Hel- goddess of death, ruler of the world of the dead in German-Scandinavian mythology. She is the daughter of the god and giantess Angrboda. The Edda gives a description of the goddess Hel: she is gigantic in stature and taller than most giants, one half of her is black and blue, and the other is deathly pale. Therefore, the Queen of Helheim is often called the blue and white Hel. It is believed that when Ragnarok comes and the gods of the underworld rise up against Asgard (the city of the gods), Hel will lead an army of the dead to storm Asgard and the Aesir.

Hel, as the goddess of the dead and queen of the underworld, is an exact copy of our goddess, who is also the queen of the underworld, the goddess of winter and death. Among the ancient sources that mention the goddess Hel are the Elder and Younger Eddas, the Acts of Dan, as well as various sagas dating back to the 9th century. From the name of the goddess of death came such words as Halloween - the holiday of the dead, and the English word “Hell”, meaning hell. Also, the word "hel" was used by the Scandinavians to mean death and grave. In any case, the Scandinavians called the world of the dead by the name of the goddess - Hellheim. Hel has become a common noun, which in different word forms means something related to illness, death and danger. The same fate befell Mara (Morana, Marena) - pestilence, darkness, death, etc.

The mother and father of the goddess are Loki and Angrboda. She was brought to Odin along with her brothers - the wolf Fenrir and the serpent Jormungandr. Odin gave Loki's daughter complete ownership of the land of the dead. She became so powerful here that she stopped listening to the gods and, in particular, Odin, who could not force Hel to return his deceased brother Balder (Baldur) to her. Thus, not only the souls of dead people, but even dead gods end up in the kingdom of Hel! Her wolf brother Fenrir was chained deep underground, and is considered the protector of the world of the dead Helheim. Another brother, the serpent Jormungandr, lives at the bottom of the ocean. The father of the goddess Loki is also underground, chained to a rock. We can say that all members of the Loki family are the rulers of the underworld of the dead.

All souls after death go to Helheim. Only the most glorious warriors who go to Odin in. do not end up in Helheim. This world cannot be called hell or a place where the souls of the dead suffer and suffer. Helheim is the place where souls live after death, and in essence it is a better place than the same earth or Midgard. Of course, no hell, fire, torture or torment exists in Helheim and even contradicts the very concept of life after death, where there is no pain, no misfortune, no suffering. As an aside, it is worth noting that the concept of a hell engulfed in flames is typical of the Middle East, where heat is one of the most deadly scourges that can destroy crops and harm people. In the Scandinavian countries, in Russia and other countries where winter reigns for half the year, the mistress of the underworld was equated to the mistress of cold and winter, and not heat and fire. So Mara was both the goddess of death and the goddess of winter.

According to researchers of German-Scandinavian myths, Hel is a later interpretation of the goddess of the hearth and economy, Holda. Holda is the patron of the home and women, women's work, and motherhood. However, Holda also had another aspect: she sends snow and storms, and leads the “Wild Hunt”. In German folklore, Holda was also called Lady Blizzard. It was believed that you could get to Holda's kingdom by simply falling into a well. It is interesting that a similar split personality of the goddess of the dead exists in other pagan beliefs, for example in Greece, where she lives half the year in the world of the dead, and half the year she lives in the world of people, where she is considered the patroness of fertility. It's the same story with the Roman goddess of the dead and the goddess of fertility. If we take into account such a coincidence of myths that originate from the same source, then we can assume with great confidence that in ancient times the Slavs imagined Morana exactly like this.

As for the kingdom of the dead Helheim, then this is one of the nine worlds of German-Scandinavian mythology. According to some descriptions, Helheim is a dark and foggy place. It is worth noting that this does not mean that living here is scary and terrible. This is often how different cultures around the world imagined the underworld, where the souls of the dead live - the dark world, that is, the world where there is no light. It cannot be considered evil and dangerous by definition, since light is necessary only for people who use their eyes to coordinate in space. For people, Helheim is a dark place and even a cold place, but for souls neither darkness nor temperature have any meaning.

Helheim is located at the lowest level of the universe. The land of the dead is surrounded by the impassable river Gjöll. In Slavic mythology, such a river is considered to be the river, in ancient Greek - the River Styx.

The Gjallarbru Bridge spans the Gjöll River. In Slavic mythology, Kalinov Bridge is considered such a bridge. In Greek there is no bridge, but Charon carries souls across the river to the world of the dead on his boat. It is worth noting here that, according to some researchers, bridges across the afterlife rivers appeared much later. In the original Indo-European mythology, there were only carriers on boats. It is for this reason that in ancient times there was a tradition of burning the dead in boats or leaving coins and jewelry with the deceased to pay for transportation.

The bridge over Gjoll is guarded by the giantess Modgud and the dog Garm. The dog Garm is another name for the wolf Fenrir, who is chained to a rock in the underground cave of Gnip. The Greek equivalent of Garm-Fenrir is the dog Cerberus. In Slavic mythology, Semargl can be such a protector.

"Polinar" is the medical center of Dr. Klimchenko. Official website narkomaniya.polinar-clinic.com. Getting rid of bad habits and addictions.

The word “Valhalla” can be translated from the ancient Icelandic language as “the hall of the fallen” (warriors in battle). You can often come across different spellings of the word "Valhalla". This is Valhalla, Valhalla, Valhalla. Any transcription is acceptable.

According to the legends of the ancient Scandinavians, Valhalla is the palace of Asgard, where the god Odin rules. The owner of Valhalla asks the warriors whether they died with dignity and takes the best into his squad, which will fight with him when Rognarok comes.

The hard road to Valhalla

The road to Valhalla is difficult and only worthy warriors will find it. Not every warrior who fell in battle was worthy to enter Valhalla. Only the best got there. Some of those killed did not reach Valhalla, but were “redirected” to Folkvangr to Freya, which was considered not so honorable. The Vikings who were lucky enough to get to Odin became his personal guard (in some sources they are called ice warriors). In order for the road to Valhalla to lead the warrior specifically to Odin, the Viking had to fall with weapons in his hands. Mortally wounded warriors asked their comrades to put a sword or an ax in their hands, otherwise the road to Valhalla would not open to him.

It should be separately mentioned that the weapon was a kind of conductor to Valhalla. Without a sword or other weapon, the road to Valhalla will not open, and the warrior will forever wander in search of it.

The ice warriors of Valhalla fight each other in the morning until the only survivor remains. After this, all the fallen are resurrected, their wounds heal, and severed limbs grow back. After the battle, the heroes’ path lies to Odin’s hall, where they are met by the owner of Valhalla himself. There the brave men feast until the evening, remembering their exploits and honoring today's winner. At night, the Vikings disperse throughout Valhalla, and lovely maidens come to them, who please them until the morning. Some believe that warriors who find themselves in their paradise have fun with Valkyries, but the beauties of the night are not them at all.

Joining the ranks of Odin's warriors could be done in several ways:

1. The owner of Valhalla took the best fighters for himself, and the Vikings believed that Odin could specifically send Valkyries to the battlefield so that they would interfere with the heroes’ fight. If a warrior suddenly stumbled or missed, it meant that Odin wanted to quickly get him into his palace;
2. If a warrior lived to old age, he could commit ritual suicide by hanging himself from an oak tree. Thus, he repeated the sacrificial suicide of Odin, who hanged himself in order to comprehend the wisdom of the runes;
3. The most severe was the third option - courageous death through a specific execution called “bloody eagle”. If a Viking endured such an execution without screams and groans, the entrance to Valhalla was considered open for him, and he could count on a place of honor among Odin’s ice warriors;
4. It is believed that there is no other way to Valhalla, but there was another cruel custom. The Vikings rarely allowed captured enemies to die with dignity, but the courageous warriors knew how to get to Valhalla in this case. They asked to rip open their stomachs and nail their intestines to a high pole. Then the brave man walked around the pillar, wrapping his guts around it and taunting his enemies. If he did not lose his composure and bravely endured the pain, his enemies burned his body, asking Odin to accept the valiant warrior.

How Valhalla and the halls of Odin work

The halls of Valhalla are a large banquet hall, but instead of a roof it has the golden shields of Odin's guard (Einherjar). The walls are made of huge copies of the heroes who feast in the hall. In the morning, when leaving for battle, the warriors dismantle the walls and roof, essentially taking the palace with them.

There are a total of 540 doors in the feast hall, from each of which 800 fighters should emerge when Rognarok comes. In total there should be 432,000 warriors ready to support the gods in the final battle with the giants.

Despite the fact that women occupied a rather privileged position in Viking culture and often fought on an equal basis with men, there is not a single mention in the Scandinavian sagas of where beautiful warriors end up. The only woman mentioned in the sagas was Brünnhilde, who was exiled to earth as punishment and deprived of her Valkyrie status. In the ancient sagas, she is considered neither a human nor a Valkyrie.

In the very middle of Valhalla stands the throne of Odin, from which the stern god examines all the worlds with his only eye, so as not to miss the beginning of the end of the world.

It is worth noting that such a wild and harsh life was seen by the pagan Vikings as a real paradise, because their real life was a series of battles, murders and drunken fun.

What was Valhalla like in Christian times?

It is very interesting what opinion the first Christians had about Valhalla when they learned about the paradise of the harsh northern warriors. The first missionaries who visited the Scandinavians and learned aspects of their harsh religion were amazed to the core. Christians already considered the Vikings to be real demons, and when they learned that their paradise resembled Christian hell, they were completely confirmed in their opinion. The daily resurrection of soldiers in order to kill each other again the next day was interpreted by Christians as the torment of sinners in hell. Odin himself in this place was the embodiment of Satan.

The fearless warriors of the north, who rushed into battle against enemy troops several times superior to them and were not afraid of death, caused horror among civilized Europeans. And the Viking elite - berserkers and ulfhednars - suggested thoughts of tamed demons from hell.

Despite the adoption of Christianity by the Norwegians, many pagans fled to Iceland, where the religion of Asatru (which means faith in the Ass) has survived to this day. Modern Icelandic special forces warriors still use the Viking battle cry “Till Valhall!”, which translated into our language means “To Valhalla!”

Gates of Valhalla

To enter Valhalla, dead heroes must unlock the gates of Valgrind. Their meaning is still not clear, although logically they should lock Valhalla from unwanted visitors. This theory is also supported by the fact that one of the Scandinavian Eddas clearly states that only the dead can open the gates of Valgrind. The lock of this gate is one of the unique artifacts that were made by the dark elves.

These characters are the prototype of the dark elves, so widely popularized thanks to modern games. Although, unlike games in which dark and light elves are close relatives, the Scandinavian Eddas say that dark elves have a completely different nature than light elves.

The castle has magical powers; anyone unworthy to touch it will be bound forever when touched.

Some folklorists and publicists in Sweden (in particular Viktor Rydberg) believe that the name of the gates of Valhalla can be translated as “loudly clapping.” This statement is based on an ancient belief that linked the sound of thunder and the opening of the gates of Valgrind into one whole.

Warriors of Odin Einherjar – selected from the best

In the culture of the ancient Scandinavians one can find quite detailed descriptions of the heroes of Valhalla, the Einherjar. Although this word was used to call great heroes, its exact meaning is lost and no one knows what it really means.

Odin's warriors battle each other to hone their skills as they face off against terrible giants during the final battle of the gods. Since the wounds of the Eitherya always heal, they are immortal.

During the feast in the halls, the fallen heroes drink the magical honey that flows from the udder of the goat Heidrun. Scandinavian mythology does not give us an answer to the question of whether this drink is alcoholic, although knowing the life of the Vikings, it is not difficult to imagine that they would be bored in paradise without drinking. The main dish at the feast is the meat of the huge boar Sehrimnir, which, in addition to being able to feed an unlimited number of warriors, is reborn every day.

A little rough and down to earth. Although what could be expected from the harsh northern people - conquerors who consider it an honor to die valiantly on the battlefield? The Vikings were just such warriors. Valhalla, according to their ideas, is paradise, but there is no peace and harmony, kindness and humility familiar to Christians.

What it is?

Valhalla is a heavenly palace where fearless warriors rest after death. This palace is not simple: its roof is made of huge gilded shields, which are supported on all sides by giant spears. There is only one hall inside: you can get into it through 540 gates. All the inhabitants of Valhalla, rising at sunrise, put on armor. A bloody battle begins, which ends only when everyone is completely killed. Then the warriors are resurrected: no trace remains of their mortal wounds. They sit down together at the table and feast until late in the evening.

In German-Scadinavian mythology, Yggdrasil, the Tree of Peace, is often mentioned, which grows in the very center of the Universe and connects all worlds. Its crown is the foundation on which Valhalla rests. This is a kind of foundation on which, in addition to the paradise for the Vikings, other palaces of the divine city of Asgard are located. Among them is the monastery that took in some of the fallen warriors - Folkwang. Also here was the Palace of Bliss - Vingolv - which should survive even after

Inhabitants of Valhalla

Honey dew flows from the very top of the Tree of Peace: bees are circling above its endless flow, collecting nectar. Falling to the ground, it forms a majestic lake in which snow-white and graceful swans swim. The Vikings believed that these birds were magical. It was them that the Valkyries loved to transform into - the main assistants and companions of the supreme god Odin. On the way to Valhalla, fallen warriors invariably met maidens reincarnated as feathered creatures: they escorted the heroes straight to the entrance to paradise - the “Gate of the Dead” (Valgrind).

In mythology, the threshold of Valhalla is described as a shining grove. Unusual trees grow in it: their leaves are made of red gold, which reflect the bright rays of the sun. On the very roof of paradise, made of shields, stands Heidrun, a goat who eats ash leaves and gives intoxicating honey. This drink, flowing from the udder, fills a huge jug, which the feasting warriors empty when they get drunk. Next to the goat stands the deer Eiktyrnir: moisture drips from his oak horns and fills the boiling cauldron - the starting point from which twelve earthly rivers originate.

One

It is under his auspices that Valhalla is located: this is exactly the place where the supreme god waits for warriors killed on the battlefield in order to treat them with delicious food and aromatic wine. Odin himself does not touch food. He sits at the head of the banquet table, slowly sipping wine from a huge glass and throwing huge pieces of meat to two wolves. Their names are Gluttonous and Greedy (Freki and Geri): they happily consume the best parts of the game. Two ravens, the Remembering and the Thinking (Munin and Hugin), comfortably rest on the shoulders of the supreme god. Odin sends these birds to fly around the world: they bring him the latest news and whisper them in his ear. By the way, crows and wolves are animals that feed on corpses, so they became mascots of the god of death.

In one of the corners of Valhalla sits another Fenrir wolf, chained. He is once destined to devour the supreme god himself. Knowing this, Odin, with his only eye, gazes intently into the eyes of the animal. He is trying to find out when that fateful hour will come - the last battle, and all the gods will die. For the same purpose, he travels the worlds on his horse, which has eight legs, Sleipnir.

Valkyries

They meet warriors on their way to Valhalla. Valkyries are maidens who determine the fate of the hero: whether he will fall in battle or not. The names of the warriors directly indicate their occupation: Hild - Battle, Christ - Stunning, Mist - Misty, and so on. Initially, Valkyries were angels of death: they swept over the army, deciding the fate of the fighters. Enjoying the sight of blood and scenes of murder, they chose their victim and took him to Valhalla, where the heroes continued to improve the art of war and enjoy feasts.

Already in late mythology, images of maidens became romantic: they were described as beautiful virgins with white skin, golden hair and huge blue eyes. Former warriors were compared to swans that circled over the battlefield, watering it with tears and dew. Anglo-Saxon legends say that some of the Valkyries were descended from beautiful elves. Others were once ordinary earthly girls, daughters of noble princes: the gods chose them to fulfill an honorable mission.

Threads of Life

The ascension to Valhalla occurred immediately after the man breathed his last. It was no accident that he fell on the battlefield: the question of his future fate was decided by the Valkyries. They said that, being previously ordinary earthly girls, they paid attention to the appearance and luck of the fighter. That is, they took with them only the best, those they liked: young, stately, beautiful, fearless, courageous and noble. That is why laying down one’s head in battle was considered the highest honor for the Vikings. After their death, the heroes were honored as the most worthy, chosen ones.

Valkyries, being maidens of fate, spun the threads of life. But this yarn is terrible: the basis of the fabric was human intestines, instead of weaving tools they had murder weapons - swords, arrows and spears, instead of weights - the skulls of dead people. They themselves decided when to break the yarn and thereby take a person’s life. By the way, once in heaven, the Vikings did not lose heart: during the day they continued to fight, and in the evening they sat down at the festive table, eating the meat of a magic boar.

Odin's Domain

They are huge. The central place is occupied by the same colossally large palace. Just think, it must accommodate all the heroes who have fallen on the battlefield since the beginning of the creation of the world! And there are billions of such fighters. Once in the palace, they are seated at the banquet table in accordance with the feat they performed: the braver the warrior showed himself during the battle, the closer his place is to the throne of the supreme god. By the way, the throne on which Odin sits is called Hlidskjalf, which translated means “cliff, rock.” Usually this name meant the peak from which all existing worlds are visible at a glance.

The hall in which the warriors rest is surrounded by Tund. To get to the celebration, the Vikings have to ford it. A large snake frolics in the water, encircling the world of people with a ring. To get to the heavenly kingdom, the fallen warriors of Valhalla overcome the Bifrost - the rainbow bridge. always met heroes, wearing a golden helmet and armed with a wonderful spear, which always hit the target.

Valhalla today

Nowadays, it has migrated from mythical tales to the human world, acquiring physical forms. Simply put, today Valhalla is a monument dedicated to fallen soldiers. It is located on the steep bank of the Danube in the vicinity of Regensburg and is one of the most majestic and beautiful places in modern Germany. The monument was built in the shape of an ancient temple, reminiscent of the Parthenon. King Ludwig I of Bavaria ordered the construction of the object. According to his plan, Valhalla was to become a monument to soldiers: starting from the battle in the 9th century BC and ending with the century in which the ruler lived.

Valhalla was built in 1842 according to the design of the architect Leo von Klenze. The first 160 people who were immortalized in the Hall were chosen by the king, focusing on their belonging to German culture. Therefore, among them there were not only purebred Germans, but also representatives of Sweden, Switzerland, Denmark, Austria, as well as Poland, Russia and the Baltic countries. At the opening of the monument there were 96 busts and 64. Since then, the number of “inhabitants” of Valhalla is constantly replenished with new names.

In almost every religion and mythology there is a concept of heaven, which represents endless bliss to its followers who follow all the rules. There are many common features between these ideas, such as eternal youth, the absence of evil and violence, but at the same time there are many differences between them.

1. Tlalocan - Aztec Mythology

In Aztec mythology, there is a place called Mictlan, where all people go after death, no matter what kind of life they led before. Moreover, if the soul met certain conditions, it had access to other afterlife worlds. One of these was Tlalocan - the home of the rain god Tlaloc. Only those who were killed by lightning, rain, died from various skin diseases, or were simply sacrificed to some deity ended up here. It was a paradise of flowers and dancing. People with physical disabilities, whom Tlaloc looked after during his lifetime, also ended up in this paradise. The souls of the dead most often reincarnated into another body and wandered from one world to another.

2. Gan Eden - Judaism


Translated from Hebrew, Gan Eden means “Garden of Eden.” It represents the last spiritual "stop" in Judaism. In this place, the souls of the righteous spend eternity with God. If you believe the description of this place, then Eden is 60 times better than what we experience on earth. Gan Eden is the opposite of Geinoma - the Jewish purgatory where sinners go to cleanse themselves of the sins they have committed. Gan Eden is often compared to Eden from the Bible, but it is a completely different place.

3. Folkvang - Scandinavian mythology


Most believe that the souls of warriors killed in battle go to Valhall (the Scandinavian mythological paradise). In fact, if you believe the myths, half of them end up in a place called Folkwang (“field of people”, “people’s field”). This afterlife is the complete opposite of Valhalla, which was ruled by Freya. Few descriptions of Folkwang have survived to this day. However, we know that it was in this place that the main hall of Freya Sessrumnir (“great and fair”) was located. Women were also included here, regardless of whether they died during the battle or not.

4. Fields of Iaru - Ancient Egyptian mythology


In ancient Greek mythology, the Fields of Iaru are also known as the “Elysian Fields” or “Fields of Bliss”. Osiris lived in them after his resurrection. On the way of the righteous man to the Fields of Iara there were 15 gates, each with its own guard. Having achieved their goal, the souls found themselves in lands of eternal peace, where there was always “bread and beer”, where there was always a wonderful harvest. In this place, men were allowed to have several wives and concubines. Iaru was an almost perfect world.

5. Vaikuntha - Hinduism


Vaikuntha is the final refuge of souls who have achieved moksha ("salvation"). This is the highest level of heaven in Hinduism, where Vishnu himself (the main God of Hinduism) lives. Having reached this place, the souls of the righteous gain the eternal love and friendship of Vishnu. In Vaikuntha, all the righteous are young and beautiful, especially the women, who are compared to Lakshmi, the goddess of prosperity. The inhabitants of Vaikuntha travel on airships made of lapis lazuli, emeralds and gold. In the forests of paradise there are wishing trees. And men get as many wives and concubines as they want.

6. Tir na Nog - Irish mythology


Tir na Nog ("island of the young") is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, the land of eternal youth and happiness. Ordinary mortals are prohibited from entering this island. To gain access there, you need to pass several difficult tests. Or be invited by the fairies who live there. Ossian, the great Irish bard, was one such mortal. He went there with Niamh Goldenhead, daughter of the king of Tir na Nog, and they lived there together for 300 years. Although for Ossian they seemed like one year. Over time, Ossian wanted to return home. On his return to Ireland he died.

7. The Underworld - Celtic Mythology


The afterlife of the Celts was on Earth, somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean. Some described it as an island, others said it was located at the bottom of the ocean. It was a place where disease, hunger, old age and war did not exist. The gods of Celtic mythology lived in this Underworld, and the souls of the righteous could communicate with them forever. Unlike other heavenly places on this list, mere mortals also sometimes ended up here.

8. Elysium - Ancient Greek mythology


Also known as Elysium, Isles of the Blessed or Champs Elysees. He played various roles in the life of the Greeks. Initially, only mortals who were invited by the gods could enter it. However, over time, invitations were distributed to all righteous people. In Homer's records, this place was listed as ideal, where there was no need to work and there was no reason to grieve. Many Greek writers have noted that the Aegean Islands or other Atlantic islands may be the real Elysium. After the concept of reincarnation appeared in ancient Greek mythology, Elysium was divided into several stages - the soul had to enter it 4 times before it was allowed access to the Isles of the Blessed.

9. Schlaraffenland - Medieval European mythology


Schlaraffenland does not belong to any religion. This is a mythical place that is very reminiscent of heaven. People in it do whatever they want. Rivers of wine flow here, houses and streets are paved with gingerbread, etc. Estimated location - Atlantic Ocean. Here sexual activity flourished at a high level, and people indulged in various vicious hobbies. No one was required to work in this place.

10. Heaven - Christianity


What heaven is in Christianity is known to everyone. There are no wars, no grief, no sin. However, unlike other characteristics of heaven, an eternal Christian heaven does not yet exist. He will appear after Armageddon. Until then, the dead simply wait in the intermediate paradise. If you believe the “Revelation of John the Theologian,” then this paradise will be a majestic city, so beautiful that its walls will be crowned with precious stones and its streets will be paved with gold. People will communicate with God daily.

What kind of hell do you personally plan to go to after death?

The number of religions cannot be counted, and each has its own concept. In some, after death, sinners are roasted at the stake and impaled on stakes; in others, approximately the same thing happens to the righteous. It gets to the point where hell sometimes looks more attractive than heaven.

There must be everything in heaven: and hell too!
Stanislav Jerzy Lec

Gehenna fiery

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.

Satan sitting on the throne of hell is nothing more than an advertisement for the church as an institution of salvation. There is not a word about such a thing in the Bible.

There is another side to this coin. The fact is that the Bible is generally silent about the afterlife. The kingdom of heaven and hell are mentioned several times in passing as places where the righteous rejoice and sinners suffer, but that’s all. All modern concepts of the Christian underworld appeared in the Middle Ages thanks to zealous preachers and the wild imagination of illustrators. Moreover, the theory of hell and heaven propagated by the modern church is contrary to the Bible. According to the Bible, Satan cannot rule hell, since God tells him: “...and I will bring fire out of your midst, which will consume you; and I will turn you into ashes on the earth in the sight of all who see you; all who knew you among the nations will be amazed at you; you will become a horror; and you will never be” (Ezek. 28:18, 19). We also must not forget that God gave his own son to atone for human sins - was it really in vain?.. So hell is more a product of the church as an institution than of religion itself.

Hieronymus van Aken Bosch had a unique view of the underworld. The right wing of his famous triptych “The Garden of Earthly Delights” depicts hell, but what kind of hell! Musical hell, where martyrs are crucified on strings and fretboards...

Catholics and Orthodox Christians place very strict demands on believers. To get to heaven, it is not enough to believe and be righteous. You need to be baptized, take communion regularly, do many good deeds and constantly pray for your own salvation. In general, it turns out that almost all people, even law-abiding and good ones, are assigned the rank of hell if they do not attend church daily and do not spend several hours a day in prayer. Protestantism in this regard is much more logical and simpler: it is enough to believe in God and be righteous. Protestants do not recognize rituals and idols.

"Dante and Virgil in Hell." Painting by Adolphe-William Bouguereau (1850).

But let's return, in fact, to hell. Today, the most common picture of Christian hell can be considered the one depicted by the great Dante in The Divine Comedy. Why? Because Dante systematized what before him was a mishmash of non-canonical Gospels, sermons, lectures, and popular beliefs. Of course, Dante strictly follows Aristotle, who classified sinners long before the advent of Christianity, but in this case it seems completely appropriate.

According to Dante, in the first circle of hell (Limbe) the souls of virtuous non-Christians and unbaptized infants languish. That is, those who were close to accepting Christ, but, unfortunately, knew nothing about him. To some extent, this is an evil parody, but it is definitely more fair than the statement that all pagans without exception are doomed to hellish torment. Souls in Limbo are not in pain - they are just sad and very bored. Although the presence of Aristotle, Socrates and Ptolemy there can relieve the boredom of any random guest.

The remaining circles are more or less evenly distributed among sinners of various kinds. Libertines are torn apart and twisted by a hurricane, gluttons rot in the rain, misers are dragged from place to place by weights, heretics lie in hot graves (almost, frying pans have already appeared). More severe torments are rightly reserved for rapists and bandits who boil in hot blood, as well as blasphemers who languish with thirst in the hot desert (and fire rains from the sky). Others are gutted, bathed in fetid feces, scourged, and boiled in tar. In the last, ninth circle, traitors who are frozen in the eternal ice of Lake Cocytus are tormented. Lucifer, the angel of hell, also lives there.

In 1439, at the Council of Florence, the Catholic Church officially made a deal with God and accepted the dogma of purgatory - probably not without the influence of Dante, who had long since died by then. People didn’t want to go straight to hell for eternal torment without the possibility of redemption. The tale of purgatory originated among the people (even in Old Testament times), Pope Gregory I at the end of the 6th century recognized the justice of the innovation, Thomas Aquinas and Dante systematized it, and the church met the people halfway and gave them a chance for salvation. Purgatory became the intermediate territory between hell and heaven. Ambiguous sinners (for example, righteous but unbaptized) were not immediately sent to eternal torment, but first ended up in purgatory, where they atone for their sins through prayer for some time. The prayers of living people for him also help the sinner. At the Council of Trent in 1562, the doctrine of purgatory was officially confirmed. Typically, harsh Orthodoxy rejects this teaching: once a sinner, that means he goes to hell, no leniency. Protestantism also rejects it, but there are still much more lenient requirements for a candidate for the inhabitants of heaven.

It’s worth adding a few words about the Christian paradise, where souls go either directly or after purgatory. Christians, oddly enough, do not have an exact concept of heaven. Most often, a certain light, heavenly cloudy substance is imagined, from which the blessed can contemplate the eternal radiance of God, drinking nectar and eating ambrosia. This picture comes from Judaism, where the righteous in paradise eternally contemplate the supreme deity (though they do not need to eat or drink). There are fears that for many inhabitants of our planet such a paradise may seem worse than hell. Boring, boring, gentlemen.

However, we are well familiar with the principles and postulates of Christian hell. There is no point in dwelling on them in detail. Let's go to another hell. For example, in Scandinavian.

Brief classification of the underworld

• Type 1. A series of circles (or separate hells) with various tortures and sufferings for sinners of varying severity: Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Taoism, Chinese beliefs, Zoroastrianism, Aztec mythology.
• Type 2. Common underworld for all: ancient Greek and Scandinavian mythology.
• Type 3. Absolute emptiness: ancient Egyptian mythology.

Hel vs Hades

The amazing similarities between the ancient Greek and ancient Scandinavian underworlds make it possible not only to combine them into one subsection, but also to talk about them as one underworld with some differences. In principle, many religions are subject to the phenomenon of syncretism - when the same legends find their place in the beliefs of different peoples. Let us clarify right away: in Scandinavian mythology (as in ancient Greek) there is neither hell nor heaven as such. Like most religions, there is some kind of afterlife, and that's it.

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 part of a larger 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.

The torment of the dead in Hades and Helheim is almost identical. 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.

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 envoy Hermod, but that’s a different story. Let me remind you that they return from Hades regularly, and sometimes even go there of their own free will. The main thing is to have a couple of coins for Charon.

The main difference between the Scandinavian afterlife is the presence of Valhalla, a kind of paradise. Valhalla is a palace located in Asgard, the heavenly city. The equivalent of Asgard among the Greeks is Mount Olympus. A rather narrow stratum of the Scandinavian population ends up in Valhalla: warriors who distinguished themselves in battle and died honorably on the battlefield. Half of the heroes go to the god Odin, half go to another palace, Folkvang, owned by the goddess Freya. However, the existence of both groups of warriors is approximately the same. In the morning they put on armor and fight to the death all day. In the evening they come to life and dine on the meat of the boar of Sehrimnir, washed down with intoxicating honey. And then they are pleasured by women all night long. This is a real man's paradise: fight, eat, get drunk and have girls. However, for most men such a paradise is indeed closer than the angelic singing in Christian heaven.

In fact, in ancient 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, 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 of the underworld of Hades, go there. Unlike Valhalla, Elysium has many “doubles” in other religions. The mythology of the ancient Celts and Britons (Avalon), the Chinese (Penglai, Fangzhang and Yingzhou islands) and even the Japanese (Island of Eternal Youth) tells us about exactly the same paradise.

Aztec hell

Several hundred idol images of Mictlantecuhtli have survived to this day.

Among the Aztecs, class divisions even extended into the afterlife. The place of posthumous appointment was determined not so much by a person’s personal qualities as by his social position. Depending on who the deceased was during his lifetime - a priest or a simple farmer - his soul, subject to righteousness, went to one of three types of heaven. Ordinary people found themselves in the circle of Tlalocan paradise, as close as possible to earthly life, but an enlightened priest could have the honor of going to truly cosmic heights, to the ethereal country of Tlillan-Tlapallan or to the house of the Sun Tonatiuhican. Hell in the Aztec tradition was called Mictlan. He was led by the cruel and evil (like almost all 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. A familiar plot, isn't it?

Book of the Dead

Osiris, ruler of the kingdom of the dead, Duat. Sometimes he was depicted not with a human head, but with a bull’s head.

Egyptian mythology, unlike Scandinavian and ancient Greek, includes a description of paradise. But there is no hell as such in it. 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. Having gone through all this, he appeared before a host of 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 or Gehenna?

Tellingly, in the Bible there is a clear distinction between the concepts of “hell” (Sheol) and “gehenna”. Sheol is the general name for the afterlife, the coffin, the grave, where both sinners and righteous people remain after death. But Gehenna is exactly what we call hell today, that is, a certain area where sinful souls suffer in ice and fire. Initially, even the souls of the Old Testament righteous were in hell, but Jesus went down after them all the way to the last, lowest circle of hell, and took them with him to the Kingdom of Heaven. The word “Gehenna” comes from the real geographical name of the valley near Jerusalem, where the bodies of fallen animals and executed criminals were burned, and sacrifices were made to Molech.

Brass Buddha Music

But let's return to modern world religions. In particular, to Islam and Buddhism.

Islam is much more gentle towards Muslims than Christianity is towards Christians. At least for Muslims there is only one sin that will not be forgiven by Allah - polytheism (shirk). For non-Muslims, of course, there is no salvation: everyone will go to hell like darlings.

Judgment Day in Islam is only the first step on the path to heaven. After Allah weighs a person’s sins and allows him to continue on his path, the believer must pass over the abysses of hell along a bridge as thin as a knife blade. A person who leads a sinful life will certainly slip and fall, but a righteous person will reach heaven. The hell of Islam (Jahannam) itself is almost no different from the Christian one. Sinners will be given boiling water to drink, dressed in clothes made of flame, and generally roasted in fire in all sorts of ways. Moreover, unlike the Bible, the Koran talks about the torment of sinners quite clearly and in detail.

In hot bunks, sinners are boiled in cauldrons, just like in Christian hell.

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 10368 x 10 10 years. In general, quite a lot, to be honest.

It should be noted that the concept of narc has changed over time. In the sources of different years, the narak is not only sixteen, but also twenty, and even fifty. In ancient Indian mythology, naraka is one and divided into seven circles, with cruel physical torture applied to sinners living in the last three circles. The inhabitants of the last circle (mostly they are boiled in oil) are forced to suffer until the death of the Universe.

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. If Dante had been a Buddhist, he would have found something to describe.

Similar principles govern hell in Hinduism. Sinners and righteous people, depending on their achievements, after death can go to various planets of existence (lokas), where they will be subjected to torment or, conversely, drown in pleasures. Staying in hellish locks has an end point. The “deadline” can be reduced with the help of prayers and offerings from the children of the last incarnation of the suffering soul. After serving the sentence, the soul is reincarnated into a new being.

But in Taoism, heaven and hell are very similar to Christian ones. Only they are in the same place - in the sky. The tabernacles of paradise are located in the central, bright part of the sky and are subordinate to Yang-zhu, the lord of light. Hell is located in the north, in the region of the dark sky, and is subordinate to Yin-zhu, the lord of darkness. By the way, both a Hindu and a Taoist can easily show hell or heaven with a finger - in both religions the locations of the planets and stars are combined with real astronomy. The torment of Taoist sinners is reminiscent of the ancient Greeks - it is repentance, boredom, internal struggle.

In Chinese mythology, under the influence of Buddhism, the Diyu system of hell was formed, consisting of ten courts of justice, each of which has 16 halls for punishment. All the dead, without exception, go to the first judgment. They are interrogated by Judge Qinguang-wan and decides whether the soul is sinful or not. The righteous go straight to the tenth judgment seat, where they drink the drink of oblivion and cross one of six bridges back to the world of the living to be reincarnated. But before reincarnation, sinners will have to sweat in the first to the ninth judgment courts. The torture there is quite traditional - tearing out hearts, eternal hunger (by the way, this is how cannibals are punished), climbing a ladder made of steps of knives, and so on.

* * *

There is no need to be afraid of hell. There are too many variants of it, and different people perceive the underworld too differently. This shows only one thing: no one knows what awaits us beyond. We can only find out about it once we get there. But there is probably no need to rush to do this for research purposes. Remember that everyone has their own hell - and it doesn’t have to be fire and tar.

Eternal memory as eternal life

In Russian science fiction, one of the most interesting, complex and unique “afterlives” is described in Svyatoslav Loginov’s novel “The Light in the Window.” In his version, there is no reward beyond the line, but simply another world, more reminiscent of purgatory than hell or heaven. And what matters in it is not how sinful or righteous you were, but how long you are remembered. Every time someone alive remembers someone who has died, this memory turns into a coin, the only currency in the land of the dead. Those who are remembered a lot and often live happily even after death. And those who remain only in the memory of two or three close relatives quickly fade away.

This is a deliberately materialistic concept. In it, it is the memory of the living - the measure of the meaning and value of human life. We don’t know anything about people who lived in the past, it’s as if they no longer exist, and those few who are still remembered, in a sense, continue to live. Morality is taken out of the equation, the tyrant-conqueror and the writer - the ruler of minds - find themselves in an equal situation. It's unfair, but unfortunately very plausible.

The phrase “a person is alive while he is remembered” takes on flesh in this concept of “after death”. And after reading the book you inevitably wonder how many will remember you after death?