The Penguin Book of Hell

by Scott G. Bruce

  Around that time, a remarkable miracle occurred in Britain similar to those that happened long ago. For in order to arouse the living from the death of the soul, a certain man who was already dead returned to life and he recounted many things worthy of remembering that he had seen. I think that it is worth gathering some of them together briefly in this work. There was a man, the father of a family in the region of Northumbria called Cunningham, who was leading a religious life with the rest of his household. Laid low by a bodily illness and brought to death’s door as it grew worse day by day, he died in the early hours of the evening. When the sun rose, however, he returned to life and immediately sat up. Everyone who had been sitting around his body in mourning was struck with a great fear and turned in flight. Only his wife remained, for she loved him very much, though she trembled with fright. He consoled her by saying, “Do not fear, for truly I have now risen from the death by which I was held and I have been permitted to live among humankind once more. Nevertheless, from this time forward I must conduct my life very differently than I had before.” He immediately got up and went to the oratory in the village, where he prayed well into the day. Soon thereafter he divided everything that he possessed into three separate portions. He gave one portion to his wife and another to his sons, but the third he retained for his own good by giving it directly to the poor. Not long thereafter he abandoned the cares of this world by entering the monastery at Melrose, which is enclosed almost entirely by a bend in the river Tweed. Once he had received his tonsure, he entered his own secluded cell, which the abbot had provided for him. There until the day of his death he lived a life of great repentance of mind and body, so that even if his tongue was silent, his life would have revealed that this man had seen many things either dreadful or desired that have been concealed from other men.

  He told us what he had seen with the following words: “A man with a luminous appearance and bright clothing was my guide. We went forth without speaking in what seemed to me to be the direction of the rising of the sun at the solstice. As we walked, we arrived at a valley that was very broad and deep and seemed to stretch on forever to our left. One side of the valley was very terrifying with raging flames; the other was equally intolerable owing to fierce hail and cold blasts of snow gusting and blowing away everything in sight. Both sides were teeming with the souls of men, which seemed to be thrown back and forth, as though by the onslaught of a storm. When those poor souls could no longer endure the intensity of the immense heat, they leaped into the midst of the deadly cold. And when they could find no respite there, they leaped back to the other side to burn in the midst of those unquenchable flames. Since a countless number of misshapen souls was subject to the torture of this alternating misery far and wide as far as I could see without any hope of respite, I began to think that perhaps this was Hell, for I had often heard stories about the agonizing torments there. My guide, who walked ahead of me, answered my thought: ‘Do not believe this, for this is not the Hell you are thinking of.’

  “But when he led me a little way further on, completely shaken by this terrifying scene, suddenly I noticed that the places before us began to grow gloomier and covered in darkness. As we entered this place, the shadows became so thick that I could see nothing else except for the outline and garment of my guide. As we progressed through the shadows in the lonely night, behold, suddenly there appeared before us thick masses of noisome flames spouting up into the air as though from a great pit before falling back into it again. When we arrived in this place, my guide suddenly disappeared and abandoned me alone in the midst of the shadows and this terrifying scene. As the masses of flames spouted to the heights and plunged to the depths of the pit over and over again, I saw that the tips of the rising flames were full of human souls, which like sparks ascending with smoke shot up to the heights and then, when the flames withdrew, fell back into the depths once again. Moreover, an incomparable stench poured forth with these flames and filled this entire realm of shadows. And after I had stood there for a long time, unsure what I should do or which way to turn or what fate awaited me, suddenly I heard behind me the sound of a great and most wretched wailing and at the same time raucous laughter as though some illiterate rabble was hurling insults at enemies they had captured. And as the noise became louder and finally reached me, I saw a crowd of evil spirits cheering and laughing as they dragged the souls of five people crying and wailing into the midst of the shadows. I could discern among these people one tonsured like a priest, a layman, and a woman. Dragging the souls with them, the evil spirits descended into the midst of the burning pit, and it happened that, as they went further down into the pit, I could not clearly distinguish the wailing of the people and the laughter of the demons, for the sound was confused in my ears. In the meantime, insubstantial spirits rose up out of that flame-spitting abyss and rushing forward, they surrounded me. With flaming eyes and flowing a putrid flame from their mouths and nostrils, they tormented me. They also threatened to grab me with the fiery tongs that they held in their hands, but although they terrified me, they never dared to touch me. Surrounded on every side by enemies and blinded by the shadows, I cast my eyes this way and that way to see if by chance the help that I needed might arrive from somewhere. Back on the road along which we had come there appeared something like the brightness of a star shining among the shadows, which grew little by little as it hastened quickly toward me. When the light approached, all of the vile spirits who were trying to seize me with their tongs scattered and fled.

  “It was in fact my guide whose arrival put the spirits to flight. Presently he turned to the right and began to lead me in the direction of the rising sun in wintertime. Without delay he led me out of the shadows and into gentle breezes of serene light. As I followed him in the open light, I saw before us an enormous wall, the height and length of which seemed to have no end. I began to wonder why we were approaching the wall, for I could discern no door or window or stairway anywhere along it. But once we had reached the wall, we immediately found ourselves on top of it, I know not how. And behold there was an expansive and pleasant meadow, filled with such a fragrance of blooming flowers that sweetness of this wonderous smell quickly banished every trace of the stench of that dark furnace that still clung to me. Moreover, such a great light filled the entire place that the meadow seemed to be brighter than the day could ever be or even the rays of the sun at noontime. There were in this meadow countless groups of white-robed people and many parties of rejoicing companions. As my guide led me among these companies of the glad inhabitants of that place, I began to think that this was perhaps the kingdom of Heaven, concerning which I had often heard people speak about. He replied to my thought, saying, ‘No, this is not the kingdom of Heaven as you imagine it.’

  “When we had moved on and left behind these dwellings of the blessed spirits, I saw before us a much greater grace of light than before, in which I could even hear the sweetest sound of people singing, but the fragrance of such a marvelous smell poured forth from that place that the smell which I thought was incomparable a short time before paled in comparison to it, and the light of the flowering meadow seemed very thin and weak. Just as I was hoping that we would enter the sweetness of this place, suddenly my guide stopped. Without delay, he turned around and led me back by the way that we had just come.

  “When we returned once more to those happy dwellings of the white-robed spirits, he asked me, ‘Do you know what all of these things are which you have seen?’ And I responded, ‘No.’ And he said, ‘That valley, which you saw, so frightful with its fierce flames and harsh cold, that is the place where souls are required to be tried and punished because they failed to confess and make amends for the evil deeds that they committed for they waited to confess until the very moment of death, and so they died. But even though they delayed confession and penance until their death, all of them will enter Heaven on the day of judgment. Moreover, the benefits of repeated prayers by the living and alms and fasting and
especially the celebration of masses may even release them from this place before the day of judgment. Furthermore, that foul pit that vomited flames, which you saw, is the very mouth of Hell. Whoever falls into it will not be freed for all eternity. That blooming meadow, in which you saw those very beautiful youths rejoicing and bright, that place receives the souls of those who died having done good works, but they are not so perfect that they merit arriving immediately in the kingdom of Heaven. Nevertheless, on the day of judgment all of them will enter into the sight of Christ and the joys of the heavenly kingdom. For whoever is perfect in every word and deed and thought, as soon as they die, they will enter the heavenly kingdom, which is near to that place where you heard the sound of sweet singing accompanied by the pleasing fragrance and the brilliance of light. It is now time for you to return to your body and to dwell among the living once more. But if you apply yourself to paying attention to your actions with greater care and strive to behave and speak in the spirit of righteousness and honesty, then you will receive upon your death a place of dwelling among those rejoicing companies of blessed spirits you saw before. For when I abandoned you for a time, I did so in order to learn what would become of you when you die.’ After he had told me these things, I returned to my body most displeased for I had delighted so much in the sweetness and beauty of the place I had seen and equally in the company of those whom I saw dwelling there. I did not dare to ask my guide any other questions, but meanwhile—I do not know how—I suddenly found myself back among the living.”

  The man of God did not speak about these and other things which he had seen to those who were inactive or careless with respect to their fates, but only to those who, terrified by the fear of torments or delighted by the hope of eternal joys, wanted to draw inspiration from his words for the fulfillment of their piety. For example, near his cell there lived a certain monk by the name of Haemgisl, a priest equal in his good work to his outstanding rank, who still lives as a hermit in Ireland and sustains the last age of his life with a diet of bread and cold water. Often coming to visit this man, Haemgisl learned from him through repeated questioning what kinds of things he experienced when he had departed from his body. Indeed, it was through Haemgisl’s report that the few details that we composed above came to our attention. Moreover, he also related his visions to King Aldfrith, a very learned man in every way, who was well disposed to listen to him. At the king’s insistence, he entered the monastery mentioned above and was crowned with a monastic tonsure. Whenever the king came to those parts, he went to the monastery very often to hear him speak about his visions. At the time, the community was governed by Æthelwold, an abbot and priest reknowned for his simple and devout life, who now holds the seat of the bishop of the church of Lindisfarne with deeds worthy of that rank.

  In that monastic community, the man received a more isolated dwelling place, where he could devote himself more freely to ceaseless prayers in the service of his Creator. And since his retreat was located on a river bank, he used to enter the water because of his great desire to punish his body and frequently immersed himself under the waves. In this way, he kept himself in the water for as long as he was able, reciting psalms or prayers, remaining still while the water of the river rose up to his loins and even to his neck. And when he left the water, he never bothered to take off his cold and wet garments until they had been warmed and dried by the heat of his own body. When in the winter months, while broken bits of ice floated around him, which he himself sometimes had to break in order to make a place for him to stand or immerse himself in the river, those who saw him would say: “Brother Dryhthelm”—for that was his name—“it is amazing that you have the strength to bear such bitter cold for any reason!” And he responded simply—befitting a man with a plain disposition and a humble nature—“I have seen colder.” And when they said, “It is amazing that you wish to endure such a harsh way of life,” he responded, “I have seen harder.” Thus, until the day he died, with a tireless desire for heavenly joys he subdued his old body with daily fasting and he had a saving influence on many people both with his words and with his way of life.

  THE ISLAND OF THE FIRE GIANTS1

  In the eighth century, an anonymous monk composed an account of an epic sea voyage undertaken by a legendary Irish saint named Brendan, who set sail with sixteen of his brethren in search of the promised land of the saints. Monks of early medieval Ireland often undertook a voluntary exile from their homeland, a hardship that expressed their religious devotion. While these monks typically sought new homes in faraway places like Europe, The Voyage of Saint Brendan depicted a holy man who ventured on uncharted seas, where he encountered strange islands and monstrous creatures. Toward the end of the voyage, Brendan’s ship ventured close to the outskirts of Hell, where the saint and his companions had three fateful encounters: they discovered an island inhabited by hostile fire giants (reminiscent of the Cyclops in Homer’s Odyssey), who hurled molten slag at their ship; they skirted an enormous mountain with a smoking summit, where demons carried off one of their crew; and they conversed with Judas Iscariot, who was given a rare reprieve from his torments on a storm-tossed crag in the open sea. Drawing upon ancient antecedents and the immram tradition of pre-Christian Irish mythology, these depictions of Hell upon the waves were unconventional for the time, but they enjoyed a wide currency among medieval readers.

  After eight days had passed, Brendan and his companions saw an island not far off. It was very rugged, rocky, and covered with slag, without any sign of trees or plants, but full of the forges of smiths. The venerable father said to his brethren, “Truly, brothers, I am distressed about this island. I do not want to go onto it or even to approach it, but the wind drives us toward it as though by the correct course.” Then, as they approached even closer, until they were only a stone’s throw away, they heard the sound of bellows blowing like thunder and the striking of hammers on iron and anvils. When he heard these sounds, the venerable father armed himself by making the sign of the cross on four parts of his body, saying, “Lord Jesus Christ, free us from this island.”

  Once the man of God had spoken, behold one of the inhabitants of the island appeared outside as though to do some work. He was very hairy, yet blackened and covered with flames. When he saw the servants of Christ passing close to the island, he withdrew into his forge. The man of God armed himself once more with the sign of the cross and said to the brethren, “Little brothers, raise the sails up high and row as fast as you can. Let us flee this island!” As soon as Brendan said this, behold the monster ran toward them from its lair as far as the shoreline, carrying tongs in its hands with a huge fiery mass of burning slag. He immediately hurled this mass toward the servants of Christ, but it did them no harm. Indeed, it missed them by the length of a stade or more.2 Where it fell into the sea, the water began to boil as though the ruin of a fiery mountain had been there and smoke rose from the sea as though from a blazing furnace.

  But by the time that they had sailed about a mile from the place where the slag mass had fallen, all of the creatures that lived on that island ran down to the shoreline, each carrying their own masses of slag. One after another, they threw these fiery projectiles into the sea after the servants of Christ. Then they returned to their forges and stoked them and it appeared as though that entire island was ablaze like one gigantic furnace. And the sea boiled like a cookpot full of meat, when a fire burns well beneath it. And for an entire day the brethren heard a great wailing from that island. Indeed, when they could see it no longer, the wailing of its inhabitants still reached their ears and a terrible stench assaulted their nostrils. Then the holy father encouraged his monks, saying, “O soldiers of Christ, take strength in your faith, which is not false, and in your spiritual weapons, because we are now on the threshold of Hell. For this reason, keep watch and act bravely.”

  On another day, they saw a tall mountain in the ocean not far off to the north. It looked as though it was wreathed in clouds, but it
was in fact very smoky at the summit. And immediately the wind drove them on a very rapid course to the shore of this island until their ship came to rest not far from land. For the shore was, in fact, a cliff of such great height that they could barely see the top of it. It was black as coal and amazingly sheer like a wall.

  One of the brethren, the last who remained of the three monks who had followed holy Brendan from his monastery, leaped out of the boat and began to wade to the foot of the cliff. He cried out, saying, “Woe to me, father, I am snatched from you and I do not have the power to return to you!” The brethren immediately turned the ship away from the land and cried out to the Lord, saying, “Have mercy on us, Lord, have mercy on us!” Then the venerable father with all of his companions saw how that unfortunate monk was carried off to torments by a multitude of demons and how he burned among them, and said, “Woe to you, brother, that you have earned in your life the bad fate that you deserved.”

  Once again, a fair wind carried them to the south. When they looked back at that island from far away, they saw that the mountain was clear of smoke. It spouted fire into the sky and then sucked the flames back inside, such that the entire mountain appeared to glow like a funeral pyre upon the sea.

  After holy Brendan had sailed toward the south for seven days, there appeared to them upon the sea a shape like a man sitting on a rock. And a short distance in front of him was a sail about the size of a cloak, hanging between two iron prongs. And thus, he was buffeted by the waves like a ship when it is tossed by a storm. Some of the brethren contended that it was a bird; others thought that it was a boat. When the man of God heard them discussing such things among themselves, he said, “Stop your arguing and direct the course of the ship to that place.”