"Hel" (goddess/hidden) + "heimr" (home, world)

E365498

Helheim is the Norse mythological realm of the dead ruled by the goddess Hel, often depicted as a cold, shadowy underworld distinct from Valhalla.

All labels observed (1)

Label Occurrences
"Hel" (goddess/hidden) + "heimr" (home, world) canonical 1

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (47)

Predicate Object
instanceOf mythological realm ⓘ
realm of the dead ⓘ
underworld ⓘ
accessedBy Gjöll bridge ⓘ
accessType difficult to leave ⓘ
afterlifeFunction realm for the dead not chosen by Odin or Freyja ⓘ
associatedDeity Hel ⓘ
associatedWith cold ⓘ
darkness ⓘ
death ⓘ
the underworld ⓘ
those who die of sickness or old age ⓘ
borderedBy river Gjöll ⓘ
cosmologicalPosition one of the worlds beneath the roots of Yggdrasil ⓘ
culture Norse mythology ⓘ
describedAs cold ⓘ
gloomy ⓘ
misty ⓘ
shadowy ⓘ
describedIn Poetic Edda ⓘ
Prose Edda ⓘ
distinctFrom Fólkvangr ⓘ
Valhalla ⓘ
etymologyComponent Hel (goddess, hidden) ⓘ
linked to: Hel (goddess)

heimr (home, world) ⓘ
governedBy laws of Hel ⓘ
guardedBy Móðguðr ⓘ
hasSubrealm Náströnd ⓘ
inhabitants dead ⓘ
languageOfName Old Norse ⓘ
linked to: Old Norse language
laterInterpretedAs hell-like realm ⓘ
locatedIn Niflheim ⓘ
mentionedIn Gylfaginning ⓘ
Vafþrúðnismál ⓘ
moralConnotation not primarily a place of moral punishment in earliest sources ⓘ
mythicFunction balances heroic afterlife realms like Valhalla ⓘ
namedAfter Hel ⓘ
oftenContrastedWith Valhalla ⓘ
partOf Norse cosmology ⓘ
linked to: Norse mythology
populationType human dead ⓘ
some dishonored dead in later tradition ⓘ
roleInMyth destination of Baldr after his death ⓘ
ruler Hel ⓘ
sometimesConfusedWith Christian Hell ⓘ
symbolizes inevitable death ⓘ
obscurity and concealment ⓘ
visitedBy Hermóðr ⓘ

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (1)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Helheim → etymology → "Hel" (goddess/hidden) + "heimr" (home, world) ⓘ