Betwixt Level 2: Lust and Level 4: Greed, you'll find Level 3, a place for all those dedicated to the sin of Gluttony in Dante Alighieri's "Inferno" the subject of our discussion on this post.
The third layer of Hell is guarded by Cerberus, the three-headed dog (or worm, depending on the artist) from Greek mythology, who was set as the guard of the Underworld; truly, Cerbs has a limited range of talents. As stated above, sinnes assigned to this level were most guilty of the deadly sin Gluttony, a sin of indulgence and hedonism, during life. Inhabitants are forced to lay down, prostrate and perfectly still, in mud and putrification, while being pelted by a freezing rain.
When Dante and Virgil pass through the Woodstock of Hell, they meet a character known only as "Ciacco", a term used to refer to hogs in Florence, Italy, Dante's original home. Ciacco relays to poets the expulsion of Dante from Florence by the Black Guelphs, who were political opponents to his party, the White Guelphs. Dante and Virgil then depart from the third level to the fourth: Greed.
When Dante and Virgil pass through the Woodstock of Hell, they meet a character known only as "Ciacco", a term used to refer to hogs in Florence, Italy, Dante's original home. Ciacco relays to poets the expulsion of Dante from Florence by the Black Guelphs, who were political opponents to his party, the White Guelphs. Dante and Virgil then depart from the third level to the fourth: Greed.
Gluttony is a sin of indulgence; those who commit to it lose sight of what is spiritually important, of remaining diligent for God's plans and preparing the way for Him, for immediate and worldly pleasure, be it gorging one's self with food, mulling over emotional feelings, or general contentment. Through Gluttony, sinners also harm their fellow man, by neglecting duties and shirking the responsibilities due to others. The punishment of gluttons in Level 3 is symbolic of the various aspects of their prime sin: they are forced to lay down, for all of eternity, not doing anything, while being pelted by the freezing rain, a dark fulfillment of their determination to avoid duty during life. The image of the sinners in mud is also a dark allegory, comparable to how pigs roll around in mud to keep cool, though the sinners will be freezing for the rest of their afterlives.
We learn virtually nothing about Ciacco, aside from the fact that he knew of Dante and his life before his exile. He, being associated with the Florentine political system, being named after a hog, could represent Dante's view of Florence's political system, as a herd of swine, wallowing in mud and gorn.
Also, of some note, there is the feeding of mud by Virgil to Cerberus. This could suggest a grand irony; Cerberus, despite being set as the guard of all gluttons, is also a glutton.
We learn virtually nothing about Ciacco, aside from the fact that he knew of Dante and his life before his exile. He, being associated with the Florentine political system, being named after a hog, could represent Dante's view of Florence's political system, as a herd of swine, wallowing in mud and gorn.
Also, of some note, there is the feeding of mud by Virgil to Cerberus. This could suggest a grand irony; Cerberus, despite being set as the guard of all gluttons, is also a glutton.
Famous people and characters who would probably end up in Level 3: Gluttony