Working with Hel: Complete Guide to the Goddess of Death

Who Is Hel?

Hel is the Norse goddess of death and ruler of Helheim, the realm of the dead. Daughter of Loki and the giantess Angrboða, sister to Fenrir the wolf and Jörmungandr the serpent, Hel embodies death, the underworld, endings, transformation, and the necessary darkness that balances life. Half of her body is living and beautiful, the other half corpse-like and decayed, representing the duality of life and death, beauty and decay, light and shadow.

Hel represents the natural cycle of death, the underworld as a place of rest and transformation, the acceptance of endings, and the understanding that death is not evil but a necessary part of existence. She teaches that death is natural, that endings make way for new beginnings, that decay is part of the cycle, and that honoring the dead and accepting mortality are sacred practices.

Working with Hel is a journey of accepting death and endings, honoring ancestors and the dead, understanding transformation through decay, embracing your shadow and mortality, and recognizing that death is not to be feared but respected as part of the sacred cycle.

Hel's Domains and Powers

• Death: Natural death, mortality, the dying process
• Underworld: Helheim, realm of the dead, afterlife
• Endings: Completion, closure, necessary endings
• Transformation: Death as transformation, decay and renewal
• Ancestors: The dead, honoring those who've passed
• Shadow: Dark aspects, what's hidden, decay
• Duality: Life and death, beauty and decay, light and dark
• Rest: Final rest, peace after death, stillness
• Judgment: Receiving the dead, determining their place
• Winter: Death of the year, dormancy, cold darkness

Hel's Symbols and Correspondences

Sacred Symbols

• Half-Living, Half-Dead: Her dual nature, life and death
• Helheim: Her realm, the underworld, place of the dead
• Bones: Death, mortality, what remains
• Decay: Natural decomposition, transformation
• Gates: Entrance to Helheim, threshold of death
• Hel-Shoes: Shoes for the journey to the underworld
• Corpse: Death, mortality, the body after death

Sacred Animals

• Raven: Death bird, carrion, messenger between worlds
• Wolf: Her brother Fenrir, death, wildness
• Serpent: Her brother Jörmungandr, transformation, underworld
• Owl: Night, death, wisdom of darkness

Sacred Plants

• Yew: Death tree, underworld, immortality through death
• Cypress: Death, mourning, underworld
• Nightshade: Death, poison, shadow (poisonous - use carefully)
• Mugwort: Death work, spirit communication, visions
• Wormwood: Death, bitterness, spirit work

Colors

• Black: Death, void, endings, shadow
• White: Bones, death, purity of endings
• Gray: Decay, in-between, neither life nor death
• Purple: Death, mourning, transformation
• Green: Decay, corpse, transformation

Crystals and Stones

• Black Obsidian: Death, shadow work, underworld, protection
• Black Tourmaline: Protection, grounding, death work, boundaries
• Smoky Quartz: Grounding death energy, transformation, earth
• Jet: Death stone, mourning, protection, grounding
• Onyx: Death, shadow, protection, strength in darkness
• Labradorite: Transformation, death and rebirth, magic
• Amethyst: Spiritual death, transformation, ancestor work

Numbers

• Nine: Norse sacred number, nine worlds, death journey
• Thirteen: Death, transformation, endings

Why Work with Hel?

Hel calls to those who are:

• Processing death, grief, or loss
• Honoring ancestors and the dead
• Accepting endings and mortality
• Working with shadow and darkness
• Seeking transformation through death (literal or metaphorical)
• Needing to let go and release
• Working as death doulas, hospice workers, or in death care
• Embracing the full cycle of life and death
• Understanding that death is natural, not evil
• Connecting with the underworld

She is especially powerful for:

• Death work: Processing death, grief, loss, mourning
• Ancestor veneration: Honoring the dead, connecting with ancestors
• Shadow work: Embracing darkness, decay, hidden aspects
• Endings: Accepting closure, letting go, necessary endings
• Transformation: Death as transformation, rebirth through decay
• Underworld journeys: Shamanic death work, spirit communication
• Acceptance: Embracing mortality, making peace with death

Signs Hel Is Calling You

You may be called by Hel if you experience:

• Experiencing death, loss, or grief
• Being drawn to death, bones, or decay
• Seeing ravens, wolves, or serpents repeatedly
• Dreams of the underworld, death, or ancestors
• The number 9 or 13 appearing repeatedly
• Feeling called to honor the dead
• Being drawn to shadow work and darkness
• Experiencing major endings or transformations
• Sensing a powerful, dual, feminine presence
• Feeling comfortable with death and mortality

Learn more about deity signs: How to Know Which Deity Is Calling You

Hel's Personality and Energy

Hel is:

• Dual: Both living and dead, beautiful and decayed
• Accepting: Receives all who come to her realm
• Neutral: Neither good nor evil, simply IS
• Powerful: Rules her realm with authority
• Honest: Death is truth, no illusions
• Transformative: Death transforms all things
• Protective: Guards the dead, provides rest
• Inevitable: Death comes to all, she waits

Important: Hel is not evil or malevolent. She is the natural force of death and the caretaker of the dead. She teaches acceptance, not fear.

How to Build a Hel Altar

Essential Items

• Statue or image: Hel with dual appearance, half-living, half-dead
• Bones: Ethically sourced bones, death symbols
• Candles: Black, white, or purple candles
• Offering bowl: For dark wine, bread, or offerings
• Crystals: Black obsidian, black tourmaline, jet, onyx
• Altar cloth: Black, white, gray, or purple
• Ancestor photos: Honoring the dead
• Death imagery: Skulls, ravens, underworld symbols

Optional Items

• Yew or cypress branches
• Raven feathers (ethically sourced)
• Wolf or serpent imagery
• Helheim imagery
• Mourning items
• Graveyard dirt (respectfully collected)
• Wormwood or mugwort (dried)
• Items from deceased loved ones

Altar Placement

• In a quiet, private space
• Where you do shadow or death work
• In the darkest part of your home
• Facing north (death, darkness, underworld)

Complete altar guide: How to Build a Deity Altar

Offerings for Hel

Traditional Offerings

• Dark wine or ale: Death libation, honoring the dead
• Bread: Sustenance for the dead, simple offering
• Meat: Protein, death, decay
• Bones: Death symbols, what remains
• Silence: Respectful quiet, honoring death

Modern Offerings

• Honoring the dead: Ancestor veneration, remembrance
• Shadow work: Exploring your darkness
• Accepting endings: Letting go with grace
• Death education: Learning about death, dying, grief
• Graveyard tending: Caring for graves, honoring the dead
• Hospice work: Caring for the dying
• Mourning: Allowing yourself to grieve

Acts of Devotion

• Honoring ancestors and the dead
• Accepting death and mortality
• Processing grief and loss
• Doing shadow work
• Caring for the dying or dead
• Tending graves and memorials
• Accepting necessary endings
• Understanding death as transformation

Full offerings guide: Deity Offerings Guide: What to Give

How to Work with Hel

Step 1: Approach with Respect for Death

Hel demands respect for death and the dead. Approach her seriously, ready to face mortality.

Step 2: Set Up Your Altar

Create a serious, dark space with black, white, bones, death imagery, and ancestor photos.

Step 3: Make Your Introduction

Light candles, offer dark wine and bread, and speak:

"Hel, goddess of death, ruler of the underworld, keeper of the dead—I come to you seeking to accept death as natural, to honor my ancestors, and to understand transformation through endings. Teach me to embrace mortality, to process grief, and to find peace with the cycle of life and death. Hel, I honor you."

Step 4: Listen for Her Response

Pay attention to:

• Increased acceptance of death and endings
• Ancestors appearing in dreams or signs
• Feeling more comfortable with mortality
• Experiencing necessary endings
• Shadow aspects emerging for healing
• Sensing a powerful, dual presence

Step 5: Honor the Dead

Regularly honor your ancestors and the dead. Death is sacred to Hel.

Step 6: Accept the Cycle

Hel expects you to:

• Accept death as natural and necessary
• Honor ancestors and the dead
• Process grief and loss
• Embrace shadow and endings
• Understand transformation through death
• Respect the underworld and its mysteries

Hel's Sacred Times

• Samhain/Halloween: Thinning veil, honoring the dead
• Winter Solstice: Death of the year, longest night
• New Moon: Darkness, death, endings
• When someone dies: Death transitions, honoring the dead
• Ancestor days: Honoring those who've passed
• Winter: Death season, dormancy, cold darkness

Magic and Rituals with Hel

Ancestor Honoring Ritual

1. On Samhain or ancestor days
2. Set up photos of deceased loved ones
3. Light black and white candles
4. Hold jet or amethyst
5. Invoke Hel as keeper of the dead
6. Speak to your ancestors, honor their memory
7. Offer dark wine and bread
8. Thank Hel for caring for them

Death Acceptance Work

1. When processing mortality or fear of death
2. Light a black candle
3. Hold black obsidian or smoky quartz
4. Invoke Hel as teacher of death
5. Meditate on your own mortality
6. Accept that death is natural and inevitable
7. Release fear, embrace acceptance
8. Offer silence and respect

Grief Processing Ritual

1. When mourning a loss
2. Create a memorial space
3. Light purple candles
4. Hold labradorite or amethyst
5. Invoke Hel who understands loss
6. Allow yourself to grieve fully
7. Speak your grief aloud or write it
8. Offer dark wine and tears

Ending and Release Work

1. When needing to let go of something
2. Light black and white candles together
3. Hold onyx or black tourmaline
4. Invoke Hel as goddess of endings
5. Acknowledge what must end
6. Release it to death and transformation
7. Trust the cycle of death and rebirth
8. Offer bread as symbol of letting go

Working with Hel: Tips and Insights

• Accept death: It's natural, not evil
• Honor the dead: Ancestors and those who've passed
• Process grief: Allow yourself to mourn
• Embrace shadow: Darkness is part of wholeness
• Respect endings: They make way for new beginnings
• Work seriously: Death is not casual or playful
• Understand duality: Life and death are one cycle
• Honor Loki: Her father, complex relationship

Hel in Norse Mythology

Key Myths

• Ruler of Helheim: Given the underworld to rule by Odin
• Baldur's Death: Refused to release him unless all things wept
• Half-Living, Half-Dead: Her dual appearance, life and death
• Daughter of Loki: Sister to Fenrir and Jörmungandr
• Ragnarok: Will provide an army of the dead

Names and Titles

• Hel (Hidden/Concealed)
• Goddess of Death
• Ruler of Helheim
• Queen of the Underworld
• Keeper of the Dead

Crystals for Hel Work

• Black Obsidian: Death, shadow work, underworld, protection, truth
• Black Tourmaline: Protection, grounding, death work, boundaries, safety
• Smoky Quartz: Grounding death energy, transformation, earth connection
• Jet: Death stone, mourning, protection, grounding, ancient
• Onyx: Death, shadow, protection, strength in darkness, endurance
• Labradorite: Transformation, death and rebirth, magic, change
• Amethyst: Spiritual death, transformation, ancestor work, peace

Final Thoughts

Hel is the goddess of death, the underworld, and the natural cycle of endings and transformation. She teaches that death is not evil but natural, that honoring the dead is sacred, that endings make way for new beginnings, and that accepting mortality is wisdom.

Working with Hel means:

• Accepting death as natural and necessary
• Honoring ancestors and the dead
• Processing grief and loss
• Embracing shadow and endings
• Understanding transformation through death
• Respecting the full cycle of life and death

If you hear her call—if you're processing death, if you honor the dead, if you accept mortality—answer it. Hel is offering you the wisdom of death and the peace of acceptance.

You accept death. You honor the dead. You embrace the cycle.

Explore more Norse deities: Norse Deities Magic: Complete Guide

New to deity work? Start here: Deity Work Basics: What You Need to Know