Phlegethon is the river of boiling blood in the seventh circle of Hell, in which all who did violence to others are boiled; unlike the other rivers, it punishes by erasing — it washes away memory and skills.
| Type | River |
| Location | Seventh circle, before the walls of Dis |
| Named after | Phlegyas |
| Spanish entry | Flegetonte |
Description
Centaurs guard it — Chiron, Nessus, Pholus are named — and among the boiled are Alexander the Cruel, Dionysius of Sicily and Ezzelino the torturer. On its outer edge is the Minotaur of Crete (the Minotaur, Asterion). Its arm encircles all of Tartarus; there it takes its name, from Phlegyas, and its architecture: the triple-walled city, columns of solid adamant that withstand the assault of men and even gods, iron towers.
From the tears of the colossus spring the Acheron, the Styx and the Phlegethon; below them the Cocytus condenses; the Lethe lies farther away.
History
Bertrand fell into the water and was pulled ashore; he lost the last minute and was left exhausted. Left there, the river would have washed away his memory and skills.