Hel (mythology)
In Nordic mythology, Hel is the ruler of the underworld of the same name, also called Helheim .
etymology
In the Christian Bible the word "hell" is used as ahd . Hellia and got . Halja as a direct translation of the Greek Hades. The Old Norse name Hel is related to the German word hell and leads back to a primitive Germanic * haljō ("hell, underground world of the dead") from the Germanic root * hel, * hal (to hide). The term can also be found in other Germanic languages: got . halja ; oldgl . bright ; ahd . hell (i) a , Middle High German and Old Frisian light , Old Saxon hellja . The word is related to the New High German verb hide ("to hide") and thus designates "the hidden". In contrast to the Christian conception of hell as a place of punishment, the expression referred to the world of the dead without any negative or positive connotation. The personification of Hel as mistress of this world of the dead obviously only took place in the north.
The goddess of the race of giants
Hel, the goddess of the dead, is the daughter of Loki and the giantess Angrboda , but is not counted among the Aesir family , but among the giants . Her skin is half normal in color, half blue-black, indicating that she is half dead and half alive (sometimes she is also described as half old and half young). Together with her siblings, the Fenris Wolf and the Midgard Snake , she was brought to Asgard by the Aesir because the gods were afraid of the Loki children. While the Fenriswolf was tied to the chain Gleipnir and the Midgard serpent was thrown into the sea by Odin , Hel was banished from Asgard, whereupon she founded her own empire in the north. There she brings everyone who has died of old age and illness to her home. The fallen in battle warriors arrive using the Valkyries to Valhalla at Odin's table. The drowned people belong to the sea goddess Rán . Even the gods are not immune to the fate of death, as Baldur's death shows.
The dead world of the goddess Hel
After Hel's exile from Asgard, she founded an empire in the north, where she brings all people and beings who have died “straw death”, ie. H. found their death on the death bed. Your world of Helheim is one of the worlds of Utgard and is located under the roots of the world tree Yggdrasil . This world can only be reached via the death river Gjöll and the golden bridge Gjallarbrú , which is guarded by Móðguðr (Modgud). The hellhound Garm guards the entrance to their realm. A return from this dark underworld is hardly possible. Hel's place of residence is Eljudnir (misery) and her table is Hungr (hunger), her knife is Sultr (squalor) and her doorstep is Fallandaforad (falling danger). Her bed is Kor (coffin) and her bed curtain is Blikjandabol (flashing disaster). She is served by the maid Ganglot (sluggish step) and the servant Ganglati (slow step).
The description of Helheim is contradictory: on the one hand it is a desolate and gloomy place, on the other hand it is also a lively and warming place. Criminals such as murderers and thieves, but also liars, will forever suffer from cold, pain and hunger. These people sometimes experience even greater agony with the dragon Nidhöggr , who feeds on the flesh of the dead. Alignments with or influences from the Christian view of hell may already play a role.
Hel is not only a "hidden" goddess, but also a righteous one. She is kind and lovable to some, and relentless and cruel to others. It unites apparent opposites, which is also reflected in its external appearance.
The goddess Hel in literature
Outside of the Edda, there are only a few old traditions of Hel as a goddess among the Northern Germans, and none at all from other Germanic cultures. At the time of the medieval plague visions exist of Hel as a witch on a three-legged horse, with Grim Reaper devouring the souls of the deceased. In the South and West Germanic people, the realm of the dead is more likely to be associated with Frau Holle. Her behavior makes it clear that she was not a terrifying goddess, but is described as a just and kind woman despite terrifying pranks and punishments. Frau Holle's winter world makes references to the Helheim realm in the north. In addition to old legends, word games with hell and hell also play a role. However, these are only from modern times, as Hel and Holle have the same Indo-European roots, but in Germanic times they were * Helja and * Hulda and therefore had nothing to do with each other.
literature
- Jacob Grimm : German Mythology . Marix Verlag, Wiesbaden 2007, ISBN 978-3-86539-143-8 .
- Theodor Storm : Anecdotes, fairy tales, legends, proverbs and rhymes from Schleswig-Holstein. Texts, genesis, sources . Boyens Verlag, Husum 2005, ISBN 978-3-8042-1166-7 .
- Rudolf Simek : Lexicon of Germanic Mythology (= Kröner's pocket edition . Volume 368). 3rd, completely revised edition. Kröner, Stuttgart 2006, ISBN 3-520-36803-X .
