Underworld Name Generator

Names for the realms, rivers and rulers of the dead

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Generate underworld names for your fantasy world: sunless realms like Vorthul and Nethymir, landmarks such as the Gate of Nine Keys and the River Mourn, and the judges, ferrymen, gatehounds and hollow kings who rule them. Real names from Greek, Norse, Egyptian, Mesopotamian, Aztec and Maya myth are mixed with original ones built the same way.

About underworld names

Every mythology that buried its dead also mapped where they went, and the maps agree on a surprising amount. The Greek underworld had a ruler (Hades), a ferryman (Charon), a guard dog (Cerberus), five rivers (Styx, Acheron, Lethe, Phlegethon, Cocytus) and three judges (Minos, Rhadamanthus, Aeacus). The Mesopotamian Irkalla had seven gates and a queen, Ereshkigal. The Egyptian Duat had twelve hours of night and a scale that weighed hearts. Norse Hel had a bridge, Gjallarbru, and a hound, Garm. An underworld name that feels real usually belongs to one of those roles: the realm itself, a river or gate that marks its border, or the being who stands at the door.

The sound of the names matters too. Real ones are short and old-sounding (Kur, Duat, Yomi, Annwn, Mictlan), or they describe a feature plainly: the Field of Reeds, the House of Dust. Original names here follow both roads. Single-word realms like Ashkarath and Sunkenmere sit alongside plain descriptive places like the Weeping Stair and the Bridge of Sighs, and the rulers range from hollow kings to ferrymen and wardens whose surnames tell you their job.

Use the list to build a complete cosmology: pick a realm, name its river and its gate, then decide who collects the coin.

How to choose underworld names

  • Name the parts, not just the place. A realm (Nethymir), its boundary river (River Mourn), its gate (the Gate of Nine Keys) and its warden (Kethrax of the Seventh Gate) together feel far more real than one grand name.
  • Match the name to what happens there. A judging underworld suits names about scales, courts and tribunals; a place of forgetting suits water and sleep; a place of punishment suits fire, pits and iron.
  • Borrow structure from myth rather than names. Use Charon's role (a ferryman who wants payment) with your own name, so you keep the resonance without importing Greek baggage.
  • Keep the sound consistent within one cosmology: harsh invented names (Zhorvaine, Ghorrath) for an ancient death-god pantheon, plain English compounds (Hollowrest, Gravemoor) for a folk-tale underworld.
  • Give living characters an everyday way to refer to it. 'Gone down to the Hush' or 'crossed the Mourn' works in dialogue better than a formal title.

Frequently asked questions

What are the names of the underworld in mythology?

Hades, Tartarus and Erebus (Greek); Orcus and Dis (Roman); Hel and Niflhel (Norse); Duat and Amenti (Egyptian); Irkalla, Kur and Aralu (Mesopotamian); Mictlan (Aztec); Xibalba (Maya); Yomi (Japanese); Diyu (Chinese); Naraka and Patala (Hindu and Buddhist); Annwn (Welsh); Tuonela (Finnish); Sheol (Hebrew); and Supay's Ukhu Pacha (Inca).

How is an underworld different from a hell?

An underworld is where all the dead go, good and bad, usually located beneath the earth or across a river in the west; a hell is specifically a place of punishment. Many underworlds contain a hell as one region (Tartarus inside Hades, Naraka below the other realms), which is a useful pattern when you are building your own.

What should I name the ruler of my underworld?

Decide first whether the ruler is a god, a former mortal, or simply an office that anyone can hold. Gods suit short invented names with hard consonants (Nergal, Ereshkigal, Keshtaroth); mortals suit a given name plus a telling surname (Ysolde of the Grey Oar, Hollis Graveward); offices suit titles like the Hollow King or the Warden of the Last Door.

Can I use these underworld names in my novel, game or D&D campaign?

Yes. Mythological names are public domain and the original names are free to use in personal and commercial projects. For tabletop settings, note that published worlds already have their own underworlds (the Shadowfell, Hades and Carceri in D&D), so invented names help your campaign stand apart.

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All 500 underworld names

This is the complete list the generator above draws its random batches from, sorted A to Z and grouped by first letter.

Plain text, one name per line.

A: 27 names

  • Abaddon
  • Abyssia
  • Acheron
  • Acherusia
  • Adlivun
  • Aeacus
  • Aethon Scalekeeper
  • Ambrose Lanternsworn
  • Amentet
  • Amenti
  • Ammit
  • Ammut's Table
  • Ankhessar
  • Annwn
  • Anubis
  • Apep
  • Aralu
  • Arawn
  • Ashgrave
  • Ashkarath
  • Ashmaw
  • Ashmeridian
  • Ashmourne
  • Asphodel
  • Aszhkarr
  • Avernus
  • Azhkarrun

B: 5 names

  • Barrowholt
  • Belthraine
  • Belzharoth
  • Blackwater Deep
  • Bleakmoor

C: 14 names

  • Caina
  • Cairnreach
  • Calvaire
  • Cassius Mourne
  • Catacomb Vale
  • Cerberus
  • Charon
  • Charon's Wake
  • Charun
  • Cinderhollow
  • Cindrathe
  • Cocytus
  • Corvinus Nox
  • Cryptholme

D: 17 names

  • Daemorrah
  • Dirgehall
  • Dis
  • Dis Pater
  • Diyu
  • Dolorum
  • Doorwarden Ashvael
  • Dorothea Lanternfall
  • Drathmael
  • Dreadmire
  • Drowndark
  • Duat
  • Duat's Twelve Hours
  • Dunmorrow the Ferrier
  • Durnock Cairnwright
  • Dusklore
  • Dwimmerdeep

E: 7 names

  • Ebb the Boatman
  • Ebonfell
  • Ebonmere
  • Elspeth Barrowlight
  • Erebus
  • Ereshkigal
  • Evanthe Hollowsong

F: 2 names

  • Faelthorne
  • Ferrowmere

G: 23 names

  • Ganzir
  • Garm
  • Garmr the Gatehound
  • Gate Ashkel
  • Gate Ulmarrow
  • Gate Vorrath
  • Gatekeeper Nine-Eyes
  • Gatekeeper Ulthwe
  • Gehenna
  • Ghast-Warden Kerrow
  • Ghorrath
  • Ghulkar
  • Gideon Ashkey
  • Gjallarbru
  • Gloamhold
  • Gloomreach
  • Gorrmund
  • Gravemoor
  • Greymantle
  • Grimhollow
  • Grimvault
  • Griselda Bonehollow
  • Gwyn ap Nudd

H: 16 names

  • Hades
  • Harrowen of the Long Pole
  • Hecate
  • Hel
  • Helgrind
  • Helheim
  • Hine-nui-te-po
  • Hollis Graveward
  • Hollowfang
  • Hollowmark
  • Hollowrest
  • Hubur
  • Hun-Came
  • Hushmoor
  • Hvergelmir
  • Hypnos

I: 12 names

  • Idony Cinderwake
  • Ingrith Stillhearth
  • Irkalla
  • Irkalla's Seven Gates
  • Irthessa
  • Isaura Ninthgate
  • Ishkalun
  • Ismeria Duskwright
  • Isolde Bonechapel
  • Ithne of the Hook
  • Ithrakhal
  • Izanami

J: 3 names

  • Judecca
  • Judge Morrigal
  • Judge Ulthane of the Scales

K: 18 names

  • Kalma
  • Karrak-Dun
  • Keldrath
  • Keshtaroth
  • Kestrian Ninegates
  • Keth the Ferryman
  • Kethrax of the Seventh Gate
  • Kethraxis
  • Kethuun
  • Kharn-Velu
  • Kharnvost
  • Kharzun
  • Kigal
  • King Othmar Underthrone
  • King Vaelrek the Sunless
  • Koldanar
  • Kur
  • Kurnugia

L: 13 names

  • Lake Hush
  • Lake Remembrance
  • Lake Still-Ink
  • Lake Tarnwater
  • Lanternless
  • Leocadia Mournmantle
  • Lethe
  • Limbo Shore
  • Lorcan Thrice-Buried
  • Lornhaven
  • Lornwater
  • Low Annach
  • Lysanthe Veilbreaker

M: 24 names

  • Maelis Shroud
  • Maghul-Dun
  • Mal'Kethra
  • Malebolge
  • Marisol Duskferry
  • Marrowdown
  • Maudren the Coin-Keeper
  • Merrick Stillwater
  • Mictecacihuatl
  • Mictlan
  • Mictlantecuhtli
  • Minos
  • Mireska the Ferrywoman
  • Modgud
  • Mor Ivreth
  • Mor'Dhal
  • Mordhaven
  • Morgause Ashenhall
  • Morrow the Ferrywright
  • Morrowdeep
  • Morthane
  • Morwenna Graythorn
  • Mourngate
  • Murkmere

N: 20 names

  • Nakhtmoira
  • Namtar
  • Naraka
  • Nastrond
  • Nephthara
  • Nergal
  • Neter-khertet
  • Nethergloam
  • Nethervale
  • Nethymir
  • Niflhel
  • Nightsreach
  • Noctavir
  • Nocturnis
  • Nul-Azhun
  • Nulrath
  • Nyarlak
  • Nyssara the Silent Queen
  • Nyx
  • Nyxmere

O: 17 names

  • Oblivion's Ford
  • Obrathor the Sleeper Below
  • Octavia Mourngate
  • Old Hesket the Poleman
  • Onyxdeep
  • Ophelia Drownmere
  • Orcus
  • Oriel Shroudmaker
  • Orobas Vey
  • Orrovahn
  • Orvendel the Boatman
  • Oshtur Below
  • Osiris
  • Ossarium
  • Ossirath
  • Ossuar
  • Ossuary Deep

P: 12 names

  • Palefast
  • Patala
  • Perdition's Gate
  • Persephone
  • Petrus Nightlantern
  • Phlegethon
  • Pluto
  • Proserpina
  • Ptolomaea
  • Pulotu
  • Purgatory Reach
  • Pyrrhath

Q: 6 names

  • Qeshmara
  • Qor'Thessa
  • Queen Ashera of the Deep
  • Queen Ereskil
  • Queen Morvaine
  • Quietus

R: 23 names

  • Radomir Gravesend
  • Rarohenga
  • Reliquary Gate
  • Rhadamant Ulcaster
  • Rhadamanthus
  • River Ashka
  • River Cinder
  • River Dolour
  • River Hesk
  • River Hollowmere
  • River Lorne
  • River Mourn
  • River Obel
  • River Ossa
  • River Quietus
  • River Sithe
  • River Umbral
  • River Vesper
  • River Wending
  • Rosamund Quietmoor
  • Rosetau
  • Rowan Last-Light
  • Ruthvaine

S: 29 names

  • Sabine Lightless
  • Sablemoor
  • Saltgrave
  • Sarkoth's Cellar
  • Sathriel the Unwaking
  • Scaldrath
  • Sekhet-Aaru
  • Selwyn Palehand
  • Sepulchra
  • Sepulchre Row
  • Ser-Uthmar
  • Sethrakul
  • Sethrisande of the Pale Court
  • Shadefall
  • Sheol
  • Shrivenmere
  • Shroudmere
  • Silenthaven
  • Skarrow
  • Skulfang
  • Sorrowfall
  • Sorrowmere
  • Stillwater Abyss
  • Stygia
  • Styx
  • Sundermire
  • Sunkenmere
  • Supay
  • Sybil Lanternless

T: 160 names

  • Tallowfen
  • Tamsin Graywater
  • Tanaroth
  • Tartarus
  • Tenebrith
  • Thallus Greyoar
  • Thanatos
  • The Antechamber of Dust
  • The Ash Fields
  • The Ash Priests
  • The Ashen Deep
  • The Ashen Gate
  • The Barrowsea
  • The Black Meadow
  • The Black Quay
  • The Bone Cartographers
  • The Bone Orchard
  • The Bridge of Blades
  • The Bridge of Coins
  • The Bridge of Sighs
  • The Broken Causeway
  • The Cairnfield
  • The Causeway of Hooks
  • The Causeway of Thorns
  • The Cavern of Hanging Lamps
  • The Chamber of Weighing
  • The Chapel of Dust
  • The Choir of Unmourned
  • The Cistern of Sorrows
  • The Cold Anvil
  • The Cold Below
  • The Corridor of Last Words
  • The Counter of Teeth
  • The Court of Ash and Salt
  • The Court of Echoes
  • The Dreaming Barrows
  • The Drowned Kingdom
  • The Drowned Quiet
  • The Drowned Steps
  • The Elysian Fields

T, continued

  • The Ferry Landing
  • The Ferrymen's Guild
  • The Field of Unmarked Stones
  • The Ford of Tears
  • The Furnace Below
  • The Gallery of Hollow Kings
  • The Garden of Poppies
  • The Gate of Horn
  • The Gate of Ivory
  • The Gate of Last Breath
  • The Gate of Nine Keys
  • The Gate of Salt
  • The Gate of Teeth
  • The Gatehound Nix
  • The Gatehouse of Bones
  • The Gatekeepers' Covenant
  • The Gatherer of Coins
  • The Gloaming Court
  • The Grey Descent
  • The Grey Lady
  • The Grey Quays
  • The Hall of Ferrymen
  • The Hall of Scales
  • The Hall of Silent Feasts
  • The Hall of Unfinished Meals
  • The Harrowing Path
  • The Hollow Crown Chamber
  • The Hollow Gate
  • The Hollow King
  • The Hollow Under
  • The Hollow Watch
  • The Hound Called Silence
  • The Hound of the Iron Gate
  • The Hungry Gate
  • The Hush
  • The Iron Ferry
  • The Judge of Three Faces
  • The Keeper of Unspoken Names
  • The Keepers of the Coin
  • The Lake of Reckoning

T, continued

  • The Lamplighter of the Dead
  • The Lamplighters of Erebus
  • The Lantern Road
  • The Last Lantern
  • The Last Shore
  • The Lightless Sea
  • The Long Dark
  • The Long Sleep
  • The Lord Below
  • The Marsh of Forgotten Debts
  • The Maw
  • The Meadow of Unlit Candles
  • The Mourners' Gallery
  • The Ninefold Pit
  • The Ninefold Tribunal
  • The Obsidian Crossing
  • The Orchard of Grey Apples
  • The Orchard of Unripe Years
  • The Order of the Grey Oar
  • The Pale Country
  • The Pale Court
  • The Pale Hound
  • The Pale Queen
  • The Pillar of Judgment
  • The Pit of Tongues
  • The Pool of Unmourned Faces
  • The Red Ferry Crossing
  • The River Forgetting
  • The River of Ash
  • The Road Without Return
  • The Rookery of Souls
  • The Salt Road
  • The Scales of Meresh
  • The Scribe of the Weighing Hall
  • The Second Death
  • The Seven Wards
  • The Shrine of Unspoken Names
  • The Shroud Sisters
  • The Sighing Lands
  • The Silent Legion

T, continued

  • The Silent Market
  • The Sleeping Vault
  • The Stair of Ten Doors
  • The Stair of Ten Thousand Years
  • The Still Lake
  • The Sunken Library
  • The Sunless Emperor
  • The Sunless Parliament
  • The Sunless Shore
  • The Tarn of Faces
  • The Threshing Floor
  • The Toll Wyrm
  • The Tollgate
  • The Tollmen
  • The Tribunal of Lamps
  • The Twelfth Hour Hall
  • The Undercroft of Kings
  • The Undergloam
  • The Unlit Country
  • The Unmourned Acre
  • The Unnamed River
  • The Vale of Bones
  • The Vault of Names
  • The Warden of the Last Door
  • The Warden's Stair
  • The Wardens of the Last Door
  • The Weeping Country
  • The Weeping Stair
  • The Well of Lethe Water
  • The Well of Souls
  • The Widow of the Ninth Gate
  • The Wyrm of the Ninth River
  • Thessarine
  • Thornvast
  • Thraxmere
  • Threnody Vael
  • Thul-Kessar
  • Tombral
  • Tuonela
  • Tuoni

U: 11 names

  • Uggae
  • Ukhu Pacha
  • Ul'Vesh
  • Ul-Nakhar
  • Ulmirrah
  • Ulqorr
  • Umberfall
  • Umbrahl
  • Umbrathine
  • Underkeld
  • Ur-Shalath

V: 19 names

  • Vael'Nakhar
  • Vaelmor
  • Vanth
  • Vantris the Toll-Taker
  • Varnoth
  • Vaultmere
  • Velkarra
  • Velmorath the Hollow King
  • Velnoth
  • Veshkarrah
  • Vesperfall
  • Vexmoor
  • Vhalorr
  • Vhulmirr
  • Vorrasketh
  • Vorrkhal the Three-Throated
  • Vorthul
  • Vortigern Sunless
  • Vucub-Came

W: 6 names

  • Warden Belgrath
  • Warden Ilsabet Hollowmark
  • Warden Sorrowhand
  • Whisperlow
  • Wraithmere
  • Wren Underfell

X: 2 names

  • Xerthumal
  • Xibalba

Y: 10 names

  • Yama
  • Yanluo
  • Yldrissa
  • Yomi
  • Ysabeau Tombwright
  • Ysmay Coldcandle
  • Ysolde of the Grey Oar
  • Ythel
  • Ythrakhal
  • Yzrathiel

Z: 4 names

  • Zhen-Tarak
  • Zhorvaine
  • Zhul-Kethar
  • Zothrakar