Heaven is a divine realm, afterlife destination, or state of blessed existence described in many religious traditions. The English word gathers together ideas that are related but not identical, from the dwelling place of gods to the final destiny of the righteous.
| Term | Heaven |
|---|---|
| Field | Religion, mythology, folklore, and cosmology |
| Meaning | A divine or blessed realm, condition, or afterlife |
| Often compared with | Paradise, sky world, afterlife, otherworld, and underworld |
What is heaven?
Heaven may be imagined as the home of a supreme deity, a realm inhabited by many divine beings, the destination of the dead, or closeness to ultimate reality. Some traditions describe it through gardens, cities, courts, light, music, feasting, or reunion. Others emphasize a spiritual condition that cannot be mapped as a physical place.
No single definition fits every tradition. Even within one religion, communities and historical periods may disagree about who enters heaven, when they arrive, what existence there is like, and whether it is eternal.
Heaven and the sky
Words translated as heaven often overlap with the visible sky. Height can symbolize divinity, order, light, transcendence, or distance from ordinary life. That symbolism does not mean every tradition treats heaven as a literal location above the clouds.
Heaven and paradise
Paradise often describes an ideal place of abundance, innocence, rest, or reward. Heaven may overlap with paradise, but it can also refer more broadly to a divine realm or blessed condition. The two words should not automatically be substituted for the specific terms used by a tradition.
Not every afterlife is heaven or hell
Many cosmologies do not divide the dead into two permanent destinations of reward and punishment. The dead may enter a shared underworld, remain near the living, join ancestors, undergo judgment or purification, or return through rebirth. Translating every favorable afterlife as heaven can hide those differences.
Heaven in folklore
Folktales and legends often make heaven more concrete. Characters may visit it, argue at its gate, receive impossible tasks, or return with knowledge. Such stories can express religious belief, playful speculation, moral instruction, or social criticism.
Related terms
Sources
- Encyclopaedia Britannica, “Heaven”
- Colleen McDannell and Bernhard Lang, Heaven: A History
- Mircea Eliade, ed., The Encyclopedia of Religion
Last reviewed: September 2026.