Hel, goddess of the threshold – Between shadow, memory and linocut

✧ Introduction

Among the most disturbing figures in Norse mythology , Hel embodies the inevitable: death, transition, shadow. Neither cruel nor benevolent, she is a reflection of what awaits each of us at the end of the path. Daughter of Loki and the giantess Angrboda , she is the sister of Fenrir and Jörmungandr .

In this handcrafted Nordic linocut , Hel takes shape in all her duality. Half living face, half dead face, she reminds us that the end is also a threshold. This symbolic Nordic bookmark , hand-printed, is a bridge between worlds.

✧ The myth of Hel: between the worlds

When the gods discover Loki's children, they recognize in each a formidable force linked to Ragnarök . For Hel, they make a drastic decision: exile her to an underground world, Niflheim, where she will rule over the dead who did not fall in battle.

She thus becomes ruler of the realm of the dead, Helheim , where souls who have died of old age, illness, or inglorious death rest. She is not a goddess of cruelty, but a guardian of the natural cycle of life and death.

Her appearance reflects her function: one half of her body is beautiful and alive, the other is cadaverous. She is the embodiment of passage, of mourning, and of the naked truth that no one can escape.

Hel is a central figure in the Norse pantheon : silent, motionless, yet inescapable. She welcomes Baldur into her kingdom, and it is through her that the hope of a return is reborn, for even in death, something still watches over her. She is thus at the heart of the Norse myth of return and renewal.

✧ Hel in Nordic spirituality

In contemporary practices of pagan spirituality , Hel is often invoked in rituals related to:

• Spiritual protection and distancing from illusion
• Grief or support work
• Meditation on the cycle of life, death and rebirth

She embodies austere wisdom, lucidity, and grounding. Her energy is not gentle—it is necessary.

It is sometimes associated with the runes Berkano (rebirth) and Isa (stop, stillness), and manifests in calm, cold, and enveloping spaces. It is invoked to refocus, detach, and overcome an inner ordeal.

✧ An engraving depicting shadow and balance

This Nordic linocut bookmark is designed as a tribute to this guardian of souls . Hand-engraved, each detail translates the tension between the two worlds : life and death, breath and silence.

• The front shows Hel in a frontal pose, her face split between beauty and decay.
• The back is decorated with a protective bindrune
• Printed on 300g paper, each print is unique, with the natural traces of the artisanal gesture

Each copy is like a discreet talisman to slip into a book, a diary, or to place on an altar.

✧ Spiritual and symbolic use

This handcrafted Nordic bookmark , inspired by a powerful myth, can accompany:

• Your meditative or esoteric readings
• Work on reconnecting with oneself in times of transition or loss
• Practices of ritual, silence, or introspection

Hel invites you to embrace the shadow not as an enemy, but as a truth that helps us grow. She teaches us that dying to a part of ourselves sometimes means being reborn, freer.

✧ Technical characteristics

• Technique : artisanal linocut, manual printing
• Front motif : Hel in her duality
• Reverse side motif : protective bindrune
• Paper : 300g natural grain, hand-cut
• Dimensions : ≈ 6.5 x 18 cm
• Colors : black on white
• Use : bookmark, talisman, ritual object, altar element
• Origin : 100% handmade creation (excluding paper)

✧ Hel: Beyond the Veil

Hel doesn't seek to be loved. She doesn't promise light. But she offers the truth. A cold, naked, but stable truth. The one that never lies.

This engraving invites you to contemplate what doesn't change, what is already there, behind the masks. A Nordic bookmark for lucid minds, seekers of meaning, souls in search of inner peace.

Find this Nordic bookmark, representing Hel, goddess of the underworld, right here