Hel
Goddess of the Underworld
Daughter of Loki and the giantess Angrboda, Hel rules the realm of the dead that bears her name. Half her body is beautiful and living, half corpse-like and decaying. She receives all those who die of sickness, old age, or without glory in battle - the vast majority of humanity.
Attributes & Domains
Mythology & Stories
Hel was cast into the underworld by Odin when she was young, along with her monstrous siblings Fenrir and Jormungandr . There she built her kingdom and rules with absolute authority over her realm. Her hall is called Eljudnir ("Misery"), her plate is called Hunger, her knife is called Famine, and her bed is called Sick-bed.
Key Myths:
Relationships
Family
- Parents: Loki (father) and Angrboda (giantess mother)
- Siblings: Fenrir (great wolf), Jormungandr ( world serpent )
Role Among the Gods
Unlike her father Loki , Hel is not a trickster or agent of chaos. She rules her realm with grim fairness, neither kind nor cruel, simply inevitable. The gods fear her power but respect her sovereignty. She represents the cold reality of death that comes to all, hero and coward alike.
Helheim - Realm of the Dead
Helheim is a cold, misty realm located in Niflheim, the world of ice and fog. It is not a place of punishment like later Christian Hell, but rather a gray, joyless existence. The dead who dwell there are shades, going through the motions of life without its warmth or vitality. At Ragnarok , Hel will release her legions to join the battle against the gods.
Related Across the Mythos
Helheim
Her realm of the dead in Niflheim