Hel
"Conceptions of Hel as a place of punishment are not at all definitely indicated in the oldest poetry, yet on the contrary a *Nifl-Hel* is named "to which men die…
From: Unknown To: 1913 C.E.
Location: Scandinavia
Note: This article has been excerpted from a larger work in the public domain and shared here due to its historical value. It may contain outdated ideas and language that do not reflect TOTA’s opinions and beliefs.
Hel, Norse goddess and ruler of the afterlife Helheim, from A Handbook of Norse Mythology by Karl Mortensen, 1913.
The Death-Realm
The narrative about Hermoth's Hel-ride deviates widely from Snorri's descriptions in various places of the realm of death and the goddess of death, but contains certainly an older and more original conception. Hel means "the concealing one." She is a queen and dwells in splendid halls which are decorated like a royal castle on earth, for the floors are strewn and the benches covered with carpets and expensive materials. Dead men (but neither those dead of disease nor cowards) ride to Hel in warlike hosts and all equipped, and their king takes his place on the high seat which is prepared for him.
Conceptions of Hel as a place of punishment are not at all definitely indicated in the oldest poetry, yet on the contrary a Nifl-Hel is named "to which men die from Hel." The oldest belief seems to have comprehended three worlds (although the Volva's Prophecy tells of nine): the land of the Gods, the World of Men, and the Realm of the Dead (heaven, earth, and the underworld, possibly with a hint at a place of punishment, Nifl-hel). But when the Odin-cult and with that the belief in Valhalla first made its way into the popular consciousness, men thought that the brave went to Valfather, the cowardly, and those dead of disease to Hel. Then Hel became Loki's daughter and her realm a counterpart of Valhalla.
Hel, according to Snorri's representation, gained sway over nine worlds in Niflheim. Her kingdom is called Helheim, which is reached by the Hel-road, over the Gjallar Bridge, past the Hel-gate or death boundary. The Hel-hound, Garm, runs out of the Gnipa-cave. The death-goddess herself, horrible to behold, is upon her throne in the hall Eljuthnir, her maid is Ganglot, her threshold is called “falling deceit” and her couch is the "bed of sickness.”
The word Hel is even now preserved in the Danish words ihjel, 'dead'; Helved, 'hell'; Helsot, 'fatal disease'; and Helhest, 'hell-steed.' Likewise the widespread superstition that the howling of dogs presages death is probably a half-extinct reminder of the Hel-hound.
Mortensen, Karl. A Handbook of Norse Mythology. Thomas Y. Crowell, 1913.
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