Hel— Norse God"Queen of the Dead"

Daughter of Chaos

Hel is one of Loki's three monstrous children by the giantess Angrboða, sister to the wolf Fenrir and the serpent Jörmungandr. When the gods learned prophecies of the doom these children would bring, they took action: Fenrir was bound, Jörmungandr was cast into the sea, and Hel was given dominion over the dead—a throne, but also an exile.

Half-Living, Half-Dead

Hel's appearance embodies her domain. One half of her body is that of a beautiful woman; the other half is corpse-like, rotting or blackened. Some say she is divided vertically, others horizontally. This duality reflects her realm: the boundary between life and death, a place neither wholly one nor the other.

Queen of Helheim

Hel rules Helheim (or Niflhel), the realm of those who die of old age, illness, or without glory in battle. Unlike Valhalla's feasting warriors, Hel's subjects exist in cold, dim eternity. Her hall is called Éljúðnir ("damp with sleet"), her dish is Hunger, her knife is Famine, her threshold is Stumbling Block, and her bed is Sick Bed.

Baldur's Keeper

When Baldur died, he came to Hel's realm. Hermod rode for nine nights through dark valleys to reach her gates and begged her to release Asgard's beloved son. Hel agreed—if every living thing wept for Baldur. When Loki, disguised as a giantess, refused to weep, Baldur remained in Helheim. Hel kept what was rightfully hers.

The Army of the Dead

At Ragnarök, Hel will release her countless dead to fight against the gods. They will sail on Naglfar, the ship made of dead men's nails, with Loki at the helm. The dishonored dead, led by their half-corpse queen, will march against Asgard in the final battle that ends all things.