Elle Seven
Superstar
It was in college that I was even introduced to the concept that hell was a place of ice and darkness. It is funny learning the origins of this stuff.
If we associate "hell" with Saturn/Kronos, which is a planet of ice and a god of time, respectively, which is where the cold association originates, I think.
It is confusing as well when compared against the notion that hell is hot because hell, or the underworld, is also associated with Hades/Pluto.
Pluto was also the god of wealth in Roman mythology (i.e. earthly wealth, such as the rich minerals and gems mined from deep in the land), which is where we get the terms plutocrats and plutocracy. Maybe hell just refers to the inside of the earth where there is heat, magma and minerals.
I'm not sure how the spiritual component got attached to it.
