Hela

Welcome!

Welcome to the online shrine of Hela (or Hel), the Goddess of Death and Lady of the Underworld in Norse/Germanic mythos. Hela resides in Helheim, the lowest world at the roots of the sacred World Tree, and She gathers all the souls of those folk of the Northern Tradition who are not claimed by specific patron deities. In ancient times, it was said that She took in and cared for all the souls who died a "straw death" - any death not in physical combat. In the Northern Tradition, Death is not seen as evil - it is simply a part of the cycle of Nature. Hela is usually shown as one part beautiful woman and one part skeleton or rotting corpse, because She is not interested in hiding or euphemizing the true nature of Death. To Hela, decay is just as sacred as any other part of the cycle of Life. She is a Goddess of great transpersonal compassion, and it is said by Her followers that She never speaks a lie.

Enter into Hela's garden, a place of peace, contemplation, and unavoidable truths.


Books

Wholly: A Devotional for Hela, by Dagian Madir. "Hela, the Norse/Germanic goddess of Death and the Underworld, has long been a mysterious figure in northern Paganism. In Wholly, Her devotee Dagian Madir gives us entry into Her shadowed world, a place of beauty, terror, transformation, and love. With poetry and essays from a variety of those who love and work with this quiet and dark Lady, Wholly is an offering from open hearts who do not fear to look upon the sacredness of the end of the cycle. Welcome into the darkness, and the deep world of wisdom to be found there." (151 pages, 6"x9")


Shadow Gods and Black Fire, by Andrew Gyll. "The scent of pine, the crackle of snow, the pounding of waves against the surf... Andrew Gyll's poetry for the ancient Norse Gods, and for his own spirit ancestors, brings us back into a world of beauty and mystery. Unknown depths open up before us, around us, inside us as the Gods speak. Listen to their words, and wonder." (96 pages, 6"x9")