Afterpants: Nether Regions Pt. 1 (The Abyss)

Welcome to Afterpants’s newest series: Nether Regions.

This will be a set of blog entries that will focus specifically

on different beliefs about the underworld.

(This is also terribly funny because “nether regions” means

places that are not in the living world but also a phrase commonly

used to refer to one’s genitalia which are covered by underwear)

Our first entry (the order of which I left to wikipedia) is

“The Abyss.” Being raised christian, I always thought of the

abyss as a sort of giant well with a mighty iron lid.

However, after further investigation I found that because the original

word is Greek ἄβυσσος

which means “boundless”the meaning of the

word begins to step into a place which has no true

religious context. The Hebrew word is “”

which connotates the ocean.

Of course my favorite part is that abyss is used

In several languages (hawia هاوية in Arabic) the meaning

is variously interpreted as the deep of

the ocean OR the center of the earth.

This can contain, but is not limited to,“tortures of the damned”,

demons, fire and even Lucifer himself.

The Jewish Encyclopedia notes that there was(is?) a special

place, beneath the altar of the Temple at Jerusalem

which led directly to the abyss, wherein the stone which

is the center of the earth lies.

Further, that the abyss has 3 or 7 levels.

Though in christianity and Judaism it is associated with

Hell. There seem to be several opinions on the matter.

Either it is in the ocean (which would naturally rule out fire),

under the ocean (which could easily be a series of caves…

which would then be (scientifically) near the earth’s core

and have molten earth OR it could be a higher level of

caverns which are pitch black having neither fire nor water.

The Hebrew idea of several “levels” would tend to indicate

caverns whereas the christian idea of

“the seat of the dragon” and wherein he will be

chained until the final confrontation between “good” and “evil”

would indicate the supernatural fires of “hell.”

Personally, I’m in favor of either interpretation.

The darkest ocean depths or the center of the earth…in both cases

cultures around the world have spoken of these two places

as the place where the dead live…so…you know…ghosts…

Because the definition is so nebulous (and therefore

applicable to almost any belief system,

Afterpants gives “The Abyss” 4 briefs out of 5!