WARNING- THIS POST MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS
When Stephanie writes about hell- how does she do research when there is little to no mention of them in key religious texts like the bible?
It’s worth noting that Hell is vast, and complex. It is geographically large and not fully defined. For those who rule it, the boundaries can be confusing to understand. The most prevalent classical depictions of Hell are seen in Greek Mythology through oral storytelling such as the descents depicted by Odysseus, Orpheus and Hercules. Tartarus, the deep abyss used to incarcerate the titans, is also an important place in the Greek underworld. We see a lot of this depiction in Stephanie’s books through things like Harpies, Charon and the five rivers of Hell.
In the 14th century, Italian poet Dante Alighieri wrote The Divine Comedy, a poem following Dante (yes- he used his own name) led astray from the path of good, accompanying his tour guide classical poet Virgil on a descent to Hell. A lot of Dante’s worldbuilding comes from this mythology but also incorporates the Christian Ideology of Hell into his story. This is arguably this is the biggest influence in Stephanie’s depictions of Hell.
However, The Divine Comedy was not the first time Hell was depicted in Christianity. Fourth-century monk Evangruis Ponticus, wrote about the nine rulers of hell. It wasn't until much later that a definitive list of the rulers of Hell (The one we use to this day) was formalised by Peter Binsfield, a German bishop (1540-1598), who was obsessed with condemning those of witchcraft and demonology. This list is associated with the seven deadly sins.
Geryon does not feature in Binsfield’s list, but instead was created by Dante as the embodiment of Hell. Dante was also influenced by ‘The Vision of Tundale’, a 12th century religious text that tells the story of Tundale, an Irish knight who has a vision and descends to Hell.
Regardless, it's worth noting that a Christian depiction of Hell is not the only depiction of Hell in both Stephanie’s books and in wider religious belief. We see demons in the books from all different kinds of folklore and writings from the Afterlife world. When Keira goes to Hell in the Quarter Moon, she sees first hand how diverse faith can be. As Keira boards Charon’s boat to travel to Asmodeus’ realm, she is told that people die on the Styx from a lack of faith. If they don't believe an Afterlife exists, they will drown. Keira then realises there are different tunnels leading off from the Styx, representing the different versions of afterlife people believe according to the different religions.
The water begins to get more rapid and rocky when entering the tunnels. She sends a prayer to Dominic and the rocks start disappearing, Keira knows that this is a test of faith.
This is the first part of a series about how Stephanie Hudson creates Hell in her books. If you want to read more on the subject, the Afterlife Saga is free on Kindle and Kindle Unlimited here.
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