Hel in Norse tradition
As ruler of the realm called Hel, Hel received those who died outside battle and held authority over the dead of the nine worlds. She is a Norse deity associated with sickness, old age, hunger, and death, and her divided body was half blue and half flesh coloured. When Hermóðr sought Baldr’s release, Hel agreed only if every living and dead thing wept for him, but Thokk’s refusal kept him among the dead until Ragnarök.
The quick answers
Who is Hel?
Hel is a Norse deity associated with the dead who die of sickness or old age, the realm called Hel, the nine worlds placed under her authority, the fate of Baldr among the dead.Source
Source
- Legends of Norse Mythology
- Norse Mythology
- Price, The Viking Way
- Dictionary of northern mythology
What is Hel the god of?
the dead who die of sickness or old age, the realm called Hel, the nine worlds placed under her authority, the fate of Baldr among the deadSource
Source
- Legends of Norse Mythology
- Norse Mythology
- Price, The Viking Way
What family links are recorded for Hel?
Father: Loki, Mother: Angrboða, Spouse: Dyggvi, 5 siblings.What happens in Hel’s Birth and Appointment?
Odin questioned Hel before sending her to Niflheim, where he gave her authority over the dead of the nine worlds.Source
Source
- the ancient sources
- Treasury of Norse Mythology
Hel’s family, at a glance
Parents above, children below, and the figure’s consorts named in between, the same family data as the fact box, laid out as a chart instead of a field list.
The names Hel answers to
Hela
A variant spelling of Hel
SourceDictionary of northern mythology
Ruler of Hel
Mistress of the realm of the dead
SourceLegends of Norse Mythology
Goddess of the Dead
Deity presiding over the dead in her realm
SourceDictionary of northern mythology
Ruler of Nine Worlds
A figure granted authority over nine worlds
SourcePrice, The Viking Way
The myths of Hel
2 myths, each traced to its primary text and corpus sources, with 1 reviewed modern rework linked where the evidence supports it.
Hel’s Birth and Appointment
Odin questioned Loki and Angrboda’s daughter. She had one green, sharp eye and one pale, dull, dead eye. She showed no fear. When Odin asked whether she was alive or a corpse, she said that she was Hel, daughter of Angrboda and Loki. She said that she preferred the dead, who treated her with respect, while the living regarded her with disgust.
Loki and Angrboda had three children: Fenrir, the wolf, Jormungand, the Midgard-serpent, and Hel. The gods learned that the children were being raised in Jotunheim. They also knew the prophecies concerning them. Odin had already sent Jormungand away, freeing the serpent into the sea that encircled Midgard. He then banished Hel to the depths of Niflheim, or to an underworld described as the deepest dark place.
Odin gave Hel authority over the dead of the nine worlds. Warriors who died in battle were to go to Valhalla. Those who died in other ways became Hel’s people. They included people who died from disease, old age, accidents, or childbirth, as well as monsters, animals, giants, and dwarfs. Hel gathered them into her cold, joyless realm and kept them there until the end of the world. She accepted the charge without remorse, though she was also described as greedy for the dead.
Her dish was called Hungr, meaning Hunger, and her knife was called Sult, meaning Famine. Her bed was Kor, or Sickbed, and its curtains were called Blikjandabol, or Glimmering Mischance. Hel was described as half alive and half dead. At Ragnarok, her sooty-red cock would crow to announce the doom. Another account uses Hel as the name of a lower world ruled by Urd. Urd is also called Hel when named after that realm.
In the modern world
Hela
ComicsLoki fathers her with the giantess Angrboda, and once she comes of age Odin appoints her Goddess of the Dead, giving her rulership over the dead in Hel and Niflheim.
2 sources· checked 2026-08-19
- 1Treasury of Norse MythologyT1
- 2the ancient sourcesT1
Quote
“Hel, daughter of Loki and Angrboda, was placed in Niflheim and appointed to receive those who died from sickness and old age, while the slain went to Valhalla.”
the ancient sources
Hel’s Bargain for Baldr
The gods threw objects at Baldr as part of a game. Loki pulled up a young mistletoe plant and made darts from it. He led the blind Hoder into the game, then guided Hoder’s hand towards Baldr. The mistletoe struck Baldr, and he fell dead. The gods fell silent. They could not take revenge because they were gathered in a place of peace. His death brought grief to gods and men.
Hermóðr rode Sleipnir to Hel’s great hall. Baldr sat at the head of the table, pale, eating Hel’s food and drinking her mead. His wife, Nanna, sat beside him. The dwarf Lit sat nearby in a bad temper. Hel had one side like living flesh and the other dark and corpse-like. Hermóðr asked her to release Baldr. Hel said that Baldr would return to the Aesir if every living and dead thing wept for him. If any creature refused or spoke against him, Baldr would remain with her.
Baldr accompanied Hermóðr out of the hall. He gave Hermóðr the ring Draupnir for Odin as proof of his visit. Nanna sent Frigg a linen robe and Fulla a golden ring. Hermóðr returned to Asgard and reported Hel’s terms. The Aesir sent messengers throughout the world. Men and beasts, the earth, stones, trees, and metals all wept for Baldr, as things weep when frost gives way to heat.
The messengers found a giantess named Thokk sitting in a cave. She refused to weep for Baldr. This single refusal fulfilled Hel’s condition, so Baldr remained in her realm until Ragnarok. Odin sought revenge for Baldr’s death. He took the giantess Rindr as his wife, and she gave birth to Vali that same day. Vali grew to adulthood before nightfall and killed Hoder. Baldr remained with Hel, awaiting the battle when he would be freed alongside his brother Hoder.
In the modern world
No modern rework confirmed yet.
2 sources· checked 2026-08-19
- 1Treasury of Norse MythologyT1
- 2the ancient sourcesT1
Quote
“Baldr would return to the gods if every creature, living and dead, wept for him, but he would remain with Hel if even one refused.”
the ancient sources
12 works catalogued
This is the candidate catalogue for Hel: candidate reworks first, then references, then names used as atmosphere. Nothing here has been checked against a source yet. Only reviewed myth-to-work links are promoted in Overview.
Showing 12 of 12 works.
Film2
- Thor: RagnarokRework
- Bock Saga: Welcome to HelReference
Television1
- Thor & Loki: Blood BrothersRework
Game8
- Zombie VikingsRework
- Boktai: The Sun Is in Your HandRework
- Raanaa: The Shaman Girl - HelheimReference
- From Hel to AsgardReference
- Jötunnslayer: Hordes of HelReference
- Tribes of MidgardReference
- Wartile: Hel's NightmareReference
- Sulphur Nimbus: Hel's ElixirName only
Comics1
- HelaHel’s Birth and AppointmentRework
These are catalogue candidates, not proof that every work retells this figure. Reviewed myth-to-work links appear in Overview.
What this page is built from
About this page
Written and maintained by MythSource. Last reviewed not yet recorded. How a page gets built.
2 sources are cited on this page, primary texts and corpus scholarship, listed below.
Cite this page
MythSource. (n.d.). Hel. https://www.mythsource.com/figures/hel
"Hel." MythSource, n.d., www.mythsource.com/figures/hel.
"Hel." MythSource. n.d. https://www.mythsource.com/figures/hel.
The mythology summaries and identity fields on this page are grounded in the primary texts and scholarship above. The appearance table records candidates separately; only reviewed joins are presented as modern reworks in Overview.
The film
The Underdrawing video on Hel embeds here once it publishes.