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 May, 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
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
