

_Hellsalem's Lot_ , the current name of formerly New York City, immediately
strikes me as a reference to
[Jerusalem](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerusalem), since they sound
extremely close.

In fact, in Japanese, they only differ by one _mora_ :

> [**ヘルサレム**
> ズ・ロット](http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E8%A1%80%E7%95%8C%E6%88%A6%E7%B7%9A#.E7.94.A8.E8.AA.9E)
> (Hellsalem's Lot) vs.
> [**エルサレム**](http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%82%A8%E3%83%AB%E3%82%B5%E3%83%AC%E3%83%A0)
> (Jerusalem).

Is _Hellsalem's Lot_ a reference to Jerusalem? If that is the case, what are
the aspects in _Hellsalem's Lot_ that make reference to Jerusalem?


CC BY-SA 3.0
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2015-06-24T08:46:49.507
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question
kekkai-sensen
Is Hellsalem's Lot a reference to Jerusalem?


## [_Kekkai
Sensen_](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blood_Blockade_Battlefront)'s Intended
Association: Evil Living Among Humans

**Both the fictional town 'Salem's Lot and the real city of Salem,
Massachusetts are associated
with[witchcraft](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salem_witch_trials) and evil
living among regular humans.** This fits the ethos of _Kekkai Sensen_ 's
「ヘルサレムズ・ロット」, which is the [mystically transmogrified](http://kekkai-
sensen.wikia.com/wiki/Volume_7) version of New York City after a gateway
between Earth and the Beyond opened, so that extra-dimensional creatures and
humans dwell in the same [paranormal melting
pot](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blood_Blockade_Battlefront).

## Origin of the Phrase _'Salem's Lot_

[Jerusalem's Lot,
Maine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerusalem%27s_Lot,_Maine) is a fictional
town created by Stephen King which he has used as the setting for a number of
his novels, novellas, and short stories. Within his worldbuilding, the town is
nicknamed _'Salem's Lot_ (including the apostrophe) and _the Lot_.

The town called 'Salem's Lot first appeared in his 1975 novel [_'Salem's
Lot_](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%27Salem%27s_Lot), but has reappeared as
recently as in his 2014 novel
[_Revival_](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revival_\(novel\)).

According to Wikipedia, the description of the fictional town is:

> The town that would become Jerusalem's Lot was founded in 1710 by a preacher
> named James Boon, the leader of a cult of schismatic Puritans. The cult
> became **notorious in the region for its open embrace of witchcraft and for
> its amoral sexual practices** , including inbreeding. Jerusalem's Lot became
> an incorporated town in 1765, but was abandoned in 1789 after Boon and his
> followers mysteriously vanished [...]
>
> When Jerusalem's Lot was incorporated in 1765, Maine was still part of the
> Massachusetts Bay Colony. **The town got its name from** a myth about one of
> the earliest residents, Charles Belknap Tanner, who raised pigs; **one of
> these pigs was named Jerusalem**. One day, **Jerusalem escaped from her
> confines into a nearby forest, and became aggressive and wild**. Tanner
> began warning young children who trespassed on his property to "Keep 'ee out
> o' Jerusalem's wood lot," lest the pig devour them. Eventually, the phrase
> "Jerusalem's Lot" was adopted as the town name.
>
> [...] Jerusalem's Lot has been identified as **a residence for great and
> mysterious evil, particularly vampires**.

**Other Derivative Uses**

The fictional town is also mentioned in Alan Moore's 2002-2003 comic book
series _The New Traveller's Almanac_ , in the 2002 Eminem song _Lose Yourself_
, and in the 1993 Nirvana song _Serve the Servants_.

## Katakana and Pronunciation

_Kekkai Sensen_ 's 「ヘルサレムズ・ロット」 ( _Herusaremuzu Rotto_ ) sounds similar to
both the fictional town 'Salem's Lot
([「セイラムズ・ロット」](https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%91%AA%E3%82%8F%E3%82%8C%E3%81%9F%E7%94%BA#.E3.81.82.E3.82.89.E3.81.99.E3.81.98)
[ _Seiramuzu Rotto_ ]) and the Japanese word for "Jerusalem" (「エルサレム」 [
_Erusaremu_ ]).

The Japanese title for the novel _'Salem's Lot_ is
[『呪われた町』](https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%91%AA%E3%82%8F%E3%82%8C%E3%81%9F%E7%94%BA)
( _Norowareta Machi_ , meaning "cursed town"). In the Japanese translation,
the name of the town is katakana-ized as
[「セイラムズ・ロット」](https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%91%AA%E3%82%8F%E3%82%8C%E3%81%9F%E7%94%BA#.E3.81.82.E3.82.89.E3.81.99.E3.81.98)
( _Seiramuzu Rotto_ ), using the **spelling of[Salem,
Massachusetts](https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%82%BB%E3%82%A4%E3%83%A9%E3%83%A0_\(%E3%83%9E%E3%82%B5%E3%83%81%E3%83%A5%E3%83%BC%E3%82%BB%E3%83%83%E3%83%84%E5%B7%9E\))
(「セイラム」= _Seiramu_ ), infamous for [witch
trials](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salem_witch_trials), not the Japanese
spelling of Jerusalem** (「エルサレム」= _Erusaremu_ ). The place name Salem (perhaps
ironically) is a [hellenized form of the Hebrew word for
"peace"](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salem,_Massachusetts#History)
([שָׁלוֹם](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shalom) = _shalom_ ).

In Hebrew, the pronunciation for "Jerusalem" is
_[Yerushalayim](http://www.dictionary.co.il/israel_jerusalem.htm)_ :

![Jerusalem in Hebrew](https://i.stack.imgur.com/2GKA5.gif)

## Conclusion

**「ヘルサレムズ・ロット」 is not a reference to the city of Jerusalem, but rather to a
fictional town known for housing monsters and named after a pig.**


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