Hel

From Traditional Witchcraft Wiki Project

Hel is an Old Norse word, meaning both the dark and terrible underworld realm reserved for those who die unglorious deaths (such as sickness or old age) and the name of the giantess who presides over it. This realm of Hel, unlike the popular conception of the modern Hell, is very cold, and is the opposite of Valhöll.

The root word of hel or helle' is the Indo-European root *kel-, meaning "to cover" or "conceal", as in hall, hole, hollow, and helmet