Hel
Legacy Name: Kraka

Name: Hel
Goddess of: Death and the Underworld
Aliases:
Race: Half-Dead Jotunn
Gender: Female
Alignment: True Neutral/True Evil
Age: Ancient, but half of her appears dead and the other half appears to be a thirty-something year old woman.
Sexuality: Straight
Halls: Éljúðnir(in Niflheim)
Magical Items: Naglfar(a ship made of nails)

Monsters, they called her and her brothers.

Hel was the youngest of three, born to Loki and the Jotunn Angrboda. First there was Jormungandr, a serpent. Then there was Fenrir, a wolf. And then Hel, who was a girl, but already half dead and decaying. All three would play pivotal roles in Ragnarok.

She grew up in the Ironwood, a dead woods on the edge of Jotunheim and Asgard. Hel quite liked it there, as it was just she and her mother and two brothers. And sometimes Loki would visit. She always loved it when her father visited, because he was fun and exciting and always had stories whereas her mother was stern and strict.

That’s not to say she didn’t love her mother, for she did. Her mother worked tirelessly to keep the disease from overtaking Hel’s little form… a disease that ate away at her flesh.

When the Aesir came everything changed. Hel, still a little girl, screamed and cried as she watched Thor strike her mother down, as Vidar shoved Jormungander writing into a sack, as Tyr bound Fenrir. Then Thor picked little Hel up, screaming and kicking, and hauled her over his shoulder.

“Faðir! Faðir!” she called out, seeing Loki. But her father only hung his head down as Thor passed by him with Hel over his shoulder. Hel could not understand why her father didn’t help them.

One by one she and her brothers were brought before a terrible looking one-eyed man. What happened to her brothers, Hel could not know. But when it was her turn and his one eye scrutinized her, she felt bare before him. She cowered under his gaze, and sniffled back some tears.

“This one is just a girl,” the man stated.

“Yes, but look, she’s half dead it seems,” another god pointed out. “We should remove her from Asgard, lest the disease spread!”

The one-eyed man nodded thoughtfully, stroking his long white beard. “I will think on it, for now treat her as a guest.”

Weeks went by, and she had free reign to walk around in the city, but for the first week she just stayed in her little hut and sobbed. Finally when she began to venture out in search for her brothers or her father it was as if everyone kept a wide berth. Everyone except a beautiful young lad named Baldr. He greeted her with a smile, and introduced himself. For the first time in her life Hel felt… strange. Like there were butterflies in her stomach.

Then the other young boys called Baldr back to play at the sport they were playing, and just like that he was gone. That’s when Hel noticed Loki.

“Faðir!” she called out to him again, but just like that he slipped into the shadows and vanished.

Finally the one-eyed man came for her and told her to join him. He took her on a long journey to another realm… deep and dark. “This is your home now, little one,” he stated, showing her a grand hall. And then he left her there. Alone.

Hel continued to decay, but with the age and decay her magical powers grew. Soon she was taking in the dead who had not been slain in battle and chosen by Freyja and Odin. She was not unkind to them, for she knew what it was like to be over-looked and discarded. She made a home for them in her realm.

Then one day Baldr came to her. But he was not alone, he had a wife, Nanna who also joined him. And was soon followed by his brother Hodr. Hel set out the finest feast she could to welcome them. With Baldr’s arrival Helheim seemed to lighten up and become more alive and beautiful. Of course, Hel was upset he was married… but their marriage meant nothing to her. This was her realm, after all. She was just glad to have Baldr there. And it seemed Baldr took his fate well… unlike Nanna.

When Hermodr came to her gates asking to take Baldr back, a jealousy and possessiveness overtook her. Long fingernails drummed the arm of her highseat as she thought about it. Then she said,”If Frigg can get every living creature to weep for Baldr, I will let him go.” Baldr nodded, thinking this seemed a fair request. Nanna sobbed. Hodr stood silently. Hermodr nodded resolutely. Then Baldr gave him Draupnir to return to his father, and Nanna gave him Fulla’s golden headband to return to her so that they might know Hermodr had in fact seen them.

“Tell them we are being treated well,” Baldr said. Nanna only cried.

Hel nearly lost Baldr, for everyone shed a tear at the news of his death. That was everyone except an old Jotunn named Thokk(who was Loki in disguise). And so Baldr remained, and would remain until Ragnarok.

Extravert or Introvert: Introvert
Optimist or Pessimist: Pessimist
General Traits: Analytical, Curious, Independent, Deep empathy, Strong intuition, Idealistic outlook, Insightful, Principled, Passionate, Creative, Sensitive to Criticism, Reluctant to open up, Perfectionist, Avoids the ordinary,
Mannerisms: Thoughtful but intense gaze, Reserved body language, Subtle expressiveness, Comfortable clothing, Fluid gestures, Avoidance of eye contact in overwhelming situations
Habits: Stays up too late, Forgets about self-care, Daydreams a lot, Thinks about her creative projects a lot, Doesn’t like leaving her realm, Criticizes her own accomplishments
Pet Peeves: Being helpless, Incompetence, Dependence on others, Facades and attention-seeking behavior, Small talk, Condescension, Crowds, Lack of manners, Black and white opinions, Being pushed Into spontaneity
Ruled by Heart or Mind: Both equally
Motivated by: To be capable and competent, A deep sense of purpose and a desire to make a meaningful impact on the world
Life Motto: One does not become enlightened by imagining figures of light but by making the darkness conscious.

Parents: Loki and Angrboða
Siblings: Sleipnir(half-brother by Loki), Fenrir(brother), Jörmungandr(brother), Narfi(half-brother by Loki), Vali(half-brother by Loki)
Spouse: None, but she has a crush on Baldr
Children: None
Pets: Garmr(a blood-stained wolf that guards the gate to Hel's domain), Helhest(a horse)

Jolakotturinn

Heathen, Norse, Vigdis

Story by Asa, heavily inspired by Norse Mythology
Background by Asa
Image AI art by Pinterest

Part 1

Part 2