In today’s consciousness, ‘Hell’ evokes the image of an underground world for the dead where those who have committed transgressions in their lifetime are consigned to suffer punishment.
This concept is recognised as part of the fabric of the Christian religion throughout much of the globe but the root of the word itself can, in fact, be traced etymologically to heathen mythology.
The Scandinavian Underworld
In pagan Scandinavia, ‘Hel’ referred to an underworld which bore surprising similarities to the theoretical and physical place now typically associated with Christian theology.
There was no seminal text which unified the ideas comprising Old Norse heathenism and, as such, exploring its details is a complicated process.
Katabasis
However, many descriptions of Hel are preserved in the ancient literary genre of ‘katabasis’ or descent and these provide an insight into the beliefs behind the word.
Christian literature and iconography primarily depicts Hell as a substantial place beneath the Earth to where souls are cast after judgement on their sins (1 Pet. 2:4).
Although the cosmos had a more complex system in Old Norse tradition and, according to the Icelandic mythological chronicler Snorri contained nine worlds in total, much literature of the time describes the pagan Hel as a deep, mist-filled realm that the gods and heroes who venture there must travel ‘down’ to from the earthly plane and demonstrates a belief in the existence of a comparative physical entity.
Not only do the representations in the literature of descent emphasise the subterranean nature of the pagan underworld and its dark and often supernatural properties which reflect the images of Christianity but they also provide a parallel of the Christian legend of Jesus’ journey before his resurrection, an Apocryphal account often known as the ‘Harrowing of Hell.’
Morality
The inherent distinction between Hell and Hel, however, lies in its supposed purpose for human souls rather than its conception. The pagan literature commits one of its greatest icons, Balder, to the underworld which significant contrasts the emphasis in Christian theology on the sin of those who were sent there and the punishments they suffered as a result.
Despite the absence of such moral dimensions in the beliefs surrounding the pagan underworld, the evident similarities between the ideas of Hel and Hell suggest that they formed a comparative, and significant, role in the religions from which they stem.
But how these two concepts have become synonymous in modern English, considering the different societies and continents from which they arose, is difficult to determine.
Studying Today
Following the loss of much original material, through both intentional and accidental means during the intermittent period, it is now impossible to deduce whether one of these ideas was influenced by the other or if they were constructed in completely independent circumstances.
However, the parallels that can be drawn between them nonetheless provide a fascinating insight into both aspects of a legend which has such a significant place in global consciousness in modern society even though its origins lie so far into antiquity.
