Encyclopedia of Fantasy (1997)
Underworld

Tagged: Theme.

A term sometimes used to describe those parts of a City occupied by criminals or an underclass or – in fantasy texts – Wainscot societies which may not be human at all. More frequently what is being described is the land of the dead. It is usually thought to lie beneath the world, and is often called Hades, after the Greek god who rules it, or Hell; it may Parody the world of the living, or work as a Mirror (see also As Above, So Below), or serve as a venue for Afterlife existences, some of them – as in John Kendrick Bangs's Riverboat sequence – perfectly pleasant. [JC]