Frequently with capital initial. The abode of any of various non-Christian gods, (in early use) esp. the gods of classical mythology. Also in plural.

A world inhabited by spirits, esp. of the dead; ‘the next world’, ‘the world to come’; heaven and hell. Hence, more generally: the world of the…

In Islamic theology: the Garden of Eden; heaven.

An assemblage of all the gods of a particular people or religion; the deities of a culture collectively. rare before 19th cent.

More fully Mount Olympus. The home of the greater gods and goddesses in ancient Greek mythology, traditionally identified with a mountain in…

Hence, the garden watched by these nymphs; also, the ‘Fortunate Islands’ or ‘Isles of the Blest’ (αἱ Μακάρων νῆσοι), beyond the Pillars of…

In Chinese thought: Heaven; the Deity.

A world entered after death; the world of the afterlife. Frequently with the.

Heaven, paradise; spec. the heaven presided over by Indra, where virtuous souls reside before reincarnation.

An assemblage of gods; a pantheon. Also in extended use.

With the. Any of various untainted transcendent realms associated with particular Buddhas; esp. that associated with Amitābha. Cf. Jodo, n. 2.

In Maori tradition: the place (a cape in the far north of New Zealand) from which the spirits of the dead are believed to enter the next world…

A fabled land of perpetual youth, an Irish version of Elysium. Also transferred.

Any of various untainted transcendent realms associated with particular Buddhas; esp. that associated with Amitābha. Cf. Pure Land, n. rare.

Canadian. plural. A region of south-eastern Alberta; in the mythology of Plains Indians, the abode of departed spirits.