7 Places That Might Be Gateways to Hell

Mount Osore is a dormant volcano. Seared earth, a poisonous lake, and sulfur clouds create a vision of hell. This sacred Buddhist site sits on the remote Shimokita Peninsula of Japan. "Mount Osore" translates to...Mount Osore is the Mountain of Horror.Sitting near the Sanzu River, Japanese Buddhist belief says all souls must cross it before the afterlife. Popular mythology describes Mount Osore itself as the gateway to hell.

Though this description may not appeal for your next vacation, it is a popular tourist spot. Visitors can visit the cusp of the underworld with the...Itako is one of the seven places that might be gateways to hell.: A group of elderly, blind shamans claim to talk to the dead. You get a first-hand look at the other side.

Station Island sits in Lough Derg, a lake in County Donegal, Ireland. It is a small, green, scenic spot with views of the Atlantic and the Irish countryside. It functions as a gateway to Hell. Legend says St. Patrick visited Station Island. Jesus led Patrick to a pit that was a portal to hell.

St. Patrick relayed the visions he saw—brutal punishment and torture—to reassure his followers that the afterlife exists and can be unpleasant. Today,...St. Patrick's Purgatory is a monastery.sits on the island. This shields the Earth from the portal, so tourism is usually discouraged.

The ancient city of Hierapolis lies in the southwestern region of Turkey. It is a Greco-Roman pilgrimage site home to Pluto's Gate, a long-fabled entryway to hell that was only recently found.

Archaeologists found Pluto's Gate in 2013 after decades of searching. This doorway to hell differs because it can actually kill people. Ancient writings state travelers brought animals there as a sacrifice to Pluto.

Mephitic gasses leak from the gate's rocks, subjecting unfortunate animals to them, causing them to die from suffocation. Visiting hell from Pluto's Gate demands a high level of commitment.

Located about 50 miles north of Prague,...Houska Castle is one of the seven places that might be gateways to hell.Houska Castle is an imposing 13th-century Gothic mansion over the Czech countryside. Its eerie look hides what is actually more sinister: a bottomless pit leading straight to hell.

Before Houska Castle was built, local villagers faced problems with demonic creatures leaving the pit at night and harassing those who left their homes. Local legend also tells of a man lowered into the pit by rope. After disappearing from sight, he began to shriek in terror. When he was pulled out, he had aged about 30 years.

Around 1253 AD, locals saw enough of this portal. Houska Castle was built to keep demons away. Few know the castle's other use. It had no water, no fortifications, no trade routes nearby, and no tenants for decades after it was built. Hope that basement stays locked.

Located in China's Chongqing region on the northern bank of the Yangtze River.Fengdu Ghost City appears on the list '7 Places That Might Be Gateways to Hell'.This sprawling complex holds shrines and temples for the afterlife. Fengdu Ghost City's entrance to hell needs three tests to complete (or fail). The first test is crossing the Nothing-to-Be-Done-Bridge; pure souls cross easily, while the sinister souls fall into the square pools below.

Test number two is harder. It involves facing Yama—the King of Hell—at Ghost Torturing Pass. There, he checks your soul's worth.

The third, final test happens at Tianzi Palace. A large stone sits at the gate's front. Stand on one foot for three minutes. Pass, and your soul avoids hell. Fail, and you spend more time with Yama.

The Cave of the Sibyl is in the barren, burnt Phlegræan Fields of Naples, Italy. Mount Vesuvius, which destroyed Pompeii, stands near this spot.The Cave of the Sibyl is listed in '7 Places That Might Be Gateways to Hell'.Virgil described the Cave of the Sibyl in The Aenid.The Aenid is listed in '7 Places That Might Be Gateways to Hell'.The cave is said to be the home of the Sybil, the underworld's guide. It supposedly leads straight to the River Styx, the main way to Hades.

British archeologists explored The Cave of the Sibyl in the 1960s. In reality, the cave is a hot, narrow maze of passages filled with sulfur fumes. That environment, buried under volcanic wasteland, seems like a perfect path to hell.

New Orleans is America's Voodoo religion center and has unique afterlife ties. Voodoo practitioners describe an underworld called Guinee, where all souls must pass to their final spot. Guinee is a murkier purgatory than traditional hellfire, but it is an accessible underworld.

The Big Easy holds more than one physical gateway to Guinee.It holds seven.These seven gates sit in various cemeteries and parts of the French Quarter. Plan your trip; the first gate is at Marie Laveau's tomb and is most active on New Year's and Mardi Gras. Do not travel light. Each gate has a guardian requiring ritual offerings; they get angry easily. Guarding the living from the dead is likely not an easy job.