though I'm sure others have made the comparison, but for me it was one of those sudden 'hey, I wonder if...'
Anyway, it's the idea of Dante's 9 Circles of Hell, in relationship to our solar system of, well, previously, 9 planets. Even the fact that Pluto is the god of the underworld (which could be interpreted as Hell) and, as the planet farthest from the sun, is therefore, I assume, cold. As in the 9th circle.
If you ran it in the opposite direction, Mercury would be a more modern version of Hell, fire instead of ice.
Now his 9 'spheres' of Heaven does reference planets, but not in order, and not all of them, presumably because at the time not all had been discovered, thus the first sphere is the Moon, the second, Mercury, third is Venus, the fourth, is the Sun, fifth, Mars, sixth, Jupiter, seventh, Saturn, the eighth is fixed stars and the ninth, Primum Mobile (which, I assume, has something to do with the price of petrol/gasoline ;)
Actually, I never really read the Divine Comedy, but am finding this all very interesting in a science merged with (christian) religious beliefs way. It's curious that Venus, if considered plantetarily as the second circle, is 'Lust', yet, according to the Paradiso 'spheres', it is where the souls of lovers reside through their love of God and humanity.
It is all quite curious in both a rather pseudo/fringe-type science and religious aspect. IMO.
If you ran it in the opposite direction, Mercury would be a more modern version of Hell, fire instead of ice.
Now his 9 'spheres' of Heaven does reference planets, but not in order, and not all of them, presumably because at the time not all had been discovered, thus the first sphere is the Moon, the second, Mercury, third is Venus, the fourth, is the Sun, fifth, Mars, sixth, Jupiter, seventh, Saturn, the eighth is fixed stars and the ninth, Primum Mobile (which, I assume, has something to do with the price of petrol/gasoline ;)
Actually, I never really read the Divine Comedy, but am finding this all very interesting in a science merged with (christian) religious beliefs way. It's curious that Venus, if considered plantetarily as the second circle, is 'Lust', yet, according to the Paradiso 'spheres', it is where the souls of lovers reside through their love of God and humanity.
It is all quite curious in both a rather pseudo/fringe-type science and religious aspect. IMO.
I mean, Earth's inhabitants as being 'gluttonous', fits (as Virgiltally, er, I mean virtually, is simply another word for greed....see what I did there? Yeah, it was bad), and, speculatively....VERY speculatively, perhaps Mars was, at one time, inhabited and it's civilization became 'greedy' (possibly even an exodus escaped to Earth?) and completely annihilated itself to the point of total evaporation. Yes, that is my pseudoscience theory.
Did the ancients know something that is now lost and only presented in such things as myths and legends? Maybe vague inherited memories remain in some, from a time before?
And then, there were those nine rings..... ;)
Anyhow, as for the other planets and their moons, I haven't given further thought. Will I? Probably, but not today.
Yes, I'm done now.
Did the ancients know something that is now lost and only presented in such things as myths and legends? Maybe vague inherited memories remain in some, from a time before?
And then, there were those nine rings..... ;)
Anyhow, as for the other planets and their moons, I haven't given further thought. Will I? Probably, but not today.
Yes, I'm done now.