Tag Archives: inferno

Cities of the Damned

The idea of the world of the dead as a physical place is fascinating to me, probably at least partially because I love maps. Whether people in ancient times who wrote about such things genuinely believed that the Underworld had … Continue reading

Posted in Christianity, Etymology, Final Fantasy, Greek Mythology, Language, Maps, Monsters, Mythology, Poetry, Religion, Roman, Video Games | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

These Judges Are Such Cretans

When the world of the dead is presented as a place of reward or punishment, as has become pretty standard, that generally means that someone has to decide who goes where. The Underworld of Greek mythology came to have three … Continue reading

Posted in Animals, Art, Greek Mythology, Monsters, Mythology, Poetry, Roman, Video Games | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Put a Zork in It

I remember seeing magazine ads for Zork and other text-based adventure games when I was a kid, and thought they seemed pretty fascinating. I never actually got to play any of them at the time, though. I don’t think they … Continue reading

Posted in Animals, Authors, Douglas Adams, Games, Greek Mythology, Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Humor, J.R.R. Tolkien, L. Frank Baum, Lewis Carroll, Magic, Maps, Monsters, Mythology, Oz, Oz Authors, Video Games, William Shakespeare | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The Fellowship of Hell Can’t Help You Now

The History of Hell, by Alice K. Turner – Erica Olivera recommended this book to me, and I quite liked it. In a casual style, it explores the concept of Hell throughout history, in both religion and popular culture. It … Continue reading

Posted in African, Art, Babylonian, Book Reviews, British, Catholicism, Christianity, Egyptian, Greek Mythology, History, Humor, Monsters, Mythology, Philosophy, Plays, Poetry, Religion | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Hell No, We Won’t Go!

Picture by Brandon Geurts I don’t believe in an afterlife, but I can see the appeal of it, because I’m kind of afraid of no longer existing. I think it’s what’s going to happen, and I won’t care afterwards, but … Continue reading

Posted in Christianity, Comics, Fairy Tales, Greek Mythology, Humor, Judaism, Mythology, Norse, Philosophy, Religion | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

I Have the Power!

Hell’s Super, by Mark Cain – This comedic look at the popular conception of Hell is narrated by Steve Minion, a rich guy in life who became the superintendent in Hell, conscripted to fix everything that breaks. The fact that … Continue reading

Posted in Book Reviews, Cartoons, Celebrities, History, Humor, Mythology, Oz, Religion, Star Trek, Television | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

There Goes the Sun

I thought I might do something with mythology related to eclipses this week, and this page gives an overview of some such explanations. It was apparently pretty common to assume the Sun was being eaten when it disappeared during the … Continue reading

Posted in Buddhism, Final Fantasy, Hinduism, Monsters, Mythology, Norse, Pac-Man, Religion, Video Games | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Hey, Let’s Do the Limbo Rock

There’s something I’ve always liked about the word “Limbo,” which has entered into popular usage as meaning a state where nothing can happen until certain conditions are met. It comes from the Latin limbus, meaning an edge or border. The … Continue reading

Posted in Cartoons, Catholicism, Christianity, Comics, Etymology, Games, Greek Mythology, Mythology, Oz, Places, Religion, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Television | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The Dark Knight Changes Class

I actually didn’t play Final Fantasy IV (or Final Fantasy II as we Americans called it back then) until after FF6 (then FF3), and comparatively it was somewhat primitive as far as story and characterization went. Still, it was the … Continue reading

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Pope Frankie Says Relax

The title for this post comes courtesy of my wife, who thought it would make a good caption for a picture of the Pope. It’s well known that Pope Francis declared that even atheists could get into Heaven, although that’s … Continue reading

Posted in Catholicism, Christianity, Religion | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments