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'Ptolemaea', originally titled 'Sempervirens', is the ninth track of Ethel Cain's debut album, "Preacher’s Daughter". In the album's narrative, under the influence of Isaiah’s drugs, Ethel begins to hallucinate. She confronts the darkness.
The name "Ptolemaea" is based on one of the nine circles of Hell, Cocytus (or Treachery) from "Dante's Inferno", the first part of Dante Alighieri's epic poem "Divine Comedy". It is one of the regions of the circle, named after Ptolemy, son of Abubus (that murdered his father-in-law and sons after being invited to a banquet) destined to those who betray their guests' trust.
Since Ethel has fallen in love with Isaiah, and was invited to his home, he kills her and cannibalises her body in his basement. Her trust on him was destroyed, and Isaiah's place on Hell was secured.
Also, based on Dante's Inferno, before someone's demise and departure from Earth's surface, their soul is taken off their body and sent directly to Ptolemaea, and a demon inhabits the body instead til their eventual death. That's the moment when the person realizes their life is about to end, and the exact moment when Ethel is seeing herself in Hell. Death itself speaks to her that she cannot escape her fate, moments before Isaiah takes Ethel to his attic and kills her in the following instrumental track, August Underground.
Hayden, after the album's release, talked about its title to Billboard: "I was immediately like, ‘That’s how it feels.’ When someone invites you in, brings you into their life, just to hurt you. I was scared of the demo the next day when I listened to it."
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