Hel

 Hel is the goddess of Death, ruler of Helheim.  As the daughter of Loki and Angrboða, Hel is often depicted with a dual nature.  At least that is said by some while others would argue that she is not a goddess at all as she is not considered one of the Aesir despite her father being Loki who was a beloved blood-brother of Odin.

In appearance, Hel is often portrayed as a dual-faced diety with one half of her body that of a beautiful woman and the other half as dead and rotting or sometimes already skeletal.

A Christian worldview might lead one to think of Hel and her realm as evil, a punishment for those who have led wicked lives, especially with the close association of her name and Hell, the Christian realm of torment.

Helheim and Hel are not Hell and Satan, despite what some might think.

Despite this, some view Hel as a cynical or dismissive being who should not be granted the status of a goddess.  It is believed by some that she has little interest in the dead and that the cold of her realm is not a welcoming place for those who enter it.

But that is not what I have found.

If you have ever played the Dark Souls games, you might know of the Painted Worlds. In the third game, there is a DLC called the Ashes of Ariandel.  You meet a young woman within the Painted World of Ariandel.  She is a painter and one of her lines states "I wish to paint a picture. Of a cold, dark, and very gentle place.One day, it will make someone a goodly home."

This is what I think of when I think of Helheim and the world that she has created for the dead.  Those who have passed on no longer have a place in this world, much as the residents who find themselves in the painted worlds.  Hel is a caretaker and mother of the dead who come to her realm.  She gives them a chance to start over and have something like lives.

But there is more than one kind of death.

I reached out to some Heathens on the reddit forum aptly named Followers of Hel. I asked them about their own UPGs regarding Hel.  For those who don't know, UPG refers to unverified or unverifiable personal gnosis.  Unlike Abrahamic faiths, due to the lack of historical information on many pagan beliefs, there is little information on the gods that many pagans choose to worship.  In some cases, there is too much information much of it contradicting.  Because of this, pagans often choose to mix UPG with SPG (Shared Personal Gnosis) and VPG (Verified Personal Gnosis).  SPG is multiple people coming to the same conclusion while VPG is those revelations verified by historical infromation.

Those who follow Hel find her to be brutally honest.  You don't have to wonder where you stand with Hel, she will tell you.  And she won't sugar coat the situation that you might find yoruself in.  Because of this, those who follow Hel, tend to find her to be a trustworthy goddess or entity.

But it isn't just death and the dead that they feel Hel prosides over.  Or perhaps it should be said, not just the final death we all face. As I mentioned before, there is more than one kind of death.  Those who follow Hel find her to be associated with the death or end of things in their lives.  Whether that is toxic relationships or simply walking away from one aspect of your life and into a new beginning, they find Hel is a strong prescence in that aspect of their life just as she is in other places.

One of the more poignant descriptions I found of her was one person who stated that she is a bit stoic at times, but very peaceful.  And that resonated with me.  It feels fitting that death and its caretaker would hold such an aura for those who reach out to her.  That same redditor also mentioned that she has "something magnetic about her".  I think that is right.  Ever since I first listened to a video by Wolf the Red of youtube, I have found myself drawn to her.  It feels fitting that such a thing could be said of such a goddess whose domain might seem adverse to those of a more modern background.  But I feel once you interact with her, once she calls to you, that draw makes sense.