Hel by Virginia Loh-Hagan Gods and goddesses were the main characters of myths Myths are traditional stories from ancient cultures Storytellers answered questions about the world by creating exciting explanations People thought myths were true Myths explained the unexplainable They helped people make sense of human behavior and nature Today we use science to explain the world But people still love myths Myths may not be literally true But they have meaning They tell us something about our history and culture GODS GODDESSES OF THE ANCIENT WORLD
CHAPTER 1 GODDESS OF THE DEAD Who is Hel What does she look like Who are her family members Hel was a Norse goddess Norse means coming from the Norway area Hel was a goddess of the dead She ruled the underworld The underworld was a place where dead souls lived It was where people went when they died It was also called hell Norse gods called it Helheim This means Hel’s home Helheim was cold It was dark Hel ruled over people who died without glory She ruled over people who died from sickness She ruled over people who died from old age She ruled over people who did 44
crimes Those who died in war were sent to a special underworld They went to Valhalla This means hall of the dead It was ruled by Odin Odin was the father of all gods Hel’s name means hidden The dead were hidden beneath the ground They were hidden from the living They were hidden from the world Hel was also a goddess of death 5
