harrowings of hell
katabasis (n.) “descent”; often referring to a descent into the underworld, or the realm of the dead.
created by ruiconteur
last updated October, 2026
Comments
I feel lowkey called out with my new obsession with Inferno and Hozier and all... perfect timing for this perfect list 🙂↕️🙂↕️
mood lmfao 🙂↕️ i created this list bc i wrote almost a quarter of my thesis on lúthien's harrowing of hell, so really i'm calling myself out too
Oh wow, impressive! I haven't moved towards the rest of Tolkien's Canon but I swear at some point I will😭 especially now that I know it's got sth to do with hell🤭
the tale of beren and lúthien is inspired by orpheus's katabasis! it's pretty fun, and the harrowing of hell aspect actually appears twice, though the first version of it is more inspired by a medieval english legend lol
Whaaat omggg more of my interests overlapping ...🤯 you're really selling this book to me ngl🤭🙂↕️
i definitely recommend!! i've actually only read the version of beren and lúthien's story that's in the silmarillion so far, but there's some really wild stuff that happens in it. also idk if you're interested in medieval lit too, but tolkien was influenced by sir orfeo as well, which is itself a middle english retelling of the orpheus-legend lmao
I really haven't read any medieval literature but I'm always happy to fall into an obscure rabbit hole just based on the fact i told someone I like Hozier hehe will look up sir Orfeo!
oooh if i may, sir orfeo is specifically a breton lay/lai, and no introduction to breton lais is complete without some of marie de france's lais (i highly recommend bisclavret for all the werewolfism and shenaniganery, i had such a great time with it)
Ok ok I'm sorry but whay is a lay/lai? Pls explain haha, I'm interested but a bit confused😭
they're essentially short, rhymed romances (in the medieval sense) that involve either love, the supernatural, or both. they're also often (but not always) connected to arthurian legend, i believe. just think of it as medieval narrative poetry
Ahh oki thank you sm for taking the time to explain! Sounds super fascinating and once I have the time to come back to this I'll definitely let you know 🙂↕️🙌🏻
hope you have fun with them!!
Okay. The next time we get to nominate lists for quests, I’m going to nominate this one.
And I will vote for it 🙂↕️ I'd love this to be a quest!!
Sign me up for the campaign team!!!
omg tysm!! i'm so honoured
My pleasure. The list is not only fabulous (I’ve only read a couple of the books, and a different one of Adeline Yen Mah’s, Chinese Cinderella, and loved them all), I love the title, too. Alliteration is the best!
yess alliteration is so fun!
oooooooooooo what a fascinating theme! love itttt
ty!! i'm honestly surprised no one's made a list about this considering how much hype there is over rfk's katabasis
This list is so fun! May I suggest a new personal favorite, Once Was Willem. Really cool journey through hell in that one
ooh ty for the rec! i'll definitely check it out
Oooh, spoiler, but the Kingdom of the Wicked books & the Princes of Sin series both by Kerri Maniscalco would go well with this list.
ty for the rec! i'll look them up. do you remember which books specifically?
Kingdom of the Cursed (book 2) of that series, is when they actually go to hell, or as the books call it "The Seven Circles" and I've only read the first of the Prince of Sin books, but the "princes" are the leaders of each of the Seven Circles of Hell.
tysm!! i'll check them out later
yessss, i was thinking it was funny how all my reading was randomly revolving around hell!
if you're interested, there's a book called translating hell that i heard about on a medieval history podcast that may fit the bill, either as a recommendation for you and/or your list!
oh lovely thank you! from what i can see of the contents on jstor, it does seem to fit the list (now i just need to get access to it somehow lmao)
that’s the thing with the academic books they can be difficult to source, but sometimes local libraries can borrow them from academic institutions through interlibrary loan!!
hm i'm not sure if that's possible in my country, but i'll have a look, ty!
if you're taking recs, A Steep and Savage Path by JJA Harwood would fit - the mc visits the underworld to try & save her sister
thank you! i'll add it to the list
© 2025 Pagebound