Hel Statue

Hel – Norse Goddess of the Underworld, Ancestral Wisdom, and Sacred Death

CULTURAL SIGNIFICANCE:

• Hel is the Norse goddess and ruler of the realm of the dead—also called Hel—where souls who do not die in battle (but from illness, age, or other natural causes) reside.

• She is the daughter of Loki and the giantess Angrboda, and is often described as being half alive and half dead—symbolizing the balance between life and decay, light and shadow.

• Hel is not a figure of evil or punishment, but of acceptance, transformation, and the sacred stillness of the afterlife. She holds space for endings, grief, and the wisdom of the ancestors.

FAVORITE OFFERINGS:

Crystals:

• Obsidian – for protection, shadow work, and grounding

• Jet – mourning, grief healing, and underworld connection

• Labradorite – for ancestral magic and transformation through darkness

Herbs:

• Yew – tree of death, rebirth, and connection to the otherworld

• Wormwood – for spirit contact and underworld rites

• Mugwort – dreams, liminality, and crossing spiritual thresholds

Oils:

• Patchouli – grounding, sacred decay, and earth mysteries

• Myrrh – honoring the dead and soul transitions

• Cypress – associated with mourning and ancestral reverence

Colors:

• Black – protection, mystery, and sacred stillness

• Gray – the veil between worlds, neutrality, and acceptance

• Deep Blue – soul depth, shadow integration, and quiet wisdom

Rituals:

• Ancestral altar work with photos, offerings, and guided meditation

• Shadow work journaling or dream interpretation in her honor

• Silent vigils or underworld pathworking to explore the mysteries of death and soul-rest

• Lighting a single candle in darkness to honor those who have passed or mark a symbolic ending

MODERN WORSHIP PRACTICES:

• Create an altar with bones, stones, black candles, or symbols of duality (half-white/half-black imagery)

• Offer bread, wine, dark fruit, or graveyard dirt (ethically collected) in acts of remembrance

• Call on Hel during times of grief, endings, or personal transformation—especially when learning to let go

• Meditate or journey to connect with ancestors, ask for wisdom, or bring peace to unresolved emotions

• Use affirmations such as: “I honor the end as sacred. I embrace the wisdom in shadow. I walk between worlds in peace.”