This is my personal theory on the nature of the monster. I have never really submitted a theory here as I tend to keep my own stupidity to myself, but I wanted to hear what some people have to say about this.

Let's say that the monster is indeed this "Cerberus" that we have heard of. Cerberus, as everyone knows, was the guardian of the underworld in Greek mythology. It ensured that the dead could not leave and the living could not enter.

This is interesting, because we have this constant allusion to an "underworld" and a lot of hints at the dead not quite being dead in Lost. Eko saw his brother, Yemi as well as Ana-Lucia. Jack saw his father (whose body may or may not be on the island somewhere). Didn't Locke also have a dream in which he saw someone who was dead (and in this case he didn't even know the person)? Besides that, supposedly the heiroglyphics on the counter are "signs of the underworld". "Save yourself from hell" is a phrase that appears on the blast door map. What's all this about hell?

In each instance, a dead person actually guided a living person. Didn't Jack find the caves as result of following his father? Didn't Eko find the Pearl? And Locke of course found that plane...

This makes me wonder if perhaps being dead isn't such a bad thing in the world of LOST, and that perhaps dead people can somehow communicate with the living. So maybe, just maybe... Maybe (one of) the monster's purpose(s) is to kill people, but not so much in a malevolent, evil way, but more so in a "if-you-strike-me-down-I-shall-become-more-powerful-than-you-can-possibly-imagine" way. ie, somehow the Pilot was better off dead than he was alive, and the monster killed him so that he could perhaps serve a greater purpose. I'm not sure what this purpose is, maybe we won't know for a long while. (I still think that the pilot episode being called "Pilot" was a double entendre.)

The monster might even be some type of proxy or selectively allow the dead to communicate with the living when it is for a good reason. I have also theorized that the "other encounter" with the monster that we saw during season 2 but aren't aware of was basically Eko seeing dead people. The monster wasn't physically these people but was reponsible for Eko's dreams some how. It makes a lot of sense considering how "important" Eko became to the island after his encounter with the monster.

Yes, lots of references to the underworld (but not AFAICT Kaz Prapuolenis's Underworld) in Lost. The midsection crash site, at least, represented Hell from Paradise Lost, with Jack as Satan waking up on the ground on his back near a lake of fire.

Robert

Interesting post, Lionhearted. Danielle told the monster was a security system - that fits with Cerberus, who - as you said - made sure the dead stayed in the underworld and the living couldn't enter.

This makes me wonder if perhaps being dead isn't such a bad thing in the world of LOST
Sayid told Ana-Lucia that they both we're "dead allready". That line still haunts me. I know he didn't mean it literally, but I had the feeling there was more to his remark.

Furthermore, if the Island is the underworld, the ones there should be dead - the living can't enter. This also fits with the fact that no one can leave.

What did Fenry say? "Even God can't see this island" (or something similar). I can imagine that the underworld is the place that God can't see.

Straight from the bat, I like your idea. But there are some issues. To name one, if the monster is Cerberus, the mythical guardian of the underworld, then Craphole Island is the underworld or a portal to it. The final scene of the finale showed us that the island is in fact on Earth.

And the writers said that the island wasn't purgatory.

I'm sure there's a loophole to the writers' statement that they're not in purgatory.
Does anyone have their exact words?

There are too many clues, the "I've got sins but they're going to wash away" song, Gary Troupe is an anagram of Purgatory, The S(e)oul Gate Hotel, Cerberus, "Underworld", "We're all sinners", etc., etc., etc., etc.

I wonder if maybe, linked to the theories about selecting a few to form the future species of man (ties in so nicely with Adam and Eve in the caves), the Island is a man-made Purgatory, and that that's the loophole.

They constantly test the Losties and put them in situations like those they were in back in the real world, and maybe that's the "We're the good guys" idea of the Others. People are somehow brought to the island and they observe them and then take the "good ones" to their camp, where they slowly breed their master race. Hence their love of children, who haven't sinned yet and can still be taught right and wrong.

An extension of that possibility would be connected to the possible "miracle curing" that goes on (Locke, Rose and, especially, Sarah - especially because it happened back in the real world). What if these people, the Losties, have actually died in the real world and the Others arrange for them to be dumped on their island ("65 Days ago they fell from the sky") and they bring some of them back from the dead (miracle cures), implant the memory of the crash, and start their selection process. This would explain Rose - maybe she did die of her condition originally, Locke's legs were simply part of the miracle cure, Jack's touching his chest in the Pilot - maybe he had died of a heart attack.

And another interesting one is Shannon - I've read that in the Bad Twin book there is a character that sounds a lot like her that commits suicide, maybe she did.


Of course, this theory could vary greatly - maybe the flight and crash was real and from there they started everything.

And this would also explain the Others nonchalance towards death (of the Losties, because they were dead already, and to their own because they can fix it).

From the beginning there has been talk of cloning, maybe that is how they cheat death.

But, in summary, the island would be a scientifically created, man-made form of Purgatory.

I'm sure there's a loophole to the writers' statement that they're not in purgatory.

I agree. Their comments are as slippery as Fenry's :)

I wonder if maybe, linked to the theories about selecting a few to form the future species of man (ties in so nicely with Adam and Eve in the caves), the Island is a man-made Purgatory, and that that's the loophole.

I like the idea of a man-made Purgatory. That fits with the monster being Cerberus. The original guardian of the Underworld (as the ancient Greek saw him) was a multi-headed dog (he is most often depicted with three heads) not a cloud of black smoke. That might be called Cerberus, because it has a similar task as the mythological one.

Hence their love of children, who haven't sinned yet and can still be taught right and wrong.
Tabula Rasa. Not a coincidence it was the title of an episode.

What if these people, the Losties, have actually died in the real world and the Others arrange for them to be dumped on their island ("65 Days ago they fell from the sky") and they bring some of them back from the dead (miracle cures), implant the memory of the crash, and start their selection process.

Yeah, that's the feeling I got when Sayid said "we are allready dead". Also, in a trailer for season two, the one that could be found on the site of Oceanic, the tag-line was "They're not the survivors they thought they were". Some argue that pointed to the Tailies, but I don't think so, because it didn't change their (or our) view of the Losties. Also, there was a subtle emphasis on the word "not". Call me crazy, but I have the feeling the line indicates that they could be dead.

And this would also explain the Others nonchalance towards death (of the Losties, because they were dead already, and to their own because they can fix it. (...)
But, in summary, the island would be a scientifically created, man-made form of Purgatory.
I agree.

"They're not the survivors they thought they were."

is great, but even better is Fenry's voiceover promo :

"They're free from the world, free from their pasts. They finally have a chance to discover who they really are. What could be more terrifying than that?"

"They're not the survivors they thought they were."


Or as Dr.Suds likes to say...

They're not the survivors. They thought they were...

:cool:

I've had this feeling for some time that in Season 3 we are going to find out that in some way, the Island is a much bigger place than the Losties currently suspect -- that there is a large facility of some sort elsewhere on the island, and maybe the Others will take J/K/S there. But I've wondered at how the show would maintain the mystery/secrecy element if "the jungle" still isn't a primary element, and it seems to me that if J/K/S come back to camp and say, "oh yeah, just around that mountain there's a big town" that won't work for the show.

So this thread makes me wonder if we should be taking all of the references to an underworld literally, in addition to figuratively. I know there's been some speculation on this, but if Cerberus was primarily intended as a security system for a vast underground complex (not necessarily the station network, but a larger and more technologically advanced one), then the references might all add up: Locke being pulled down into the hole, the timer spelling out "underworld" in hieroglyphics, etc. And since the "underworld" is hidden won't likely be explored all at once, it allows the show to retain the element of mystery that might otherwise be lost.

I think it's possible we're meant to understand it on two levels, and that the references to the dead as "guides" and otherwise are also involved, perhaps in the way Lionhearted has speculated. But I wouldn't rule out the more literal interpretation.

it seems to me that if J/K/S come back to camp and say, "oh yeah, just around that mountain there's a big town" that won't work for the show.

Why not? The Losties never really explored the island much. The area behind the bridge that collapsed and near the Black Rock is virtually unexplored. I think it's hard to determine which part of the island is unknown to the Losties, but I reckon it's pretty large. The statue, the hole in the Rock, the pier, the dock, the (fake) village, the pile of tubes, Pearl Station, the medical hatch were all out there without the Losties knowing.

I doubt there's a big town on the island, but there could easily be a big complex that is not discovered by the Losties yet.

So this thread makes me wonder if we should be taking all of the references to an underworld literally, in addition to figuratively.
Yet a lot of clues point to the notion that we should take it literally. Of course, there could be more to those clues than we discuss here and we might interpret the clues the wrong way.

I think it's possible we're meant to understand it on two levels, and that the references to the dead as "guides" and otherwise are also involved, perhaps in the way Lionhearted has speculated. But I wouldn't rule out the more literal interpretation.
I agree.

Sayid told Ana-Lucia that they both we're "dead allready". That line still haunts me. I know he didn't mean it literally, but I had the feeling there was more to his remark.

Furthermore, if the Island is the underworld, the ones there should be dead - the living can't enter. This also fits with the fact that no one can leave.
Also, before Sayid said that, Ana-Lucia said (paraphrasing) "...when I hit the ground, I thought I was dead." and "I FEEL dead".

Lionhearted, you might find some more interesting related speculation on my Jin's Seoul Gateway Hotel = Soul Gateway? (http://www.thefuselage.com/Threaded/showthread.php?t=29401) thread, and bigmouth's "Chorus of the Dead (http://www.thefuselage.com/Threaded/showthread.php?t=27739)" thread. bigmouth also has some other related threads going.:)

Here is a statement by Gregg Nations that I find very interesting.

http://www.thefuselage.com/Threaded/showpost.php?p=1174810&postcount=2

The part about the Egyptians, The only reference to Egyptians are the glyphs from Dhrama. Is there something else on the island that I missed?

Here is a statement by Gregg Nations that I find very interesting.

http://www.thefuselage.com/Threaded/showpost.php?p=1174810&postcount=2

The part about the Egyptians, The only reference to Egyptians are the glyphs from Dhrama. Is there something else on the island that I missed?
I believe that Sayid attended a university in Cairo...

Here is a statement by Gregg Nations that I find very interesting.

http://www.thefuselage.com/Threaded/showpost.php?p=1174810&postcount=2

The part about the Egyptians, The only reference to Egyptians are the glyphs from Dhrama. Is there something else on the island that I missed?

There has been some speculation that Locke's eyes (http://gallery.lost-media.com/albums/ep-caps/season1/1x10-raised/normal_raised027.jpg) in Claire's dream in Raised by Another are a reference to the Eye of Horus (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horus) -- one black, one white...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eye_of_Horus:

of particular interest to this thread:
The Eye of Horus, originally the Eye of Ra, symbolized royal power. The ancients believed this symbol of indestructibility would assist in rebirth.

I believe that Sayid attended a university in Cairo...

He and Essam were roomates at Cairo University (in Giza). It's a guess but I'm inclined to think Sayid was studying engineering or communications.

I believe that Sayid attended a university in Cairo...

I find this fascinating unless I am reading to much into his statement. The Egyptians coined the word { Underworld}

AND HOW COULD I FORGET!!!

From Special:
Walt: Who cares about birds of Australia, anyway? We're in Australia.

Brian [to Susan who looks ill]: You okay?

Susan: I'm feeling kind of flu-ey.

Walt: Shouldn't we be studying birds of Egypt or something?

The purgatory theory was speculated upon here in this forum as earlier as Season One. But disregarded by many because TPTB said " NO". Lost is a show based upon mystery. If purgatory is the correct answer and was admitted by the wtriters early on as correct, then the show would no longer be any fun. TPTB had to say "NO", but there are too many clues pointing in that direction. It makes the most sense. Maybe after this Season we'll be able to say " See... we were right".

The purgatory theory was speculated upon here in this forum as earlier as Season One. But disregarded by many because TPTB said " NO". Lost is a show based upon mystery. If purgatory is the correct answer and was admitted by the wtriters early on as correct, then the show would no longer be any fun. TPTB had to say "NO", but there are too many clues pointing in that direction. It makes the most sense. Maybe after this Season we'll be able to say " See... we were right".

I fundamentally disagree. The problem with the purgatory theory is that there are no life or death consequences. It should matter whether or not these people live or die. If they are all in purgatory, then who cares if Michael shoots and kills Ana-Lucia and Libby? It's meaningless, really.

BUT! Allow me to offer a different idea, one that is similar to purgatory, and related even, but with real life or death consequences:

Purging--catharsis (http://thefuselage.com/Threaded/showthread.php?t=36360&highlight=catharsis). The word "purgatory" has its roots in the Latin word purgare, meaning to purge. To cleanse.

What if the island serves as a place for the Losties to be cleansed in preparation for their new role--to be the last people on Earth in the wake of some cataclysmic event. (http://thefuselage.com/Threaded/showthread.php?t=56573)

The purgatory-related imagery and references could be more metaphorical: they are passing through from one life to another, being cleansed of their past sins, so that they can adopt their new roles in a new world. But one in which they're very much alive...

I find this fascinating unless I am reading to much into his statement. The Egyptians coined the word { Underworld}

AND HOW COULD I FORGET!!!

From Special:
Walt: Who cares about birds of Australia, anyway? We're in Australia.

Brian [to Susan who looks ill]: You okay?

Susan: I'm feeling kind of flu-ey.

Walt: Shouldn't we be studying birds of Egypt or something?

I believe that Sayid attended a university in Cairo...

He and Essam were roomates at Cairo University (in Giza). It's a guess but I'm inclined to think Sayid was studying engineering or communications.

Here is a statement by Gregg Nations that I find very interesting.

http://www.thefuselage.com/Threaded/showpost.php?p=1174810&postcount=2

The part about the Egyptians, The only reference to Egyptians are the glyphs from Dhrama. Is there something else on the island that I missed?
And I believe one of the hieroglyphs on the counter in the Swan was a bird. The definition of that particular glyph is somewhere in the massive epi thread about the glyphs on the counter.

Nice quote about the Eye of Horus, Todell!

Todell >
Allow me to offer a different idea, one that is similar to purgatory, and related even, but with real life or death consequences:

Purging--catharsis (http://thefuselage.com/Threaded/showthread.php?t=36360&highlight=catharsis). The word "purgatory" has its roots in the Latin word purgare, meaning to purge. To cleanse.

What if the island serves as a place for the Losties to be cleansed in preparation for their new role-- to be the last people on Earth in the wake of some cataclysmic event. (http://thefuselage.com/Threaded/showthread.php?t=56573)

The purgatory-related imagery and references could be more metaphorical: they are passing through from one life to another, being cleansed of their past sins, so that they can adopt their new roles in a new world. But one in which they're very much alive...



Just to point out that I suggested basically the same thing on Page 1 of this thread.


I wonder if maybe, linked to the theories about selecting a few to form the future species of man (ties in so nicely with Adam and Eve in the caves), the Island is a man-made Purgatory, and that that's the loophole.

They constantly test the Losties and put them in situations like those they were in back in the real world, and maybe that's the "We're the good guys" idea of the Others. People are somehow brought to the island and they observe them and then take the "good ones" to their camp, where they slowly breed their master race. Hence their love of children, who haven't sinned yet and can still be taught right and wrong.
. . .
But, in summary, the island would be a scientifically created, man-made form of Purgatory.

Sorry Lucidity, didn't mean to step on your toes. I was even going to mention your post, but when I went back to look at it, I was distracted by this:
An extension of that possibility would be connected to the possible "miracle curing" that goes on (Locke, Rose and, especially, Sarah - especially because it happened back in the real world). What if these people, the Losties, have actually died in the real world and the Others arrange for them to be dumped on their island ("65 Days ago they fell from the sky") and they bring some of them back from the dead (miracle cures), implant the memory of the crash, and start their selection process. This would explain Rose - maybe she did die of her condition originally, Locke's legs were simply part of the miracle cure, Jack's touching his chest in the Pilot - maybe he had died of a heart attack.

and chose not to refer back. But you're right, you did suggest something similar.

Didn't Locke also have a dream in which he saw someone who was dead (and in this case he didn't even know the person)?

FYI, the woman Locke spoke with in the jungle was his mother (Emily Annabeth Locke, one of Anthony Coopers ex wives)


*pets Lionhearted for not being a coward*


I love that your brave enough to bring this topic up. I take most of what TPTB say with a grain of salt these days.


I searched the LLL and found the following amongst the many other variations of the term.

In The Next Life, If Not In This One
Nadia hints towards this in Solitary flashback. She hands Sayid a photo with a note scrawled on the back: "You'll find me in the next life, if not in this one".

Resurrection - Belief in al-akhirah (life after death) is so crucial to the Islamic faith that any doubts about it amount to the denial of Allah (God).

Like Christianity, Islam teaches the continued existence of the soul and a transformed physical existence after death. Muslims believe there will be a day of judgment when all humans will be divided between the eternal destinations of Paradise and Hell.

Muslims believe they rest in their grave until the day of judgement, also known as the Last Day. On that day it will be decided if they go to heaven (paradise) or hell. They describe it as crossing a narrow bridge and those with the heavy weight of bad deeds will fall and stay in hell forever.
Remember Charlie and Hurley crossing the bridge, and Hurley's weight doesn't break the rope bridge, then Little Charlie comes along and almost falls into the ravine?

If they are all in purgatory, then who cares if Michael shoots and kills Ana-Lucia and Libby? It's meaningless, really.
Just read this thread. Too cool, and can't be overlooked! The only comment I have is about the above: C.S. Lewis (Christian theologian, friend of Tolkien) wrote a book called The Great Divorce where Hell is not a permanent state, but a choice to be outside of redemption. In fact, the more human personalities choose to isolate themselves through deception, bad acts, etc., the further they move, by choice, away from Paradise. So choice follows to the Afterlife. I always remember Sawyer singing Redemption Song. :rolleyes:

FYI, the woman Locke spoke with in the jungle was his mother (Emily Annabeth Locke, one of Anthony Coopers ex wives)
Hmm, I haven't seen Season 1 in a while... I thought that it was someone that Boone knew but Locke didn't. Didn't the woman say "Teresa falls up the stairs, teresa falls down the stairs"? Didn't this turn out to be a reference to one of Boone's memories or something? I believe that in the end Locke had to find out from Boone precisely what it meant, or something like that. You're probably right that it was Locke's mother, sorry. I guess my point was that it involved Locke dreaming of someone dead and about something he didn't himself know, ie it was prophetic in some way.

I think the Island is purgatory but not necessarily literally, I think it's more like a figurative purgatory. And to clarify, I don't think the island is the underworld but contains an underworld or at least a gateway to the underworld. Or perhaps one can look at the island as being hell but in a sort of in a strange way; ie you can be perfectly alive and be on the island, but in an alternate plane of existence are the dead, sometimes manifesting themselves in dreams, animals, whispers, etc. They might be trying to at certain points communicate with the living. The monster sometimes prevents them or selectively allows them. I forgot to bring up Kate talking with her dead father; another ocurrence of the dead being not-quite-dead in Lost.

Ana-Lucia, Libby, Boone, Shannon, etc dying could mean they will eventually do helpful things in their deaths by communicating with the living. Unless it's a foiler; in an upcoming episode Boone is supposed to appear to Locke.

Although I don't think the losties are dead themselves. In fact this would sort of kill my theory, I think. It really doesn't make any sense to me for them to be dead already but still be capable of dying...

Another hint from season 1 in case it slipped anyone's mind; "You know why they call Australia "Down Under" don't you? Because it's as close to hell as you can get without being burned."

Wait a second. I'm looking at your logo and screen name. Could this not really be, "The End." Is "The one and only Billy Shears" HIM? Is Paul dead or on the Island? Why is Paul barefoot and floating? What's with the licence plate tag? Linda McCartney Widowed?

IS PAUL ON THE ISLAND? iS PAUL HIM?

Maybe, (maybe i'm amazed) the Beatles will reunite in an undiscovered hatch called Abbey Road.

This has to answer all the questions wouldn't ya think?

lol...

Could be. And those hashmarks on the road look suspiciously like part of the dharma logo to me. I'm looking on google earth right now to find it and see if it's an 8-way intersection. If so, I'll be back with a big thread on it.:)

I thought that it was someone that Boone knew but Locke didn't. Didn't the woman say "Teresa falls up the stairs, teresa falls down the stairs"? Didn't this turn out to be a reference to one of Boone's memories or something? I believe that in the end Locke had to find out from Boone precisely what it meant, or something like that.

You are correct, here. Locke sees Boone in his dream and Boone is saying over and over again Teresa falls up the stairs, Teresa falls down the stairs. However, Locke does not actually see Teresa in the dream. He just sees Boone speaking Teresa's name.
At the beginning of the dream, however, the woman that Locke sees is his mother.

Hey lionhearted, while cruising the 'lage this morn, I came across another "hell" reference I totally forgot about.

chicken_or_shrimp

Eko seemed to posses inside knowledge about Michael's guiltiness when he gave the monologue about the kid who was afraid of the dog in hell.


For a brief time I served in a small parish in England. Every Sunday after Mass, I would see a young boy waiting at the back of the church. And then one day, the boy confessed to me that he had beaten his dog to death with a shovel. He said the dog had bitten his baby sister on the cheek and he needed to protect her. And he wanted to know whether he would go to hell for this. I told him that God would understand, that he would be forgiven, as long as he was sorry. But the boy did not care about forgiveness. He was only afraid that if he did go to hell, that dog would be there waiting for him.

The island being Hell or the Underworld doesn't mean it has to be magic, after all there is no such thing as magic, or miracles, only science. There can be a literal underworld where ancients buried the dead and artifacts. I also think the ancients were awed by falling rocks from the sky (meteorites) and worshiped them. Does the island hold some of these rocks as well?

Osiris ('the mighty one') is the Egyptian god of death, fertility, and resurrection. He also serves as the judge of souls and the king of the underworld. He is married to his sister Isis and is the father of Horus. When his usurper brother Seth killed Osiris and chopped his body into pieces, Isis gathered all the scattered pieces, mummified Osiris and was able to revive her husband with the help of the other gods. Osiris became the lord of the underworld and was set as judge over the souls of the desceased together with Thoth and Anubis.

(Once we found out that Troy was not a myth and the city really did exist, I believe all ancient myths have some truth to them, just stories that told orally got exaggerated over time. Did they metaphorically chop Osiris "the statue" of Osiris into pieces (about 11,000 years ago, Osiris had to live between 12,000bc to 9,000bc) and we see one of them on the island as the 4 toed leg?)

Here is a much more detailed link:

http://www.marvunapp.com/Appendix/osiristhor.htm
History: (Egyptian Myth)- Osiris is the son of Geb, the Earth god and Nut, the sky goddess. When Geb retired as Ruler and Pharaoh of Egypt to take his place among the gods, Osiris took his place. He took Isis to be his queen and taught mortals how to make bread and wine and foresaw the building of the first temples and statues of the gods. He created civilization among the ancient Egyptians and outlined what is known today as the Valley of the Kings. Osiris even carried his ideas into other countries such as Phoenicia to teach what he had shown the Egyptians.

Osiris’ subjects began to love him, but his brother Seth hated him for several reasons. He hated him for being passed over as ruler and became jealous of the adoration given him. He eventually conspired to be rid of Osiris by creating the first sarcophagus fit exactly to Osiris’ size. He then produced it in his brother’s court and said that whoever fit it exactly could have it. Osiris became fascinated by the sarcophagus and fit himself into it as Seth immediately nailed his brother up inside it and pushed it into the Nile. In Osiris’ absence, Seth seized the throne of Egypt as Isis fled in search of Osiris.

Several years later, Osiris was discovered by Isis still trapped in the coffin. Seth then appeared in the shape of a bull and then a crocodile and chopped him up into pieces that he flung to the winds. As Isis regathered the pieces, Osiris’ spirit found its way to an unknown spirit realm called Duat where he learned the secrets of life after death. His son, Anubis, however, working in tandem with Isis, Nephthys, Thoth and Horus (Heru-Ur) restored him to life on Earth. Upon reviving, Osiris revealed his dissatisfaction with his brother and returned to the afterlife to rule it.


Something at the end of this link I wish History writers will start to get right:

Sidebar: the modern Sphinx might exist back to a real-life "Hyborian Age" since recent discoveries indicate the original lion-headed Sphinx was constructed back when Egypt was still a lush tropical jungle. This theoretical dating is based on a previous Discovery Channel episode revealing that the Sphinx shows it was being eroded by water and storm long before eroding started by sandstorms. The fact that the Sphinx once had a head of a lion is compounded by the sheer out of scale proportion the modern head has to the body.


100%
Sorry for the double post, maybe I had to many words, but it wasn't letting me save an edit, but I thought this was very interesting as well:

In Egyptian Myth, Tuat was the afterlife, a realm of everlasting peace like Elysium of the Greeks. Abydos, the city of the dead was the underworld where the dead wandered aimlessly looking for peace. Anubis took the dead below to wait by the river Duat for Mahaf, god of death (equal to Thanatos or Charon of the Olympians), to ferry them across. Ammit, a foul beast with the head of a crocodile, body of a lion and hindquarters on a hippo, guarded the entrance to Abydos and devoured anyone who tried to escape. Seth stabbed at Apophis the serpent that swam in the Duat. The dead were judged by Amaunet (Mut), wife of Ammon-Ra who measured the hearts of the dead against an ostrich feather to see if they were good or evil in life. The good passed on to Tuat guarded by Aken, god of night and father of Mahaf. Anyone else entered Abydos where they wandered under Ammit’s watchful eye. Anyone ruled a sinner was watched over by Edjo, the cobra-goddess, and Nekhbet, the vulture goddess, before being ripped apart by Babi, the baboon god and fed to Sebek, the crocodile-god.

The island being Hell or the Underworld doesn't mean it has to be magic, after all there is no such thing as magic, or miracles, only science. There can be a literal underworld where ancients buried the dead and artifacts. I also think the ancients were awed by falling rocks from the sky (meteorites) and worshiped them. Does the island hold some of these rocks as well?

Osiris ('the mighty one') is the Egyptian god of death, fertility, and resurrection. He also serves as the judge of souls and the king of the underworld. He is married to his sister Isis and is the father of Horus. When his usurper brother Seth killed Osiris and chopped his body into pieces, Isis gathered all the scattered pieces, mummified Osiris and was able to revive her husband with the help of the other gods. Osiris became the lord of the underworld and was set as judge over the souls of the desceased together with Thoth and Anubis.

(Once we found out that Troy was not a myth and the city really did exist, I believe all ancient myths have some truth to them, just stories that told orally got exaggerated over time. Did they metaphorically chop Osiris "the statue" of Osiris into pieces (about 11,000 years ago, Osiris had to live between 12,000bc to 9,000bc) and we see one of them on the island as the 4 toed leg?)

Here is a much more detailed link:

http://www.marvunapp.com/Appendix/osiristhor.htm
History: (Egyptian Myth)- Osiris is the son of Geb, the Earth god and Nut, the sky goddess. When Geb retired as Ruler and Pharaoh of Egypt to take his place among the gods, Osiris took his place. He took Isis to be his queen and taught mortals how to make bread and wine and foresaw the building of the first temples and statues of the gods. He created civilization among the ancient Egyptians and outlined what is known today as the Valley of the Kings. Osiris even carried his ideas into other countries such as Phoenicia to teach what he had shown the Egyptians.

Osiris’ subjects began to love him, but his brother Seth hated him for several reasons. He hated him for being passed over as ruler and became jealous of the adoration given him. He eventually conspired to be rid of Osiris by creating the first sarcophagus fit exactly to Osiris’ size. He then produced it in his brother’s court and said that whoever fit it exactly could have it. Osiris became fascinated by the sarcophagus and fit himself into it as Seth immediately nailed his brother up inside it and pushed it into the Nile. In Osiris’ absence, Seth seized the throne of Egypt as Isis fled in search of Osiris.

Several years later, Osiris was discovered by Isis still trapped in the coffin. Seth then appeared in the shape of a bull and then a crocodile and chopped him up into pieces that he flung to the winds. As Isis regathered the pieces, Osiris’ spirit found its way to an unknown spirit realm called Duat where he learned the secrets of life after death. His son, Anubis, however, working in tandem with Isis, Nephthys, Thoth and Horus (Heru-Ur) restored him to life on Earth. Upon reviving, Osiris revealed his dissatisfaction with his brother and returned to the afterlife to rule it.


Something at the end of this link I wish History writers will start to get right:

Sidebar: the modern Sphinx might exist back to a real-life "Hyborian Age" since recent discoveries indicate the original lion-headed Sphinx was constructed back when Egypt was still a lush tropical jungle. This theoretical dating is based on a previous Discovery Channel episode revealing that the Sphinx shows it was being eroded by water and storm long before eroding started by sandstorms. The fact that the Sphinx once had a head of a lion is compounded by the sheer out of scale proportion the modern head has to the body.


100%
Sorry for the double post, maybe I had to many words, but it wasn't letting me save an edit, but I thought this was very interesting as well:

In Egyptian Myth, Tuat was the afterlife, a realm of everlasting peace like Elysium of the Greeks. Abydos, the city of the dead was the underworld where the dead wandered aimlessly looking for peace. Anubis took the dead below to wait by the river Duat for Mahaf, god of death (equal to Thanatos or Charon of the Olympians), to ferry them across. Ammit, a foul beast with the head of a crocodile, body of a lion and hindquarters on a hippo, guarded the entrance to Abydos and devoured anyone who tried to escape. Seth stabbed at Apophis the serpent that swam in the Duat. The dead were judged by Amaunet (Mut), wife of Ammon-Ra who measured the hearts of the dead against an ostrich feather to see if they were good or evil in life. The good passed on to Tuat guarded by Aken, god of night and father of Mahaf. Anyone else entered Abydos where they wandered under Ammit’s watchful eye. Anyone ruled a sinner was watched over by Edjo, the cobra-goddess, and Nekhbet, the vulture goddess, before being ripped apart by Babi, the baboon god and fed to Sebek, the crocodile-god.

atem ra - My all time favorite is Nephren Ka, the first Darth Vader.

I think that the Island is more a symbolic purgatory or bus station, if you will, where the Losties, or some of them, will be cleansed of their past sins, transformed into what they were destined to become so that they can save humanity from total destruction (The VE comes into play here and that's how certain people figured out that humanity was getting closer and closer to experiencing something horrible that would destory most of it...)...they may become transhuman, as discussed in Punky's great Transhumanism Thread, or it may be emotional and spiritual changes that are needed, not physical ones...I don't necessarily see JKS and any of the other Losties become the Wonder Triplets or a new version of any kind of superheroes...I think that in order to be up for the job of saving the last reminants of humanity, the Losties had to go through what they are going through...and the Island is the place that it had to happen on...thus...the Island is a symbolic purgatory or transitory place...

... after all there is no such thing as magic, or miracles, only science.
So much for human culture before the 17th century- lol!

lionhearted and atem ra: We are thinking along similar lines. Like a poster named lacenaire, I believe they are in an approximation of Amenti, the Egyptian land of the dead. You might want to check out lace's thread (http://www.thefuselage.com/Threaded/showthread.php?t=25175), as well as my own re Extinction or Evolution (http://www.thefuselage.com/Threaded/showthread.php?t=57655). I believe that the "ghosts" on the Island actually represent the next step on human evolution -- a non-physical post-human form.

Worth another look.