A list of 37 words by uselessness.
- heaven appears on 42 other lists
- hell appears on 34 other lists
- purgatory appears on 36 other lists
- valhalla appears on 17 other lists
- paradise appears on 34 other lists
- hades appears on 13 other lists
- gehenna appears on 14 other lists
- summerland appears on 1 other list
- abraham's bosom appears on 2 other lists
- olam haba appears on just this list
- hereafter appears on 17 other lists
- fields of yalu appears on just this list
- elysian fields appears on 6 other lists
- sheol appears on 10 other lists
- lake of fire appears on 1 other list
- hamistagan appears on just this list
- akhirah appears on just this list
- soul sleep appears on 1 other list
- spirit prison appears on just this list
- limbo appears on 52 other lists
- mictlan appears on 1 other list
- bardo appears on 5 other lists
- nirvana appears on 53 other lists
- kingdoms of glory appears on just this list
- eternal rest appears on just this list
- new jerusalem appears on 1 other list
- jannah appears on 1 other list
- tír na nÓg appears on 4 other lists
- aaru appears on just this list
- svarga appears on just this list
- fortunate isles appears on just this list
- mag mell appears on 1 other list
- avalon appears on 16 other lists
- spirit world appears on 1 other list
- underworld appears on 9 other lists
- astral plane appears on 3 other lists
- abaddon appears on 9 other lists
whichbe Perhaps postmundane? May 28, 2008
chained_bear I think the grey havens are pretty clearly a literary fiction that was never meant to be religious. And I'm not sure it's anything to do with a value judgment that Greek mythology is called mythology, and not religion. It is called mythology and not religion because 1) nobody claims that it's their religion anymore--there are no living adherents, and 2) if you called it "Greek religion," people would logically assume you're talking about the Greek Orthodox Church.
I don't think that dividing line between "religion" and "literary fiction," in the instance of the grey havens anyway, is nearly as thin as you're making it out to be. There's a pretty wide gulf there!
The only way there can be a flame war on Wordie is if someone purposely starts one. If you wanted to argue about religion, you could, but it doesn't seem like sionnach's comment was headed in that direction at all. Oct 27, 2007
seanahan "I guess the grey havens are purely a literary fiction.". Uh, if you start differentiating between "literary fiction" and "religion", we're going to get into a flame war pretty quickly. Why do we study Greek mythology in literature class, and not religion or philosophy? It's a value judgment. Oct 27, 2007
reesetee C_b, if you've never read Paradise Lost, put it on your list. I have a feeling you'd love it. It's been one of my favorites ever since I was a tiny English undergrad. :-) Oct 26, 2007
sionnach the inferno, the city of Dis, the grey havens, Hy-Brassil? I'm not sure I understand the exact criterion for this list. I guess the grey havens are purely a literary fiction. Oct 26, 2007
seanahan sweet nothingness Oct 26, 2007
chained_bear I didn't know that about Pandemonium! Heck, I didn't even think hell had a capital. Oct 26, 2007
yarb From Welsh mythology, the Isle of Annwn (akin to Tír na nÓg). Oct 25, 2007
uselessness Good suggestions! I can't find reference to Arcadia as a spiritual place; it seems to refer to a physical location. And Shangri-La and Pandemonium are both fairly recent fictions. Sep 18, 2007
reesetee Cool list, uselessness! Abaddon? Arcadia? Shangri-La? And I don't know whether Pandemonium (capped) counts--was coined by Milton as the "capital" of hell. Sep 18, 2007
palooka Don't forget the astral plane. Sep 18, 2007