifth circle of Hell, Anger and the ferryman of the river Styx.
Description[]
Phlegyas was a bulky monster, with a crack of magma running through him like a volcano (symbolizing anger), buffalo horns, an evil fiery face, and a crown that looked like a toothed Lilly pad.
Mythology[]
In Greek mythology, Phlegyas was a king and the demigod son of Ares, the Greek god of war. According to one account, Phlegyas was the father of Coronis, who was seduced by either the god Apollo or the titan Helios. However, Coronis proved unfaithful to her divine lover, sleeping with a human prince after Apollo/Helios left her to attend to his duties. Heartbroken, Apollo/Helios ordered Coronis's death.
Enraged with the god for killing his daughter, Phlegyas proceeded to burn down the Temple of Apollo (or Helios) in retaliation. Upon learning of this blasphemy, the god in turn flung Phlegyas straight into Tartarus to suffer for eternity.
Dante's Inferno[]
Dante unknowingly rode across the Styx on the wrathful demigod's crown. After fighting his way toward Dis and seeing Beatrice becoming Lucifer's bride, Dante took control of Phlegyas and used him to break into the City of Dis. When Dante reached the circle of Heresy, Phlegyas broke the ground that he was standing on. Dante managed to jump off in time, but Phlegyas broke through the floor and plummeted into the pits.
Power and Abilities[]
Incomprehensible Strength: Phlegyas, due to his titanic size and build has an unfathomable amount of brute strength, able to destroy anything and anyone in his way causing massive tremors when punching the ground. After being controlled by Dante, he destroys most of the City of Dis in a moment and with few stamps destroy restriction to the next circle of hell. He is physically strongest being in Hell being surpassed possibly only by Lucifer himself.
Invulnerability: Phlegyas was shown to be incredibly durable to damage and injury. Dante´s Scythe was able only grazed him and is immune to all effects in his surroundings like water, magma or hell-fire. Despite it's unknown what happens with him after his fall to lower circle, he most likely survives.
Elemental Control: From his magmatic-earth appearance, Phlegyas is able to manipulate with those elementals like his punches to ground release a small fountain of magma or temporary meltdown area.
Hellish Breath: In spite of his elemental power, Phlegyas can release a thick stream of fire energy from his mouth. He can fire this stream as long as necessary with a devastating effect like he destroys the City of Dis and annihilated almost everyone there.
Movie[]
In the animated film, Phlegyas's appearance was more toned down, as he appeared in the film as a green-skinned humanoid who willingly took Dante and Virgil through the fifth circle of Hell without incident. He was knocked out by Lucifer when Dante controlled Phlegyas to charge him.
Trivia[]
- In "The Inferno", Dante makes Phlegyas the ferryman of the River Styx, in the fifth circle of Hell. The reason for choosing Phlegyas could've been because of how his story is one of great anger, thus a fitting entity for the circle in which the sin of Anger is punished. In actual mythology, the river Styx has no ferryman, and is inhabited by nymphs.
- After Phlegyas emerges from the River Styx, he makes a noise which is a reused roar of the Hive Mind from Dead Space and Dead Space: Extraction; another popular title by EA and Visceral Games.
- In the video game, Phlegyas' vocal effects were computer-generated. In the animated film, Phlegyas' vocal effects were provided by Kevin Michael Richardson.
- Despite Phlegyas's monstrous appearance, he never directly attacks Dante. Though he does indirectly kill some of Dante's enemies, Phlegyas appears largely indifferent to Dante's presence.
- Though Phlegyas appears as a being made of lava and molten rock, many of his pictures show only that his top half is scorching and his legs are more rock than fire, likely being cooled from wading in the murky waters of the Styx.
- On the PSP, the saving spot for Pleghyas is called Phlegyus.
Gallery[]
| Bosses |
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| Death · King Minos · Cleopatra · Marc Antony · Cerberus · Alighiero · Phlegyas · Francesco · Lucifer |