Queen of Death & Darkness

The Norse goddess Hel found her home beneath the giant ash tree known in Norse mythology as the Yggdrasil. This tree connects the upper, lower, and middle worlds together, as above, so below, as within, so without. Guarded by her faithful dog Garmer, Hel rules the icy-cold of the underworld, a place called Nifelheim. According to early Norse myth, this is where all dead souls either spent their afterlife in burial mounds, which were watched over by attendants of Hel or these souls joined the goddess in her murky domain. In later legends, heroes, slain in battle, were rewarded by Odin with a new life spent in the halls of Valhalla and all those who died by other means or not chosen by Odin, were met by Hel in the Underworld.

According to myth, Hel is sometimes presented as being harsh, greedy, and cruel but she mostly is displayed with a character that is indifferent to the concerns of both the living and the dead. She can be quite aloof. Her appearance can either be with having one side of her being in flesh and the other side skeletal. Or, she is half corpse-blue and half flesh-colored. Either-way her appearance is of a gloomy downcast. As being the Queen of Hel/Hell and of Death, Hel is often seen by scholars as being a face of Lilith.

Some Properties, Powers, and Associations with the goddess Hel:

*life, death, and rebirth *Necromancy *manipulation of ice and the elements of water and earth *manipulation of death and disease * healing *astral travel and the realm of dream *induces sleep *divination *animal communication *protection and returning to sender, also revenge. Animals associated with: dog, wolf, snake, raven, crow. Herbs and Flowers associated with: rue, wormwood (considered a poison plant), plantain, red rose, trees-elder + yew, belladonna (poisonous), henbane (poisonous).

As with the Greek god of the Underworld, Hades, whose name and home bore the same name, we can take from Hel the English word “Hell” . Hel from an Old Norse root meaning “covered” or “concealed” Hel’s underworld is described as gloomy, but it is not a place of torment and torture. There is no concept of punishment for earthly sins. It simply is a place for those who do not belong anywhere else. Linked in kin with Hel and her underworld were the fierce wolf Fenrir and serpent Jörmungandr (world serpent). All three were fathered by the Norse god Loki, known to be handsome, sly, and dangerous. According to an oracle, Loki would eventually bring the downfall of the Gods and the victory of chaos, as the world ends. Loki in this sense is highly anti-cosmic.

This is just a short insert to lend something different to this blog. Satanists can find Satanic elements through the dark characters of myths such as this, plus it always makes for an interesting read.

Copyright Kindra Ravenmoon.