In almost every culture of the world and religion, there is a description of the underworld, where sinners go after death, and where they are subjected to terrible tortures. Despite the fact that each description of hell is unique in its own way, there are many elements that many peoples have strikingly converge, even though they have not been in contact with each other.
1. Nilfheim
Nilfheim is a rather strange form of hell that is described in Norse and Germanic cultures. This is not a land of fire, as hell is described in other cultures, but an icy landscape - the place where Hel rules. Nilfheim is located next to the Coast of the Dead. In these places, according to myths, Nidhogg lives - a giant snake feeding on corpses.
Of the nine worlds in Scandinavian mythology, Nilfheim is considered the deepest and darkest, and myths claim that this place appeared when the icy Nilfheim and the fiery world of Muspelheim were united. This realm is home to the wicked, and also serves as an anchor for Yggdrasil, the World Tree that holds the universe. Hel became the mistress of the realm of the dead after she was banished from Asgard, as she was the daughter of Loki.
2. Tuonela
In pre-Christian Finland, it was believed that the souls of the dead arrived on the banks of the Tuoni River, and then they were transported to Tuonela by the gatekeeper of death, Tutti. Unlike most of the other underground worlds on this list, Tuonela was a much darker continuation of life on Earth. People who went to Tuonela had to take worldly things with them in order to survive there.
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In this eerie place, it was even allowed to be people who wanted to see their dead relatives, although such a trip was very dangerous and often fatal. Especially dangerous was the Tuoni River itself, which was filled with poisonous snakes. There were no punishments in Tuonele, except for the punishment of eternal life.
3. Abode of lies (Zoroastrianism)
According to the Zoroastrian religion, the first thing the soul faces after death is the Shinawatra bridge, which separates the world of the living and the dead. The bridge is thinner than a hair and sharper than a blade. It is guarded by two four-eyed dogs. Souls are judged on the basis of their actions in life - if bad actions outweigh good ones, then the bridge leads to hell filled with demons.
Alternative descriptions tell about the demon Vizaresh, who comes from the depths of the underworld and drags an evil soul into the Abode of Lies - the Zoroastrian version of hell. The abode of lies is described as a place of disgusting filth, where people themselves are filth, and souls are constantly tortured for their actions. There are hundreds of demons in the Abode of Lies, each representing a specific sin. For example, Apaosha is a demon of drought and thirst, and Zyrika is a demon that makes poisons. Descriptions of the Abode of Lies vary depending on the translation of the ancient Zoroastrian texts, but the elements described above are common in all descriptions.
4. Duat (Egypt)
Ancient Egyptian texts describe the afterlife as the kingdom of Duat ruled by Osiris, the god of the dead. The book of two ways contains a map depicting the journey to be taken through the Duat. The Book of Two Ways describes the landscape of the Duat as very similar to Earth, but containing mystical elements such as a lake of fire and iron walls.
When approaching the Duat, souls had to pass through a gate guarded by half-animal-half-humans, with often very eloquent names such as "The Blood Drinker Who Came from the Slaughterhouse" or "The One Who Eats Excrement from His Hind Limbs." After passing through the gate, the heart of the deceased person was weighed with a feather. If the heart was heavier than a feather, then the demon Ammut ate it.
5. Gehenna
The name Gehenna originally referred to a valley near Jerusalem, where the followers of the god Moloch burned children in the process of sacrifice. This later became the Hebrew interpretation of hell, where sinners were sent to atone for their sins. Gehenna resembled the Christian version of hell much more than most of the items on this list. It was a deep and desolate place, where flames burned continuously and it rained. The heat from the flame was 60 times the power of any flame on Earth. The smell of sulfur gas hung in the air, and rivers of molten metal flowed along the ground.
6. Tartare
In Greek and Roman mythology, Tartarus was described as a deep, dark dungeon full of torture and suffering. While most believe that Hades was hell, in reality it was just a place for all the dead, and Tartarus was even deeper than Hades and was intended only for sinners.
People went to Tartarus after meeting with Radamant, who judged them and assigned them punishment. In Roman mythology, Tartarus was surrounded by three walls and the fiery river Phlegeton. It was guarded by a nine-headed monster known as the Hydra, as well as Tisiphon, who watched over all souls. The lower part of Tartarus was inhabited by the Titans, enemies of the gods who were defeated and imprisoned.
Similarly, in Greek mythology, Tartarus was described as a place that was originally a prison for those who threatened the gods, but later became a hell for sinners. Wicked souls were given punishment that was consistent with their sins. For example, Tantalus was exiled to Tartarus after stabbing his son and preparing a dish from him, which he fed to the gods. Tantalus was punished by suffering from hunger and thirst. At the same time, he stood knee-deep in water, which dried up as soon as he bent down, and fruit trees grew above him, which raised their branches when Tantalus reached for them.
7. Dante's hell
Many popular beliefs about Christian hell are presented in the creation of the Renaissance author, Dante Alighieri. His Divine Comedy describes allegorical journeys through heaven, purgatory and hell, surrounded by the Acheron River.
The first circle of hell is a pretty nice place called Limb. It is a dwelling place for unbaptized souls who have not committed any sins. The remaining levels correspond to each of the seven deadly sins.
In the second round, the lustful are punished by torture, twisting and whipping them with a hurricane on the rocks.
The third circle of hell is for gluttons and gluttons who rot in rain and hail.
On the fourth lap, they torture the miser and the wasteful, who are doomed to carry heavy loads and fight each other forever.
Those who have often been ruled by anger during their lives are in the fifth circle, where they constantly struggle with each other in the River Styx. They will also never feel the state of happiness again.
In the sixth circle, heretics lie in blazing graves.
The seventh circle is divided into sublevels for those who have committed violence against others, themselves (suicide) and blasphemers.
The eighth circle is reserved for deceivers and is divided into 10 sublevels, in each of which there are different tortures for sinners.
The last circle contains deceivers frozen into the ice. In the center of Hell, Satan himself chews the bodies of Cassius, Brutus and Judas.
8. Naraka
Naraka or Niraya is hell in some offshoots of Hinduism, Sikhism, Jainism and Buddhism. Although descriptions of Naraka differ in different religions, it is everywhere described as a place of punishment based on karma. Naraka is only a temporary abode of souls, and as soon as sinners pay for their karma, they are reborn.
The number of levels in Naraka ranges from four to over 1000 in various descriptions. For example, Maharaurava is a place for those who profit at the expense of others. In Mahaurav, the flesh of sinners is devoured by the snake-demons Ruru. In a Kumbhipaka there are sinners who ate animals and birds. They are boiled in boiling oil for as many minutes as there were hairs on the animals they killed.
9. Diyu
Diyu is a hell in traditional Chinese culture that vaguely resembles Narak. It consists of several levels, the number of which varies from 4 to 18. Each level is supervised by its own judge, who assigns punishments to sinners based on their actions during their life. In Chinese culture, it is believed that Yama Loki of Naraka was asked to keep an eye on Diyu, where he eventually divided 96,816 dwellings for sinners into 10 levels that sinners would have to go through before reincarnating. During the Tang Dynasty, this description was changed to 134 levels of hell, with 18 levels of pain and torture. The worst level of this hell is Avichi, which is for the biggest sinners. Avichi differs from other Diyu levels in that souls stay here forever without the slightest hope of rebirth.
10. Xibalba
Xibalba is the Mayan name for hell. It is believed that this place actually existed on Earth, in a cave system near Belize. Mayan myths claimed that in this place the lords of the afterlife arranged various bizarre forms of torture for unlucky souls. In doing so, the lords worked together to punish the visitors of Xibalba.
Akhalpuh and Akhalgana caused oozing of pus from human organs. Chamiabak and Chamiakhol caused the decomposition of the organs of the dead. Akhalmez and Akhaltokob led to madness and deadly disasters in people's homes. Hick and Patan brought death to travelers by causing them to vomit blood, or by squeezing them until the blood filled their throats. Visitors to Xibalba were additionally screened before heading to one of the six Death Houses.
Olga Minnekhanova
