In Latin, as well as in English, the toponym “Avernus” is synonymous with “hell” or “underworld.” It comes from the name of a volcanic crater lake in Campania, Italy. It means “birdless” in Ancient Greek (áornos), likely named so for the toxic fumes seeping from the area, which is part of the Phlegraean Fields of active volcanoes. In ancient Roman beliefs, Lake Avernus was considered the entrance to Hades, and its name grew to be a synonym for the underworld itself. It appears in Virgil’s Aeneid, in which Aeneas descends…
