Virgil is the shade of the ancient poet who, summoned from Limbo by sorceresses’ invocations, guides travelers through the dark thicket of the Holy Land. He introduces himself with «Mi nombre es Virgilio» (“My name is Virgil”).
| Type | Character (shade) |
| Origin | Mantua |
| Location | Holy Land; the edge of the road |
| Spanish entry | Virgilio |
Description
Travelers crossing the thicket find him “lying against a tree, a shade”: a man in tunics and laurels, with “white, pristine eyes”, who says he is “Virgil, of antiquity”.
Born “under Caesar”, he was a poet at the court of Augustus and says “I am from Mantua”; he admired Caesar. As “a sort of pagan before the birth of Christ”, he dwells in Limbo “instead of being able to guide him to heaven” — “only for that”, despite his wisdom. His presence among the living depends on “spells, on invocations of sorceresses”, which draw him from Limbo.
Nature
“He is human, so you know. He is not alive, but he has…” He is “the shade of a man”: his form is fully corporeal and visible, but anyone who moves against him passes through, “because he is a shade”. He can pass through physical objects and cannot stop anyone by contact.
Role
He meets travelers at the roadside and leads them “through the thicket”, reuniting them with their companions — the same office he served for Dante, whom he led “through dark regions”. He also tells what the travelers do not know: he speaks of “lord Jacks de Molay”, Jacques de Molay. He is a single shade, not one of a class, and has no fixed seat.
His authority as guide was revoked: “Virgil will not be my guide again after knowing how we were deceived.” The deception removed him as guide but not from the world.
Open questions
- Who the sorceresses are, and whether the invocation is reversible, temporary or permanent, is unknown.
- What the deception was, and whether Virgil deceived or was used, is not stated.
- Whether he can be touched, hurt or held is unknown.
- The reach of his knowledge, and whether he speaks on his own or only answers, is unknown.
- Whether Limbo is a visitable place or only his declared condition is open.
- Whether he is a lasting figure of the world or a single apparition is open.