Sage-Tips

Where is Niflheim in Norse mythology?

In the Norse creation story, Niflheim was the misty region north of the void (Ginnungagap) in which the world was created.

Are Hel and helheim the same?

Hel (Old Norse Hel, “Hidden;” pronounced like the English word “Hell”) is the most general name for the underworld where many of the dead dwell. Occasionally, it’s also referred to as “Helheim,” “The Realm of Hel,” although this is much more common in the secondary literature than in the Old Norse primary sources.

Does Hel rule Niflheim?

Niflheim, Old Norse Niflheimr, in Norse mythology, the cold, dark, misty world of the dead, ruled by the goddess Hel. In some accounts it was the last of nine worlds, a place into which evil men passed after reaching the region of death (Hel).

What is the realm of Helheim?

Helheim is known as the Realm of the Dead – and the location that those who die a dishonorable death are forced to tread through the icy lands where no fire can live. It is comprised of a preliminary area and path from Tyr’s Temple to the Bridge of the Damned – from which no one can return.

What is helheim in Norse mythology?

Helheim (“house of Hel”) is one of the nine worlds of Norse mythology. It is ruled by Hel, the monstrous daughter of the trickster god Loki and his wife Angrboda. This cold, dark and misty abode of the dead is located in the world of Niflheim, on the lowest level of the Norse universe.

Do giants live in Niflheim?

It is known as the Realm of the Soulless where beings who have had their souls destroyed upon death reside. Niflheim is the home of Nidhogg, devourer of the dead, and the Ice Giants.

Why is Hel in Helheim?

For this reason, the gods sent her to Niflheim, a primordial land of mist that was also a realm of the dead. Inexplicably according to this story of fear of the children of Loki, she was also given jurisdiction there. For this reason, many referred to the realm as Helheim, the house of Hel.

Can Hel leave Helheim?

No one can ever leave this place, because of the impassable river Gjoll that flows from the spring Hvergelmir and encircles Helheim. Once they enter Helheim, not even the gods can leave.

Is Valheim a place in Norse mythology?

Valheim is the 10th realm of the Norse world, a land where Odin cast his enemies into eternal exile. However, as the monsters begin to rise up, this is where you have now been sent in order to prove your worth to the Gods by surviving its harsh environment and fighting against the monsters that call it home.

What does Niflheim look like?

But Niflheim is described as a world of cold at the base of the universe, and Helheim, a world of the dead, is described in very similar terms. Considered to be in the north, so among the roots of Yggdrasil, it is described as dark and dreary, and battered by ice-cold winds.

What creatures are in Niflheim?

Niflheim is the home of Nidhogg, devourer of the dead, and the Ice Giants.

What does Niflheim mean in Norse mythology?

Niflheim. Niflheim (pronounced “NIF-el-hame;” from Old Norse Niflheimr, “World of Fog”) is one of the Nine Worlds of Norse mythology and the homeland of primordial darkness, cold, mist, and ice. As such, it’s the opposite cosmological principle of Muspelheim, the world of fire and heat. In the Norse creation narrative as related by

Where is Hel in Norse mythology?

Occasionally, it’s also referred to as “Helheim,” “The Realm of Hel,” although this is much more common in the secondary literature than in the Old Norse primary sources. Like physical graves, Hel was thought to be located underground. Some sources also place it in the north, the direction which is cold and dark like the grave. [2]

Are Niflheim and Muspelheim the same thing?

The dvergar also have a home world, but it’s sometimes listed as Svartalfheim, and sometimes as Niðavellir (See these two posts on the dvergar and how they’re likely synonymous with the svartalfar). Muspelheim is the eighth we know about. But if Niflheim is the same as Niflhel and Helheim, we’re missing one.

What does Helheim mean?

Hel, or Helheim, is the name used everywhere else in the lore. It’s referred to in several places, and also surviving folklore and tradition, as being “north” and “down”. “So what about the Nine Worlds?”