Descending into Hel

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There has been some discussion on an Asatru Facebook group about what happens after death. The comments and responses have been interesting, but not at all inline with Heathenry.  Many of the comments have been about becoming a light force, spiritual entity, or a simple who knows comment. As A heathen I have to say I am a bit shocked. Despite fact that traditions varied form tribe to tribe and region to region, the concept of death and the afterlife have been pretty much the same. Basically, all who die descend into Hel, some stay some move on to other realms.

So, Hel. Not your Christian realm of fire, brimstone, and torcher… the pre-Christians were not so evil (for lack of a better word). Hel was basically this world on the other side. When you die you go to Hel. There is no transference of a soul or spirit, you go to Hel. You become a “non-Human being” and you go to Hel. Did I mention you go to Hel? You continue your life in Hel as you did in the realm of the living, Midgard. It makes no difference who you are or how you died, you are going to Hel my friend.

In the poem Fáfnismál it clearl states all who die go to Hel, “For there is a time where every man shall journey into Hel” Even the Gods go to Hel. We know that when Baldr was killed he descended into Hel, Hermóðr wen to Hel to try and get Baldr released from Hel and returned to Asgard. He is told by Móðguðr, the maiden who guarded the bridge and gate to hell that five battalions of dead warriors had passed into Hel the day before. What we can see from the lore is that all who die go to Hel. This is because this is the realm of all the dead, it is the afterlife.

We know that some of dead go to the Hall of a god or goddess, but not all. These are the chosen few. They also go to Hel. From hell they move on as they are ready or called for. The rest remail in Hel. Here they continue on in death as they did in life. That’s right. If you die today, what you are doing right now is what will continue on in the afterlife. There is evidence in the lore to show that this is the case.

The concept of Hel as we know it is not that of a dark realm of gloom and doom. This is a Christian invention. Hel began to transform from a world much like that of ours to a world more resembling the Christian Hell when Christianity became for influential in the Nordic regions. Before this Hel was reportedly not much different than our living world. Therefore, it would seem to recon that Hel is much like our world is today. It would only be logical that Hel progressed just as does the realm of the living.

If you are a Heathen, then to me it would make sense that your belief of the afterlife is consistent with the lore and history as we currently know it. When Christian ideas of death and the afterlife are suggested by someone calling themselves a Heathen, I become a bit skeptical. From what I have read and studied the ideas presented above are basically the only examples we have that are repeated and thus credible. There are other examples in the lore that suggest we all go to Hel. The idea that the good go here and the bad go there are clearly Christian in origin, thus cannot be trusted. Why so many heathens had answers to the question of the afterlife that resembled Christian concepts I do not know, but it is a bit concerning.


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