Hel

Hel ("Hell" or "The Hidden"), the goddess of the dead and ruler of Hel (often called Helheim, to declear that it was not the goddess, but her realm), the realm of the dead. (It's not clear if Helheim was Niflheim or not.)

Her realm was the place, where only the persons came in, that died for illness or for old age.

She was said to be half-dead (meanin' one half of her body was ugly and dead and the other site was beautiful. Some say the left side was beautiful and the right ugly and some say it was the upper and the lower part).

Her hall, placed in Nastrond ("Corpse-Strand"), called Eljudni ("Plague"); Helhesten was the name of her three-feeted horse; her bed called Kör ("Disease"); the curtains called Blikandaböl ("Gleaming-Bale"); she gad a threshold called Fallandaforadr ("Stumbling-Block"); a knife called Sultr ("Famine") and her dish called Hungr ("Hunger").

Niflheim was guarded by the hell-hound Garm, who lived at Gjöll, the entry of Niflheim in the cave Gnipahellir. And the well Hvergelmir was guarded by the dragon Nidhogg.

Her servant's name was Ganglati ("Idler") and her maidservant was named Ganglot ("Sloven").

She was the youngest daughter of Loki and the giantess Angrboda and sister of the wolf Fenrir and the midgard-serpent Jormungand.

When the three children of Angrboda and Loki became to powerful, the Aesir banished them: Jormungand was threwn into the sea (by Odin); Tyr bound the wolf Fenrir with the noose Gleipnir (by this action Tyr lost one of his hands); and Hel was banished into Helheim, where she became its ruler.

After Baldr was unknowingly killed by his brother Hödr, Hermod (the messanger of the gods) came to her realm and plead for Baldr's return to the upperworld. She agreed, that if everyone would cry for Baldr she let him go. Everyone cryied except the giantess Thökk (Loki) and Baldr had to stay in Helheim.

At Ragnarok she'll fight at her father's side against the gods and send her army of Deads to the upper world.

Some other sources say that the goddess Hel had an own cult before Odin. According this informations, she wasn't a really "bad" goddess, but fair (this story's very similar to the greek underworld-story), the pure and good deceased came to a wonderful place and the murders etc. came to dark and cold places, the heaviest of them were eaten by the dragon Nidhogg.

Old Norse: Hel
Meaning: "The Hidden" , the word "hell" derives from her name.

The rune "Berkano" was dedicated to her.

For more informations about Helheim click Here.

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