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HELL
"This is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous and throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."
-Matthew 13:49-50
The Elephant Graveyard
The elephant graveyard and home of Scar and a group of hyenas is representative of Hell in Christianity. It is a dark hole full of skeletons/bones which is symbolic of death.
It is portrayed using dark imagery and items, such as smoke and skeletons, which often symbolize hell, evilness, negativity, and all that is believed to be present in Hell.
Lead Us Not Into Temptation...
A large aspect which makes the elephant graveyard appear to be such a negative place is how Mufasa warns Simba to never go near the "shadow-y place" he asks about when they are overlooking the land. He tells him that it is dangerous and "only the bravest lions go there." Simba, wishing to live up to the same level of bravery and power as his father, feels tempted to investigate this area of land. His temptation leads him to make plans to visit the elephant graveyard, despite his father's warnings.
In this scene, Simba and his friend Nala find themselves play-fighting and fall into the dark hole of elephant skeletons. They quite literally fall into sin by giving into their temptations.
Similarly, in the Christian gospel, Adam and Eve fall into temptation in the Garden of Eden. Despite God telling them not to eat any apples from a certain tree, they are tempted by evil (Satan) and go against the Father's wishes.
Simba and Nala quite literally fall into the sinful action that has been tempting them - the evil Elephant Graveyard which represents Hell.
"No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it."
-1 Corinthians 10:13 (NIV)
But Deliver Us From the Evil One...
"Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both the soul and body in hell."
-Matthew 10:28 (NIV)
Scar represents Satan (or the devil) - the ruler of Hell and all that is evil in Christian tradition. Similarly, Scar rules this dark and evil land that is comparable to how Hell is described above. Scar is in charge of this evil place and the hyenas look up to him as their "Master." When Simba and Nala step "off of their land" and on to his, the evil hyenas come out and threaten to eat them for dinner and then chase them deeper and deeper into the darkness at their Master's request (representative of falling deeper and deeper into sin).
In Christian belief, Satan is a fallen angel who once rebelled against God. In The Lion King, Scar, who represents Satan, also rebels against Mufasa, who represents God.
Scar is purely evil, sly and conniving and schemes a plan to kill bothMufasa and Simba so that he can be the King. He organizes a stampede in the gorge, traps Simba in the middle of it and runs to get Mufasa. As Mufasa attempts to save Simba, he slips and catches himself within arms reach of Scar. Instead of saving him, Scar watches his own brother fall to his death with an evil grin on his face:
Not only does he manage to murder his brother, but he also convinces Simba, who is next in line to become King, that his father's death was his fault and that he should run away.
Not fully understanding the evilness behind his Uncle's plans, Simba believes him and flees from the Pride Lands, unknowingly leaving Scar to be the King.
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