History Main / CirclesOfHell

* DC's crossover ''Underworld Unleashed'' used this model for Neron's hell.

* Barely anyone gets into Heaven in ''BartlebyTales'', so the first level of Hell was converted into the closest thing Satan could make to Heaven. The second (where the story is set) is AHellOfATime, helping people deprogram from a life spent following God's mindless taboos. The third through sixth are like purgatory, and only the seventh is a proper IronicHell (for people who're really, ''really'' evil.)

* In" [[http://www.jtillustration.com/hell Hell Lost]]" Dante is revealed as being mistaken: they are not circles, in fact, but ledges that step down to the Frozen Plain described by Milton, where both a frozen lake and one of fire can be found.

* ''Manga/OnePiece: Although the real 'Hell' hasn't been seen, the strongest prison in the One Piece world is based on this, having each layers of prison floors a hell, (ie: Level 2 is 'Beast Hell', level 5 is 'Freezing Hell and etc..)

* OnePiece: Although the real 'Hell' hasn't been seen, the strongest prison in the One Piece world is based on this, having each layers of prison floors a hell, (ie: Level 2 is 'Beast Hell', level 5 is 'Freezing Hell and etc..)
* Despite the page picture, it's unclear if the Shinigami Realm in ''Manga/DeathNote'' actually works like this. We don't see enough to call either way.

* In ''DragonBall'', Hell seems to have a number of layers.

* ''YuYuHakusho'', where Younger Toguro requests to be sent to the last circle of hell, which is 10,000 years of torture for 10,000 cycles until his soul ceases to exist.

* Despite the page picture, it's unclear if the Shinigami Realm in ''DeathNote'' actually works like this. We don't see enough to call either way.

[[quoteright:300:[[DeathNote http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ryuk_in_shinigami_realm.jpg]]]]
[[caption-width-right:300:This must be the "Punishment for Having Fun" level.]]
It's not bad enough to have just one plane of eternal torment. {{Hell}} has multiple layers, with the ones further down holding even more horrible punishments for the wicked. FireAndBrimstoneHell is usually just one of the lesser levels; because they ''really'' get [[CoolAndUnusualPunishment creative]] deeper down. Often, Heaven will have a number of layers as well.

It's not bad enough to have just one plane of eternal torment. {{Hell}} has multiple layers, with the ones further down holding even more horrible punishments for the wicked. FireAndBrimstoneHell is usually just one of the lesser levels; because they ''really'' get [[CoolAndUnusualPunishment creative]] deeper down. Often, heaven will have a number of layers as well.

* [[WordOfDante Dante]]'s ''[[DivineComedy Inferno]]'' isn't the TropeMaker, as it's based on some apocryphical scriptures, merely the TropeCodifier for the West. This is therefore OlderThanPrint.
** It's often not mentioned that Dante's Heaven and Purgatory are built in a similar way.
* The mix of Buddhism and local beliefs in the East has made Hell the [[CelestialBureaucracy Worst Bureaucracy Ever]] at least about the same time (if not earlier).

* In the ''IncarnationsOfImmortality'' series, both Heaven and Hell possess different circles/regions. Where you end up depends on what kind of person you were in life. In Heaven you go to different circles if you were a philosopher or a military leader. In Hell people who litter([[KnightTemplar yes]]) are forced to pick up litter in the freezing cold without any clothes until they've picked up as much litter as they contributed to, directly or indirectly, in life.

[[folder:Mythology]]
* Mayan hell is divided into levels as well.
* Greek Mythology has no circles, but Hades definitely has different departments.

* "In [[http://www.jtillustration.com/hell Hell Lost]]" Dante is revealed as being mistaken: they are not circles, in fact, but ledges that step down to the Frozen Plain described by Milton, where both a frozen lake and one of fire can be found.

[[/folder]]

* "In [[http://www.jtillustration.com/hell Hell Lost]]" Dante is revealed as being mistaken: they are not circles, in fact, but ledges that step down to the Frozen Plain described by Milton, where both a frozen lake and one of fire can be found.
[[/folder]]

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** It wouldn't matter anyway, in Death Note all humans seek to exist after death, according to the Shinigami themselves. Despite its appearance, the Shinigami Realm is not actually Hell.

* Referenced by Shepherd Book in the ''{{Firefly}}'' episode "Our Mrs. Reynolds."

* An episode of ''{{Angel}}'' had a characer trapped in a suburban stlye part of hell and Angel had to bust him out. Spike tagged along and told him that there's more than one Hell such as a "Freezing Hell".

[[caption-width-right:300:This must be the [[StopHavingFunGuys Punishment for Having Fun]] level.]]

* The XMen went into Hell once to save Nightcrawler's soul. It resembled Dante's Hell.

* ''DantesInferno'', natch. Since it's based on the TropeCodifier, they sure couldn't miss this one.

* Circles exist in ''AndShineHeavenNow'''s version of Hell. There's one specifically for people that get in the way of Integra's mission. Committing that sin takes precedent over any other sins the human or vampire may have committed (explained as because she's on a mission from God, fighting her is akin to fighting God).

[[AC:{{Literature}}]]
* [[WordOfDante Dante]]'s ''[[DivineComedy Inferno]]'' isn't the TropeMaker, as it's based on some apocryphical scriptures, merely the TropeCodifier for the West. This is therefore OlderThanPrint.
** It's often not mentioned that Dante's Heaven and Purgatory are built in a similar way.
* The mix of Buddhism and local beliefs in the East has made Hell the [[CelestialBureaucracy Worst Bureaucracy Ever]] at least about the same time (if not earlier).
* Midkemia in ''TheRiftwarCycle'' is sandwiched between seven hells and seven heavens, though it is pointed out that whether a plane is heaven or hell is subjective to the individual (i.e. Midkemia would be considered the First Heaven to someone from what they consider the First Hell, and vice versa). Also, it may go further up ''and'' down; it's merely that once you reach the seventh layer either direction, human minds are no longer capable of comprehending what's going on.
* Invoked, naturally enough, in LarryNiven and JerryPournelle's ''Inferno'', which is a 20th century take on Dante.
* In Jodi Picoult's ''The Tenth Circle'', Daniel, one of the main characters, creates a comic book about traveling through the circles of hell to rescue his daughter. It reflects off the struggles he's having at home.
* In the ''IncarnationsOfImmortality'' series, both Heaven and Hell possess different circles/regions. Where you end up depends on what kind of person you were in life. In Heaven you go to different circles if you were a philosopher or a military leader. In Hell people who litter([[KnightTemplar yes]]) are forced to pick up litter in the freezing cold without any clothes until they've picked up as much litter as they contributed to, directly or indirectly, in life.
* In L. Jagi Lamplighter's ''[[ProsperosDaughter Prospero in Hell]]'', there are regions to Hell. Worse, there are Hellwinds which will blow you back to the appropriate place, even if you're a visiting still alive mortal.

* An episode of ''{{Angel}}'' had a characer trapped in a suburban stlye part of hell and Angel had to bust him out. Spike tagged along and told him that there's more then one Hell such as a "Freezing Hell".

It's not bad enough to have just one plane of eternal torment. {{Hell}} has multiple layers, with the ones further down holding even more horrible punishments for the wicked. FireAndBrimstoneHell is usually just one of the lesser levels; because they ''really'' get [[CoolAndUnusualPunishment creative]] deeper down. Often, heaven will also have a number of layers as well.