Descensus ad Inferos: tres ejemplos de la literatura hispánica medieval del siglo XIII (Libro de Alexandre, General Estoria y Milagros de Nuestra Señora)

Abstract

The journey to the afterlife is a fundamental theme of mythological origin and present in primitive religious thought. Of course, it was in the Middle Ages when writers again addressed the topic of the descent into hell. Although the journey to the underworld was frequently presented as the pilgrimage of a hero or an individual soul, it was also possible that the gods, oblivious to the world of shadows, entered there. Following this perspective, this article will analyze the descent into hell by three female visitors depicted in 13th-century Spanish literature. Thus, in the first place, I will present examples of testimonies created prior to the consolidation of the topic of descensus ad Inferos in the Middle Ages to identify the literary traditions that influenced the reworking of the theme. In the second part, I will describe the topic in three texts of Medieval Hispanic literature, by evoking the digression on Natura in the Libro de Alexandre (cc. 2325-2437), the miracle “De cómo Teófilo fizo carta con el diablo de su ánima et después fue convertido e salvo” from the Milagros de Nuestra Señora (cc.703-866) and the passage about Juno’s fury and revenge from Part Two of the General Estoria. Finally, it will be demonstrated how the episodes describing the descent into hell by Natura, Juno and the Virgin Mary follow a similar structure. Their entrance into Hell is justified by the attributes they possess as mediators.