| Hel. She ruled the underworld. Her relationship with the Asgaard
gods seemed to be distant but cordial. Very little is said of
her in the Eddas, which are the major source of knowledge of
details of the Norse myths. Others in this conference may know
more about information gleaned from other, less direct sources
(e.g., analysis of place names, and cross comparisons to related
cultures such as teutonic or anglo-saxon mythology).
Topher
|
| That sounds like Hel, the Norse Queen of the Underworld, from
which we get the English word "hell". Her "underworld" may
have originally been a sacred cave of rebirth (a uterine shrine),
heated by a sacred fire. This would symbolize growth in (and
rebirth from) the heat of the womb, as bread is baked in an oven.
This also sounds like the stories of rebirth in the Black Cauldron
of the Mabignobi-- of Welsh legend.
Ann B.
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