A combination of science and theology has, over the years, identified several potential “gateways to hell” around the world.
Spanning from Israel to Belize to Ireland, the locations include sites of human sacrifice, caves filled with toxic gases, and the location of an iconic pilgrimage.
Read on for where to journey if you’re looking for a hellish vacation.
1. gehenna
Also known as the Valley of Hinnom, the name “Gehenna” derives from the Greek word for “hell.”
The valley surrounds the Old City of Jerusalem and was the site of the Tophet, a worship site mentioned in the Hebrew Bible. It was at the Tophet that followers engaged in ritual worship. That included “passing a child through the fire,” today believed to mean child sacrifice.
These sacrifices are ascribed to an Ammonite god named Moloch and condemned in the Bible. Some scholars also use the term “tophet” to refer to large cemeteries full of children who were sacrificed.
“In the ancient world (whether Greek, Roman or Jewish), the worst punishment a person could experience after death was to be denied a decent burial,” New Testament scholar Bart Ehrman wrote in Time. “Jesus developed this view into a repugnant scenario: corpses of those excluded from the kingdom would be unceremoniously tossed into the most desecrated dumping ground on the planet.”
2. Hierapolis
Hierapolis is a Hellenistic Greek city built in Phyrigia, what is now modern-day Turkey. It includes a temple, theater, sawmill ,and more. However, the “gateway to hell” is located in what is known as the Ploutonion.
The structure features a small cave with stairs descending to an underground chamber. Here, a buildup of carbon dioxide gases killed animals brought down into the grotto, and caused some priests to become dizzy or hallucinate.
“[The] space is filled with a cloudy and dark vapor, so dense that the bottom can scarcely be discerned, said the ancient philosopher Strabo. “Animals which enter … die instantly… Even bulls, when brought within it, fall down and are taken out dead. We have ourselves thrown in sparrows, which immediately fell down lifeless.”
In 2013, archaeologists discovered the carved arch opening in the Temple of Pluto, confirming the thermal springs that gave off the toxic gases.
“These carbon dioxide vapors can kill birds and other small animals that get too close to this ‘Satanic temple,’ making it one of the scariest gates of hell on Earth,” says Fodor’s Travel.
3. Hekla
The Icelandic word “hekla” refers to a short, hooded cloak. That description of this ominous volcano perhaps hints at the shroud of clouds that surround the top.
The Norse were the first to call the volcano a “gateway to hell,” during the Middle Ages. And they weren’t wrong.
In 1104, Hekla erupted with a Volcanic Explosivity Index (VEI) of 5 — the same rating as Mount St. Helens’ catastrophic 1980 eruption. The explosion covered more than half of the island nation with rock and ash.
“The renowned fiery cauldron of Sicily, which men call hell’s chimney … that cauldron is affirmed to be like a small furnace compared to this enormous inferno,” wrote a Cistercian monk named Herbert de Clairvaux in 1180, claiming that Hekla was more deadly than Mount Etna in Italy.
Since 1210, over 20 eruptions have occurred in and around the volcano, making it one of the country’s most active volcanoes.
4. Actun Tunichil Muknal
In Belize, brave travelers can find the “Cave of the Crystal Sepulchre,” a Maya archeological site that features skeletons and artifacts from the ancient civilization.
Ceramics can be found with “kill holes,” created with holes to release spirits. These are thought to have been ceremonial in nature. A famous skeleton is known as “The Crystal Maiden,” believed to be a 17-year-old boy who was possibly sacrificed. The bones have calcified to have a sparkling, crystallized appearance.
However, remains of children as young as four have also been found. Archaeologists believe that the cave includes an entrance to Xibalba, the Mayan underworld.
“Amongst the Maya, we hardly see any – almost no – human sacrifice until the late classic period [the 8th and 9th Centuries CE],” Holley Moyes, a professor and caves expert from the University of California, told the BBC. “And I think they start doing it because they are in the middle of a drought, and they are trying to up the ante.”
5. St. Patrick’s Purgatory
Location on Station Island in Lough Derg, County Donegal, Ireland, legend has it that the cave was the site of a revelation for St. Patrick. In prayer for guidance on how to convert the Irish people, the saint was shown a pit in the ground called Purgatory.
By witnessing Purgatory, it was said, the people would know the beauty of Heaven and the perils of Hell. This legend is mentioned in texts as early as 1185. It is thought to be instrumental in establishing Purgatory as a place, rather than just a theory.
While some descriptions of the cave from early pilgrims give an idea of what it looks like, it has been closed since 1632 and never excavated.
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