Hell

From Traditional Witchcraft Wiki Project

In popular culture hell is thought of as a fiery pit into which sinners and the damned are tossed at Judgement. However, the word hell comes from the Old Norse hel, which is both a dark and terrible underworld realm 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, 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.

See also Hades