| 
Lucifer: Circle 9, Inferno 34
Lucifer, Satan, Dis, Beelzebub--Dante throws every name in the book at the Devil, once the most beautiful angel (Lucifer means "light-bearer") then--following his rebellion against God--the source of evil and sorrow in the world, beginning with his corruption of Eve and Adam in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3). Dante's Lucifer is a parodic composite of his wickedness and the divine powers that punish him in hell. As ugly as he once was beautiful, Lucifer is the wretched emperor of hell, whose tremendous size (he dwarfs even the Giants) stands in contrast with his limited powers: his flapping wings generate the wind that keeps the lake frozen and his three mouths chew on the shade-bodies of three arch-traitors, the gore mixing with tears gushing from Lucifer's three sets of eyes (Inf. 34.53-7). Lucifer's three faces--each a different color (red, whitish-yellow, black)--parody the doctrine of the Trinity: three complete persons (Father, Son, Holy Spirit) in one divine nature--the Divine Power, Highest Wisdom, and Primal Love that created the Gate of Hell and, by extension, the entire realm of eternal damnation. With the top half of his body towering over the ice, Lucifer resembles the Giants and other half-visible figures; after Dante and Virgil have passed through the center of the earth, their perspective changes and Lucifer appears upside-down, with his legs sticking up in the air. Consider the implications of visual parallels between Lucifer and other inhabitants of hell.
Eternally eaten by Lucifer's three mouths are--from left to right--Brutus, Judas, and Cassius (Inf. 34.61-7). Brutus and Cassius, stuffed feet first in the jaws of Lucifer's black and whitish-yellow faces respectively, are punished in this lowest region for their assassination of Julius Caesar (44 B.C.E.), the founder of the Roman Empire that Dante viewed as an essential part of God's plan for human happiness. Both Brutus and Cassius fought on the side of Pompey in the civil war. However, following Pompey's defeat at Pharsalia in 48 B.C.E., Caesar pardoned them and invested them with high civic offices. Still, Cassius continued to harbor resentment against Caesar's dictatorship and enlisted the aid of Brutus in a conspiracy to kill Caesar and re-establish the republic. They succeeded in assassinating Caesar but their political-military ambitions were soon thwarted by Octavian (later Augustus) and Antony at Philippi (42 B.C.E.): Cassius, defeated by Antony and thinking (wrongly) that Brutus had been defeated by Octavian, had himself killed by a servant; Brutus indeed lost a subsequent battle and took his life as well. For Dante, Brutus and Cassius' betrayal of Julius Caesar, their benefactor and the world's supreme secular ruler, complements Judas Iscariot's betrayal of Jesus, the Christian man-god, in the Bible. Judas, one of the twelve apostles, strikes a deal to betray Jesus for thirty pieces of silver; he fulfills his treacherous role--foreseen by Jesus at the Last Supper--when he later identifies Jesus to the authorities with a kiss; regretting this betrayal that will lead to Jesus' death, Judas returns the silver and hangs himself (Matthew 26:14-16; 26:21-5; 26:47-9; 27:3-5). Suffering even more than Brutus and Cassius, Dante's Judas is placed head-first inside Lucifer's central mouth, with his back skinned by the devil's claws (Inf. 34.58-63).
| FAQs
Satan, also known as the Devil, and sometimes also called Lucifer in Christianity, is an entity in Abrahamic religions that seduces humans into sin or falsehood. In Judaism, Satan is seen as an agent subservient to God, typically regarded as a metaphor for the yetzer hara, or "evil inclination".
What does Lucifer's name mean? ›
1. A name, traditional in Christianity , for the leader of the devils , an angel who was cast from heaven into hell because he rebelled against God. Lucifer is usually identified with Satan . The name Lucifer , which means “bearer of light” or “morning star,” refers to his former splendor as the greatest of the angels.
What is Lucifer the angel of? ›
Lucifer represents an intellectual, imaginative, delusional, otherworldly force which might be associated with visions, subjectivity, psychosis and fantasy. He associated Lucifer with the religious/philosophical cultures of Egypt, Rome and Greece.
What is Lucifer's real name before he fell? ›
Overview. Samael is a fallen archangel who was banished from Heaven after attempting a failed rebellion against his father, being sent to Hell as its new ruler and later changing his name to Lucifer. He holds a deep resentment towards his father for banishing him, as well as his mother for doing nothing to stop it.
Why did God cut Lucifer's wings? ›
Lucifer retained his wings, even after his fall from grace. However, when he and Maze abandoned Hell, for Los Angeles, he had Maze amputate his wings as a gesture of ultimate defiance of God which he called flipping his Father the bird. Lucifer then stored the wings in a secret compartment in his shipping container.
Who was God's favorite son? ›
Joseph, The Favorite Son.
Who is Lucifer's twin? ›
This version of Michael is depicted as Lucifer's twin brother, and in opposition to Lucifer's nature, he is calculating and scheming, a frequent liar, and is able to bring out people's fears in a manner similar to Lucifer's ability to bring out their desires.
What is 777 in the Bible? ›
Religious significance
According to the Bible, Lamech, the father of Noah lived for 777 years.
What is Lucifer's power called? ›
Pyrokinesis: As the Lightbringer, Lucifer possesses absolute control over fire and light. In his original role as "God's lamplighter", Lucifer used this power to condense clouds of hydrogen into star-masses and set them ablaze.
Who is Lucifer's mother? ›
Tricia Helfer (Battlestar Galactica) has been cast as Lucifer's mom, Charlotte. Like her son, she's gorgeous and quite a handful.
What is God's relationship to time? We cannot assign an age to God. God is infinite.
Who are the three angels of God? ›
Raphael, 29 September. The three Archangels Michael, Gabriel and Raphael are the only angels named in Sacred Scripture and all three have important roles in the history of salvation.
Who was Lucifer's first love? ›
She is, after all, his first true love, which means their love will unleash evil on the world, according to the prophecy we were chasing throughout Season 4. You remember the one — everyone assumed Eve was Lucifer's first love but… not so much. It's Chloe. Of course it's Chloe.
Who is Lucifer's real father? ›
God is the father of Lucifer as he is the father of all of us.
Is God actually Lucifer's dad? ›
"When a grisly murder takes place at an insane asylum, the prime suspect calls himself God. After realizing that this man is actually his father, Lucifer struggles with his feelings towards him and tries to find the truth, all while trying to discover who the real killer is."
How many fallen angels are there in the Bible? ›
3 Enoch mentions only three fallen angels called Azazel, Azza and Uzza. Similar to The first Book of Enoch, they taught sorcery on earth, causing corruption.
Who is the king of demons? ›
Asmodeus is portrayed differently in different sources but is commonly known as the king of demons. Some scholars have connected his name to the Hebrew word shamad (שמד; "exterminate, annihilate"); others have noted its similarity to the Persian demon, Aeshma Devas (Aēšma daēva) who is associated with wrath.
Why is 777 God's number? ›
The number refers to a triumph of "God's number" 7 over the Devil's number 666.
