Hel (goddess)

E365501

Hel is the Norse goddess who rules over the realm of the dead that bears her name, presiding especially over those who die of illness or old age.

All labels observed (3)

Label Occurrences
Hel (goddess) canonical 3
Hel (goddess, hidden) 1
watchdog of Hel 1

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (50)

Predicate Object
instanceOf Norse goddess
mythological figure
underworld deity
associatedConcept afterlife
death
fate of the dead
associatedWith realm of the dead
underworld
banishedTo Niflheim
bodyPartDescription half blue-black
half dead-looking
half flesh-colored
contrastedWith Fólkvangr
Valhalla
culture Germanic mythology
Norse mythology
demandsFromGods tears from all things for Baldr’s release
describedIn Gylfaginning
Poetic Edda
Prose Edda
Skaldic poetry
gender female
hasDomainFeature bed called Kör (Sick-bed)
famine (Sultur)
hunger (Hungur)
knife called Sultur (Famine)
maidservant Ganglöt
servant Ganglati
threshold called Fallandaforað (Falling to peril)
hasModernCognate English word hell
languageOfName Old Norse
linked to: Old Norse language
nameEtymology from Proto-Germanic *haljō (concealed place, underworld)
nameSharedWith Hel (realm)
linked to: Hel
orderedBy Odin
parent Angrboða
Loki
presidesOver dead from illness
dead from old age
receives those who do not die in battle
refusesReleaseIfConditionNotMet Baldr
residence Helheim
Niflheim
roleInMyth keeper of Baldr in Hel
rulesOver Hel (realm)
linked to: Hel
sibling Fenrir
Jörmungandr
linked to: Jormungandr
symbolicAssociation cold
darkness
decay
task to apportion abodes to the dead

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (5)

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

Helheim distinguishedFrom Hel (goddess)
Helheim realmOf Hel (goddess)
Garmr guardRole watchdog of Hel
linked to: Hel (goddess)
Garmr associatedWithDeity Hel (goddess)
Helheim etymologyComponent Hel (goddess, hidden)
linked to: Hel (goddess)