# Epigraph explained — The Inferno

> Chapter companion for The Inferno by August Strindberg.

## What happens

The epigraph quotes a Latin phrase attributed to St. Remigius, urging the proud Segambre to bow his head, worship what he has burned, and burn what he has worshipped, setting a tone of conversion and reversal.

## Themes in this chapter

### Religion and Spiritual Crisis

The epigraph directly invokes religious conversion, commanding a reversal of worship and destruction, which echoes themes of spiritual crisis and transformation.

## Key lines

> Courbe la tête fier Segambre; adore ce qui tu as brûlé; brûle ce qui tu as adoré!

Bow your head, proud Segambre; worship what you have burned; burn what you have worshipped!

_This is a direct translation of the Latin epigraph, attributed to St. Remigius, symbolizing a command to abandon past beliefs and embrace a new faith._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_inferno_se/chapters/epigraph
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_inferno_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_inferno_se/chapters