Dark Goddess Series, part V: Hel

In Norse mythology, Hel is the ruler of Helheim, where she was sent by Odin. She is the youngest child of Loki and Angrboda. Hel, from which we get the term “hell”, is described as half alive and half dead, with the upper body of a living woman and the blackened, moldering lower body of a corpse. Her body represents both life and death.

Hel is the goddess of the inglorious dead - those who did not spend their lives raping, pillaging and burning. Those who died in battle were received into Valhalla instead. Even goddesses get rather unglamorous jobs, but Hel made the job and the domain her own.

Her domain is a damp, dank, depressing place. It isn’t the place of fire and brimstone. There are no souls being roasted over eternal flames. Rather, the wicked have the blood sucked out of their bodies by the dragon Nidhogg.

Some of the research I have found draws a parallel between Hel and Kali. There are some similarities in appearance, such as the black flesh, as well as similarities in position, as both goddesses sit in judgement on the souls of the dead.

Symbols of Hel include the elder tree and the holly. Wells are sacred to her, perhaps because they represent an entry into the underworld.

In all honesty, this was a difficult post to put together, which is why I hesitated earlier. There is a lot of information about Hel but some of it is a bit sugar-coated. None of it was terribly helpful in assisting me.

My domain is the kitchen, which is a warm, happy place (hopefully), although I would also welcome the elderly and the sick. I would provide them with nourishment and comfort as best I could before they had to depart this world. Maybe those who honor Hel don’t even know it. Maybe it’s the person who provides a person’s last meal, or gives that person some comfort before they die and release their soul to whatever good place they believe in.

My suggestion – not because I have absolute authority or knowledge, but because I’m sharing my personal ideas – would be to honor Hel in October, when the spirits of the dead are remembered. I think she should be thanked for keeping order over her realm, of receiving the sick and the old, and of sharing her provisions with them.
When you set a place on your altar or at your table for your beloved dead, set on in memory of Hel as well. Offer her some of your feast and light a candle for her, to let her know you respect her and her world.

Showing respect for her is showing respect for death and for the dead, and recognizing the end to which we all must come. The dark goddesses and goddesses of the underworld are there to remind us that death is a time of rest, a time of preparation for the next life.

As a goddess of the underworld, I would recommend offering potatoes, turnips and beets. Offer meat and bread as well. You can do this at any time, really, but I feel that around Samhain, even though that is more of a Celtic thing, would still be appropriate.







Now can I have the spout for my water pump back?