welcome to watch mojo
and today we'll be counting down our
picks for the top 10 entrances to the
underworld
on earth you can visit on the way there
they will be able to see the beauty of
the island
that they will be on for the next three
days heckler was first climbed
in 1750 and has been an attraction to
travelers and scientists ever since
but still on aetna tourists gather
unaware for this list we'll be going
over the physical locations in the real
world
said to connect to the underworld or
other similar or related worlds
following physical death
of various mythologies if you think
another entrance to the underworld
deserved a spot on our list
condemn us in the comments below
number 10 river acheron greece
located in the appearance region of
northwestern greece
the river acheron flows into the ionian
sea
and is a rather short 32 miles long
according to the ancient greeks and
romans however acheron was one of five
rivers of the underworld
with some myths connecting it to hades
or tartarus
although known as the river of woe some
legends claim it was capable of
cleansing or healing those within it
still others personified the river
recounting that acheron was the son of
the sun god helios
who was transformed into a river after
giving water to the titans
will the river cleanse you or come to
life there's only one way to find out
number 9. mount osore japan
mount osore refers to both a buddhist
temple and the active volcano upon which
it resides
while it may not have erupted for 10 000
years its smoky volcanic activity has
long led locals to associate it with the
underworld
according to folk legends mediums at the
temple are said to be able to contact
the souls of the dead
not only that but a nearby brook is said
to connect to the sun tzu river
a mythical river in the japanese
buddhist afterlife
if connecting with the other side isn't
your cup of tea though there's always
the hot spring resort
number eight mount hekla iceland
iceland is a very volcanically active
country and one of its most
vocal volcanoes is mount hekla its first
historically recorded eruption was in
1104 and it covered nearly half of the
country in debris
this explosive event led observers to
refer to the mountain as a gateway to
hell
heckler was first climbed in 1750
and has been an attraction to travelers
and scientists ever since
the mountain's grim reputation persisted
for centuries
with some even mistaking birds seen near
hekla's fires later on as the souls of
the dead
despite or perhaps because of its
connection with the land of the damned
mount hekla remains a popular hiking
destination
number 7. lake averness italy
located near the filigreean fields a
large caldera in southwestern italy
lake of ernest is a volcanic crater lake
the romans
in addition to building temples bath
houses and even a naval base in the area
also believed avernus was an entrance to
the underworld
in legends about figures such as aeneas
and odysseus
hades could be accessed via portals in
and around the lake
some roman writers even used avernus as
another word for the underworld itself
and when a lake is synonymous with the
land of the dead well
that's one spooky body of water number
six
the gates of guinea louisiana usa
according to voodoo beliefs guinea is
the place where the souls of the dead
reside before reuniting with their
forebears
and is overseen by loa baron sam zee
in truth the gates and their location
are a secret and it
isn't even truly known if they're real
or imagined though many claim they exist
guinea is said to be accessed through
seven gates which some practitioners
claim are all located in the city of new
orleans
specifically near canal street in the
french quarter
the gates are reportedly found in seven
local cemeteries
in order to open the gates they must be
visited in a specific order
and specific offerings must be given to
each guardian
fail to complete the ritual properly and
the spirits will drag you back to the
land of the dead with them
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number five st patrick's purgatory
ireland
although it sounds like a euphemism for
a hangover on march 18th
st patrick's purgatory is actually a
pilgrimage destination on station island
in ireland
the original destination of the
pilgrimage was a cave or a cellar
through which it is said that purgatory
could be entered on the way there
they will be able to see the beauty of
the island that they will be on for the
next three days
it was supposedly revealed to st patrick
by god to show doubters how good heaven
is
and how terrible hell is by
demonstrating the afterlife in between
the two
the cave itself has been closed off
since the 17th century
but pilgrimages have continued to the
present day
number four houska castle czech republic
this gothic castle is located just
outside of prague in the czech republic
according to legend houska was
constructed atop a gateway to hell
its chapel in particular is said to
reside directly above the entrance
we have a prominent writer who stayed
here during the end of the 1800s
and reported much like many of the myths
say that he saw
winged black creatures flying around
this courtyard where we stand right now
proponents of this belief cite the fact
that houska was built without
fortifications or a water source
and did not reside near any trade routes
instead its purpose was to stop
demons from escaping the pit beneath the
castle that does admittedly sound rather
suspicious
um and the story is is that this uh pit
is a gateway to hell
and the reason they built the castle was
to keep um
evil demons and demonic spirits from
coming out of the pit
uh into the surrounding land of course
others argued that it simply served an
administrative purpose
now we're in the lower portion of the
castle this has been nicknamed satan's
office
either way the legend has long drawn a
cult enthusiast to house gun droves
number three plutonian at hieropolis
turkey a plutonian is a term for a place
of worship for the greco-roman god of
the underworld
pluto previously called hades sometimes
called pluto's gate
the plutonian at hieropolis found in
modern day denise lee province in turkey
is a small chamber these ruins in
southwest turkey were once an elaborate
temple
built around a cave people believe led
straight down
into the depths of hell what connects it
to pluto is that it is located atop a
cave that emits carbon dioxide
which would suffocate anything that
stayed too long within leading locals to
attribute their deaths to pluto himself
animals were often sacrificed in this
manner and priests would perform
miracles by entering the religious site
by holding their breath or finding
pockets of oxygen
number two feng do ghost city china
situated on the banks of the yangtze
river fender go city has been around for
about 2 000 years
according to legend it was founded by
two officials
yin changsheng and wang fang ping who
practiced taoism to such a degree that
they became
immortal when yin and wang are combined
it means
king of hell fengdu also features in
many classic chinese legends like
journey to the west much of its
architecture and statues refer to the
underworld
and there are even several
representations of the chinese belief
that the dead
must pass three tests before they can
enter the afterlife
today the city is a major tourist
attraction there are actually
actors there to play the role of the
legendary demons who guard the bridge
before we unveil our spookiest number
one pick here are a few honorable
mentions
seven gates of hell pennsylvania usa
several myths claim gates to hell can be
found throughout hellam township
cape matapan cave greece located near
ruins spartan temples this cave is said
to lead to hades
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aktun tunichin mukhnal cave belize
this supposed entrance to the mayan
underworld contain a calcified skeleton
i turned to nigel muknow is certainly a
very special place to me i was the first
archaeologist to visit that cave
there are portals to the underworld
where important
gods resided mount aetna italy a nearby
spring is said to lead to the underworld
but still on aetna tourists gather
unaware right now we are by
9 thousand feet above the sea level the
highest
you can get when you come to launch
candelaria caves
guatemala these gorgeous caves were
another entrance to the mayan afterlife
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number 1. cave of the sybil italy
the command sybil was a greco-roman
priestess devoted to apollo
the oracle was actually said to reside
near kumai
a greek colony close to modern naples
though an alternate location at bai
has also been suggested in addition to
having the gift of prophecy the sybil
was also said to be a guide to the
underworld
her labyrinthine cave was described as
having a hundred
entrances with one leading to the
afterlife
the real cave doesn't have that many
ways to get in though it is quite a
distinctive site that will evoke plenty
of awe and mystery
it's certainly one worthy of the legend
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