nether worlds
Lands beneath us
Nether worlds, also spelled as one word or hyphenated, refers to realms believed to exist beneath the earth or beyond ordinary existence—particularly the abode of the dead or of demons in various mythologies and religions.
The term draws on nether, meaning lower or situated below.
In figurative use, nether worlds can describe any hidden, shadowy, or morally dubious sphere of activity: the nether worlds of organized crime.
The singular netherworld is more common in contemporary usage.
- hellsPlural underworlds of suffering
- lake of fireFiery underworld punishment realm
- eternal damnationEverlasting punishment after death
- underworldRealm of the departed
- abyssImmeasurably profound depth
dark underworld · bottomless pit · pit of despair · purgatory · shadow · Sheol · inferno · gates of hell · darkness · limbo · Hades · demons · sufferings · gloom · Tartarus · down below · Erebus · afterlives
nether worldsheaven
Sky or bliss
the heavens · paradise · celestial realm · celestial sphere · empyrean
nether worldsheaven
Sky or bliss
paradise · Kingdom of God · celestial paradise · Elysium · Elysian Fields