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In the study of mythology and religion, the underworld (gr: - ) is a generic term approximately equivalent to the lay term afterlife, referring to any place to which newly dead souls go. In most cultures the term refers to a neutral or dystopic realm of the afterlife, instead of a heavenly one. Sometimes the underworld is identified as "Hell" because Hell was thought to be under the Earth.

See also: descent to the underworld and psychopomp

Rulers of the Underworld

(Note: this includes guardian-type creatures, ghosts, and spirits such as demons, veli, and Cerberus)

References in popular culture

• The eighth Tomb Raider video game is titled Tomb Raider: Underworld.
• The setting for the Heroes in Hell shared world series of Bangsian Fantasy works by Janet Morris, C. J. Cherryh and others.
• The location of the captive Prince Rilian in The Silver Chair, of C. S. Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia series, is the Underland.
• The evil Outer Planes of the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game.
• The Netherworld of the Playstation 2 videogame Disgaea: Hour of Darkness and other games of the series.
• The Underworld in the videogame Devil May Cry in Mission 19 "Enter the Corrupted World"
• The Underwhere in Super Paper Mario, where people whose "games have ended" go to.
• A high-end zone of the Guild Wars videogame series.
• A representation of hell in the Mortal Kombat videogame series, known as the Netherrealm.
• Underworld is the title of a Doctor Who story based on the legend of the Golden Fleece

This has influenced several gothic fiction texts.

• Karzahni, where poor Matoran workers were sent before Mata Nui's coming in the Bionicle mythos.
• In the television series Charmed, The Underworld was the residence of evil beings.
• From Star Trek, Gre'thor and Fek'lhr appear in Klingon mythology.
• In the television series Power Rangers: Mystic Force, the antagonists reside in a world which appears to be quite literally under the surface of the earth. Nevertheless, several ghoulish characters -such as Vampires, Werewolves, Zombies, Mummies and even someone very similar to Frankenstein's monster - act as primary residents (this version of the Underworld is more similar to Hades or Hell).
• Underworld (2003 film), directed by Len Wiseman and starring Kate Beckinsale about a war between vampires and werewolves. There was also a sequel - Underworld: Evolution (2006) and will be a prequel, Underworld 3: The Rise of the Lycans
• In the animated television series Chaotic, there's a tribe called the UnderWorld in perim.

v - d - e Hells and Underworlds Buddhism (Naraka) · Chinese mythology (Diyu) · Christianity (Hell) · Ancient Egyptian religion (Duat) · Germanic and Norse paganism (Hel · Niflheim) · Greek mythology (Hades · Tartarus) · Hinduism (Naraka) · Islam (Jahannam) · Judaism (Gehennom Sheol · Abyss) · Shinto (Yomi)