Norse mythology
Hel
Queen of Niflheim and Mistress of the Dishonored Dead
- Mythology
- Norse mythology
- Siblings
- Fenrir · Jormungandr · Sleipnir · Narfi
- Group
- Jotnar · Fate · Death · Afterlife
Listen to “Hel and the Realm of the Dead” in the app
Hel is the ruler of the underworld realm that shares her name, a child of Loki and the giantess Angrboda, sister to the wolf Fenrir and the world-serpent Jormungand. Odin casts her down into the mists of Niflheim, where she rules over those who die of sickness and old age rather than in battle. She is described as half living flesh and half corpse-blue, grim and lowering. When Baldur dies she receives him into her hall; she agrees to release him only if all things in the world weep for him, and the giantess Thokk, Loki in disguise, refuses, dooming Baldur to stay among the dead.
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Real episode from the app
Hel and the Realm of the Dead
Chapter 1
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Frequently asked questions
- Who is Hel?
- Hel is the ruler of the underworld realm that shares her name, a child of Loki and the giantess Angrboda, sister to the wolf Fenrir and the world-serpent Jormungand. Odin casts her down into the mists of Niflheim, where she rules over those who die of sickness and old age rather than in battle.
- Which mythology does Hel belong to?
- Hel belongs to Norse mythology.
- Which stories does Hel appear in?
- Hel appears in Hel and the Realm of the Dead, The Children of Loki, The Death of Baldur, Ragnarok: Twilight of the Gods, told as chaptered audio dramas in MythologyNow.
Cite this page
MythologyNow. (2026). Hel. https://www.mythologynow.app/en/gods/hel"Hel." MythologyNow, 2026, https://www.mythologynow.app/en/gods/hel.MythologyNow. "Hel." Accessed 2026. https://www.mythologynow.app/en/gods/hel.Listen to the stories of Hel
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