Avernus
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Since ancient times Avernus, an ancient volcanic crater in the Campania region of southern Italy, has been the source of legend. In this special minisode, I bring you the story of Italy’s legendary gateway to the underworld.
Researched, written, and produced by Corinne Wieben with original music by Purple Planet.
Music
Purple Planet - Brave New World
Purple Planet - Dark Shadows
Purple Planet - Sense of Loss
Purple Planet - Shadowlands
Sources
Primary
Alighieri, Dante. The Divine Comedy.
Parinter, Mark. Nevves from Avernvs: Being Certaine Propositions and Promises made by Don Belzebub, Alias Pluto, Emperor of Gobynon, King of Sheol, Tophet and Avernus, Prince of Pblegiton, Styx and Acheron, Duke of Aetna. London: Printed by John Hammond, 1642.
Speers, Edith. "avernus." Quadrant 63, no. 3 (2019): 37.
Strange Nevves from Campania a Province in Italy: Being a True Relation of One Who Slept at Noon-Time of Day, how His Spirit was Transported into the Province of Campania in Italy, by Chance, Near Unto the Lake Avernus, also His Discourse with an Old Man of that Province, Concerning the Present Distempers in those Parts, Not Unlike these in England, Who After His Recovery Out of an Extasie (by Reason of the Cruelties and Bloud-Sucking Oppressions in that Province) Writ these Ensuing Lines. Imprinted at Attalia, [i.e. London]: 1647.
Virgil, Aeneid.
Secondary
“Avernus.” The Forgotten Realms Wiki. https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Avernus.
Esposito, Germana, Evgenia Glukhov, William H. Gerwick, Gabriele Medio, Roberta Teta, Massimiliano Lega, and Valeria Costantino. “Lake Avernus has Turned Red: Bioindicator Monitoring Unveils the Secrets of ‘Gates of Hades’.” Toxins 15, no. 12 (2023): 698. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10747548/.
Gotoff, Harold C. “The Difficulty of the Ascent from Avernus.” Classical Philology 80, no. 1 (1985): 35-40.
“The Mythical Gate of Hell at Lake Averno.” Weird Italy. September 8, 2023. https://weirditaly.com/2023/09/08/the-mythical-gate-of-hell-at-lake-averno-unraveling-the-legend/.
Ogden, Daniel. “The Ancient Greek Oracles of the Dead.” Acta Classica 44, (2001): 167-195.
Ogden, Daniel. Greek and Roman Necromancy. Princeton, N.J: Princeton University Press, 2001.
