| Hel | |
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Other Names |
Halja, Hel, Hell, Helle, Hellia, Hella, Hela |
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First Appearance |
Norse Myth |
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Created by |
Norse Myth |
Origin[]
Hel is a female being in Norse mythology who is said to preside over an underworld realm of the same name, where she receives a portion of the dead. In the Poetic Edda, Prose Edda, and Heimskringla, Hel is referred to as a daughter of Loki and sister to the wolf Fenrir and the serpent Jörmungandr.
In the Prose Edda book Gylfaginning, Hel is described as having been appointed by the god Odin as ruler of a realm of the same name, located in Niflheim. In the same source, her appearance is described as half blue and half flesh-coloured and further as having a gloomy, downcast appearance. The Prose Edda details that Hel rules over vast mansions with many servants in her underworld realm and plays a key role in the attempted resurrection of the god Baldr.
She has a wolf or dog named Garmr who is associated with both the realm of Hel and with Ragnarök. He is described as a blood-stained guardian of Hel's gate.
Public Domain Literary Appearances[]
- Poetic Edda
- Prose Edda
- Heimskringla
- Egils Saga
- Gesta Danorum
Notes[]
- In Pokemon, Zygarde's 10%, 50%, and Complete Formes may be inspired in part by the three children of Loki and Angrboða in Norse mythology: Fenrir, Jormungandr, and Hel.