The sky or outer space; also the place where God or gods are believed to dwell in religious traditions.
From Old English 'heofon,' possibly related to 'heave' (lift up) since heaven is conceptually 'up.' The religious sense comes from ancient theology where the sky was considered where the divine realm existed. The word is ancient across Germanic languages.
Nearly every human culture independently placed the divine 'up' in the sky—this might be because we literally look up to see sources of life (sun, rain, birds). It's a fascinating example of how human cognition and physical experience shape religious metaphors across completely separate civilizations!
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