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Cocytus/koʊˈsaɪtəs/ orKokytos/koʊˈkaɪtəs/ (Ancient Greek:Κωκυτός, literally "lamentation") is the river of wailing inthe underworld inGreek mythology.[1] Cocytus flows into the riverAcheron, on the other side of which liesHades, theunderworld, the mythological abode of the dead. There are five rivers encirclingHades: theStyx,Phlegethon,Lethe,Acheron and Cocytus.
The Cocytus river was one of the rivers that surrounded Hades. Cocytus, along with the other rivers related to the underworld, was a common topic for ancient authors. Of the ancient authors, Cocytus was mentioned byVirgil,Homer,Cicero,Aeschylus,Apuleius andPlato, among others.[2]
Cocytus also makes an appearance inJohn Milton'sepic poemParadise Lost. In Book Two, Milton speaks of "Cocytus, named of lamentation loud / Heard on the rueful stream".[3]
It is also mentioned inWilliam Shakespeare'sTitus Andronicus and inRick Riordan'sThe House of Hades.
Cocytus also appears inFriedrich Schiller's poem "Gruppe aus dem Tartarus": ...Hohl sind ihre Augen—ihre Blicke/Spähen bang nach des Cocytus Brücke... (...Hollow are their eyes, their looks / Peering anxiously to the bridge of Cocytus...)
The river is also mentioned inRafael Sabatini's novelCaptain Blood: His Odyssey, when Colonel Bishop's nemesis, Peter Blood, addresses him as follows: "And now, ye greasy hangman, step out as brisk and lively as ye can, and behave as naturally as ye may, or it's the black stream of Cocytus ye'll be contemplating."[4]
InInferno, the firstcantica ofDante'sDivine Comedy, Cocytus (or Treachery) is the ninth and lowest circle ofThe Underworld. Dante and Virgil are placed there by the giantAntaeus. There are other Giants around the rim that are chained; however Antaeus is unchained as he died before theGigantomachy. Cocytus is referred to as a frozen lake rather than a river, although it originates from the same source as the other infernal rivers, the tears of a statue called The Old Man of Crete which represents the sins of humanity. Dante describes Cocytus as being the home oftraitors and those who committed acts of complexfraud. Depending on the form of their treachery, inhabitants are buried in ice to a varying degree, anywhere from neck-high to completely submerged in ice. Cocytus is divided into four descending "rounds", or sections:
Dante's Satan is at the center of the circle buried waist-high in ice. He is depicted with three faces and mouths. The central mouth gnawsJudas. Judas is chewed head foremost with his feet protruding and Satan's claws tearing his back while those gnawed in the side mouths,Brutus andCassius, leading assassins ofJulius Caesar, are both chewed feet foremost with their heads protruding. Under each chin, Satan flaps a pair of wings, which only serve to increase the cold winds in Cocytus and further imprison him and other traitors. Dante and his guideVirgil proceed then to climb down Satan's back and then upwards towardsPurgatory. Though Dante is initially confused as to why they are turning round, Virgil explains it is due to the change in forces as they pass through the center of the Earth.
