Gluttony


Gluttony
Circle Number	3
Boss	Cerberus
Creatures	Glutton Gorger Worm
Locations	Hall of Gluttons
Host	Ciacco
Prev. Circle	Lust
Next Circle	Greed

“For the ruinous fault of Gluttony, so are these sad souls broken by the rain and the mud.” — Virgil

Gluttony was the third Circle of Hell.

Overview[edit | edit source]

"What these shades could not satisfy in life, in death, they shall be denied for eternity."

—Virgil

After defeating Cleopatra and descending down from the circle of Lust, Dante journeyed to the next circle, Gluttony. The circle was populated mostly by the gluttonous demons, great landscapes that are made of living organs, violent storms, mud, piles of human waste and giant gorger worms with insatiable appetites. In this circle are those who are punished for over-indulged in food, drink and addictions in the world above, placing such things above all things including their fellow man. These Damned are forced to slosh around forever in the vile muck that made most of the circle up. There, Dante must face the "Great worm," Cerberus, a massive stomach with three worm-like heads protruding from an open maw.

Continuing on to Greed, Lucifer waylaid Dante briefly in the Hall of Gluttons which was an area where the high status gluttons are eternally eaten by demons and where "Up" could mean any direction, hindering Dante's progress.

Areas of the Circle[edit | edit source]

Cerberus - "The ravenous hellhound was a torturer of gluttons. He feasted on our souls and disgorged them so he may always eat with insatiable hunger."-Ciacco
Hall of Gluttons - As punishment for their lavish indulgence, the shades that are sent to this hall are now constantly devoured and excreted by several Gluttons for eternity.

Dante's Journal[edit | edit source]

In the Divine Comedy, Dante sees Ciacco among the Shades in the Mire.

Trivia[edit | edit source]

Gluttony comes from the Latin word Gluttire (gloot-teer-AY) which means "To gulp down" or "To swallow." The original sin of Gluttony encompassed overeating as well as wasting food, being overly eager for food or dressing it to make it overly luxurious. Food is precious, especially when scarce which explains the inclusion of Gluttony as a Deadly Sin. The corresponding Heavenly Virtue which was the opposite to Gluttony was Temperance (Temperantia).
According to Dante, Gluttony was a form of Divine Love for sustenance perverted into an obsession with food to the point of waste which is why it is only designated as the third circle rather than a lower one. The other sins that are derived from corrupted Divine Love (Lust, Greed) are also found in the higher circles of Hell (Circles 2 and 4 respectively).