THESIPHONE. Tisiphone, a daughter of the Night and sister of Allecto and Megaera, was the guardian of the gates to the Underworld (Aeneid VI.554-556; 570-572). Her locks were snakes that hissed when they were disturbed, and her arms were wreathed with serpents (Met IV.473-476, 491-492). She and her sisters were handmaidens to Proserpina, queen of the Underworld (Inf IX.344-345).

Thesiphone is the "goddesse of torment . . . sorwynge evere in payne," Tr I.6-7. The Erinyes, also called the Furies, "compleignen evere in pyne," Tr IV.22-24. Dante makes the Furies the handmaidens of the queen of eternal lamentation (Inf IX.43-44). Fulgentius derives Tisiphone from tuton phone, that is, the voice of these same Furies, since the second stage of fury is to burst forth into words (Mythologies I.7). The three Furies are mentioned in RR 19835-19837. [Alete: Herenus: Megera: Proserpina]

Thesiphone, the French variant, occurs once initially, Tr I.6, and once in final rhyming position, Tr IV.24.