Study › Runes & Norse › Helheim
Helheim, or simply Hel, is the world of the dead in Norse mythology, for those who die of sickness or old age rather than in battle. It lies deep beneath Yggdrasil and is ruled by the goddess Hel, daughter of Loki.
What is Helheim?
Helheim, or simply Hel, is the cold and shadowed world of the dead — those who died of sickness or old age rather than in battle. It lies low beneath one of Yggdrasil's roots, walled and gated, reached by a long, dark road downward and northward.
Hel and her hall
The realm is ruled by the goddess Hel, daughter of Loki, half living-fleshed and half corpse-blue. Within its walls stand her hall Eljudnir and gates guarded by the hound Garmr. When Baldr the beloved god died, it was to Hel that he went, and from Hel that he could not be ransomed — a loss that hastens the coming of Ragnarok.
Ruled by: Hel, daughter of Loki, given this world and every dead soul within it.
Its ruler is the daughter of Loki; the battle dead go instead to Valhalla.
Questions
Who goes to Helheim?
Those who die of sickness or old age. Those who fall in battle go to Valhalla or Folkvangr.
Who rules Helheim?
The goddess Hel, daughter of Loki.
Is Helheim the same as hell?
No. It is the cold, quiet home of most of the dead, not a place of punishment.