Scandinavian goddess Hel - goddess of death

Scandinavian mythology is full of mysteries and legends. Her deities are deep, special personalities. In them is hidden a secret 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 realm of the dead. The goddess Hel and her possessions are very different from modern views on the other world. To get into this legend will be instructive and interesting.

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 treachery Loki and giantess Angoboda ("Bearer Nightmare") appeared their eldest daughter Hel. The goddess of the kingdom of the dead has shown its abilities since childhood. Once she looked like a decaying corpse. It was a sign of her destiny.

Later, she could appear to the world in different guises. Hel can look like a beautiful girl with very pale skin and blue eyes. Its growth is very large. In another hypostasis, 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 the remains of decomposing flesh. It can also be white on one side and black on the other. Sometimes she is portrayed as an old woman.

Formation of the mistress of Helheim

In addition to Hel, the gods Loki and Angrbody had two more children - the Wolf Fenrir and the snake Jormungand. The whole family was called Odin. He gave Hel the right to own the underworld. It is governed by every ruler until his death. After this, the right of reign in the underworld goes to another god. He equips the world of the dead at his own discretion.

Before the goddess Hel was born and entered her domain, the underworld was called Jormungund. When she became his full ruler, the ninth of the worlds was called Helheim.

The lady immediately took care of the improvement of the world of the dead. On the rocks, burial mounds, grass grew. It was cold and dark here, but the dead do not need light and heat. Hel guarantees peace and deliverance to his subjects. She gives them shelter.

The nature of the goddess

Scandinavian goddess Hel is different from other rulers of the underworld. In her possessions there is no hell fire, torment and suffering. Such ideas about hell are typical for the countries of the Middle East. Here a terrible punishment was the heat. She killed people, crops and domestic animals. In the northern countries, death was associated with cold. Life and death alternate, like winter and summer.

Hel is endowed with an uncompromising character. She knows what leads to happiness, and what - to grief. To people it demonstrates the inevitability of death. Therefore, her image consists of the form of a beautiful maiden on one side and the bones of a corpse on the other. A person must understand death in all its uncovered clarity, should not build illusions.

This should not be feared, because it is natural for people. If Hel ordered the person to fulfill her will, he must do it. Even if you have to make great sacrifices. This is the path to good. The Goddess does not experience the pleasure of suffering. It destroys illusions, "locks in the sand", which are built for themselves by stupid, dull people. Only if you lose, you can find the truth.

The essence of Helheim

Hel is the goddess of death. But her kingdom is not scary. Death removes from the soul superfluous, superfluous. As the bones of the dead flesh are exposed, Hel releases each person. It gives a person to look at himself as he is. This is not punishment, but reassurance.

Helheim is guarded by brothers. In her kingdom you can not go without permission or an invitation. You can not get out of it without the consent of Hel. Even Odin can not influence the course of events in the possessions of the goddess. He could not get Hel to return his deceased brother Baldr. All souls come here. According to legend, only the souls of the best warriors fall into the kingdom of Odin.

In Helheim pretty good. Destroying all earthly fetters, the soul finds itself again. This is a period of hidden development. The ancients believed that it was better here than in the living world. Hel takes care of the souls of the departed, like a mother about her children. Therefore, she appears in the image of a woman.

Hel and other goddesses

In the mythology of many peoples there are goddesses, similar to Hel. She comes from an older person. This is the lady of the hearth and Mother's motherhood. This goddess also could send cold and winter to the ground. In her kingdom you could get by jumping into the well. It is with this separation of personalities that the essence of Hel begins. The goddess of the kingdom of the dead also appears in a double guise.

In Greek mythology, Persephone had similar features. Six months it is in the other world, and the other half a year - in the world of the living. In Roman legends, these attributes were attributed to Proserpine. Our ancestors in the role of Hel saw the goddess Moran.

Communication with Hel

To communicate with the goddess of death follows only as a last resort. According to legend, it can help find a way out in difficult circumstances. But asking her advice, you should be ready to fulfill her every will.

She receives offerings. Goddess Hel, whose gifts are offered before the conversation, likes dried roses and blood. She does not tolerate those who deny death or engage in necromancy.

You can not go into her kingdom to a living person. To communicate with her or with someone from the deceased is a special area. Council Hel 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 person waiting for the punishment is waiting. The most terrible suffering will fall on him. And the result will be as Hel said. This is not her whim.

What does Hel teach?

In mythology, the goddess Hel performs a number of duties. She protects the dead, but forces the living to recognize the inevitability of death. The cycle is continuous. Day will change night. But the heat will come cold. We must remember this during life.

After death Hel gives peace to every soul. Only those who are not afraid to step over this trait, survive the deepest crisis, can find joy and harmony. Therefore, even the great One can not invade the kingdom of Hel. Without good there is no evil, and without death there is no birth. The world can not be white. There must be a shadow in it.

Therefore Hel, when meeting with the living, gives as a sign of benevolence his hand to the skeleton, and to the dead - the warm hand of the living girl.

The goddess Hel is a deep symbol of the relationship of mankind to life and death. She does not intimidate with horrible tortures beyond the world. It exposes the souls of people. Rush all illusions, forcing to survive the deepest crisis, the goddess reveals the truth to man and the way out of the crisis. After all, only by looking at oneself as it is, can a person understand his fate, find harmony and freedom.