Scandinavian mythology is full of secrets and legends. Her deities are deep, special personalities. They have a hidden meaning. They have similarities and significant differences in comparison with the gods of other religions.
One of the most powerful deities of German-Scandinavian mythology is Hel. At her disposal is the last of the 9 worlds - the kingdom of the dead. The goddess Hel and her possessions are significantly different from modern views on the other world. It will be instructive and interesting to delve into this legend.
Who is Hel?
In Scandinavian mythology, the image of the deity of the underworld is very unusual. As a result of the union of the god of deceit Loki and the giantess Angoboda ("Nightmare Bearer"), their eldest daughter Hel appeared. The goddess of the realm of the dead has shown her abilities since childhood. One day she became like a decaying corpse. It was a sign of her destiny.
Later she could appear to the world in different guises. Hel can appear as a beautiful girl with very pale skin and blue eyes. Her growth is very large. In another incarnation, her body seems to be divided into two parts. On the one hand, this is a beautiful girl, and on the other, a skeleton with remnantsdecaying flesh. It can also be white on one side and black on the other. Sometimes she is portrayed as an old woman.
Becoming Empress of Helheim
Besides Hel, the gods Loki and Angrboda had two more children - the wolf Fenrir and the serpent Jörmungandr. The whole family was called by Odin. He gave Hel the right to own the underworld.
Every ruler rules it until his death. After that, the right to reign in the underworld passes to another god. He arranges the world of the dead as he pleases.
Before the goddess Hel was born and took over, the underworld was called Jormungund. When she became its full ruler, the ninth of the worlds was named Helheim.
The mistress immediately took care of the improvement of the world of the dead. Grass grew on the rocks, mounds of graves. It was cold and dark here, but the dead do not need light and warmth. Hel guarantees peace and deliverance to his subjects. She gives them shelter.
Goddess character
Scandinavian goddess Hel is different from other rulers of the underworld. In her possessions there is no hellish fire, torment and suffering. Such ideas about hell are typical for the countries of the Middle East. The heat was a terrible punishment here. She killed people, crops and domestic animals. In northern countries, death was associated with cold. Life and death alternate like winter and summer.
Hel has an uncompromising nature. She knows what leads to happiness and what leads to sorrow. It shows people the inevitability of death. Therefore, her image isfrom the sight of a beautiful maiden on one side and the bones of a corpse on the other. A person must understand death in all its undisguised clarity, must not build illusions.
This should not be feared, because it is natural for people. If Hel ordered a person to do her will, he must do it. Even if you have to make big sacrifices. This is the path to goodness. The Goddess takes no pleasure in suffering. It destroys illusions, "castles in the sand" that stupid, narrow-minded people build for themselves. Only by losing can truth be found.
The Essence of Helheim
Hel is the goddess of death. But her kingdom is not terrible. Death removes superfluous things from the soul. As the bones of dead flesh are exposed, so Hel frees each person. It allows a person to look at himself for who he is. This is not a punishment, but a sedation.
Helheim is guarded by brothers. Her realm cannot be entered without permission or invitation. It is also impossible to get out of it without the consent of Hel. Even Odin is unable to influence the course of events in the domain of the goddess. He could not force Hel to return his dead brother Baldr to him. All souls go here. According to legend, only the souls of the best warriors enter the kingdom of Odin.
Helheim is pretty good. Having destroyed all earthly fetters, the soul finds itself again. This is a period of latent development. The ancients believed that it was better here than in the world of the living. Hel takes care of the souls of the dead, like a mother takes care of her children. Therefore, she appears as a woman.
Hel and other goddesses
In mythologymany peoples meet goddesses similar to Hel. She herself comes from an older person. This is the mistress of the hearth and motherhood of Hold. This goddess could also send cold and winter to the earth. Her realm could be reached by jumping down a well. It is with this division of personalities that the essence of Hel begins. The goddess of the realm of the dead also appears in a double guise.
In Greek mythology, Persephone had similar features. For six months she is in the other world, and the other six months - in the world of the living. In Roman legends, these same qualities were attributed to Proserpina. Our ancestors in the role of Hel saw the goddess Morana.
Communication with Hel
Communicate with the goddess of death should only be a last resort. According to legend, she can help find a way out in difficult circumstances. But when asking for her advice, you should be ready to fulfill any of her wishes.
Offerings are brought to her. The goddess Hel, whose gifts are offered before the conversation, loves dried roses and blood. She has no tolerance for those who deny death or engage in necromancy.
It is impossible for a living person to enter her kingdom. A special platform is intended for communication with her or with someone from the dead. Hel's advice is tough, but it leads to the common good. Only being on the very edge, on the verge of death, a person is able to realize the truth.
If the will of the goddess is not fulfilled, the questioner will be punished. The most terrible suffering will fall upon him. And the result will be as Hel said. It's not herwhim.
What does Hel teach?
In mythology, the goddess Hel performs a number of duties. It protects the dead, and forces the living to recognize the inevitability of death. The cycle is continuous. Day will change night. But with warmth comes cold. We must remember this in life.
After death, Hel gives rest to every soul. Only those who are not afraid to step beyond this line, to survive the deepest crisis, can find joy and harmony. Therefore, even the great Odin cannot invade the realm of Hel. Without good there is no evil, and without death there is no birth. The world cannot be white. It must have a shadow.
Therefore, Hel, when meeting with the living, gives her hand of a skeleton as a sign of favor, and the warm hand of a living girl to the dead.
The Goddess Hel is a deep symbol of humanity's relationship to life and death. It does not intimidate with terrible torments on the other side of the world. She exposes the souls of people. Destroying all illusions, forcing them to survive the deepest crisis, the goddess reveals to man the truth and a way out of the crisis. After all, only by looking at himself as he is, a person is able to understand his fate, find harmony and freedom.
