![]() ![]() We see this clearly in Buffy, Destiny, and sometimes in The Lord of the Rings. Alan Bernstein describes the ability to physically descend into and ascend out of a hellscape as the “porous death” ( The Formation of Hell 84). There is a fascination with what occurs in the afterlife, and journeys into the hellscape are attempts to understand the afterlife within narrative settings. This was also the case for medieval persons, who clung to the Office of the Dead in their Books of Hours. The deep-rooted fear of eternal damnation was prevalent within the religious thoughts of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam (Bernstein, The Formation of Hell 84), and it is a fear that continues well into this day for many people, myself included. It is designed for the punishment of sins, and it functions as a (physically and morbidly) dark deterrent of immoral behavior (an understatement when we actually see what these places supposedly looked like). ![]() Some biblical verses indicate that hell is a physical place they describe it as a “fiery lake” (Revelation 19:20, 20:13-14, 21:8) or a “realm of the dead” (Psalm 9:17 Acts 2:27 Proverbs 15:24). Why does this idea of an underground, evil place for the condemned sound so familiar? Where did it come from? Helpful hint: look closer at the name “Hellmouth.” Whether it is explicitly called “Hellmouth,” as in Buffy or Destiny, or is suggested to be a kind of hell, as in The Return of the King, there is a foundational idea connected between the three. At the core of this plot point, there is something sinister hiding beneath the earth. He was probably aware of the idea of the Hellmouth, although I cannot say for sure, but he appears to veil it within a cave in the mountain Dwimorberg, where hostile Oathbreakers are bound by broken promises. Tolkien was a medievalist and a Roman Catholic, and most of his creative work stems from his time as a professor at Oxford, where he taught medieval languages and literature (Chance 2, 4). Tolkien did not call anything a “Hellmouth.” The final book of the trilogy, The Return of the King, however, has one scene in “The Passing of the Grey Company” that does indicate the presence of a Hellmouth. One of the most influential stories of our age, The Lord of the Rings is not a place you’d expect a Hellmouth to crop up. While using the literal Hellmouth is a common trope in science fiction and fantasy entertainment (as indicated by Buffy and Destiny), there are some entertainment media that employ the Hellmouth in unexpected, unique ways. Just to get a sneak peek of what’s to come, take a look at this beauty! Doesn’t it have some nice pearly whites? To connect to the course, Buffy and Destiny depict the physical Hellmouth that medieval Books of Hours do all the time. Buffy and Destiny depict the literal Hellmouth, meaning that they do not try to obscure their function as physical connections to a hellscape setting. Destiny’s is a an actual hole in the surface of the Moon. Buffy’s Hellmouth connects to the surface via the sewer systems under the city. Interestingly enough, these two very different entertainment media utilize a similar idea: an inimical force that opposes the human race from within the earth. ![]() Activision’s video game, Destiny, has a Hellmouth on the Moon, where an insect-like enemy called the Hive threatens the human race of the future. While the term “Hellmouth” has been popularized largely thanks to Whedon, he is not the only one to use it. Sunnydale sits on a Hellmouth, a hotspot of demonic activity, which is to blame for all that goes bump in the night (and the day and every plane of existence in between). Joss Whedon’s beloved television series sees teen Buffy navigating two kinds of worlds: the “real” one we all know and the supernatural one, both full of their own special monsters. Nothing says “Hello, Hellmouth” like a trip to Sunnydale in Buffy the Vampire Slayer. It’s funny how the earth never opens up and swallows you when you want it to. ![]()
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