History Main / PurgatoryAndLimbo

* In the ''Series/StElsewhere'' episode "After Life", Dr. Wayne Fiscus has a near death experience after being shot. His visions include a trip to Heaven, Hell, and Purgatory (which surprises him, since as he says, "I'm not Catholic"), during which he meets the souls of patients and friends who have already died.

* ''Purgatorio'', the middle work in Dante's trilogy ''Literature/TheDivineComedy'', is set in Purgatory. In the book, Limbo is the outermost circle of Hell; the final destination of "failed" souls who never attained salvation but aren't evil enough to merit any worse punishment than simply being estranged from God forever. In contrast, Purgatory is a sort of tough-love reform camp for saved but flawed souls who need to finish the process of becoming perfected enough to enter Heaven.

* ''Purgatorio'', the middle work in Dante's trilogy ''Literature/TheDivineComedy'', is set in Purgatory; the page image is taken from the woodcut illustrations created by Creator/GustaveDore. In the book, Limbo is the outermost circle of Hell; the final destination of "failed" souls who never attained salvation but aren't evil enough to merit any worse punishment than simply being estranged from God forever. In contrast, Purgatory is a sort of tough-love reform camp for saved but flawed souls who need to finish the process of becoming perfected enough to enter Heaven.

* In Dante's ''[[Literature/TheDivineComedy Divine Comedy]]'', ''Purgatorio'' (the middle work of the trilogy) is set here; the page image is taken from the woodcut illustrations created by Creator/GustaveDore. In the book, Limbo is the outermost circle of Hell; the final destination of "failed" souls who never attained salvation but aren't evil enough to merit any worse punishment than simply being estranged from God forever. In contrast, Purgatory is a sort of tough-love reform camp for saved but flawed souls who need to finish the process of becoming perfected enough to enter Heaven.

* In Dante's ''[[Literature/TheDivineComedy Divine Comedy]]'', ''Purgatorio'' (the middle work of the trilogy) is set there; the page image is taken from the woodcut illustrations created by Creator/GustaveDore. In the book, Limbo is the outermost circle of Hell; the final destination of "failed" souls who never attained salvation but aren't evil enough to merit any worse punishment then simply being estranged from God forever. In contrast, Purgatory is a sort of tough-love reform camp for saved but flawed souls who need to finish the process of becoming perfected enough to enter Heaven.

* In the ''TabletopGame/ForgottenRealms'' campaign setting, the Fugue Plane serves this purpose: a flat, gray wasteland under an equally colorless sky, the sole features of which is the City of [[JudgementOfTheDead Judgment]], ruled by impartial Kelemvor, [[TheGrimReaper god of the dead]], and the Wall of the Faithless. The souls of mortals are left to wander the city for ten days before being collected by the servants of their gods, during which time they're tempted by devils (per the Nine Hells' agreement with the city) to join the latter's ranks. The Wall, meanwhile, is where the souls of those who worshipped no gods in life (even if they never knew they had to) are pressed into the wall itself and left to suffer until they finally [[CessationOfExistence disintegrated into nothingness]]. Controversial in-universe, many see the Wall as a harsher punishment than even that faced by the False (those who betrayed their gods) or souls damned to the Hells.

* In the ''TabletopGame/ForgottenRealms'' campaign setting, the Fugue Plane served this purpose: a flat, gray wasteland under an equally colorless sky, the sole features of which were the City of Judgment, ruled by Kelemvor, god of the dead, and the Wall of the Faithless. Mortals were left to wander the city for ten days before being collected by the servants of their gods, during which time they would be tempted by devils to join the latter's ranks. The Wall, meanwhile, is where the souls of those who worshipped no gods in life (even if they never knew they had to) were pressed into the wall itself and left to suffer until they finally [[CessationOfExistence disintegrated into nothingness]]. Controversial in-universe, some saw the Wall as a harsher punishment than even that faced by the False (those who betrayed their gods) or souls damned to the Hells.

For some this may be a short stay, while for others it can last anywhere from a few centuries to all eternity. Sometimes the duration is a sentence based on the exact amount of bad [[CallItKarma karma]] a given soul has to work off. Alternatively, it may be an EpiphanicPrison which will last as long as it takes for the soul within to realize enlightenment, let go of their past, or truly repent their past deeds -- possibly never. It's not TheNothingAfterDeath, but some of those [[FateWorseThanDeath trapped in Limbo]] might start to wish it was.

* In ''WebComic/TheOrderOfTheStick'', the LawfulGood {{heaven}} is shown to have a FluffyCloudHeaven -- like entry area where the newly deceased wait in line to be checked out by the CelestialBureaucracy to see if they qualify to be admitted to {{Heaven}} proper. {{PlayerCharacter}}s, however, can optionally just wait there until they are resurrected.

What these [[MetaphysicalPlace (meta)physical places]] are actually ''like'' varies greatly. Sometimes it's depicted as another world, [[MundaneAfterlife much like our own]]. Bleaker works may depict it as [[InTheDoldrums a dull greyish void where nothing happens]], or a misty ruin, shadowy forest, endless cave or desert, or a [[DarkWorld dark version of the real world]]. Sometimes it's a literal waiting room, or a bright garden or chamber of white stone with light pouring in from Heaven proper. The Limbo of ''Literature/TheDivineComedy'' is a serene and beautiful but endlessly dreary castle on the outskirts of Hell. It won't be a place of [[FireAndBrimstoneHell endless fiery torment]], but it won't be paradise, or even as relatively pleasant as being alive.

Compare VoidBetweenTheWorlds, the emptiness between {{Alternate Universe}}s or [[AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence higher planes of existence]], which is often portrayed similarly, particularly when the various afterlives are portrayed as [[TheMultiverse universes unto themselves]].

In a setting that doesn't have any kind of Purgatory or Limbo, a character might instead be BarredFromTheAfterlife altogether and [[FlyingDutchman wander the earth for all eternity]] instead.

Also compare PrisonDimension, where a living character may be physically banished to a limbo-like place as ThePunishment, often in the PhantomZone.

Often the first place that people come when they die, this may be simply an AfterlifeAntechamber: a waiting room of the dead, where the souls of the departed may be assigned to their final destination by some manner of CelestialBureaucracy. Or, in the event of a NearDeathExperience, a brief respite where the hero can confer briefly [[DeadPersonConversation with a dead loved one]] or {{mentor|OccupationalHazard}} before coming BackFromTheDead to fulfill their ultimate destiny.

{{Heaven}} and {{Hell}} are simple concepts. When people die, good ones go to Heaven, while the evil ones go to Hell. But what about the others, those who aren't good enough to meet the strict prerequisites of Heaven, nor evil enough to deserve Hell?

This trope is about places, usually called Purgatory or Limbo, which serve as the intermediate afterlife between Heaven and Hell, where morally average people go after they die. The concept not being unique to any one religion or universal to most of them, however, can mean the names get co-opted for any number of other purposes.[[note]]The two actually aren't the same in Catholic theology -- Purgatory refers to a place where one's sins are purged before ascending to heaven; Limbo (from the Latin ''limbus'', meaning "edge") is the place on the outskirts of Hell where the souls of the unbaptized wander forever. In fiction, however, the names are often treated as more or less interchangeable.[[/note]]

Often the first place that people come when they die, this is frequently simply an AfterlifeAntechamber: a waiting room of the dead, where the souls of the departed may be assigned to their final destination by some manner of CelestialBureaucracy. Or, in the event of a NearDeathExperience, a brief respite where the hero can confer briefly [[DeadPersonConversation with a dead loved one]] or {{mentor|OccupationalHazard}} before coming BackFromTheDead to fulfill their ultimate destiny.

In a setting that doesn't have any kind of Purgatory or Limbo, meanwhile, a character who's too bad for Heaven but too good for Hell might instead be BarredFromTheAfterlife altogether and [[FlyingDutchman wander the earth for all eternity]] instead.

Not to be confused with EveryoneIsJesusInPurgatory, an AudienceReaction about literary interpretation, although when the RuleOfSymbolism is in play, [[AngelUnaware Angels Unaware]] and [[DevilInDisguise Devils In Disguise]] may indeed be present in Purgatory, and {{God}} may very well [[GodWasMyCopilot be your copilot]] through Limbo.

Not to be confused with EveryoneIsJesusInPurgatory, a subjective trope about literary interpretation, although when the RuleOfSymbolism is in play, [[AngelUnaware Angels Unaware]] and [[DevilInDisguise Devils In Disguise]] may indeed be present in Purgatory, and {{God}} may very well [[GodWasMyCopilot be your copilot]] through Limbo.

Not to be confused with EveryoneIsJesusInPurgatory, a {{YMMV}} trope about literary interpretation, although when the RuleOfSymbolism is in play, [[AngelUnaware Angels Unaware]] and [[DevilInDisguise Devils In Disguise]] may indeed be present in Purgatory, and {{God}} may very well [[GodWasMyCopilot be your copilot]] through Limbo.

* In ''WebComic/TheOrderOfTheStick'', the LawfulGood {{heaven}} is shown to have a FluffyCloudHeaven -- like entry area where the newly deceased wait in line to be checked out by the CelestialBureaucracy to see if they qualify to be admitted to {{Heaven}} proper. {{PlayerCharacter}}s, however, can optionally just wait there until they are reincarnated.

* While only briefly touched upon in Literature/TheBible itself, the descent of Christ into Limbo and subsequent [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harrowing_of_Hell Harrowing of Hell]] were explored in greater depth in the apocrypha and became a common subject of medieval artwork. Following his crucifixion but before his resurrection, the soul of Christ descended into the realm of the dead and brought salvation to the "Limbo of the Patriarchs" -- the outer part of Hell inhabited by those righteous folk who lived and died in the days before they could be baptized and redeemed. Christ "[[OpenSaysMe trampling the gates of Limbo underfoot]]" seems to have been an ''especially'' popular (and vivid) image.

* While only briefly touched upon in Literature/TheBible itself, the descent of Christ into Limbo and subsequent [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harrowing_of_Hell Harrowing of Hell]] were explored in greater depth in the apocrypha and became a common subject of medieval artwork. Following his crucifixion but before his resurrection, the soul of Christ descended into the realm of the dead and brought salvation to the the "Limbo of the Patriarchs" -- the outer part of Hell inhabited by those righteous folk who lived and died in the days before they could be baptized and redeemed. Christ "[[OpenSaysMe trampling the gates of Limbo underfoot]]" seems to have been an ''especially'' popular (and vivid) image.

HeavenAndHell are simple concepts. When people die, good ones go to {{Heaven}}, while the evil ones go to {{Hell}}. But what about the others, those who aren't good enough to meet the strict prerequisites of Heaven, nor evil enough to deserve Hell?

[[quoteright:240:[[Literature/TheDivineComedy https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/dore_bandofsoulsaroundthewallofrock.jpg]]]]
[[caption-width-right:240:Neither up nor down.]]

* Discussed in ''WesternAnimation/GodTheDevilAndBob'': In episode 11, when Bob's [[AbusiveParents abusive father]] dies, Bob goes to hell to visit him but the Devil informs Bob his dad is not there. When Bob asks if he's in purgatory then, the Devil admits that place doesn't actually exist.

* The primary character in ''VideoGame/{{Limbo}}'' is a nameless boy, who awakens in the middle of a forest on the "edge of {{hell}}", looking for his missing sister. The atmosphere in general is a gray place with only silhouettes and the eyes are seen as [[MonochromaticEyes momochromatic]] [[BlankWhiteEyes white eyes]].

* In Dante's ''Literature/DivineComedy'', ''Purgatorio'' (the middle work of the trilogy) is set there; the page image is taken from the woodcut illustrations created by Creator/GustaveDore. In the book, Limbo is the outermost circle of Hell; the final destination of "failed" souls who never attained salvation but aren't evil enough to merit any worse punishment then simply being estranged from God forever. In contrast, Purgatory is a sort of tough-love reform camp for saved but flawed souls who need to finish the process of becoming perfected enough to enter Heaven.

* Erebus in Myth/GreekMythology was pretty much a shadowy limbo for "neutral" souls, between Tartarus (Hell) and Elysium (Heaven).

What these [[MetaphysicalPlace (meta)physical places]] are actually ''like'' varies greatly. Sometimes it's depicted as another world, [[MundaneAfterlife much like our own]]. Bleaker works may depict it as a dull greyish void where nothing happens, or a misty ruin, shadowy forest, endless cave or desert, or a [[DarkWorld dark version of the real world]]. Sometimes it's a literal waiting room, or a bright garden or chamber of white stone with light pouring in from Heaven proper. The Limbo of ''Literature/TheDivineComedy'' is a serene and beautiful but endlessly dreary castle on the outskirts of Hell. It won't be a place of [[FireAndBrimstoneHell endless fiery torment]], but it won't be paradise, or even as relatively pleasant as being alive.

* Parodied in ''Discworld/{{Wintersmith}}'' where the Nac Mac Feegle help Roland vist the (or rather, ''an'') underworld and explain "This one used tae be called Limbo, ye ken, 'cuz the door was verra low."