Today’s A to Z writing challenge is “H” for Heaven and Hell. Many do not believe in a heaven or a hell. As a writer, my trilogy “The Chosen One of Allivar” was not written to convince a reader of either. The concepts of both provide for some of the greatest stories ever written. The battle of the forces of the light against the forces of darkness provides imagery of the unimaginable. The concept of heaven is a place where our souls go on living a just life. Hell is where we are condemned with eternal suffering for rebellion and destruction. These two places, which appear to exist only in the ethereal world, have been described very little in many stories. Perhaps the most descriptive narrative ever written can be found in Dante’s Inferno. The Inferno is a favorite story of mine for two reasons.
First, the story taught me what allegorical meant. With that definition in mind, I discovered that what I was about to write was allegorical as well. To many people reading my trilogy, they will make a connection between their faith and the story. An atheist should read the story solely as an adventure. Even Penn Jillette, the magician who is an atheist, states he reads the Bible at least once a year. He has stated, “I don’t just read the things I agree with.” Reading helps us to understand the point of view of others and should allow us to have tolerance for our differences. My story deals directly with one of the most complex topics in life – free will.”
Secondly, the Inferno gave me some of the most vivid narrative of the description of Hell and its inhabitants. It is a gory story to say the least. In all three books of my trilogy, Arimar is confronted with the inhabitants of the underworld lead by a vile creature named Gahar. However in the first story, “Rise of the Fallen”, Arimar almost falls into the underworld to be consumed. In that narrative, you will find the influence of the Inferno. One of my readers stated she became queasy upon reading it. But where did Gahar come from? This is not explained in the trilogy, but will be covered in length in the fifteen stories to follow the trilogy in “The Chronicles of Allivar.” In those stories, you will see even more influence of the Inferno, with the sole purpose of making evil as vile and gory as possible. By doing this a reader can easily choose sides.
Now, when moving on to Heaven, there isn’t a good description of it either. Many people of the past believed heaven and hell reside here on earth. So what do the souls of living beings do in an afterlife? I do not have the answer, but I pose a supposition of what our purpose is. I think you will find my take an interesting one and with room for civil discussion.
I have studied various religions and mythologies and every one of them is fascinating. How each one deals with life and death along with good and evil is not as different as we think. To be a well rounded person, be open to the attainment of knowledge, philosophy, science, mathematics, etc. You have the free will to become whatever you want to be. So as you read the trilogy, you are reading my creation – my mythology. Enjoy!
