Many years ago I decided to ask a learned friend for three book suggestions. At the top of his list was Dante’s Inferno. Second was the Count of Monte Cristo. The third book… is not important.
What does this have to do with cold weather? Read on my friend!
As an avid traveler and hinterlander cold weather is never particularly welcome. Enjoyment of cold weather is really an invention of the modern human. The further you get from the comforts of contemporary civilization, the less welcome the cold is.
Of course, the term cold weather is subjective. If you are living in California you probably have no concept of cold that kills. Frostbite, wind chill, hypothermia – these are words from a movie script and not real life. Still, cold weather is usually a bummer.
In my neck of the woods there is a broad range. Cold weather in the summer is an inconvenience. In the winter, cold weather can be deadly. The further you are from civilization the more dangerous the situation. Likewise, the further you are from the equator the more energy and resources you need to survive. A concept that seems often neglected in global energy usage discussions.
But I digress.
Coming back to the books I mentioned in the beginning. Dante’s inferno presents an interesting twist on the traditional idea of suffering. As many will know, the Inferno describes the journey of Dante down through the nine layers of Hell. Each layer holds a new and terrible depiction of suffering and torment – many of which have shaped the western concept of punishment in the afterlife.
Indeed many of the circles do include fire, heat, and images of eternal burning. Much of the book was in line with my preconceived notions – at least until the hero arrives at the ninth and final circle of hell. The Ninth circle, as the reader finds out, is actually a frozen lake which confines histories worst traitors. There, in the midst of them is Satan himself, forced to endure eternity within an icy prison.
It is telling that Dante, in all his literary vision, chose a frozen wasteland as the worst and most painful punishment for the greatest enemies of God and humanity. What do you think? Fire or ice?
Stay warm friends!
Here is a nice post on the topic. https://experimentaltheology.blogspot.com/2019/04/the-divine-comedy-week-16-not-fire-but.html
The Wild 
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