Divine Comedy discussion

The Phlegethon is the boiling river of blood that comprises the first part of the Seventh Circle of Hell. Centaurs are charged with tormenting souls here by dipping caged sinners into the boiling river. Chief among those is Nessus, who allows Dante to ride him across the river. The violent souls boil within the depths of the blood. Souls like Alexander the Great and Attila the Hun are among those trapped here. According to Virgil, the river eventually flows through the Eighth Circle and collects in the Ninth Circle, whereby it freezes to make Cocytus.