Dīs Pater Dīs Pater Dīs Pater (pronounced ) was a Roman god of the underworld. Dis was originally associated with fertile agricultural land and mineral wealth, and since those minerals came from underground, he was later equated with the chthonic deities Pluto (Hades) and Orcus. "Dīs Pater" was commonly shortened to simply Dīs and this name has since become an alternative name for the underworld or a part of the underworld, such as the City of Dis of Dante's "The Divine Comedy", which comprises Lower Hell. It is often thought that Dīs Pater was also a Celtic god. This confusion arises from
Hell Is the Absence of God a liberal intellectual". Ken Liu wrote "Single-Bit Error", a short story published in 2009, in response to "Hell Is the Absence of God". Hell Is the Absence of God "Hell Is the Absence of God" is a 2001 fantasy novelette by American writer Ted Chiang, first published in , and subsequently reprinted in "Year's Best Fantasy 2", and in "Fantasy: The Best of 2001", as well as in Chiang's 2002 anthology, "Stories of Your Life and Others". "Hell Is" won the 2002 Hugo Award for Best Novelette, the Nebula Award for Best Novelette, and the Locus Award for Best Novelette.