History Main / FireAndBrimstoneHell

-->- Squirrel Nut Zippers, ''Hell''.e

[[AC: Real Life and Religion]]
* Actually, the conception of Hell as this is pretty much now obsolete. Nowadays, if you would ask a non-fundamentalist Christian, you are more likely to get a reference to "Eternal Separation" instead of fire and brimstone.

However, none of these passages say anything about being underground or tormenting demons. 2 Peter 2:4 ''does'' mention that evil angels (demons) were sent to Hell, but mentions they were put into pits/chains of darkness, which would make them more fellow inmates with the humans sent there rather than their torturers. In addition, Revelation is generally viewed to take place in the ''future'', which some interpret meaning there isn't a Hell ''now''; or else, the current Hell is just Satan's base and not his prison (and then the question arises of how "literal" Revelation is supposed to be interpreted anyway). This particular combination of elements appears to have originated with Dante's ''[[DivineComedy Inferno]]'', so this is OlderThanPrint...more or less. Most of the layers of Hell in ''The Inferno'' were more like the IronicHell. [[{{Flanderization}} Only about one or two layers were]] ''truly'' Fire and Brimstone (in fact, the lowest level, reserved for traitors, was [[EvilIsDeathlyCold completely frozen over]]).

As a side note, watch for use of the word "Gehenna" in relating to a sea of fire- this was actually a massive Roman trash dump where garbage filth and the like were burned. [[DidNotDoTheResearch Not that this fact will ever be brought up]], but at least ''you'll'' know.

* Played straight ''and'' subverted in ''{{Supernatural}}''. The first glimpse we get of Hell is through the Devil's Gate in the final episode of Season 2, and what we see is a rock passageway lit from below by what looks like fire or lava. Then, subverted in the last episode of Season 3, when we see Dean [[spoiler: actually ''in'' Hell, which looks like a thunderstorm with metal chains and sharp hooks everywhere]], with [[NightmareFuel Dean himself in the middle of it]].

* Subverted in ''{{Monster Soul}}'' in that not only can you enter Hell from a reasonably easy entrance. It doesn't even look any different from the normal world, the only difference is that its inhabitants are monsters.

* Shows up early on in ''{{Bleach}}'', but is never brought up again.

-->See! It is a pitiful sight. The little child is in this red hot oven. Hear how it screams to come out. See how it turns and twists itself about in the fire. It beats its head against the roof of the oven. It stamps its little feet on the floor of the oven. You can see on the face of this little child what you see on the faces of all in hell -- despair, desperate and horrible! ... God was very good to this child. Very likely God saw that this child would get worse and worse, and would never repent, and so it would have to be punished much more in hell. So God, in His mercy, called it out of the world in its early childhood.
-->Perhaps at this moment, seven o'clock in the evening, a child is just going into hell. To-morrow evening at seven o'clock, go and knock at the gates of hell, and ask what the child is doing. The devils will go and look. Then they will come back again and say, the child is burning! Go in a week and asked what the child is doing; you will get the same answer -- it is burning! Go in a year and ask; the same answer comes -- it is burning! Go in a million of years and ask the same question; the answer is just the same -- it is burning! So, if you go for ever and ever, you will always get the same answer -- it is burning in the fire!
** ...*[[NightmareFuel whimper]]*...

[[quoteright:248 http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/449px-Hortus_Deliciarum_-_Hell_8101.jpg]]

http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/449px-Hortus_Deliciarum_-_Hell_8101.jpg

* Dante Alighieri's ''[[DivineComedy Inferno]]'', as mentioned above.
** Though compared to some versions of Hell, this almost counts as an AvertedTrope: naked flames feature in only four of the twenty-four divisions of Dante's Hell and just one of the seven regions in his Purgatory. You are as likely to be boiled, drowned, chopped or frozen, as you are burnt, in Dante's ''Inferno.''

* In ''{{Toy Story}} 3'', a garbage incinerator serves as [[WhatDoYouMeanItsNotSymbolic a quite fitting substitute]].

However, none of these passages say anything about being underground or tormenting demons. 2 Peter 2:4 ''does'' mention that evil angels (demons) were sent to Hell, but mentions they were put into pits/chains of darkness, which would make them more fellow inmates with the humans sent there rather than their torturers. In addition, Revelation is generally viewed to take place in the ''future'', which some interpret meaning there isn't a Hell ''now''; or else, the current Hell is just Satan's base and not his prison (and then the question arises of how "literal" Revelation is supposed to be interpreted anyway). This particular combination of elements appears to have originated with Dante's ''[[DivineComedy Inferno]]'', so this is OlderThanPrint...more or less. Most of the layers of Hell in ''The Inferno'' were more like the IronicHell. [[{{Flanderization}} Only about one or two layers were]] ''truly'' Fire and Brimstone (in fact, the lowest level, reserved for traitors, was completely frozen over).

-->'''Squid Devil''': You are raped by demons all day! And the days are longer down there. You know what we have to drink? Fire [[UnusualEuphemism motherstuffer]] that's what! And dinner? That's a root, that makes you thirsty for more flippin fire! It's ridiculous what I have set up down there!
* Miseryville on ''{{Jimmy Two-Shoes}}'', albiet a [[AHellOfATime somewhat tolerable version]].

* One of the settings in the original ''{{Lemmings}}'' is this version of Hell, featuring fire blowers, lava, and a demonic exit door. The PSP release maintains these features and throws in a couple of demon skeletons for good measure.

* In ''{{Toy Story}} 3'', a garbage incinerator serves as a quite fitting substitute.

Common features of a FireAndBrimstoneHell include underground cavern-like decor, plenty of {{hellfire}} and lava, and red-skinned devils with horns and tails poking the souls of sinners around with their pitchforks. Sometimes, it's actually shown to be underground ''literally'', but most of the time it's AnotherDimension.

However, none of these passages say anything about being underground or tormenting demons. 2 Peter 2:4 ''does'' mention that evil angels (demons) were sent to Hell, but mentions they were put into pits/chains of darkness, which would make them more fellow inmates with the humans sent there rather than their torturers. In addition, Revelation is generally viewed to take place in the ''future'', which some interpret meaning there isn't a Hell ''now''; or else, the current Hell is just Satan's base and not his prison. This particular combination of elements appears to have originated with Dante's ''[[DivineComedy Inferno]]'', so this is OlderThanPrint...more or less. Most of the layers of Hell in ''The Inferno'' were more like the IronicHell. [[{{Flanderization}} Only about one or two layers were]] ''truly'' Fire and Brimstone (in fact, the lowest level, reserved for traitors, was completely frozen over).

Of course, just because this depiction of Hell is theologically unsound doesn't mean it's not true. Really no way of knowing [[ToHellAndBack unless you've been there]].