Medieval illustration of Hell in the Hortus deliciarum manuscript of Herrad of Landsberg (about 1180)
Hell is the underworld abode of souls of the damned. Hell is the opposite of heaven and is falsely believed to be ruled by Mephostophiles. Hell is the complete absence of God, light and love; a place of unbearable fire and horrible tortures. Hell takes its name from Hel, the Norse goddess of the netherworld. Most concepts of the afterlife segregate the good from the evil, sending them to separate abodes.