The document summarizes Dante's description of the ninth bolgia or ditch of hell in Canto XXVIII of the Inferno. It contains sowers of discord who are hacked and mutilated by devils based on their sins of sowing religious, political, or familial discord on Earth. Their wounds heal before they are forced to drag themselves back to be hacked again, enduring eternal punishment in fitting contradiction to their sins. Key figures like Mahomet, Curio, and Bertrand de Born are described and their specific mutilations mentioned.

1. B O L G I A N I N E
S O W E R S O F
D I S C H O R D

2. full of sinners which are guilty sowers of
discord, or one who is driven to act on other's
vulnerabilities and is driven solely on their
own self-interests; ripped apart the
community in which they belong

3. S E T T I N G
 A circular pit which aids the sinners’ eternal
cycle of punishment.
When we have made the circuit of the pit;
For by the time we stand again before him
All the wounds he gave us last have knit
C A N T O X X V I I I
V . 3 9 - 4 1

4. S I T U A T I O N /
C O N D I T I O N
 Here, in the ninth bolgia, Dante’s words fail
him. Words can no longer capture the sheer
volume and degree of suffering, of all the
"blood and wounds," present here.
 Dante does the next best thing; he crafts a
metaphor. He compares the number of
bleeding limbs and wounded bodies to the
sum of all casualties from some of the
world's greatest wars. All those dead piled
up couldn’t match the horror of this bolgia.
C A N T O X X V I I I V . 1 - 2 1

5. S I T U A T I O N /
C O N D I T I O N
Who could describe, even in words
set free
Of metric and rhyme and a
thousand times retold
The blood and wounds that were
shown to me!
( V . 1 - 3 )
C A N T O X X V I I I V . 1 - 2 1

6. S I T U A T I O N /
C O N D I T I O N
--If all of these
Were gathered, and one showed his
limbs run through
Another his lopped off, that could
not equal
The mutilations of the ninth pit’s
crew
( V. 1 9 - 2 1 )
C A N T O X X V I I I V . 1 - 2 1

7. S I T U A T I O N /
C O N D I T I O N
 When Mahomet asks who Dante is
Virgil explains that Dante is not dead
and is not being punished here, but is
journeying through hell, guided by him.
The suffering souls all stand amazed for
a moment, so stunned that they forget
their pain momentarily.
C A N T O X X V I I I
V . 4 3 - 5 3

8. S I T U A T I O N /
C O N D I T I O N
C A N T O X X V I I I
V . 4 3 - 5 3
...I, who am dead, must lead him
through the drear
And darkened halls of Hell, from
round to round:
And this is true as my own standing
here.”
( V . 4 9 - 5 1 )

9. S I N & S I N N E R S
F I R S T C L A S S
R E L I G I O U S
D I S C H O R D
This sin deals with the
destruction of the Church
through separation of its
parts.
 MAHOMET
 ALI
S E C O N D C L A S S
P O L I T I C A L
D I S C H O R D
This sin deals with the
destruction of community
through political actions.
 PIER DE MEDICINA
 CURIO
 MOSCA DEI LAMBERTI
T H I R D C L A S S
DISCHORD BETWEEN
K I N S M E N
This sin deals with the
destruction of family the
building block of
community.
 BERTRAND DE BORN

10. S O W E R S O F R E L I G I O U S
D I S C H O R D
M A H O M E T A N D A L I
F O U N D E R S O F I S L A M
Believed to have caused a schism within the Christian Church
by having Islam break away from Christianity. Because of this,
these two Schismatics are punished by being slit with a sword
wielded by a devil.

11. S O W E R S O F R E L I G I O U S
D I S C H O R D
 T h e c h i e f a m o n g t h e
s o w e r s o f r e l i g i o u s
d i s c o r d .
 H e a s k s D a n t e t o
s e n d a w a r n i n g t o F r a
D o l c i n o t e l l i n g h i m t o
g e t s o m e f o o d q u i c k l y
o r e l s e h e ’ l l s t a r v e
w h i l e u n d e r s i e g e .
C A N T O X X V I I I V . 5 5 - 6 0
M A H O M E T

12. S O W E R S O F R E L I G I O U S
D I S C H O R D
M A H O M E T
. . . b o d y s p l i t f r o m
g r o i n t o c h i n
C A N T O X X V I I I V . 2 2 - 2 5

13. S O W E R S O F R E L I G I O U S
D I S C H O R D
A L I
 M a h o m e t ’ s s o n - i n -
l a w .
 . . . f a c e c l e f t f r o m
t o p t o b o t t o m
C A N T O X X V I I I V . 3 3

14. S O W E R S O F P O L I T I C A L
D I S C H O R D
P I E R D A M E D I C I N A
 d r i v e n f r o m R o m a g n a
i n 1 2 8 7 , i n t r i g u e d
a m o n g i t s r u l e r s t o t u r n
t h e m a g a i n s t e a c h o t h e r
 t e l l s D a n t e t o
r e m e m b e r h i m a n d t o
g i v e a w a r n i n g t o
M e s s e r s G u i d o a n d
A n g i o l e l l o
C A N T O X X V I I I V . 7 0 - 9 0

15. S O W E R S O F P O L I T I C A L
D I S C H O R D
P I E R D A
M E D I C I N A
 “ t h r o a t s l i t , . . . n o s e
s l a s h e d o f f , . . . a w o u n d
w h e r e h i s e a r s h a v e
b e e n ”
C A N T O X X V I I I V . 6 4 - 6 6

16. S O W E R S O F P O L I T I C A L
D I S C H O R D
C U R I O
 T h e m a n w h o t o l d
C a e s a r “ a m a n
p r e p a r e d i s a m a n
h u r t b y d e l a y ” u r g i n g
C a e s a r t o c r o s s t h e
R u b i c o n , d e c l a r i n g
w a r o n t h e R e p u b l i c .
C A N T O X X V I I I V . 9 7 - 9 9

17. S O W E R S O F P O L I T I C A L
D I S C H O R D
C U R I O
. . . t o n g u e i s c u t o u t
f o r h i s f a l s e a d v i c e .
C A N T O X X V I I I V . 1 0 1 - 1 0 2

18. S O W E R S O F P O L I T I C A L
D I S C H O R D
M O S C A D E I L A M B E R T I
 a d v i s e d t h e d e a t h o f a m a n
w h o h a d b r o k e n a n
e n g a g e m e n t . . . w h i c h l e d t o
t h e b e g i n n i n g o f a l o n g f e u d
b e t w e e n t h e G u e l p h s a n d t h e
G h i b e l l i n e s o f F l o r e n c e ,
t e a r i n g t h e c i t y a p a r t
. . . h a s b o t h o f h i s a r m s
h a c k e d o f f
C A N T O X X V I I I V . 1 0 3 - 1 0 5

19. S O W E R S O F D I S C H O R D
B E T W E E N K I N S M E N
B E R T R A N D D E
B O R N
 T h e m a n t h a t s e t
t h e y o u n g k i n g ( P r i n c e
H e n r y ) t o m u t i n y
a g a i n s t h i s o w n
f a t h e r , H e n r y I I o f
E n g l a n d .
 H e i s f o r e v e r t o b e
s e p a r a t e d f r o m h i s
h e a d . V . 1 1 8 - 1 2 6

20. P U N I S H M E N T
C O N T R A P A S S O
T H E Y A R E H A C K E D A N D T O R N B Y
A G R E A T D E M O N W I T H A B L O O D Y
S W O R D , E A C H M U T I L A T E D
A C C O R D I N G T O T H E I R S I N .
A F T E R E A C H M U T I L A T I O N T H E Y
A R E C O M P E L L E D T O D R A G T H E I R
B O D I E S T O T H E D E M O N T O O N C E
A G A I N B E H A C K E D .
I N T H E P R O C E S S , T H E I R B O D I E S
H E A L . T H E C Y C L E C O N T I N U E S .

21. P U N I S H M E N T
C O N T R A P A S S O
PAGE 228; LINES 34 -4 3
An d a ll th e o th e r so u ls th a t b le e d
a n d mo u rn
Alo n g t h is d it ch w e re so w e rs o f
sca n d a l a n d sch ism
As they tore others apart, so they
a re to rn

22. P U N I S H M E N T
C O N T R A P A S S O
PAGE 228; LINES 34 -4 3
Be h in d u s, w a rd e n o f o u r ma n g le d
h o rd e ,
Th e d e vil w h o b u tch e rs u s a n d se n d
u s ma rch in g
Waits to renew our wounds with his
lo n g sw o rd

23. P U N I S H M E N T
C O N T R A P A S S O
PAGE 228; LINES 34 -4 3
Wh e n w e h a ve ma d e th e circu it o f
th e p it;
Fo r b y th e time w e sta n d b e fo re h im
All th e w o u n d s h e g a ve u s la st h a ve
knit.

24. P U N I S H M E N T
C O N T R A P A S S O
T H E I R S I N W A S T O R E N D E R W H A T
G O D H A D M E A N T T O B E U N I T E D , S O
T H E I R P U N I S H M E N T I T T O B E
H A C K E D A N D T O R N T H R O U G H A L L
E T E R N I T Y .

25. S O W E R S O F
D I S C H O R D
I N T H E
M O D E R N
W O R L D :
D A E S H
M O R E C O M M O N L Y
REFERRED TO AS ISIS

26. -Su n n i, e xt re mist , jih a d ist
u n re co g nize d sta te
- a se lf -p ro cla ime d ca lip h a te
b a se d in Syria a n d Ira q in
th e Mid d le Ea st
- designated a t e rro rist
o rg a n iza tion b y th e U n ite d
N a tio n s, Eu ro p e a n U n io n , th e
U K, th e U S, Au stra lia ,
C a n a d a, Tu rke y, a n d o th e r
co u n trie s
D A E S H
M O R E C O M M O N L Y
R E F E R R E D T O A S I S I S

27. D A E S H
M O R E C O M M O N L Y
REFERRED TO AS ISIS
-United Nations and Amnesty
In te rn a tio na l h a ve a ccu se d
th e e xtre mist g ro u p o f h u ma n
rig h ts a b u se s
-Amn e sty In te rn a tion al h a s
fo u n d th e g ro u p g u ilty o f
e th n ic cle a n sin g o n a
"historic scale”

28. P r i m a r y c a u s e o f i r r a t i o n a l f e a r
a n d h a t e t o w a r d s M u s l i m s
d e s p i t e t h e f a c t t h a t t h e D a e s h
d o e s n o t r e p r e s e n t b e l i e v e r s o f
I s l a m .
H a t e c r i m e s a g a i n s t M u s l i m s i n t h e U n i t e d
K i n g d o m h a v e j u m p e d n e a r l y 2 7 5 % s i n c e
t h e N o v . 1 3 P a r i s a t t a c k s . ( R e u t e r s )
F o l l o w i n g t h e a t t a c k s o n C h a r l i e H e b d o i n
F r a n c e e a r l y 2 0 1 5 , a n t i - M u s l i m i n c i d e n t s
r o s e 2 8 1 % . ( R e u t e r s )
S O W E R S O F
R E L I G I O U S D I S C H O R D

29. E x t r e m i s t g r o u p s f e e d o f f o f
a l i e n a t i o n , s o m e c o u n t e r t e r r o r i s m
e x p e r t s s a y , a n d I s l a m i s t
m i l i t a n t s d e l i b e r a t e l y a i m t o
m a k e M u s l i m s i n t h e W e s t f e e l
i s o l a t e d a n d t u r n a g a i n s t t h e i r
o w n c o m m u n i t i e s .
A c c o r d i n g t o t h i s l i n e o f
t h i n k i n g , a c t s o f t e r r o r i s m w i d e n
t h e c u l t u r a l d i v i d e b y p r o v o k i n g
h a t e c r i m e s a g a i n s t M u s l i m s i n
t h e W e s t . ( W a s h i n g t o n P o s t )
S O W E R S O F
P O L I T I C A L D I S C H O R D

30. B a s e d o n t h e s t u d y T h e E f f e c t s
o f I S I S o n F a m i l y S t r u c t u r e
S y s t e m s * t h a t s t u d i e s t h e
b r u t a l i t y b e i n g c o m m i t t e d b y I S I S
u p o n w o m e n a n d c h i l d r e n t h a t
d i s r u p t s f a m i l y s y s t e m s a n d
c r e a t e s a s t a t e o f c h a o s
S O W E R S O F D I S C H O R D
B E T W E E N K I N S M E N
*by Kellie Langwell and Kelsey
Ruegger Department of Sociology,
Chapman University; Orange, CA

31. I S I S a l s o f o r c e s f a m i l y m e m b e r s t o p a r t i c i p a t e
i n s t o n i n g s i n o r d e r t o p u n i s h t h e w o m e n f o r
t h e i r “ c r i m e s ”
S e n t 1 5 0 o f t h e u n m a r r i e d w o m e n a n d g i r l s t o
S y r i a t o b e g i v e n t o I S I S f i g h t e r s a s a r e w a r d
o r t o b e s o l d a s s e x s l a v e s
S O W E R S O F D I S C H O R D
B E T W E E N K I N S M E N
F A C T S :
M i s t r e a t m e n t o f W o m e n

32. M i l i t a n t s a r e r e c r u i t i n g c h i l d r e n a s y o u n g a s
1 2 t o f i g h t f o r t h e I s l a m i c S t a t e
T h e r e h a s b e e n a r e p o r t o f a n i n c r e a s e o f
o l d e r c h i l d r e n b e i n g p h y s i c a l l y a n d s e x u a l l y
a s s a u l t e d b y I s l a m i c s t a t e f i g h t e r s
S O W E R S O F D I S C H O R D
B E T W E E N K I N S M E N
F A C T S :
M i s t r e a t m e n t o f C h i l d r e n