Gythia

She is the daughter of Loki and the giantess Angrboda, sister to Fenrir and Jörmungandr. When the gods learned of the children destined to play roles in Ragnarök, they feared them. Odin cast Hel into the realm of the dead and gave her authority over those who died from sickness, old age, or natural causes.

This realm became known as Helheim.

Modern culture often treats Hel as a punishment figure, yet the myths tell a different story.

Hel does not hunt the living. She does not drag souls into her hall. She receives those who arrive.

Her appearance reflects this role. One side of her body is described as healthy and living, while the other is dark, pale, or corpse-like. She exists between states, embodying both life and death at once.

One of the most important myths involving Hel begins with the death of Baldr. After Baldr is killed, the gods send Hermóðr to Helheim to negotiate his return.

Hel agrees.

She declares that Baldr may leave if every being in the worlds weeps for him.

Everything does.

Gods, giants, animals, and spirits mourn Baldr’s death. Everything except one figure, believed to be Loki in disguise. Because a single being refuses, Baldr remains among the dead.

The myth reveals something important.

Hel is not cruel.

She follows the law of her realm.

She is a keeper, a guardian, and a ruler of boundaries. She governs the place where the dead reside and ensures the order of that kingdom remains intact.

In Norse mythology, Hel is not a villain.

She is the one who stands at the inevitable threshold every living thing must eventually cross.

Unlike many gods, she never pretends death can be avoided.

Meet Nehalennia, a mostly forgotten Goddess of Trade.

Nehalennia. Nehalennia is known from more than 160 votive altars, which were almost all discovered in the Dutch province of Zeeland.

Beginning sometime near the second century BC, the Goddess Nehalennia was honored where the Rhine river met the North Sea. Votive inscriptions and numerous altars were dedicated to Her, and temples built in Her honor. Sometime after the third century CE, Her temple was covered by the ocean, where it rested undisturbed for more than a thousand years.

In 1645, a storm on the coast of Zeeland eroded away the land and unearthed Her temple once again. Since then, the altars, inscriptions, and offerings to Her have been studied carefully, archaeologists attempting to rediscover Her secrets. Not only that, but She has managed to recapture the imagination of the local populace. A new temple to Her was built in the town of Colijnsplaat in 2005.

From Nehalennia, we know that She is likely either a Germanic or Celtic Goddess. That’s where the agreement of scholars ends. Rudolph Simek in his Dictionary of Northern Mythology gives a possible etymology as relating to the Latin verb ‘necare’ which means ‘to kill’. Kauffmann believes it relates to *neu, a word for ship. This relates to many of the inscriptions found dedicated to Her, which tend to be merchants thanking Her or petitioning Her for safe passage across the sea. There are also frequently boats depicted on Her altars. There is no clear translation or etymology for Nehalennia, however. Her three main symbols are a basket filled with apples, a greyhound and a ship. All of these suggest she was a major trade and sea Goddess.

Her dress is inspired after the famous blue and white Dutch pattern. 💙

Working on the book. Reached the section on Creating Her Priesthood. Realized that before I get into that, I need to write some about what does it mean to be a pagan priest. So, I want to crowd source this a bit. What does it mean to be a Pagan Priest to you?

I am really excited to announce that on June 11th I passed my certification exam to be a Death Doula. This is leading to a project to gather information and create trainings for those in the death and dying industries so that they are more aware of the needs and customs of subgroups. Updates to come soon!