Hel is the Norse goddess who rules over the underworld. She is the daughter of Loki and the giantess Angrboða, and the sister of the wolf Fenrir and the serpent Jörmungandr. Hel judges the souls that come to her, deciding whether they were good or evil and decids upon their just reward. Hel has been described as being half-dead and half-alive, the bones on one side of her body exposed. Her appearance supposedly represents duality in the world, such as life and death.
‘Hel’ means literally ‘one that hides’ or ‘one who covers up’.