They are the group of demons assigned to guard and torture The Grafters in their pit of boiling pitch.
Who are The Ten Fiends (or The Black Talons)?
100
Because they goaded others on to serve their own purposes, so are they driven on by demons with whips.
Who are The Panderers and Seducers?
100
This symbolizes the utter lack of warmth and love in the hearts of the Betrayers, which allowed them to commit treachery and treason.
What is ice?
100
He is annoyed that Dante makes him reveal his identity and tell his story, so he utters a dark prophecy against Dante. He then disrespects God by using an obscene gesture toward heaven.
Who is Vanni Fucci?
100
This is the punishment for the Hypocrites who appeared to be moral on the outside but were really immortal on the inside.
What is walking in an endless circle while wearing beautiful robes that are lined with heavy lead?
200
He is a centaur punished with The Thieves for stealing Hercules' cattle. He has a fire breathing dragon constantly attacking his back.
Who is Cacus?
200
As they spoke "filth", so they eternally lie in "filth".
Who are The Flatterers?
200
This symbolizes the "sliminess" and secrecy of the Thieves when they attempted to make someone else's property their own.
What is snakes?
200
By his "crucifixion" on the ground, Dante suggests that this individual is the worst hypocrite in all of Hell.
Who is Caiaphas?
200
This is the punishment for the Falsifiers who corrupted things, persons, and their words for selfish reasons.
What is diseases and physical corruption of all manners?
300
He is one of The Giants who speaks gibberish because he built the Tower of Babel, which destroyed a common human language.
Who is Nimrod?
300
Because their greed and "sticky fingers" resulted in their participation in sneaky dealings on earth, in Hell they are hidden from sight in boiling pitch while demons with claws and grappling hooks tear them to pieces.
Who are The Grafters?
300
This symbolizes how the Giants, being formed from the darkness of the earth, are returned to the darkness of the earth.
What is the Central Pit of Malebolge?
300
He is the chief sinner of the Simoniacs and reveals that Pope Boniface VIII will one day take his place when he dies.
Who is Pope Nicholas III?
300
This is the punishment for the Evil Counselors who used their advice and their words in secret for low or selfish purposes.
What is being hidden inside tongues of fire?
400
Because he raised his arms in rebellion and warred against the Olympian gods, this Giant's arms are chained to his body.
Who is Ephialtes?
400
Because they took the substance and property of others in life, in Hell their bodies are constantly being taken from them as they must painfully transform between man and reptile.
Who are The Thieves?
400
This symbolizes the perversion of the qualities of the Trinity.
What is Satan's three faces?
400
These Greek heroes share a double flame because of their joint guilt in evil counseling and carrying out many strategic plans that Dante considers manipulative and evil.
Who are Ulysses and Diomede?
400
This is the punishment for all of the Sowers of Discord.
What is being hacked and torn open by a great demon with a bloody sword?
500
He is the "chief" of the demons guarding the pit of the Grafters, and his name means "Bad Tail".
Who is Malacoda?
500
Since they attempted to move themselves forward in time, so must they only see and walk backwards through all eternity.
Who are the Fortune Tellers?
500
This symbolizes resurrection and an emergence from death to life.
What is Dante's exit from Hell on Easter Sunday?
500
These three betrayers are eternally chewed in Satan's mouth in the final round of Circle 9.
Who are Judas Iscariot, Brutus, and Cassius?
500
This is the punishment for the Simoniacs who sold church favors and offices.
What is being placed in tube-like holes upside down with their feet on fire?