Hell

Hell is a religious concept describing a place or state of punishment after death in several traditions. In Western contexts it is often associated with Christianity and Judaism; in Islam it is Jahannam; in Hinduism and Buddhism with various Narakas. Some traditions depict hell as a concrete realm of fire and torment, while others emphasize moral consequence, purification, or existential separation from the divine.

The term hell comes from Old English hel, from Proto-Germanic *haljo- or *haljō-, related to concealment or a hidden underworld. It is cognate with Norse Hel and has cognates in other Germanic languages. In other languages, different names are used for the afterlife punishment, such as Hades or Gehenna in Christian contexts, Sheol in Hebrew literature, and Jahannam in Islam.

Christianity: Many denominations view hell as eternal punishment; some propose conditional immortality or annihilationism; Catholicism holds purgatory as an intermediate state, not hell. Judaism: Sheol is a neutral underworld; later Jewish writings depict Gehenna as a temporary place of punishment or purification, with less emphasis on eternal torment. Islam: Jahannam is a fiery realm with multiple levels and punishments; beliefs vary on duration, with some emphasizing eternal punishment for unbelievers and others allowing eventual entry for certain souls. Hinduism and Buddhism: Naraka, described with several hells, is typically temporary and karmically determined; samsara and karma govern rebirth until liberation (moksha or nirvana).

Culture and scholarship: The concept of hell has influenced ethics, law, literature, and art, from medieval sermons to modern fiction. In academic discourse, hell is analyzed as a theological artifact shaped by each tradition’s views on justice, the problem of evil, and the possibility of redemption.