10 places where you can see the shadow of the otherworld

Many stones and various objects people have since ancient times endowed with some supernatural or healing properties. So, in Russia, it was believed that water from seven different wells could heal a number of diseases, and some representatives of ancient cultures believed that the ruby could cure diseases of the digestive system and activate blood circulation.

In addition to individual things, often special properties, and not always positive, were given to entire places. The fame of places with negative energy is firmly entrenched in the lowlands and ravines. Over time, other objects were added to them, because of their characteristics on a subconscious level, causing a sense of danger and associations with the other world. We have found 10 such places that people consider to be the gates to the dark realm.

1. St. Patrick's Purgatory, Ireland

It is believed that the cave on Station Island in the middle of Loch Derg in County Donegal is nothing more than a gateway to another world. According to legend, when St. Patrick spent Lent on the island in prayer, Christ appeared to him. He showed him the torments of sinners and the failure through which those who have faith and repentance can find themselves in purgatory. The pilgrims who came here believed that after death they would be delivered from purgatory torments. Currently, the entrance to the cave is closed, and a chapel has been built next to it.

2. Darvaza, Turkmenistan

To prevent harmful gases from escaping, in 1971, geologists set fire to a gas-filled void formed during the exploration of an accumulation of underground gas, believing that in a couple of days the fire would go out. But the flames have not been extinguished since, burning continuously day and night. Locals and travelers have dubbed the place "The Door to the Underworld".

3. Pluto Gate, Turkey

In 2013, archaeologists discovered in the ancient city of Hierapolis, near modern Pamukkale, the ruins of a place called "The Gate of Pluto" or "The Gate to the underworld". The geographer Strabo, who lived in the first century BC, wrote about them that "this place is filled with vapors, so dense and saturated that it is difficult to see the earth; any bird that flies there immediately dies." Researchers suggest that the "portal to hell" was used for sacrifices.

4. Sibyl's Cave, Italy

According to Greek mythology, the Cumaean Sibyl received as a gift from Apollo as many years of life as many grains of sand would fit in her palm. The fortune teller forgot to ask about eternal youth, so she gradually dried up. It is believed that the Cumae Sibyl lived in one of the caves in Cumae, near Naples. The Sibyl's Cave occupies a special place in the underworld under Cumae. And not far from it is Lake Averno, which for the Romans and Greeks was the entrance to hell.

5. Masaya Volcano, Nicaragua

The volcano, 20 km southeast of Managua, originated 2,500 years ago. Although it is not particularly different from other volcanoes, the Spanish conquistadors considered it a place of evil and called the volcano "The Mouth of Hell". To drive the devil out of the place, a Spanish priest placed a cross on the top, and a road was laid to it. Historians also call Masaya the center of paranormal phenomena.

6. Actun-Tunichil-Muknal, Belize

Belizean Mayan caves were used for ritual ceremonies and burial of the dead. The Aktun-Tunichil-Muknal cave is an archaeological monument of their civilization. It was this cave that the Maya considered as the entrance to the underworld.

7. Mount Fear Osorezan, Japan

The surrounding landscape recalls descriptions of Buddhist hell and paradise, including the eight peaks and the Sanzu no kawa River, which dead souls cross on their way to the afterlife. The mountain is considered the gateway to the afterlife.

8. Acheron River, Greece

According to ancient Greek mythology, Acheron is a river through which the soul carrier Charon carries souls. But this river exists not only in myths, but also in the real world. The river flows in the Epirus region of Thesprotia, passing through the mountainous area of Kakozuli, a gloomy gorge with a length of 5 km, the plain of Epirus and disappearing into the lake-swamp Acherusia palus. In Dante's Divine Comedy, the Acheron River encircles the first circle of Hell. Needless to say, many people try not to swim here from one bank to the other.

9. Feng Du, Fengdu County, China

There is a ghost town in Fengdu. It is full of shrines and temples and is considered a place where the devil lives. Next to the city is Mount Ming Shan, which is the home of the Dead King Tianzi.

10. Hell, Norway

Norway is a cold northern country, but if you look at the map, you will find that hell is located here. By the will of fate or someone's evil joke, the town with a population of 1,500 people was named Hell, which means "Hell"in English. In contrast to the conventional notions of hell, you can easily freeze in this one if you dress too easily.