Malacoda

Malacoda is a character in Dante Alighieri's Inferno (Cantos 21-2), where he features as the leader of the Malebranche, the twelve demons who guard Bolgia Five of Malebolge, the eighth circle of Hell.

He with his fiends guard the grafters, caught in boiling pitch to represent their sticky-fingered deals, torturing with grappling hooks whoever they can reach.

Dante and Virgil gain a safe conduct from him (Malacoda) and he allows the poets to cross to the next Bolgia.

In the Inferno it does not state whether or not Malacoda chases the poets after his demons Grizzly (Barbariccia) and Hellken (Alichino) fall into the boiling pit of pitch.

[2] The last line of Canto 21 features Malacoda signalling to other demons by blowing a raspberry; another demon replies by producing a thunderous fart that Dante likens to a trombone («ed elli avea del cul fatto trombetta»).

Malacoda and his squadron of Malebranche threaten Virgil and Dante in the fifth Bolgia, portrayed by Gustave Doré .