A DISCUSSION OF INFERNAL SOUL-WORKING

This diagrams the processing of souls by the legions of hell. 

First, we should define our terms. Medieval society drew a distinction between the body, the soul, and the mind (or spirit.)

The body is the simplest definition. It is simply the physical shell you control. It is the meat and bones you consider “you.”

The soul seems to be defined by a measure of self-awareness. Canonically, only beings that can understand and accept the word of god have a soul. (I disagree with this interpretation but this is what we have to work with.)

The mind is the part of you that interacts with and understands the world. It is your will, the part of you that makes choices and chooses things. The medieval interpretation sort of aligns with what we would consider your “monkey brain.” i.e. the parts of you that desire food and shelter and warmth but can’t grasp things like truth or economics. 

For example, a comatose patient would be said to possess a body and a soul, but not a mind. 

Contrariwise, lobotomy patients often lose all motivation, and become incapable of performing tasks without being prompted. Universally, they all stop attending church, or any social gathering, on their own which led some to refer to the lobotomy as “the amputation of the soul.” By this interpretation, a lobotomy patient could be said to possess a body and a mind, but not a soul. 

The infernal court seems to have the work of separating the ternary down to an assembly line type deal. First, Bifrons separates the body from the soul and spirit, the bodies are passed to Bune  while the soul and spirit are passed to Murmurr. 

It is however, unclear if Murmurr is involved in the work of separating the soul and spirit, or if their role is simply one of management. Regardless, the spirits eventually end up with Vassago, and some as yet unknown demon (likely under the employ of Vine) manages the souls. 

As for how the process is performed, there is nothing explicit. Though I recall the words of Dr. Samuel Hayden: 

“Humans must be tortured, the flesh tenderized. Once enough pain has been inflicted and the spirit is broken, the soul is ready for the extraction process.”