Barlowe's Inferno
Encyclopedia
Barlowe's Inferno details artist/author Wayne Barlowe
's imaginary journey to a unique and vivid depiction of Hell
. A loose running narrative to the book's striking images explains that Barlowe has made an undisclosed deal in order to be taken on a tour of the Pit by Sargatanas, the Revealer of Hell, and one of the Demons Major. The Demons Major are Hell's ruling class, and below them serve the Demons Minor. Human souls make up the lowest rung of Hell's hierarchy and are also its chief resource, being easily twisted and reshaped by their masters into (among other things) beasts of burden, means of conveyance, war machines, and building materials.
Barlowe is taken around to the cities that exist in Hell. Among them is a city which is slowly and continually built on two planes: one above, hanging upside-down, and one below, built by soul laborers. Each time the city is completed the great molars crash together, and the Sisyphean
task starts anew. Other locations included are the Wargate, an "archiorganic" building filled with millions of miles of blood vessels and a slow beating heart that acts as a war drum, the living Watchtowers and their Sphinx-like guardians, and the residence of one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse
.
In the sequel, Brushfire: Illuminations from the Inferno, it is implied that Lucifer
was reduced to a black substrate when he Fell. This lava-like substance forms a layer that runs underneath all of Hell
. He observes as cult members, the Daughters of Lucifer, make their pilgrimage to the edge of Hell, where this black substance comes up to the surface, called Lucifer's Shroud. The current regent of Hell is Beelzebub
, who rules from within his abominable palace at the heart of Dis.
A third canto to Barlowe's original Inferno, God's Demon, sees the Lord Sargatanas leading a campaign against Beelzebub in order to lead demons and souls alike back Home, to the gates of Heaven itself.
Fox Animation had originally planned to create a CGI adaptation of Barlowe's Inferno, but all plans were scrapped with Titan A.E.
's failed release & the subsequent closing of the studio.
A digital version of Barlowe's Inferno was included in the Divine Edition of the PlayStation 3 video game Dante's Inferno
.
Wayne Barlowe
Wayne Douglas Barlowe is an American science fiction and fantasy painter. He has paintedover 300 book and magazine covers and illustrations for many major book publishers, as well as Life magazine, Time, and Newsweek...
's imaginary journey to a unique and vivid depiction of Hell
Hell
In many religious traditions, a hell is a place of suffering and punishment in the afterlife. Religions with a linear divine history often depict hells as endless. Religions with a cyclic history often depict a hell as an intermediary period between incarnations...
. A loose running narrative to the book's striking images explains that Barlowe has made an undisclosed deal in order to be taken on a tour of the Pit by Sargatanas, the Revealer of Hell, and one of the Demons Major. The Demons Major are Hell's ruling class, and below them serve the Demons Minor. Human souls make up the lowest rung of Hell's hierarchy and are also its chief resource, being easily twisted and reshaped by their masters into (among other things) beasts of burden, means of conveyance, war machines, and building materials.
Barlowe is taken around to the cities that exist in Hell. Among them is a city which is slowly and continually built on two planes: one above, hanging upside-down, and one below, built by soul laborers. Each time the city is completed the great molars crash together, and the Sisyphean
Sisyphus
In Greek mythology Sisyphus was a king punished by being compelled to roll an immense boulder up a hill, only to watch it roll back down, and to repeat this throughout eternity...
task starts anew. Other locations included are the Wargate, an "archiorganic" building filled with millions of miles of blood vessels and a slow beating heart that acts as a war drum, the living Watchtowers and their Sphinx-like guardians, and the residence of one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse
Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse
The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse are described in the last book of the New Testament of the Bible, called the Book of Revelation of Jesus Christ to Saint John the Evangelist at 6:1-8. The chapter tells of a "'book'/'scroll' in God's right hand that is sealed with seven seals"...
.
In the sequel, Brushfire: Illuminations from the Inferno, it is implied that Lucifer
Lucifer
Traditionally, Lucifer is a name that in English generally refers to the devil or Satan before being cast from Heaven, although this is not the original meaning of the term. In Latin, from which the English word is derived, Lucifer means "light-bearer"...
was reduced to a black substrate when he Fell. This lava-like substance forms a layer that runs underneath all of Hell
Hell
In many religious traditions, a hell is a place of suffering and punishment in the afterlife. Religions with a linear divine history often depict hells as endless. Religions with a cyclic history often depict a hell as an intermediary period between incarnations...
. He observes as cult members, the Daughters of Lucifer, make their pilgrimage to the edge of Hell, where this black substance comes up to the surface, called Lucifer's Shroud. The current regent of Hell is Beelzebub
Beelzebub
Beelzebub -Religious meaning:Ba‘al Zəbûb is variously understood to mean "lord of flies", or "lord of the dwelling". Originally the name of a Philistine god, Beelzebub is also identified in the New Testament as Satan, the "prince of the demons". In Arabic the name is retained as Ba‘al dhubaab /...
, who rules from within his abominable palace at the heart of Dis.
A third canto to Barlowe's original Inferno, God's Demon, sees the Lord Sargatanas leading a campaign against Beelzebub in order to lead demons and souls alike back Home, to the gates of Heaven itself.
Fox Animation had originally planned to create a CGI adaptation of Barlowe's Inferno, but all plans were scrapped with Titan A.E.
Titan A.E.
Titan A.E. is an American animated post-apocalyptic science fiction film directed by Don Bluth and Gary Goldman released in 2000. The title refers to the spacecraft that is central to the plot, with A.E. meaning "After Earth."...
's failed release & the subsequent closing of the studio.
A digital version of Barlowe's Inferno was included in the Divine Edition of the PlayStation 3 video game Dante's Inferno
Dante's Inferno (video game)
Dante's Inferno is a 2010 action-adventure video game developed by Visceral Games and published by Electronic Arts for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 consoles. The game was also released on the PlayStation Portable and was developed by Artificial Mind and Movement...
.