The Mystery of Hel

​In Norse mythology we meet Hel, Queen of Hel, not to be confused with the Christian Hell, the two are drastically different places. Hel, who Odin gave dominion over the nine realms, is described in the 13th century by the Icelander Snorri Sturluson as half fleshed-coloured and half blue. Hel has a knife called Famine, a plate called Hunger, a bed called Disease and curtains called Misfortune. She is said to be a child of the giantess Angrboda and Loki, sibling of the wolf Fenrir and the World Serpent, Jormungandr who are both foretold to be agents of Ragnarok.
 
“A lot of people tend to confuse Ragnarok with the Christian term Armageddon, which means the end of the world, but that is not the case here because in the old Norse way of thinking everything moved in cycles. So, it’s basically telling the story about a ring that ends, but also a ring that begins. So, something needs to die for something else to live.”
 ~ Einar Selvik
 
Many scholars associate Hel’s blue with the blue of a corpse since she rules in the Underworld and cares for the dead. But I wonder if perhaps her blue means something more. Let’s consider the stature of blue in ancient times and its connection to the Virgin Mary and Royalty. Let’s also consider just how powerful Hel is shown to be. When Baldr, the favourite amongst the gods dies from trickery, Hermodr journeys to the Underworld to petition Hel with returning the beloved Baldr back to the living and the celestial realms. 
 
Hel decrees that all things living, and dead must weep for Baldr, when this fails to happen, due to some further trickery (looking at you Loki), Baldr is forced to remain in Hel until Ragnarok. Not even the powerful god Odin or his powerful wife Frigg or his mighty son Thor could gain victory over Hel’s decree. 
 
Is there perhaps a connection between the weeping that Hel has said must happen for Baldr to return and the turning of the seasons? Weeping, tears, water, the element needed to nurture new life to grow, so the light can be reborn. Is this tale the tattered remnants of a more ancient story of the turning of the seasons? Or a hero’s journey to the underworld, where they await the rebirth that will come at the turning of the wheel, at Ragnarok, where all will be destroyed, as yet not destroyed, but made new. 
 
Hel whose name means hidden or concealed, who lives under one of the roots of Yggdrasil (the world tree) and is guardian of the dead, seems to be one of the most powerful deities in the Norse pantheon. Who are you really Hel? What is your truth? Your true history? Do your roots stem from the same deity as Kali, as has been suggested, or perhaps a Chthonic Goddess lost to time. 
 
Some see you as scary, finding it hard to even say your name. But I’m intrigued. Why am I drawn to you Hel? Is it your liminality, your darkness, your kindness in caring for the dead, or the great power you wield?