Fact-checked by Grok 2 weeks ago

Abyss

An abyss is an immeasurably deep gulf, chasm, or void, often described as a bottomless pit that extends indefinitely downward. The term originates from the Late Latin abyssus, borrowed from the ancient Greek ábyssos (ἄβυσσος), meaning "bottomless" or "without depth," derived from the prefix a- ("without") and byssós ("depth" or "sea bottom"), possibly of pre-Greek substrate origin. Historically, the concept of appears in ancient cosmogonies as a primordial or watery void from which the ordered world emerges, as seen in biblical and Mesopotamian texts where it symbolizes unfathomable depths preceding . In modern usage, "abyss" frequently carries figurative meanings, denoting profound intellectual, moral, or emotional depths, such as the "abyss of despair" or widening social divides like . In oceanography, the abyss specifically denotes the abyssal zone, a vast layer of the deep ocean extending from approximately 3,000 to 6,000 meters (9,800 to 19,700 feet) below the surface, characterized by complete darkness, crushing pressures exceeding 400 atmospheres, near-freezing temperatures (0–4°C), and a seafloor dominated by flat abyssal plains covered in sediment. The abyssal seafloor covers more than 50% of Earth's surface and hosts unique ecosystems adapted to extreme conditions, including chemosynthetic bacteria and sparse megafauna like sea cucumbers and giant amphipods, with no sunlight penetration and reliance on "marine snow" for nutrients. Exploration of the abyss remains limited, with only about 25% of the seafloor mapped in high resolution as of 2025, highlighting its role as one of the planet's least understood environments.

Natural and scientific uses

Abyssal zone in oceans

The abyssal zone, also known as the abyssopelagic zone, represents the lowermost layer of the ocean's pelagic zone, extending from approximately 3,000 to 6,000 meters below the surface. This vast region, which covers much of the global ocean floor, is defined by extreme environmental conditions, including hydrostatic pressures reaching 30 to 60 megapascals (MPa), near-freezing temperatures averaging 2–3°C, and perpetual darkness due to the absence of sunlight penetration. These factors create a stable yet harsh habitat that limits metabolic rates and shapes all life processes within it. Key physical and ecological features of the abyssal zone include sparse bioluminescence produced by certain organisms for communication or predation, which serves as the primary light source in this otherwise lightless environment. Chemosynthetic ecosystems thrive around hydrothermal vents, where bacteria convert chemicals like hydrogen sulfide into energy, supporting dense communities of tube worms, clams, and shrimp independent of sunlight. Sedimentation rates are exceptionally slow, typically ranging from 3 to 15 centimeters per thousand years, as fine particles accumulate gradually on the seafloor. The abyssal zone overlies the flat abyssal plains, expansive regions of the ocean bottom that form the substrate for these slow-depositing sediments. Biodiversity in the is low in density but features highly specialized species adapted to the extremes, such as that use bioluminescent lures to attract prey. A notable phenomenon is abyssal , where certain like giant isopods grow to unusually large sizes compared to shallow-water relatives, possibly due to slower , abundant oxygen, or reduced predation pressure. The relies heavily on —organic detritus sinking from upper ocean layers—which provides the primary energy input, sustaining detritivores like sea cucumbers and scavenging fish in a resource-scarce setting. Human exploration of the began with the HMS Challenger expedition (1872–1876), the first global oceanographic survey that used to reveal unexpected life at depths over 3,000 meters, challenging prior assumptions of a barren deep sea. Modern advancements include submersibles like , operational since 1964 and capable of reaching 6,500 meters, which have enabled direct observation and sampling of abyssal ecosystems. As of 2025, high-resolution mapping covers approximately 25% of the global seafloor, per the Seabed 2030 initiative. Today, the zone faces emerging threats from deep-sea mining, which disturbs sediments and disrupts chemosynthetic communities, potentially releasing stored carbon and impairing the ocean's role in global . Climate change exacerbates these risks by altering flux and ocean circulation, which could reduce carbon burial efficiency in abyssal sediments.

Abyssal plains and geological features

Abyssal plains are vast, flat expanses of the ocean floor situated beyond the continental shelves and rises, forming the underlying seafloor of the at depths typically ranging from 3,000 to 6,000 meters. These features are characterized by minimal topographic relief, with slopes less than 1:1,000, and they cover approximately 40% of the ocean basin floor, predominantly in and Oceans. The smooth appearance results from the thick blanketing of sediments over the irregular basaltic crust generated at mid-ocean ridges. The formation of abyssal plains involves the gradual accumulation of fine-grained sediments, primarily clay and , which smooth out the rugged oceanic basement over millions of years. Key processes include turbidity currents, which transport terrigenous sediments from continental margins across the ocean floor in dense underflows, and pelagic rain, the continuous settling of microscopic biogenic and authigenic particles from the . In the context of , these plains overlie created at divergent mid-ocean ridges, where new crust forms and spreads outward; older portions are subducted at convergent boundaries, incorporating abyssal sediments into the mantle. Prominent examples include the Sohm Abyssal Plain in the North Atlantic, a T-shaped feature south of Newfoundland that extends over approximately 900,000 square kilometers and receives glacial sediments via the through currents. Similarly, the Argentine Abyssal Plain in the South Atlantic Basin features horizontally layered sediments exceeding 2,500 meters thick, overlying a rough basement and influenced by contour currents. Associated geological features encompass seamounts—isolated volcanic peaks that punctuate the plains—and fracture zones, linear scars from transform plate boundaries that offset mid-ocean ridges and disrupt the flat terrain. Scientifically, abyssal plains hold significant value for reconstructing paleoclimate through sediment cores that preserve layered records of ocean circulation, atmospheric changes, and biological productivity spanning millions of years. Economically, they contain polymetallic manganese nodules on their surfaces, potato-sized concretions rich in manganese, nickel, copper, and cobalt, formed slowly via precipitation around nuclei in low-sedimentation environments. These deposits, particularly abundant in areas like the Clarion-Clipperton Zone, represent a potential deep-sea mineral resource, though extraction poses environmental challenges.

Religious and mythological uses

In Abrahamic traditions

In Abrahamic traditions, the concept of the abyss originates in the Hebrew Bible, where the term tehom (תְּהוֹם), meaning "the deep" or primordial waters, describes a formless, chaotic void present before creation. In the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures, tehom in Genesis 1:2 is rendered as abyssos (ἄβυσσος), portraying it as an unfathomable depth over which darkness hovered, symbolizing the unordered state subdued by God's creative act. This translation influenced later Jewish and Christian cosmology, associating the abyss with a boundless, watery chaos under divine control. In the New Testament, abyssos appears as a place of confinement for demonic entities, distinct from but akin to Sheol or Hades. In Luke 8:31, the demons possessing a man beg Jesus not to command them into the abyss, indicating it as a dreaded prison for evil spirits. Revelation 9:1-11 further depicts the abyss as a bottomless pit from which a star falls to unlock it, releasing locust-like creatures led by an angel called Abaddon (or Apollyon) to torment humanity, underscoring its role as a repository of apocalyptic judgment. Theologically, early Christian interpreters viewed the abyss as the "bottomless pit" (abyssos), a subterranean realm overlapping with Sheol/Hades for the dead and a holding place for imprisoned demons, emphasizing divine sovereignty over chaos and evil. In eschatology, Revelation 20:1-3 describes an angel binding Satan and casting him into the abyss for a thousand years to prevent deception of the nations, marking it as a temporary restraint during the millennial kingdom before final judgment. Islamic scriptures present parallels through terms evoking deep pits of punishment, integrated into the Quranic depiction of (). In Al-Qari'ah (101:9), hawiyah (هَاوِيَة) is described as the abode of the wicked, a bottomless or deep into which sinners plunge eternally, derived from the h-w-y meaning to fall headlong. Similarly, Saqar (سَقَر), mentioned in (74:26-27), names a scorching level of as a "raging fire" that consumes and blackens, evoking an intense, devouring depth akin to abyssal torment. Connections to (supernatural beings) appear in traditions where disobedient or devils are imprisoned, as in accounts of Prophet Sulayman () binding them in vessels or oceanic depths until the end times, mirroring biblical demonic confinement. Early Church Fathers, such as of (c. 185–254 ), interpreted the biblical abyss allegorically as a chaotic void representing pre-creation disorder and spiritual ignorance, subdued by divine reason () to form ordered . In medieval , this evolved into vivid imagery of infernal depths, profoundly influencing Dante Alighieri's (c. 1320), where the abyss (abisso) symbolizes the descent into sin and moral void, structured as a funnel-shaped pit leading to Hell's center, drawing on biblical motifs of judgment and Augustine's theology of . Dante's portrayal, with its nine circles culminating in Satan's icy prison, reinforced the abyss as a theological emblem of separation from God, blending scriptural with scholastic philosophy.

In other religions and mythologies

In Greek and Roman mythology, the concept of the abyss is embodied in "Abyssos," referring to the unfathomable depths below Hades, often equated with the primordial void of Chaos and the prison of Tartarus for the Titans. According to Hesiod's Theogony, Chaos emerged first as the yawning chasm from which the cosmos arose, while Tartarus formed as a deep pit beneath the earth, serving as both a deity and a gloomy realm of torment. In Roman interpretations, such as those in Ovid's Metamorphoses, this abyss retains its role as the chaotic origin and subterranean prison, mirroring Greek cosmogonies where it represents the boundless depths opposing the ordered world. In , the abyss appears as , the vast yawning void that existed before , positioned between the realms of fire (Muspellheim) and ice (). Snorri Sturluson's describes as the empty expanse where the first frost giant formed from the meeting of elemental forces, marking the genesis of the world from primordial nothingness. This void symbolizes the chaotic potential from which the structured cosmos of the gods and worlds emerged, central to the Eddic creation narrative. Eastern traditions depict the abyss in varied underworld forms, such as the Hindu , a subterranean realm inhabited by serpent beings known as Nagas. The portrays as one of the seven lower worlds beneath the earth, more opulent than heaven yet filled with serpentine palaces and demon lords like , serving as a domain of both beauty and peril in the cosmic hierarchy. In , Avici represents the bottomless hell of incessant suffering, the lowest of the eight hot hells where beings endure uninterrupted torment for grave offenses like . The Abhidharmakosabhasyam explains Avici's name derives from the absence of any respite (avici) in its fiery agonies, spanning vast distances and embodying the depths of karmic retribution. In ancient Near Eastern mythologies, the abyss manifests as Kur in lore, a subterranean realm often envisioned as a watery, mountainous . Samuel Noah Kramer's analysis in Sumerian Mythology identifies Kur as the cosmic space between the earth's surface and the primeval sea, ruled by the goddess and central to tales like Inanna's descent, where it functions as both a physical and monstrous domain. Similarly, in Babylonian tradition, Apsu denotes the subterranean freshwater ocean, personified as a in the Enuma Elish. This epic portrays Apsu as the begetter mingling with Tiamat's salt waters in chaotic unity before the gods' rise, establishing the abyss as the foundational watery void of creation.

Arts and entertainment

Film and television

The Abyss (1989) is an American written and directed by , centering on a civilian team investigating a lost off the [Cayman Islands](/page/Cayman Islands) who encounter a non-terrestrial intelligence. Starring as the team leader Bud Brigman, as his estranged wife Lindsey, and as a , the film explores themes of isolation in extreme depths and human hubris in the face of the unknown, culminating in a message about nuclear brinkmanship. It received widespread acclaim for its groundbreaking underwater sequences and visual effects, winning the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects at the , along with nominations for Best Cinematography and Best Art Direction. The production involved extensive filming in a 7-million-gallon at a in , pushing technical boundaries for deep-sea simulation. Abyss (2019) is a South Korean fantasy drama television series that aired on tvN from May 27 to July 30, 2019, consisting of 16 episodes and delving into resurrection via mysterious orbs that revive the dead in mismatched bodies, highlighting social inequality and class divides. Created by So Jae-hyun and starring Park Bo-young as prosecutor Go Se-yeon, Ahn Hyo-seop as detective Cha Min, and Lee Sung-jae as a powerful executive, the series follows the revived protagonists as they navigate identity crises and a conspiracy involving the orbs' origins from an otherworldly abyss. It blends supernatural elements with thriller tropes, emphasizing moral dilemmas around second chances and privilege, and achieved high ratings in South Korea while gaining international popularity on platforms like Netflix. Into the Abyss (2011) is a written and directed by , examining the human cost of capital punishment through the lens of a 2001 triple in , where two men were sentenced to death. Premiering at the on September 14, 2011, the film features interviews with death row inmate Michael Perry (executed shortly after filming), his accomplice Jason Burkett, victims' families, prison staff, and Herzog himself, probing why individuals kill and the societal implications of state-sanctioned execution. Herzog's philosophical underscores themes of in moral voids and human folly in systems of retribution, earning praise for its empathetic yet unflinching portrayal and a 92% approval rating on . Other notable productions include the 2017 Canadian The Abyss, a brief exploration of psychological descent. Across these works, recurring motifs of venturing into unknowable depths—sometimes symbolizing religious notions of the abyss as a void of judgment—underscore humanity's confrontation with and overreach. The (2023) is a disaster directed by Richard Holm, focusing on a security manager named Frigga who must rescue her children during a massive cave-in at the Kiruna mine, inspired by real events of the town's . Starring Alva Bratt and , it explores family tensions amid escalating underground threats and was released on on February 16, 2024.

Literature and comics

In classic literature, the abyss often symbolizes profound depths of suffering, the unknown, or moral descent. In Dante Alighieri's Inferno (c. 1320), part of The Divine Comedy, Hell is depicted as a vast funnel-shaped abyss descending into the Earth's core, with the ninth circle at its bottom housing the frozen Lake Cocytus and Lucifer himself, representing the ultimate nadir of sin and separation from God. Friedrich Nietzsche's aphorism in Beyond Good and Evil (1886)—"He who fights with monsters should look to it that he himself does not become a monster. And if you gaze long into an abyss, the abyss also gazes into you"—employs the abyss as a metaphor for the corrupting influence of confronting evil or existential voids, warning of psychological reciprocity in moral struggles. The motif recurs in early , as in H.G. Wells's "" (1896), where protagonist Elstead descends in a spherical apparatus to explore the ocean's uncharted depths, encountering bioluminescent horrors that evoke and the limits of . In modern , the abyss appears in expansive narratives like Troy Denning's (2009), the third novel in the Star Wars: Fate of the Jedi series, which follows and his son Ben investigating a mysterious called Sinkhole Station, a leading to other dimensions and revelations about the Jedi's fall. Literary analysis frequently interprets the abyss in 20th-century works—such as those by existentialists like or —as emblematic of and dread, where characters confront an indifferent void that mirrors inner turmoil and the search for meaning. Made in Abyss (2012–present) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Akihito Tsukushi, serialized in Takeshobo's Monthly Shōnen Sunday Ultra; it follows young cave raider Riko and her robot companion Reg as they descend into the eponymous , a colossal pit filled with relics, bizarre creatures, and a mysterious that afflicts ascending explorers. Adapted into an television series (2017, with season 2 in 2022) and other media, the work blends adventure, horror, and coming-of-age themes, earning acclaim for its detailed world-building and emotional depth. In comics, the abyss manifests as both a and a realm tied to . (Nils Styger), a introduced in #390 (2001), hails from and possesses the ability to open portals to a pocket resembling a hellish void, from which he can emerge as a massive, tentacled entity; his backstory involves infection with the , amplifying themes of mutation and otherness in lore. Mike Mignola's in Hell series (2012–2016) opens with its titular hero plummeting into the , the outermost layer of depicted as a chaotic, monster-infested limbo, where Hellboy grapples with his demonic heritage amid encounters with historical figures like Sir Edward Grey.

Video games

In the video game series , the Abyss is depicted as a mysterious and hazardous realm within Oblivion, serving as the Daedric plane associated with destruction and chaos, prominently featured in The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion released in 2006. This ever-shifting domain consists of an infinite maze of rooms and corridors blending reality and illusion, inhabited by aggressive Daedra and traps that challenge players during quests involving Daedric Princes like Mehrunes Dagon. Players access the Abyss through portals during main storyline events, such as the siege on the Imperial City, where exploration reveals lore about Oblivion's unstable nature through in-game books like The Doors of Oblivion. RuneScape incorporates as a central feature for runecrafting mechanics, introduced in the 2005 update "Enter the Abyss," transforming it into a chaotic, multi-layered dimension accessible via a ritual in the . The outer ring teems with hostile guardians and abyssal creatures, including abyssal demons—high-level monsters requiring 85 to combat effectively—while the inner ring offers safer access to rune altars for crafting essences into , emphasizing resource gathering amid constant risk of player-versus-player combat and demonic attacks. Abyssal demons drop unique items like the Abyssal whip, a powerful , making the area a staple for mid-to-high-level progression since its launch. The Calamity Mod, a popular content expansion for developed since 2016, introduces as a multi-layered underwater beneath the Sulphurous Sea, characterized by oppressive darkness, acidic waters, and procedurally generated hazards that demand specialized diving gear for survival. Players explore its four distinct depths—each with escalating bioluminescence, unique flora like Abyss Shrooms, and enemies such as Sea Floaties and —to gather rare resources like Abyssal Coral and Eutrophic Skulls, often culminating in boss fights against entities like the Abyssion, the Forgotten One. This enhances 's survival-crafting loop with horror-tinged exploration, where low visibility and debuffs like Crush Depth simulate descent into an unforgiving void. Identity V, a mobile asymmetric horror game launched in 2018 by , features "Call of the Abyss" as an annual global e-sports tournament series starting with its inaugural edition in 2018, blending competitive multiplayer with thematic events inspired by abyssal depths. Participants form teams for in-game qualifiers and live finals, facing custom horror matches in themed arenas that evoke descent into madness, with prizes including exclusive skins and echoes tied to abyssal motifs like shadowy survivors and hunter pursuits. The event's structure, divided into phases such as Zephyr Hollow and Oblivion Expanse, fosters strategic resource management and tense chases, drawing over 16 clubs per region in elimination formats. Made in Abyss: Binary Star Falling into Darkness (2022) is an developed by Chime Corporation and published by , adapting the / series. Players control customizable characters descending into , battling , managing the curse's effects, and uncovering in a 3D environment that captures the series' perilous exploration and survival elements, available on , , and PC. Across these titles, the Abyss commonly manifests as a dark, perilous environment promoting themes of exploration in hazardous unknowns, psychological horror through isolation and unseen threats, and resource gathering from hostile ecosystems, often drawing brief inspiration from mythological concepts of bottomless voids in game lore design.

Music

Albums

Several music albums titled "Abyss" or close variations have been released across genres, often exploring themes of darkness, introspection, and existential struggle. Chelsea Wolfe's Abyss, released on August 7, 2015, by Sargent House, marks the American artist's fourth studio album and a shift toward heavier, more atmospheric doom-influenced indie rock. Blending folk elements with slow, droning riffs and haunting vocals, the record delves into personal loss and emotional turmoil, creating a dreamlike immersion. Standout tracks include "Feral Love," with its pulsating bass and ethereal harmonies, and "Iron Moon," which builds to cathartic crescendos. Critics praised its cohesive intensity and production, calling it Wolfe's most powerful work to date. In the metalcore realm, German band Annisokay's Abyss Pt. I, an EP issued on September 22, 2023, via Arising Empire, kicks off a conceptual trilogy addressing inner conflict and resilience. The release fuses aggressive breakdowns with electronic synths and melodic choruses, characteristic of modern . Highlights feature "Into the Abyss," a high-energy opener with soaring clean vocals, and "The End of All," emphasizing themes of despair and rebirth. The EP garnered positive reception for its polished sound and emotional depth, setting the stage for subsequent parts. Hypocrisy's Into the Abyss, the Swedish outfit's sixth full-length, came out on August 15, 2000, through . Produced with a crisp, technical edge, the album incorporates sci-fi motifs and personal anguish, delivered via intricate guitar work and Peter Tägtgren's versatile growls. Key tracks like the title song "Into the Abyss" showcase rapid riffs and melodic hooks, while "Fractured Millennium" highlights the band's tendencies. It was lauded for refining their sound with added groove, solidifying their influence in the genre. Slayer's , a cornerstone of , was released on October 9, 1990, by Def American Records, peaking at No. 40 on the 200. The album balances blistering speed with brooding atmospheres, inspired by darker lyrical themes including war and madness. Iconic cuts such as "War Ensemble," with its relentless double-kick assault, and the hypnotic exemplify the band's evolution. Universally acclaimed as a benchmark, it earned high marks for songwriting and Tom Araya's visceral delivery. Italian doom metal act Black Oath's Behold the Abyss, their fourth album, arrived on November 2, 2018, via High Roller Records. Rooted in traditional heavy doom with occult undertones, it evokes melancholy through plodding riffs, organ accents, and clean, emotive vocals. Tracks like the epic opener "Behold the Abyss" and "Death's Head" emphasize somber melodies and ritualistic pacing. Reviewers noted its warm production and mood-sustaining restraint, positioning it as a refined entry in epic doom. Unleash the Archers' , the Canadian group's fifth studio effort, dropped on August 21, 2020, from . As a concept sequel to their prior release, it narrates a sci-fi tale of and peril with soaring leads, symphonic , and Brittney Slayes' . Standouts include the anthemic "Abyss" and "Through Stars," blending technical prowess with motivational hooks. The album was celebrated for its ambitious storytelling and vibrant energy, boosting the band's profile in melodic metal. Swedish death metal band Wombbath's Beyond the Abyss, their seventh studio album, was released on March 14, 2025, via Pulverised Records. The record delivers raw, old-school with grinding riffs, blasting drums, and guttural vocals, drawing from classic influences while exploring themes of and the void. Standout tracks include "Beyond the Abyss" and "Shattered Frames," praised for their relentless aggression and atmospheric depth in reviews. It received acclaim for revitalizing the band's sound with renewed ferocity. Italian sludge metal band Void of Sleep's The Abyss into Which We All Have to Stare, their fourth studio album, was issued on October 17, 2025, by Aural Music. Featuring heavy, psychedelic riffs, brooding atmospheres, and introspective lyrics on existential dread, it builds on the band's stoner-doom roots with extended jams and dynamic shifts. Key tracks like the title song and "Echoes from the Void" highlight its immersive production and emotional weight, earning positive reviews for its maturity and sonic experimentation.

Songs

"Abyss" is a track by the Ukrainian band , released as part of their fifth studio album on August 27, , via . The song explores themes of inner turmoil and psychological descent, with depicting a spiraling fall into despair, as in the lines "One more loop through (where stairs are erased) / Like a feather I travel down (a ) / Falling deeper than it is (all stairs are erased)." It was highlighted among the best metal songs of for its dynamic structure and Tatiana Shmayluk's versatile vocals, blending clean singing and growls. "Abyss" by Dutch symphonic metal band Within Temptation is featured on their sixth studio album Hydra, released in 2014 on Republic Records. The track incorporates guest vocals to enhance its orchestral elements, exploring dark, introspective themes of loss and the unknown, contributing to the album's diverse collaborations and global influences.

Other uses

Fictional characters and entities

In professional wrestling, Abyss is the ring name and persona of Christopher Joseph Parks, an American performer who debuted the character in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA, later Impact Wrestling) in June 2003 as a masked, monstrous heel figure inspired by horror tropes and guided by manager Father James Mitchell. Portrayed as an unstoppable brute with a sadistic edge, the gimmick emphasized psychological terror and physical dominance, often involving storylines of inner conflict and family ties, such as his alter ego Joseph Park as a bumbling lawyer brother. Abyss excelled in hardcore matches, particularly the promotion's signature Monster's Ball stipulation—no-disqualification bouts featuring weapons like thumbtacks, barbed wire, and tables—drawing from Japanese deathmatch influences like Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling (FMW) for extreme violence and environmental hazards. Over his TNA tenure from 2003 to 2019, he secured several major championships, including one NWA World Heavyweight Championship (2006), one TNA X Division Championship (2011), two TNA World Tag Team Championship reigns, and two TNA Television Championships, while being inducted into the TNA Hall of Fame in 2018.) Since 2019, Parks has worked as a producer for WWE and officially retired from in-ring competition in June 2025. In the collectible card game Magic: The Gathering, is a rare mana world enchantment card from the Legends expansion set released in June 1994, designed by artist Pete Venters and flavored as a planar void that inexorably consumes life. Its core ability triggers at the beginning of each player's upkeep phase, causing them to destroy a nonartifact under their , with the destruction bypassing regeneration effects to ensure permanent removal. This periodic destruction mechanic made it a staple in control-oriented decks during the early meta, symbolizing an unrelenting abyssal hunger that balanced risk and reward by affecting all players equally. In the Warhammer 40,000 universe, the Abyss refers to the Formless Wastes, also called the Chaotic Abyss or Land of Lost Souls, a vast, uncontrolled expanse within the Immaterium () that lies beyond the domains of the four —Khorne, Tzeentch, Nurgle, and Slaanesh. This chaotic realm variant embodies raw, unaligned psychic turbulence and infinite mutability, serving as a perilous no-man's-land where lesser daemons, rogue warp entities, and lost souls wander amid formless voids and spontaneous horrors, often depicted as a prone to unpredictable rifts and daemonic incursions into realspace. In third edition (2000–2008), "" denotes the abyssal lords—powerful demon princes and tanar'ri rulers—who command the Infinite Layers of the , an of manifesting as endless, demon-infested realms of savagery and mutation. These entities, detailed in supplements like the Fiendish Codex I: Hordes of the (2006), include iconic figures such as (Prince of Demons, ruling layers like the Gaping Maw with dual-headed aberration form and spell-like abilities for madness and destruction) and (Lord of Undeath, wielding necromantic powers from his bone citadel on ), each embodying primal chaos through unique backstories of ascension via betrayal and conquest, commanding hordes in eternal Blood War conflicts against devils. Abyssal lords possess godlike immunities, shape-shifting, and domain-altering abilities, such as summoning abyssal storms or corrupting landscapes, making them quintessential threats for high-level campaigns focused on planar incursions.

Real-world people and places

, located on in , is the world's deepest known salt-water , plunging to a depth of 202 meters (663 feet). Renowned in the community for its sheer vertical walls and abyssal-like drop-off, it has served as a premier training and competition site since the early , attracting elite athletes to test the limits of breath-hold diving. The site gained international prominence through annual events like , an invite-only competition organized by freediving pioneer . In 2018, Russian freediver set a there in constant weight with , reaching 130 meters (426 feet), highlighting the hole's role in advancing achievements. Slovenian freediver Alenka Artnik also equaled the women's constant weight of 105 meters at the same event that year. In professional , "Abyss" is a commonly used alias among players in (MOBA) games, particularly . Notable examples include Shi Guan-Min, a retired support player who competed for WE.i-Rocks in the mid-2010s, contributing to regional tournaments in the League of Legends Pro League. Another is Lin Po-Reng, a Taiwanese jungler known for his time with teams like HELL PIGS, active in international competitions during the late 2010s and early 2020s. Abyss Solutions is an technology company founded in 2014 by a team of researchers, specializing in autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) and remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) for infrastructure inspections. Headquartered in , the firm develops drone systems equipped with and data to enable safe, efficient assessments of assets like , ports, and structures, reducing the need for human divers in hazardous environments. By 2017, it had raised significant funding to expand globally, emphasizing applications in marine robotics and . In December 2024, Abyss Solutions partnered with Applus+ Australia to integrate into non-destructive testing, and in February 2025, it signed a research and development contract with .