Worshipping Hel - Is It Valid?
There is a constant argument in online spaces, around the validity of worshipping certain deities (yes, I'm calling the so-called evil powers of chaos deities, its my blog), and Hel is often among the most controversial. Reddit - the internet's cesspool - is rife with posts about how "she's evil, she eats souls, why would you want that in your life" or "She's a Christian/Snorri invention," you get it. There are some... opinions out there. But as they say: opinions are like assholes, everyone's got one, and some stink more than others.
So I poked around the sources to see what they say about Hel and I noticed an interesting theme which isn't discussed a whole lot: Hel's place as a final judge in the afterlife.
It makes sense to me that someone who would be responsible for the fate of the soul (or parts of the soul, anyway) would have likely been venerated in some capacity. The real question really is "Why wouldn't she have?"
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| Brock, C. E.. Header for "Hela". From: Keary, Annie, and Liza Keary. The Heroes of Asgard: Tales from Scandinavian Mythology. London: Macmillan and Co. Limited, 1930. 144. MyNDIR: My Norse Digital Image Repository. Ed. P. A. Baer. 2024. Edition 2.6. Victoria, B. C.: Humanities Computing and Media Centre, University of Victoria. 2024. |
All Men's Fate
In order to discuss Hel as a goddess, we should probably talk about her function in the myths. There are some interesting clues we can find in the sources, both Snorri and Saxo, and the Sagas. Modern Heathens generally believe that warriors who die in battle are chosen to go to either Fólkvangr, or Valhöll, while the rest go to their final resting place in Hel / Helheim (and the very bad go to Nástrǫnd).
The Fáfnismál 10 tells us, that all men journey to Hel. not some. ALL.
when every man
shall journey hence to Hel.
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| Werenskiold, Erik. Portrait of Hel. From: Sturluson, Snorri. Kongesagaer. Translated by Gustav Storm, Kristiania: J. M. Stenersen, 1899. 17. MyNDIR: My Norse Digital Image Repository. Ed. P. A. Baer. 2024. Edition 2.6. Victoria, B. C.: Humanities Computing and Media Centre, University of Victoria. 2024. |
Road to Hel
As modern Heathens, many of us believe that Hel's realm is where those who don't die in battle go after death. This is supported in one source in particular, this bad ass stanza taken from the poem Sonatorrek (On the Loss of My Sons) in Egil's Saga chapter 78, a poem in honor of Egil's two sons Böðvarr and Gunnarr.
Böðvarr tragically died in a boating accident. Egil was so sad (valid) that he locked himself in his room, intending to starve himself to death (dramatic, but we have all been there right?). He was tricked into eating by his daughter Þorgerðr, and she told him that maybe if he journaled in honor of his recently deceased sons, it might help him move on - good advice.
The poem is exceptionally powerful and lyrical, a real banger.
The "close sister of Odin's Enemy" is clearly Hel - as Fenrir is responsible for the death of Odin at Ragna-rok, and he shares parentage with Hel. Egil sees Hel, the goddess of the dead, waiting for him as he mourns his sons; maybe he believes he will be with them when he also dies.
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| The picture was made by Gangleri 1995 in Borgarnes, Iceland in "Skallagrímsgarður", the park of Skallagrímur named after Egils father. In the park is the gravehill where both Skallagrímur the father of Egill and Böðvar his son are buried - Licensed to use. |
There a few examples from both Snorri and Saxo that would see warriors travel the road to Hel, supporting that it's not just the sick and the old who go there after death. Snorri tells us in Gylfaginning 49 that Hermod sees five 'fylki' (translation: “troop, military formation, company”) of dead men pass before him, making less noise than he did, alone on Sleipnir. A group of five would suggest that they died together in battle… which would insinuate that warriors go to Hel, perhaps as a pit stop on their way to Valhalla?
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| Collingwood, W. G.. Hermóðr's Ride to Hel. From: Elder or Poetic Edda: Commonly Known As Sæmund's Edda. Translated by Olive Bray . London: Viking Club, 1908. 238. MyNDIR: My Norse Digital Image Repository. Ed. P. A. Baer. 2024. Edition 2.6. Victoria, B. C.: Humanities Computing and Media Centre, University of Victoria. 2024. |
Likewise in Saxo Book 1, Hadding sees two armies fighting and when Hadding inquired of the woman about their estate:
"These," she said, "are they who, having been slain by the sword, declare the manner of their death by a continual rehearsal, and enact the deeds of their past life in a living spectacle.
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| Hading og Hartgrepe: From Frederik Winkel Horn's 1898 edition of Saxo Grammaticus - Danmarks Krønike, page 15. - Public Domain |
Egil’s Saga, chapter 45 has even more about warriors going to Hel. I’ll let you read the whole chapter, but it describes Egil, who was a heathen born about the year 904, mentioning to his brother Thorolf:
The warrior king's liege-men,
Lie dead, to the high hall
Of Hela downsped.
Baldrs Draumar 3 goes on to describe more about "Hel's high hall";
At the father of magic | he howled from afar;
Forward rode Othin, | the earth resounded
Till the house so high | of Hel he reached.
This heavily suggests that even warriors destined for Valhöll first came to Hel.
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| Jakob Sigurðsson. Hermóðr´s Ride to Hel. From: Copenhagen: Det Kongelige Bibliotek. NKS 1867 4to. 1760. 96r. Hand copied paper manuscript. MyNDIR: My Norse Digital Image Repository. Ed. P. A. Baer. 2024. Edition 2.6. Victoria, B. C.: Humanities Computing and Media Centre, University of Victoria. 2024. |
Hel-Shoes
In The Saga of Gísli the Outlaw (Gísla saga Súrssonar) ch. 24 the custom of binding Hel-shoes on the feet of the dead is mentioned. Even warriors, when there should be no doubt their final afterlife destination was with Freyja or Odin, received Hel-shoes like non-warriors for the journey.
Thorgrim the priest goes up to Gisli, and says, "Tis the custom, brother-in-law, to bind the hellshoe on men, so that they may walk on them to Valhalla, and I will now do that by Vestein.
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| For the record, I think Hel-Shoes are definitely crocs |
Hávamál 77
This association to Hel is a bit of a reach, I'll admit it. But i thought to include it anyway. Specifically Thorpe's and Hollander's translation of stanza 77 of the Hávamál, which its seems is the most literal from ON, and when you look at these particular translations, its possible to see that they are talking about the inevitable judgement or doom every man must face in the afterlife, and the judge as I've suggested throughout this post, would be Hel. And It seems logical to me for one to offer and pray to those that will pass judgement.
I'm no ON expert, so I'm not entirely sure how this ended up being about a mans reputation, but maybe that's what you go to University for.
Thorpe:
your kindred shall die;
you yourself shall die;
one thing I know
which never dies:
the judgement on each one dead.
Hollander:
thyself eke soon wilt die;
one thing, I wot, will wither never:
The doom over each one dead.
Old Norse:
Hel's Judgement
To answer harm with hate;
Well he winds | and weaves them all,
And sets them side by side,
At the judgment-place, | when justice there
The folk shall fairly win.
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| Moe, Louis. Hel. From: Moe, Louis Maria Niels Peder Halling. Ragnarok: En Billeddigtning. København, A.F. Høst, 1929. [20]. MyNDIR: My Norse Digital Image Repository. Ed. P. A. Baer. 2024. Edition 2.6. Victoria, B. C.: Humanities Computing and Media Centre, University of Victoria. 2024. |
This is also supported by the fact Odin has to ask Hel about Baldr's fate as it is ultimately her judgement to make, and it is final.
Based on what we can gather from the sources, everyone eventually comes to Hel, even warriors whose final destination is Fólkvangr or Valhöll. Neither Freyja or Odin get the first choice, but it is Hel who makes that decision.
All dead are judged, and that judgement is eternal.
Check out my prayer to Hel here!
For more information on Hel, check out the videos from below:
