What heaven really looks like. What does hell look like? Life after death
Over the thousands of years that human civilization has passed in its development, a huge number of all kinds of beliefs and religions have existed on Earth. Surprisingly, but true - and in all of them, in one form or another, there was the idea of life after death. The forms of life after death may vary greatly across cultures, but the fundamental idea behind them remains the same: death is not the absolute end. human existence, and life
Life after death. Paradise
In Christianity there are two different ideas about Heaven. The first reflects the theological and metaphysical concept of heaven as a kingdom in which angelic orders and saints enjoy the presence of God, contemplating His being. The symbolism associated with this concept combines the Jewish image of kingship with the ancient Greek ideas of concentric celestial spheres and the spiritual path. Ideas about paradise or the Garden of Love are based on the myth of the Golden Age and the image of the Garden of Eden. And here the symbolism includes a certain geographical location, elements of virgin nature, golden walls and roads paved with emeralds.
The ancient word "paradis" (paradise), borrowed by the Jews from the Persians and originally denoting the gardens of the Achaemenid kings, expressed a common dream: a charming garden where blissful life would continue forever. "Paradise" as understood by the Pharisees (and Jesus) was supposed to represent the blessed life of the resurrected "saints" in Jerusalem (Matt. 5:35) during the eternal reign of the Messiah.
In the Middle Ages, the Kingdom of Heaven was seen as a radiant sphere in which souls move freely, unencumbered by the need for food, sexual desires, or emotions, but exclusively occupied with praising the Lord and their own improvement. “For when they rise from the dead, they will neither marry nor be given in marriage, but will be like angels in heaven” (Mark 12:25)
Islam recognizes the existence of paradise (jannat), where the righteous will receive reward after death.
The Quran describes heaven as follows: “For the pious there is a place of salvation - gardens and vineyards, and full-breasted women of the same age, and a full cup. There they will not hear either chatter or accusations of lies... In the gardens of grace there is a crowd of the first and a few of the last, on embroidered beds, leaning on them against each other. Boys forever young go around them with bowls, vessels and goblets from a flowing source - they do not suffer from headaches and weakness... among the lotus, devoid of thorns, and the tallha, hung with fruits, and the outstretched shade, and flowing water, and abundant fruits, not exhausted and not forbidden, and carpets spread, We created them as creatures and made them virgins, husband-loving, peers...” (Koran, 78:31-35; 56:12-19; 28-37)
In paradise, according to Islamic teachings, righteous men will live with their houris - black-eyed, full-breasted virgins who restore their virginity every morning.
Much later than the formation of Islam as a doctrine, some Muslim theologians professing Sufism began, contrary to traditional Islam, to believe that the image of Gurias in heaven is an allegory.
The righteous will be dressed in green silk, satin, brocade and gold and lie on carpets with green pillows in special tents of gigantic size, made of yahont, pearls and other stones (Koran, 18:31; Tirmidhi, Jannat 23, 2565). The righteous will be served by young men in green robes with silver jewelry (Koran, 76:19-21; 56:17).
It is also said that the inhabitants of paradise will drink the wine of paradise, which will not intoxicate (Koran, 56:19). In Paradise there will be no natural excrement - everything will come out of people through special sweat, like musk, from the surface of the skin (Muslim, Jannat 18, 3835; Abu Dawud, Sunnat, 23, 4741).
The Buddhist paradise is not one thing, but is divided into branches of sorts.
Western paradise happy country Sukhavati. It is located immeasurably far from our world, and only those born in the lotus live in it - bodhisattvas top level. They live there indefinitely, enjoying peace and boundless happiness among the fertile land, life-giving waters, surrounding the wonderful palaces of the inhabitants of paradise, built of gold, silver, precious stones. There are no natural disasters in Sukhavati, and the souls living there are not afraid of the inhabitants of other areas of samsara - predatory animals, warlike asuras or deadly pretas.
Eastern paradise Abhirati or the land of “Pleasure”, created by the Dhyani Buddha Akshobhya. In it, as in Sukhavati, only bodhisattvas born in the lotus, who have acquired spiritual perfection, live.
In the southwest is the paradise country of the wizard and sorcerer Padmasambhava.
And in the north is Shambhala.
In heaven is the paradise Tushita, its name means "satisfied, joyful." This is one of the areas where the gods live. It is located above the top of Mount Sumeru - the center of the world. The garden of joy and the world of desires and passions are extinguished. In the paradise of Tushita, souls who have observed the five commandments are reincarnated: do not kill, do not steal, do not commit adultery, do not lie, do not drink alcohol - as well as those who have cultivated immeasurable states of consciousness through good deeds and meditation: loving heart, compassion, impartiality - in other words, those qualities that constitute the essence of the awakened mind. In this heavenly world the souls of bodhisattvas are reborn. The Buddha of the future, before his descent to earth, resides in heavenly paradise.
Indian mythology full of colorful descriptions of heavenly places. According to the ancient Vedic tradition, Yama, the leader of the dead, ruled in the kingdom of light located in the outer sky. The stay of all the deceased heroes there was painless and carefree. They enjoyed music, fulfillment of sexual desires and sensual pleasures. In Hinduism, the transcendental myths are regions of beauty and joy, inhabited by a variety of deities. Access here was gained by appropriate lifestyle and correct performance of rituals.
The ancient Greeks believed that after death, souls go to the Isles of the Blessed and the Champs Elysees, located on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean, at the ends of the earth. There is a wonderful climate, there is no rain, snow or strong wind, and the fertile soil produces fruits with a sweetness similar to honey three times a year. The Orphics, who believed that salvation lay in liberation from matter and earthly fetters, viewed the Champs Elysees as a place of joy and rest for pure spirits. At first these fields rested in the underground world, filled with a strange radiance, and then in the upper regions of the sky.
In fact, in ancient times Greek mythology There is also an analogue of paradise - Elysium (not to be confused with Olympus - the abode of the gods), the land of the blessed, the strange overseas islands. There are no worries and sadness, there is sun, sea and water. But only the souls of outstanding heroes of antiquity and especially righteous people, whose lives are “approved” by the judges, go there underworld Aida.
The Aztecs had three different heavens where souls went after death. The first and lowest of them was Tlalocan - a land of water and fog, a place of abundance, blessings and peace. The happiness experienced there was very similar to that on earth. The dead sang songs, played leapfrog and caught butterflies. The trees were bent under the weight of fruit, and maize, pumpkins, green peppers, tomatoes, beans, and flowers grew abundantly on the ground. The second paradise, Tlillan-Tlapallan was a paradise for initiates, followers of Quetzalcoatl - the god-king symbolizing the resurrection. This paradise was characterized as a land of disembodiment, intended for those who had learned to live outside their physical body and were not attached to it. The highest paradise was Tonatiuhikan or the House of the Sun. Apparently, people who had achieved complete enlightenment lived here. The privileged, chosen as the daily companions of the Sun, lived lives of enjoyment.
Valhalla (Valhalla) in German-Scandinavian mythology is a heavenly palace in Asgard for those killed in battle, a paradise for valiant warriors.
Odin rules Valhalla. He selects half of the warriors who died in battle, and the Valkyries deliver them to the palace. The other half of the fallen goes to Folkwang (“Human Field”) to the goddess Freya.
According to legend, Valhalla is a gigantic hall with a roof of gilded shields supported by spears. This hall has 540 doors and through each one 800 warriors will come out at the call of the god Heimdall for the final battle of Ragnarok. The warriors who live in Valhalla are called Einherjar. Every day in the morning they put on armor and fight to the death, and then they are resurrected and sit down to feast at a common table. They eat the meat of the boar Sehrimnir, which is slaughtered every day and every day it is resurrected. The Einherjar drink the honey that is milked by the goat Heidrun, who stands in Valhalla and chews the leaves of the World Tree Yggdrasil. And at night beautiful maidens come and please the warriors until the morning.
Life after death. Hell
Hell as such does not exist in all world religions. There is a certain concept about the afterlife, where some are a little worse off, others a little better, and to each according to his deeds. The underworld as a place of punishment for sinners became a popular topic due to the spread of Christianity. Of course, hell exists in Buddhism (Naraka), Mayan beliefs (Xibalba), and the Scandinavians (Helheim), but nowhere, besides Christianity, was it given such importance, nowhere was it depicted so brightly, colorfully, effectively. However, Christianity is always better than other religions at showing a beautiful picture - for the purpose of attracting or intimidating.
According to Christian teaching, after the fall of our ancestors, the souls of all the dead, including the Old Testament righteous, went to hell. The souls of the righteous Simeon the God-Receiver and John the Baptist, beheaded by King Herod, preached quick and universal deliverance in hell. After his suffering and death on the cross, Christ with his human soul descended into the most remote depths of hell, destroyed hell and brought out of it the souls of all the righteous into the Kingdom of God (paradise), as well as those souls of sinners who accepted the preaching of the coming salvation. And now, the souls of deceased saints (pious Christians) go to heaven.
But often, with their sins, living people push God away from themselves - they themselves create a real hell in their souls, and after death, souls no longer have the opportunity to change their state, which will continue to progress in eternity. The posthumous and final fate of the souls of deceased non-Christians is unknown to those living today - it completely depends on the will of God; if He considers that the deceased lived according to his conscience, and that his soul is ready to glorify Christ, then it can be accepted into the heavenly abodes.
The Savior emphasizes that the determining criterion for Him will be the presence (among the “lambs”) of works of mercy (helping the needy, to which He counts Himself), or the absence of these works (among the “goats”) (Matthew 25:31-46) . God will make the final decision at the Last Judgment, after which not only the souls of sinners, but also their resurrected material bodies will suffer in hell. Christ pointed out that the greatest torment in hell would befall those who knew His commandments, but did not fulfill them, and those who did not forgive offenses against their neighbors. The most severe torment in hell will not be physical, but moral, the voice of conscience, a kind of unnatural state when a sinful soul cannot endure the presence of God, but even without God it is completely unbearable. Demons (fallen angels) will also suffer in hell, and after the Last Judgment they will be even more bound.
According to the teachings of Islam, on the Day of Judgment, all people will be resurrected, and a trial will take place over them, and people will be divided into 2 groups - the inhabitants of hell and the inhabitants of heaven. Hell in Islam is the eternal refuge of infidels (“kafirs” - those who did not follow divine religion) and did shirk. The Almighty will not forgive anyone for only one sin - polytheism (“shirk” - Arabic), shirk includes worshiping someone other than the Almighty One God (“Allah” - Arabic), giving him partners, likening someone to Allah, etc. The Almighty will forgive all other sins or not according to His Wisdom and Mercy. Hell in Islam is called Jahannam (Arabic).
Buddhism has its own “hellish” characteristics. In particular, there is not one hell in Buddhism, but sixteen - eight hot and eight cold. Moreover, sometimes additional and opportunistic hells appear out of necessity. And all of them, unlike analogues in other religions, are only temporary refuges for sinful souls.
Depending on the degree of earthly sins, the deceased ends up in a predetermined hell. For example, in the hot Sanghata-naraka, hell is crushing. Here sinners are ground into bloody crumbs by shifting rocks. Or in the cold Mahapadma-naraka, where it is so cold that the body and internal organs become numb and crack. Or in Tapana-naraka, where victims are pierced with red-hot spears. In essence, the multiple hells of Buddhism are somewhat reminiscent of the classical Christian circles of hell. The number of years that must be served in each hell for complete atonement and new rebirth is clearly stated. For example, for the mentioned Sanghata-naraka this number is 10368x1010 years. In general, quite a lot, to be honest. The hellish dungeons in Buddhism are located under the mythological continent of Jambudvipa and are located, like a truncated cone, in eight layers, each with one cold and one hot hell. The lower hell is, the more terrible it is, and the longer you will have to suffer in it.
TARTARUS, in Greek mythology, the space located in the very depths of space, below Hades. Tartarus is as far from Hades as the earth is from heaven. If you dropped a copper anvil from the sky to the ground, it would reach the ground in nine days. It would take her the same amount of time to fly from earth to Tartarus. In Tartarus lie the roots of the earth and the sea, all ends and beginnings. It is surrounded by a copper wall, and night surrounds it in three rows. Tartarus is the home of Nyx (goddess of the Night). Even the gods fear the great abyss of Tartarus. The Titans, defeated by Zeus, were thrown into Tartarus. There they languish behind a copper door guarded by hundred-armed men. The gods of a new generation live on Olympus - the children of the overthrown titans; in Tartarus - the gods of the past generation, the fathers of the winners. Tartarus is the lower heaven (as opposed to Olympus, the upper heaven). Later, Tartarus was reinterpreted as the most remote place of Hades, where sacrileges and daring heroes - Aload, Pirithous, Ixion, Salmoneus, Sisyphus, Tityus, Tantalus - are punished.
The torment of the dead in Hades:. Basically they consist of boredom and spiritual suffering. Particularly distinguished sinners receive specific punishments, sometimes even physical. One can recall Sisyphus, doomed day after day to do meaningless work, pushing a heavy stone to the top of a mountain, which breaks off every time a second before the end of the work. King Sipila Tantalus is doomed in Hades to eternal torment of hunger and thirst. He stands up to his neck in water under the spreading crowns of trees laden with fruits, but cannot take a sip, because the water leaves as soon as he bends down, and cannot take a bite from the fruit, because the branches rise when he reaches out to them. And a snake is assigned to the giant Titius, which devours his liver every day, which grows back overnight. In principle, these martyrs have more fun in Hades than others. At least they have something to do.
Hell in the Aztec tradition was called Mictlan. He was led by the cruel and evil (like almost all the other Aztec gods) god Mictlantecuhtli. Sinners, regardless of position, had to go through nine circles of hell in order to achieve enlightenment and be reborn. Among other things, it is worth adding that a certain river flows near Mictlan, guarded by a yellow dog.
The Scandinavians believed that there were nine worlds in total, one of them, the middle one, was Midgard - our Earth. The dead are divided into two categories - heroes and everyone else. There are no other principles, no sinners and righteous people. We’ll talk about the heroes separately, but the rest have only one path: if you die, you’ll get a ticket to hell, Helheim. Helheim itself is only a part greater world, Niflheim, one of the first worlds that gave rise to our native Midgard. Niflheim is cold and uncomfortable, eternal ice and fog reign there, and its most unpleasant part, Helheim itself, is headed by the goddess Hel, the daughter of the cunning Loki.
Helheim is unusually similar to the Greek Hades that is so familiar to us. Is it possible that in the latter the ruler is male. Analogies are not difficult to draw. You can cross to Hades on Charon's boat across the River Styx, and to Helheim - across the River Gyol. A bridge, however, was built across the latter, vigilantly guarded by the giantess Modgud and the four-eyed dog Garm. Guess what name Garm has in ancient greek mythology. That's right, Cerberus.
There are some differences in Helheim. Firstly, its inhabitants constantly suffer not only from boredom, but also from cold, hunger and disease. Secondly, no one can return from Helheim - neither man nor god. The only one who has been there and returned is Odin's messenger, Hermod.
Egyptian mythology, unlike the Scandinavian and ancient Greek, includes a description of paradise. But there is no hell as such. The god Osiris rules over the entire afterlife of the Duat, who was vilely killed by his brother Set and then resurrected by his son Horus. Osiris is no match for the rest of the rulers of the afterlife: he is quite kind and peaceful, and is considered the god of rebirth, not death. And power over the Duat passed to Osiris from Anubis, that is, some kind of change of government took place already in those days.
Egypt in those distant times was a truly legal state. The first thing the deceased did was not to go to the cauldrons of hell or heaven, but to a fair trial. Before reaching the court, the soul of the deceased had to undergo a number of tests, avoid many traps, and answer various questions to the guards. The one who passed through all this appeared before the host Egyptian gods led by Osiris. Next, the weight of the deceased’s heart and Truth (in the form of a figurine of the goddess Maat) was compared on special scales. If a person lived his life righteously, the heart and Truth weighed equally, and the deceased received the right to go to the fields of Ialu, that is, to heaven. An average sinner had the opportunity to justify himself before the divine court, but a serious violator of the highest laws could not get into heaven. Where did he end up? Nowhere. His soul was eaten by the monster Amat, a lion with a crocodile's head, and absolute emptiness ensued, which seemed to the Egyptians worse than any hell. By the way, Amat sometimes appeared in triple guise - a hippopotamus was added to the crocodile head.
Hell and Heaven - everyone has heard these words, regardless of religion. Of course, not everyone believes in their existence, but vague suspicions probably visited everyone - even atheists. It’s not for nothing that (as many people think) almost every religion mentions places identical to them!
Indeed, it is difficult to find a faith in which a person is not rewarded after death for his earthly deeds: happiness for righteousness, torment for sinfulness. Buddhism, Krishnaism, Judaism, Islam, Christianity - none of this is alien.
One of the few systems that does not recognize Hell or Heaven is paganism. According to his postulates, after death a person is given the semblance of another life, in which there will be both good and bad - just like in the real world.
But let us return to more categorical religions. This article will look at three of them: Buddhism, Christianity and Islam.
Probably everyone knows what Hell looks like in Christianity. This religion is extremely popular not only in life, but also in film productions, literature, and painting.
So, sinners who believed in Christ, but did not keep the commandments, after death will end up (or rather, their soul will end up) in a terrible place: dark, filled with smoke, sulfur and fire. And forever - until the Last Judgment comes, they will be subjected to cruel torment there. Demons will roast them on fire, poke them with pitchforks and sharp tails, and Lucifer - fallen Angel and part-time owner baked - will chew those who committed especially terrible crimes. Since Hell looks very frightening, and it smells accordingly, sinners will experience both moral and aesthetic torment. The latter is quite easy to believe, but physical suffering is doubtful - after all, only one soul ends up in the underworld, the body remains on earth... Well, this is not very important.
For Christians, everything is simple with Paradise - this is a place where righteous people go, beautiful and divine. There, souls can continue to lead a righteous lifestyle, communicate with angels and indulge in other sinless amusements.
There is no point in writing about Islam in such detail, since Hell looks about the same there, with the only difference being that sinners greatly increase in size: “...and their tooth is the size of a mountain.” This should cause their torment to increase.
But Paradise for the worshipers of Allah is somewhat more interesting - in addition to flowering gardens, there are also beautiful Guria maidens with whom the righteous can indulge in amusements (I wonder how innocent).
Buddhist ideas are quite close to pagan ones. Not a single bearer of this faith can answer unequivocally what Hell looks like. This religion says that there are a great many parallel worlds- some are better, some are worse, one of which a person ends up in after death. Moreover, his soul does not go there on its own, but in a new body.
Thus, an unrighteous person can not only go to one of the many Hells (and there are more than a thousand of them) but also be born in the body of an animal. In the same way, a cat can become a human after death, and a representative of Homo Sapiens can go to Nirvana (a kind of heaven) or simply receive a different, better fate.
Another thing is that all this could be a simple invention. After all, doctors quite rightly explain visions of dying people of Hell or Heaven as pre-death hallucinations.
Instructions
Heaven is understood as eternal life. Whereas hell is a place where a person is doomed to suffer. The concept of hell does not exist in all religions. This Naraka is one of the six spheres of existence. The torment here will not last forever. After overcoming the results of unsuccessful karma, a person can be reborn and even achieve nirvana. Although Buddhist hell is not considered the most favorable place for rebirth. A Buddha or Bodhisattva can, out of compassion, relieve anyone from being there.
Torment is addressed to those who neglected the commandments and did not forgive offenses to their neighbors. There are a long list of sins for which a person after death will be doomed to eternal torment in hell. Moreover, the torment will be endless. But this is not so much physical as moral torment. In Orthodox literature there are several examples of divine revelations about the structure of hell and heaven. For example, “The Passage of the Ordeals of Saint Theodora of Constantinople.” Here a detailed picture of torment is created. The terrible spiritual and physical trials through which the soul goes through are picturesquely depicted. supreme court accompanied by two angels. Orthodoxy, unlike Catholicism, rejects the presence of purgatory, where the soul can receive forgiveness.
Islam interprets Hell as the place where sinners who have not been forgiven by Allah or those who have not been forgiven by Allah reside. According to the Koran, hell is guarded by 19 formidable angels, led by an angel named Malik. A person can go to heaven or hell only after Judgment Day. Those who do not believe will be destined for severe and cruel torment in hell. For example, a drink made from boiling water, torture with ice water, iron clubs, fire collars and much more.
There is no concept of hell in Judaism. According to this religion, a person cannot do anything to suffer endlessly in the future. But in the view of Judaism there is a paradise. This is a celestial garden that is located within the seven celestial spheres. In order to get into it, the soul needs to go through a certain spiritual path. The believer knows that for this he needs to keep his body and soul pure. After the end of the world, the soul and body of a person must unite. God will not be able to do this if it turns out that the Jew did not take care of his body in life.
In the Islamic tradition, it is generally accepted that heaven is something that a person cannot even imagine. Unimaginable bliss that must be earned through good deeds and thoughts. Christianity also encourages a person not to seek heaven on earth or in heaven. According to Christian beliefs, everyone must find heaven in their own heart. To do this, throughout your life you need to try very hard to abstain from sinful thoughts and actions.
At all times, people believed in the existence of life after death. It is believed that a righteous person will definitely go to heaven. And although these statements have not received scientific confirmation, humanity never ceases to believe that after death the soul finds blessed peace or falls into the eternal torment of hell. No one knows what heaven actually looks like, but in different religions it is described as an evergreen fragrant garden.
Christian
Literally translated from Greek, “paradise” is “pleasantness.” In the Old Testament it is identified with the Garden of Eden. What does heaven look like for Christians? The Bible tells us that the first people on Earth were Adam and his wife Eve. They lived in Eden, which was the Garden of Eden. But after eating the forbidden fruit, Adam and Eve were expelled to earth. Eden is called the Golden Age, but the path there is closed to humanity. After death, a righteous soul can enter the Kingdom of Heaven, while a sinless soul goes to a “privileged” heavenly place. For a Christian, heaven is a beautiful fragrant garden where the soul finds peace and eternal life; it is a dwelling not made with hands in heaven, created by God.
Muslim
What does heaven look like in Islam? The Koran describes it as an evergreen fruit-bearing garden surrounded by walls of silver and gold. There is no disease, misfortune, suffering or torment here. The soul feels only happiness and peace in the Garden of Eden. In Islam, it is believed that women turn into beautiful houris after death, and righteous men are promised beautiful virgins. Man cannot imagine how beautiful heaven is. The Koran says that this is a fairy-tale world that consists of 100 levels separated by walls with a time interval of a hundred years. In the Garden of Eden there are huge tents consisting of beautiful stones, between which rivers of milk and honey flow. Paradise is a value that every Muslim desires. But this place is intended only for righteous people who sincerely believe in Allah.
Judaism
What does heaven look like for Jews? Judaism does not give detailed description garden of paradise. Here we speak of Gunn Eden - a creation formed from spiritual world. Jews imagine it as a multi-story building where the soul goes after death. Depending on the degree of sinfulness, she can “occupy” the first floors of the “house” or go to higher rooms. This is discussed in the book of Zohar. Such a transition of the soul takes place in 7 stages. On the highest floors of the heavenly building you can feel the presence and light of the Creator. Jews also believe that after the coming of Moshiach they will be resurrected for eternal life on the ground. But the earth here seems perfect and sinless.
Ideas about heaven in mythology
Most religions describe heaven as the place closest to God. Therefore, all people want to go there after death in order to reunite with the Creator and remain in his light. The ancient peoples believed the same. They thought they knew exactly what heaven and hell looked like. The Slavs associated paradise with Iriy Bird and Serpent. The birds went to the first place in the fall and returned in the spring, bringing with them the souls of babies. Snake Iriy was a large pit where all the snakes crawled with the onset of winter. German-Scandinavian mythology tells about Valhalla - a paradise intended for valiant knights. This place was a large palace with a dome, in which brave knights lived. Every day they killed one animal, whose meat was their main food. In the evening, the knights held feasts, which were visited by beautiful young maidens.
Images of heaven
Descriptions of the Kingdom of Heaven echo in many religions. But people are not given the opportunity to know what heaven looks like in reality. For many years, people have been trying to convey their idea of this place through pencils and brushes. The basis of all paintings depicting Heavenly Kingdom, based on the scenes of the fall of man, which are described in the Holy Scriptures. Among the works of art you can see religious pictures. What does heaven look like to them? In painting he often appears in a classical vision. This is a beautiful fragrant garden where animals and people exist in harmony with each other. Some artists depict paradise hidden in the clouds, with a heavenly staircase leading to it, and its main inhabitants are angels.
In literature, heaven is more often described as a beautiful evergreen garden where the righteous soul finds peace. Each person represents the Kingdom of Heaven in his own way. For many, it is associated with inner peace, bliss and peace of silence. People who have suffered clinical death, claim that they saw a bright light, which leads to paradise. Foreign scientists have proven that when the brain dies, vision turns off, and therefore a person begins to see bright light. It is the central point of the shutting down visual system. But even if heaven really exists, it is unlikely that a person will be able to describe it upon returning to the sinful earth.
The concept of “hell” came into our everyday life from Christianity. But ideas about part of the afterlife as a place where dead sinners will experience torment exist in almost all major religions and mythologies of the world. The unknown of what awaits beyond the threshold of death, and most importantly, the complete helplessness of the soul in the afterlife to somehow change its fate, frightens everyone. Therefore, people tried, if not to find out exactly, then at least to imagine what the underworld looks like and what awaits them after death.
The first and probably most important description of hell can be found in the Bible. Of course, it doesn’t say exactly what it looks like, but this book gives us a complete idea of what it is. The Holy Scriptures say that God created the underworld and sent Satan and his minions there. Subsequently, Satan began to take the souls of sinners from the earth there.
In Christian treatises of the V-VII centuries. ekov a description of the first and most important characteristic feature hell - fire. St. Augustine, one of the first Christian theologians, described the underworld as " real fire, which will burn and torment the bodies and souls of sinners."
The Scandinavians have an icy hell, but the Jews imagine it as fiery
In 1149, a monk from Ireland described hell in his treatise “The Vision of Thundal”, where the main character had the opportunity to see afterworld. On his journey through hell, the hero of the essay saw many horrors, monsters and fire. The vast plains were covered with coals, on which the devils roasted the bodies of sinners, and the rivers flowing there were swarming with terrible monsters.
Blessed Augustine and Satan. Right outer wing of the “Altar of the Church Fathers”, 1471−1475
The idea of hell has been used in art more than once. The most famous works of literature that describe what the real underworld looks like are Dante's The Divine Comedy and Milton's Paradise Lost.
According to Dante, hell consists of nine circles
According to Dante, hell consists of nine circles that go deeper and deeper and end at the center of the earth. In the first circles, the widest and closest to the surface, there are more tolerable conditions for the existence of souls. The more severe the sins, the lower the level of the underworld the soul falls to. At the very bottom, in the center of hell, is Satan. The Acheron River separates the underworld from the world of the living. The landscapes of hell are varied - from deserts and rivers with sewage to fiery lava. Gluttons suffer in the rain and hail, people who are subject to the sin of anger during their lifetime get bogged down in a swamp, suicides lead a peaceful but helpless existence as trees. Illustrations for The Divine Comedy were made by such famous artists as Gustave Dore, Salvador Dali and Sandro Botticelli.
"Map of Hell" by Sandro Botticelli
John Milton describes hell as a desert plain burning with eternal fire. Action " Paradise Lost"takes place during the time of Adam and Eve, so it is unknown what Milton’s hell would have looked like after not only demons, but also sinful souls began to inhabit it.
Milton describes hell as a desert plain burning with eternal fire
Of course, it is easier to understand what the underworld looks like just by looking at it. No, not independently, but through the eyes of great artists. In Luca Signorelli's fresco from the Last Judgment cycle, hell is the determination of the fate of sinners.
"Resurrection in the Flesh" Fresco by Luca Signorelli, 1499 - 1502
The most famous “singer of hell” was, and remains to this day, Hieronymus Bosch. In his triptychs, hell is depicted in such detail that it costs nothing to see it in all its details. There are rivers of fire, and archaic buildings that are about to collapse on the heads of sinners, and terrible tormentors-demons, frozen in the middle of a metamorphosis from a humanoid image to an animal one.
The most famous “singer of hell” was and still is Hieronymus Bosch
As a true son of the Renaissance, with his love of symbolism, Bosch filled his works with double and even triple meaning. Symbolic details pile on top of each other: just when you think you understand true essence work, a second and third series of subtexts appear, and as a result, this phantasmagoria creates the eerie impression of a complete trampling of the divine order by the forces of chaos. For example, in the third part of the triptych “The Garden of Earthly Delights,” musical instruments turned into instruments of torture are symbols of voluptuousness, and the bagpipes, like other pointed objects in the picture, denote masculinity in medieval symbolism.
"The Garden of Earthly Delights" Hieronymus Bosch, 1500 - 1510
Naturally, hell is different for everyone, and it is different for everyone. But no matter how different the descriptions of the underworld may be, we can say with confidence that this is the most terrible, creepy place, where it is still better not to go.