Dictionary Definition
underworld
Noun
1 the criminal class
2 (religion) the world of the dead; "he didn't
want to go to hell when he died" [syn: Hel, Hell, Hades, infernal
region, netherworld, Scheol]
User Contributed Dictionary
English
Noun
Synonyms
Translations
part of society engaged in crime or vice
- Czech: podsvětí
- Finnish: alamaailma
- Greek: υπόκοσμος (ypókosmos)
world of the dead
- Czech: podsvětí
- Finnish: manala
- German: Unterwelt
- Greek: άδης (ádis), τάρταρα (tártara)
Extensive Definition
In the study of mythology and religion, the underworld (gr:
κάτω κόσμος) is a generic term approximately equivalent to the lay
term afterlife,
referring to any place to which newly dead souls go.
In most cultures the term refers to a neutral or dystopic realm
of the afterlife, instead of a heavenly one.
Sometimes the underworld is identified as "Hell" because Hell was
thought to be under the Earth.
Rulers of the Underworld
(Note: this includes guardian-type creatures, ghosts, and spirits such as demons, veli, and Cerberus)Fictional underworlds
- The next Tomb Raider game is titled Tomb Raider: Underworld.
- The setting for the Heroes in Hell shared world series of Bangsian Fantasy works by Janet Morris, C. J. Cherryh and others.
- The location of the captive Prince Rilian in The Silver Chair, of C. S. Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia series, is the Underland.
- The evil Outer Planes of the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game.
- The Netherworld of the Playstation 2 videogame Disgaea: Hour of Darkness and other games of the series.
- The Underworld in the videogame Devil May Cry in Mission 19 "Enter the Corrupted World"
- The Underwhere in Super Paper Mario, where people whose "games have ended" go to.
- A high-end zone of the Guild Wars videogame series.
- A representation of hell in the Mortal Kombat videogame series, known as the Netherrealm.
- Underworld is the title of a Doctor Who story based on the legend of the Golden Fleece
This has influenced several gothic fiction texts.
- Karzahni, where poor Matoran workers were sent before Mata Nui's coming in the Bionicle mythos.
- In the television series Charmed, The Underworld was the residence of evil beings.
- From Star Trek, Gre'thor and Fek'lhr appear in Klingon mythology.
- In the television series Power Rangers: Mystic Force, the antagonists reside in a world which appears to be quite literally under the surface of the earth. Nevertheless, several ghoulish characters —such as Vampires, Werewolves, Zombies, Mummies and even someone very similar to Frankenstein's monster — act as primary residents (this version of the Underworld is more similar to Hades or Hell).
- Underworld (2003 film), directed by Len Wiseman and starring Kate Beckinsale about a war between vampires and werewolves. There was also a sequel - Underworld: Evolution (2006) and will be a prequel, Underworld 3: The Rise of the Lycans
underworld in Czech: Podsvětí
underworld in German: Unterwelt
underworld in Spanish: Anexo:Inframundo
underworld in French: Au-delà
underworld in Italian: Storia dell'Aldilà
underworld in Luxembourgish: Ënnerwelt
(Mythologie)
underworld in Lithuanian: Požeminis
pasaulis
underworld in Macedonian: Подземен свет
underworld in Dutch: Onderwereld
(mythologie)
underworld in Norwegian: Dødsrike
underworld in Polish: Zaświaty
underworld in Russian: Загробный мир
underworld in Simple English: Underworld
underworld in Serbo-Croatian: Podzemni
svijet
underworld in Swedish: Dödsrike
underworld in Vietnamese: Địa ngục
Synonyms, Antonyms and Related Words
Abaddon, Black Hand, Cosa
Nostra, Dis, Gehenna, Hades, Hell, Naraka, Orcus, Pandemonium, Sheol, Tophet, abyss, avichi, bottomless pit, bowels, criminals, deep space,
deeps, depths, gangdom, gangland, gaping depths,
hades, hell, infernal pit, infernal
regions, inferno,
jahannan, limbo, lower world, nether world,
netherworld,
organized crime, outer space, perdition, place of torment,
purgatory, shades
below, the Mafia, the abyss, the bottomless pit, the grave, the
mob, the pit, the rackets, the syndicate, the underworld,
unfathomed deeps, unknown depths