In
Norse mythology,
Hel is a being who presides over a realm of the
same name, where she receives a portion of the dead. Hel is attested in the
Poetic Edda, compiled in the 13th century from earlier traditional sources, and the
Prose Edda, written in the 13th century by
Snorri Sturluson. In addition, she is mentioned in poems recorded in
Heimskringla and
Egils saga that date from the 9th and 10th centuries, respectively. An episode in the Latin work
Gesta Danorum, written in the 12th century by
Saxo Grammaticus, is generally considered to refer to Hel, and Hel may appear on various
Migration Period bracteates.