Illustration
Hel, the Norse Queen of the Underworld, as portrayed by the Australia-based artist Tara Ryzebol in 2006. Hel was a female character in Norse mythology who ruled the realm of the dead of the same name. Her kingdom was said to be a gloomy and dark place located in a land called Niflheim. Hel was the daughter of the trickster Loki and the giantess Angrboda. As such, she was not recognised as a proper goddess but rather a jötunn. She is usually portrayed as an intimidating figure. None, even a god, can escape her realm.
The image portrays Hel as half skeleton, half human. Other sources depict her as being half flesh-coloured and half blue. This represents her dual nature as existing between life and death.
License & Copyright
Based on Wikipedia content that has been reviewed, edited, and republished.
Original image by Tara Ryzebol. Uploaded by Celina Bebenek, published on 06 September 2021. The copyright holder has published this content under the following license: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike. This license lets others remix, tweak, and build upon a work even for commercial reasons, as long as they credit the author and license their new creations under the identical terms. When republishing on the web a hyperlink back to the original content source URL must be included. Please note that content linked from this page may have different licensing terms.
Related Images
Ishtar's Descent into the Underworld Inscription
Odin Rides to Hel
The Passages to the Underworld at Tonina
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Twelve Gods of the Underworld, Yazilikaya Hittite Sanctuary
Terracotta Bust of an Underworld Goddess from Pella
Cite This Work
APA Style
Ryzebol, T. (2021, September 06). Hel - Norse Queen of the Underworld. World History Encyclopedia. Retrieved from https://www.worldhistory.org/image/14582/hel---norse-queen-of-the-underworld/
Chicago Style
Ryzebol, Tara. "Hel - Norse Queen of the Underworld." World History Encyclopedia. Last modified September 06, 2021. https://www.worldhistory.org/image/14582/hel---norse-queen-of-the-underworld/.
MLA Style
Ryzebol, Tara. "Hel - Norse Queen of the Underworld." World History Encyclopedia. World History Encyclopedia, 06 Sep 2021. Web. 27 Feb 2025.
