Parallel universes in

fiction

A parallel universe, also known as an

alternate universe, parallel world, parallel
dimension, or alternate reality, is a
hypothetical self-contained plane of
existence, co-existing with one's own. The
sum of all potential parallel universes that
constitute reality is often called a
"multiverse". While the six terms are
generally synonymous and can be used
interchangeably in most cases, there is
sometimes an additional connotation
implied with the term "alternate
universe/reality" that implies that the
reality is a variant of our own, with some
overlap with the similarly named alternate
history.

Fiction has long borrowed an idea of

"another world" from myth, legend and
religion. Heaven, Hell, Olympus, and
Valhalla are all "alternative universes"
different from the familiar material realm.
Plato reflected deeply on the parallel
realities, resulting in Platonism, in which
the upper reality is perfect while the lower
earthly reality is an imperfect shadow of
the heavenly.

The concept is also found in ancient Hindu

mythology, in texts such as the Puranas,
which expressed an infinite number of
universes, each with its own gods.
Similarly in Persian literature, "The
Adventures of Bulukiya," a tale in the One
Thousand and One Nights, describes the
protagonist Bulukiya learning of alternative
worlds/universes that are similar to but
still distinct from his own.[1]

One of the first science fiction examples is

Murray Leinster's short story Sidewise in