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Rosso Angelo!Dante, his appearance, and the symbolism behind it in Between Sacrifice and Self Slaughter

Alright I guess we're doing this essay style. Never thought I'd write what amounts to an academic paper about my own writing, but here we are! Let's take a look at how he's described:

"...it's body bubbled, grew— swelled into blackened, heavy plate armor; oppressive, revolting power flooded the room. An intricate design seared along the great breastplate, gold filigree that overlapped and intertwined with a road map of stylized symbols that, once fully formed, lit up a sickening red."

"On the demon's pauldrons were matched ram's heads, just as golden as the wickedly curled horns that twisted back and outwards from the helm, before they came to a sharp point right at the cheek. The face of the demon was hidden, but the plate was reminiscent of the tragedy half of the infamous Greek theater masks, a wailing mouth and down turned eyes—the differences in the delicate etching of equally molten tears that dripped from burning red eyes.

The rest of the demon's adornments were threaded through with a combination of gold and sickly red light that throbbed, slow and deliberate."

"The massive, grotesque broadsword that materialized in the demon's grip sent a nauseating chill down his spine."

"Pink light accentuated the spikes upon the knee pads, the loose, pointed claws of the gauntlets, the sharpened elbows. Vergil could imagine the vicious way those joints could be used..."

"The monstrous sword was slung lazily across broad shoulders, the dark red cape billowed in the wind... Golden accents shone, the slim sigils almost lost amongst the sunlight."

"Sparks flew as metal grated against metal, the sharpened tips of the cross guard tooth-like in how they curled around the grip; a demonic maw poised to consume its wielder."

"With the snap of his cape, his enemy spun, head cocked in curiosity. The embroidered pattern on the material reminded him of wings."

"The cape fluttered as he moved, with the wing pattern embroidered into it. If he didn't know better, he'd say the Knight looked like an avenging angel, the curl of golden horns a broken halo, rage and desperation in the burn of his eyes."

There are a few reasons I chose some of the things I did! I was possessed by the image, firstly, of the Melpomene-- or the tragedy half of the Greek Comedy and Tragedy masks-- framed by curling golden ram's horns. The tragedy mask specifically spoke to me because Dante usually uses humor to hide how depressed he really is. So the tragedy mask represents the loss of his humor, and the reveal of his true feelings-- the other half of life, if you will. The half of life he typically wallowed in, as he only donned the comedy mask when trying to comfort and reassure those around him. Plus, the loss of Dante's childlike personality / innocence in its entirety at the hands of Mundus. Mundus, who would force the tragedy mask upon him as yet another loss of control, because he wouldn't allow Dante to hide behind the humor that was his go to coping mechanism.

The specific Melpomene that I referenced is this one, which invokes the feelings I was aiming for:

The curvature of the wrinkles I felt accentuated the look of tears running down the face of the mask. I found it important to include that the mask / faceplate is crying as a representation that this isn't what Dante wanted-- he does not want to fight his brother, he does not want to be puppeteered by the Emperor of Hell. He is shedding tears for not only the things that have happened to him, but also the things he will be forced to do in order to survive. Pre-mourning his actions and their consequences, if you will.

I chose gold for the ram's horns in order to invoke a few things: namely, the reference to the Golden Fleece. In Greek mythology, the winged, gold-fleeced ram named Chrysomallos, rescued Phrixus and his sister Helle, from a plot by their stepmother, Ino, to kill them in jealousy. Helle still died, as she fell from the back of Chrysomallos and drowned. Phrixus, however, survived all the way to Colchis, where he then sacrificed the ram to Zeus and gifted the resulting fleece to King Aeëtes, who took him in. The King kept the fleece in a grove that was sacred to Ares, God of War, Battle Lust, and Manliness.

Now, Ares holds a special place in my heart, and I think Dante is a great example of many of the things Ares represents and symbolizes. Specifically, the myth where He killed His daughter's rapist, was put on trial, and acquitted, and the Homeric Hymn to Ares, Hymn #8, where He's referred to as golden-helmed, shield-bearer, Savior of Cities-- ring any bells? Golden-helmed, for the golden ram's horns, shield-bearer, for putting himself in harm's way to allow his loved ones to live, Savior of Cities for the number of times he's saved the Human World in the canon timeline.

(There's also this quote, from the Getty Museum's article on amber ram's heads, which we'll reference again later: "Throughout Greek culture, the ram figures prominently as a metaphor of strength and courage (thus the association with Ares). Accordingly, Homeric heroes are likened to thick-fleeced lambs (Iliad 3.197).")

One of Ares's sacred birds is the vulture, a bird that both Gods and Man are typically repulsed by, as its a scavenger typically seen after a battle has concluded to feast on the dead. So, what feathers are embroidered onto Rosso Angelo's cape? Vulture feathers. A further reference to the winged ram Chrysomallos, yes-- but also to the scavenged nature of Rosso Angelo, the creature that devoured and consumed what was once Dante, and has built itself up both with the help of Mundus and the corruption that was planted within him.

As well, the wings play into Rosso Angelo's name-- Red Angel. I decided on Rosso Angelo for a few reasons as well. I know much of the fandom picked up the name since rosso is Italian for red in the masculine context, and Dante is our man in red. But, also, I liked that it played into the total take over of Mundus and the corruption; hardly able to tell where Mundus ends and Rosso Angelo begins, since Mundus's magic is the same shade of red as Dante's.

The Golden Fleece isn't the only reason for the ram's horns, though! I also wanted to nod towards the fact that, Dante, in his self hatred, in his willingness to embark on this journey to change fate, has made himself a sacrificial lamb. The idea that he holds-- that as long as those he loves live and survive, he can endure whatever is thrown at him. How easily he accepts that he will be the one to suffer, that his life is forfeit, that he's okay with that.

As well, Ares isn't the only Greek God that's being referenced! Rams are famously used in myths surrounding Hermes, God of Herds and Flocks, Travelers and Hospitality, Roads and Trade, and many more-- also known as the messenger of Zeus, and the guide of the dead to the Underworld! Hermes was the one who sent Chrysomallos to save Phrixus and his sister in the first place, and in another myth He avoided a plague by carrying a ram around the city of Tanagra. Thus, the ram is one of His sacred animals.

The specific link above to the Getty Museum I thoroughly enjoyed. Its primarily about the significance of amber ram's heads, where they're found, and how they were depicted. This quote from it really stuck with me:

"Throughout Greek culture, the ram figures prominently as a metaphor of strength and courage (thus the association with Ares). Accordingly, Homeric heroes are likened to thick-fleeced lambs (Iliad 3.197). In Attic vase painting, rams are sometimes represented in an explicitly sacrificial context. More commonly, the context is heroic, with the ram’s sacrificial role implicit only. Such is the case in the story of Phrixos, or of Odysseus. Both the ram that carried Odysseus from the Cyclops’s cave (Odyssey 9.436ff.) and Phrixos’s mount are sacrificed as soon as they have finished their tasks. Their sacrifice is part of the story."

Dante, our sacrificial lamb, our tragic hero. He is both the sacrifice, and the hero of our story. Allowing himself to be led astray, but finding strength and courage still. And once his purpose has been fulfilled... well. We'll get to that later in the fanfiction. :)

That paper from Getty Museum absolutely inspired a lot of the thought I put into Rosso Angelo's design, and another detail that it goes into is the connection between ram figures and Ancient Egypt. What really pulled my attention was this bit here:

"Related Egyptian amulet types, representing the king of the gods, Amun Ra, are the flat-backed amulets of a ram’s head with a disk and uraeus, or uraeus alone, in hollow gold and lapis lazuli as well as glazed-composition and frit, a feature of burials from the Third Intermediate period onward."

(Which was another reason the accent color is gold! The further reasons we'll get to as well!)

Now, the shape of the ram's horns is also important. Rosso Angelo's are a traditional shape for actual ram's horns, curled up as they are. As a reminder, here's what Sparda looks like, note the down turned horns:

We know that Mundus hates Sparda. Its like. Super Obvious. The design of Nelo Angelo was intended as a fuck you to Sparda, Mundus turning his eldest son into a mimicry of his Father. Of course, he'd do the same with Dante. A lot of Rosso Angelo's design is in reference to Dante's destruction, but I had to include the equal fuck you to Sparda! The paper discusses the significance of how ram's horns curl, and what they mean, too:

"The ram with downturned horns was a symbol of the god Amun, and when he wore the solar disk between his horns or incorporated other solar iconography, the ram’s head was one of two guises of Amun Ra (the other was a goose). A ram’s head in amber, the subject enhanced and focused by the material from which the amulet was made, would put its wearer under the protection of the deity represented and would by assimilation offer the wearer access to its particular powers."

Amun, who was fused with Ra to become Amun-Ra, the Sun God who was king of the gods in Egypt. Sparda's horns are down-turned, invoking the iconography of Amun-Ra, signaling him as the herald of the light for humanity, since he sealed Mundus away 2,000 years ago. We've seen pieces of Dante's personality as a child, mostly excitable and downright sunny. In the canon timeline as well, Dante follows in Sparda's footsteps as the savior and protector of humanity.

But here, in Between Sacrifice and Self Slaughter, he's none of those things. He is unprotected by his Father. And, really, wouldn't Mundus want to rub his breaking of Sparda's sunshine boy in his face? So the curling of the ram's horns on Rosso Angelo's helm are a reference to not just Greek mythology, but Egyptian as well.

Not only that, but ram's horns began to be associated with Amun after Egypt conquered Kush. So much so, that it gave rise to the Horns of Ammon, which became a popular way for kings, Gods, and emperors to denote their supremacy. This in turn lead to the Roman God of the Sky, Thunder, Justice and King of the Gods, Jupiter, to gain the epithet Jupiter Ammon.

Now, why is Jupiter important?

One of the most famous statues of him is this, located in the Hermitage Museum:

And what does Mundus look like when we first see him in DMC 1?

Mundus modeled himself after some of the God Kings of Ancient times, when he began to mutate after eating the Qliphoth fruit, particularly Zeus, or the Christian God. We can equate Zeus and Jupiter here, since they tend to be seen in extremely similar light.

So. Mundus has not only warped Dante into a bastardization of Sparda, with the differences in horns to invoke the sacrificial lamb imagery, but also fully claim him as his servant, and folded Dante-- now Rosso Angelo-- under his wing of protection, for all that protection was worth in the end.

And that's all just in the helmet design!!

(Another little tidbit-- in the game, Mundus is holding a blue flame, which I interpret as a reference--possibly unintentionally-- to him holding Vergil in the palm of his hand. I changed it to a red flame to represent Dante but, it really mirrors well to the statue here, where Jupiter is holding Victory in his hand. Nelo / Rosso, the key to victory for Mundus in more ways that one, victory over Sparda, victory over the human world, victory over the twins.)

The armor I struggled a bit with describing tbh! I found a really good image that I liked, here:

I liked the imagery of the chest plate, how it split and bent, as well as the protection around the neck. In the end, I leaned more towards Nelo Angelo's original design and the sleek look of it, since that, too, was a mockery of Sparda. (See skittlesandham's absolutely devastatingly gorgeous art for further reference!!!!!)

But the main color of the armor is also important: black to mark Rosso Angelo as the black sheep of Mundus's army, not fully demon, half human in his painful creation. Black sheep, too, of the Sparda family-- the wild twin, the Spare Heir, the carefree one. In my opinion, Dante was never initially meant to take up the Dark Knight's mantle, (I don't think Eva and Sparda meant to have twins in the first place) he was forced to after the tragedy that was the deaths of his parents and brother, after the connections he formed with the humans who looked out for him in his youth. Black to mourn the loss of his family, the loss of his personhood, the loss of the original timeline and his family there, the loss of the lives he will take in order to raise the Qliphoth. Black to absorb any light that Dante might try to find, to guide him back out of the dark, to shroud any attempt Vergil or Trish might make to free Dante of the corruption. To well and truly blot out who Dante once was, completely replaced by the silent, dutiful dog that Mundus has called to heel.

Gold also has a few different significances here! Yes, all the gold up until this point, but, the gold filigree on Rosso Angelo's armor isn't just a mockery of the gold accents on Sparda's demonic form. They're also a mockery of the defining moment of Dante's childhood, the one thing that truly turned his life upside down, the first death that thrust him into the world unprotected:

Mundus took one of the few clear memories Dante had of Eva, and twisted it up. We know that Vergil is more like Sparda in personality, so to me, that means Dante is more like Eva in personality. And what better way to crush a man than to make him into a mockery of his mother? To break Eva and Sparda's sunshine boy? To truly dominate the human woman who fell in love with and gave heirs to his greatest enemy, even in death?

Now, onto the red cape. While yes, a nod to Dante's iconic dusters, a nod to Eva's red shawl, a true sign of why he's called Rosso Angelo and not Nelo Angelo, it also serves to invoke another image: Rubedo, the final big stage in alchemy in the creation of a magnum opus, or a philosopher's stone. Rubedo is the final stage and signals success, (hence why philosopher's stones are depicted as red stones, a la Full Metal Alchemist!) and a philosopher's stone is said to be able to turn base metals into gold, which is why gold can be associated with the color red. The red of the cape then links, also, to Mundus's success with the torture and corruption that he's inflicted on Dante, success in that he's broken Sparda's son, the one who truly inherited Sparda's spirit, his ideals. Successfully destroyed Sparda's legacy. Turned basic materials into gold. His magnum opus of true domination over his most hated enemy, if you will.

I also liked the imagery of the cape billowing out and flowing like blood, as an extra little traumatic treat. :)

There are a few ways to depict rubedo in alchemical art, namely: blood, a phoenix, a rose, a crowned king, or a person in red clothing. Dante, as Rosso Angelo, is wreathed in all of those things. Blood is obvious-- the blood on his hands and the blood spilled to get him there. A phoenix-- which represents rebirth after death, a direct tie to chapter 7, Dante dying from Mundus's torture over and over and continuing to be revived. A rose-- we see Dante with roses so often, and its implied that Eva and Sparda had a rose garden at the manor. Additionally, the Qliphoth, which I'll expand on in a second! A crowned king-- the horns on Nelo Angelo's mask could definitely be considered a crown; golden-helmed Ares, and The Horns of Ammon, yeah? And a person in red clothing-- also kind of obvious in the fact the cape is red, the red glow of the magic that possesses him, and in reference to the fact he wears / wore a red coat and is known as "the red twin."

But the rose, too because rose bushes like to grow wildly and lusciously when fed with blood meal fertilizer. And what does the Qliphoth absorb in DMC 5? What grew within Dante in order to have him taken over by Rosso Angelo? The Qliphoth. So Dante himself is the blood that feeds the parasite, and Rosso Angelo is the rose that blooms from the bloody fertilizer that used to be Dante.

On top of all this, I want to go a bit more into rubedo, and how it pertains to Dante. In the process, there's little proof that it truly works, its more of a "trust the process" thing. In canon, Mundus tries to turn Vergil into his magnum opus, tries to make the perfect being by creating Nelo Angelo. Instead, he just breaks him. But, in DMC 5, Vergil goes through his whole shebang with V and Urizen and when he comes back together, he's stronger than ever. He ate the Qliphoth fruit, yes, but he also embraced his own nature. He came back to himself, became the perfect being that Mundus tried to create, by embracing his own humanity. Much the same way Dante did. Dante embraced his humanity, and that, more than anything, is shown in canon to be his ultimate strength.

His humanity.

The humanity that Mundus has tried so, so hard to crush.

All of this together-- the ram imagery, the denotation of the final stage of rubedo, the invocation of the King of the God's protection, the mockery of Sparda and Eva-- culminates into the character that is Rosso Angelo, the brainwashed puppet that was, once, Dante Sparda. Before, he was the Savior of Cities, the Dark Knight's successor, the Legendary Devil Hunter. Now, he's the Sacrificial Lamb, the Dark Slayer, the Red Angel, the Bloody Rose, Mundus's Feral Dog. Crowned in gold, light snuffed out, a mockery of his family. No longer himself, stripped of what made him who he is, taken over and consumed.

And yet-- still, he is there, his story is there, his purpose is yet to be fulfilled. He endures, and endures, and endures, until the end.

If you've made it this far-- thank you so much for reading my little rant about what Rosso Angelo!Dante looks like, and all of the thought I put into him. I truly appreciate it! This wouldn't be complete without an incredibly special thank you to @skittlesandham for not only the info on alchemy and rubedo, their incredible smarts, and their ability to pull info and research, but their absolutely breathtaking art of him! We had many a discussion on him, and their art of him is part of what broke through my writers block for this chapter! Go give them tons and tons of love, their art had given me such joy and I know it'll do the same for you. <3 As well, a special shout out to my partner, @mjolnirjm (he finally made an account!) who has heard me rant about both BSASS and this post for days and weeks and months on end. Sorry for putting you a bit on blast honey, love you <3

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