Hel, Goddess of Death and Lady of the Underworld

Also known as: Hela, Helia, Urd, Urth.

Goddess of the Underworld, also referred to as: Hel, Helia, Hellawisi, Hellewite, Hellia, Helviti, Halvete, Helvede.

Hel, also known as the "Terror of Two Faces," is an ancient goddess of the dead in Norse mythology who presides over the realm of Niflheim, a position granted to her by the god Odin. Her realm shares its name with her and serves as the basis for the Christian concept of Hell, where she receives a portion of the dead. She is sometimes described as a ghastly witch, half dead and half alive, with a grim expression. Her face and upper body are that of a living woman, but her thighs and legs resemble those of a corpse, stained and decayed.

She is mentioned in the Poetic Edda, Prose Edda, and Heimskringla.

The Poetic Edda

Compiled in the 13th century from earlier traditional sources, the Poetic Edda includes several poems referencing Hel. In the poem Völuspá, Hel’s realm is referred to as the "Halls of Hel." In stanza 31 of Grímnismál, Hel is mentioned as dwelling beneath one of the three roots of the world tree, Yggdrasil. In Fáfnismál, the hero Sigurd, standing before the mortally wounded dragon Fafnir, states that Fafnir is in pieces, where "Hel may take him." In Atlamál, phrases such as "Hel has half of us" and "sent to Hel" are used to refer to death, possibly denoting both the location and the being. In stanza 4 of Baldrs draumar, Odin rides toward the "high hall of Hel.".

The Prose Edda

Hel receives significant mention in the Prose Edda. In chapter 34 of the Gylfaginning, High (a figure in the creation of the Prose Edda) lists Hel as one of the three children of Loki and Angrboða, along with the wolf Fenrir and the serpent Jörmungandr. High continues, explaining that the gods discovered these three children were being raised in the land of Jötunheimr and, having "foreseen prophecies that great harm and disaster would arise from them," the gods anticipated trouble from the three siblings, partly due to their mother’s nature but even more so because of their father’s.

High recounts how Odin sent the gods to gather the children and bring them to him. Upon their arrival, Odin cast Hel into Niflheim, granting her authority over nine worlds, where she would "administer food and lodging to those sent to her: namely, those who die of illness or old age." High describes how Hel’s realm contains "great mansions" with extremely high walls and massive gates, a hall called Éljúðnir, a plate named "Hunger," a knife named "Famine," servants named Ganglati (Old Norse: "slow walker") and Ganglöt ("lazy walker"), an entrance threshold called "Stumbling Stone," a bed named "Sick Bed," and curtains called "Gleaming Misery."

In chapter 49, High describes events surrounding the death of the god Baldr. The goddess Frigg asks who among the Æsir will gain "all her love and favor" by riding to Hel (the place) to try to find Baldr and offer her a ransom. The god Hermóðr volunteers and departs on Sleipnir, Odin’s eight-legged horse, toward Hel. Hermóðr reaches Hel’s hall, finds his brother Baldr there, and spends the night. The next morning, Hermóðr begs Hel to allow Baldr to return home with him, recounting the immense mourning among the Æsir following Baldr’s death. Hel responds:

• "If all things in the world, living or dead, weep for him, then he will be allowed to return to the Æsir. If anyone speaks against him or refuses to weep, he will remain with Hel."

Later in the chapter, after the jötunn woman Þökk refuses to weep for the deceased Baldr, she concludes her verse by saying, "Let Hel hold what she has." In chapter 51, High recounts the events of Ragnarök, detailing how, when Loki arrives at the battlefield of Vígríðr, "all the people of Hel" will come with him.

Popular Culture

Hel is one of the playable gods in the third-person multiplayer online battle arena game Smite, and she was one of the original 17 gods. She also appears in the real-time strategy game Age of Mythology by Ensemble Studios (2002), where she is one of the 12 Norse gods players can choose to worship. Additionally, she serves as the main antagonist in Thor: Ragnarok, the third film in Marvel’s Thor trilogy. Hel is also the final boss in the 2003 action RPG Boktai: The Sun is in Your Hand by Konami for the Game Boy Advance.

Co-author: Fridrik Leifr