Senior Researcher of the Department of Literary Studies, Institute of Scientific Information for Social Sciences of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Russia, Moscow, jane.lozinsky@gmail.com, ORCID ID: 0000-0001-8521-8583
The article explores the motif of “neutral angels,” a concept most famously depicted in Dante’s Comedy but widely present in European literature and folklore. It examines various works in which this image appears, including those traditionally regarded as sources or influences on Dante, as well as texts that have not previously been considered in this context. The analysis focuses on the key elements of the motif: the reasons behind the angels’ choice of neutrality, their fate at the Last Judgment, the nature and location of their existence outside Heaven, and their relationship with both humanity and the divine. Particular attention is given to the identification of neutral angels with elves and other supernatural beings, as well as to the heretical themes in Matteo Palmieri’s poem La città di vita, in which neutral angels are granted an opportunity for repentance through incarnation as humans.
neutral angels; the rebellion of Lucifer; Dante’s Comedy; The Voyage of Saint Brendan; Parzival by Wolfram von Eschenbach; Esclarmonde; exempla; elves and dwarves; La città di vita by Matteo Palmieri.
Download textFor citing: Lozinskaya E.V. (2025) “That wicked band of angels”: towards one medieval motif. Human being: Image and essence. Humanitarian aspects. Moscow. INION RAN. Vol. 3 (63). pp. 73-95. DOI: 10.31249/chel/2025.03.04