#hel deity

[sapphic-freyjan]

Freyja /Hel altar that’s still in the works, started in the last year or so. If you couldn’t tell, I’ve been on Estrogen for a long time now 😆

[hazyanimal9685]

Man, Loki's kids are so weird, and we do not talk enough about it.

Like, okay, he has a wife, who is also a God. He produces two relatively normal children who look and act human (at least until the cave incident)

He bangs a horse at one point and gives birth to an eight legged horse. Which... a bit odd, but is at least an understandable genetic progression.

He then sleeps with a frost giant, and produces... (*checks notes*) oh yeah, a wolf, a giant snake, and a half-dead girl. Like... how???? Why????

Only Loki would have six kids and have only half of them even remotely resemble normal gods.

And that's not even mentioning the weird intelligence level stuff. Like, his two normal sons both have expected intelligence. Very normal. Hel is noted to be very wise for her young age, but still.... expected. Sleipnir may be a funny looking horse, and maybe a bit above average intelligence, but he's still very much an animal. But his snake son is smart enough to remember and hold a grudge against Thor for a hundred years, but not smart enough to talk? And then his wolf child can literally outfox the gods and is clever enough to spot traps and tricks, and has a silver tongue???? Like, I'm so very confused. I really do wonder what the hell he was doing with that frost giantess that resulted in three children that are so very different from each other.

[veilroot]

A little altar update!

[You can read more about them below. 🫶]

Well, the time has finally come for me to revitalize my altars after the arrival of a very special statue I’ve been waiting for. Before I get into that, I wanted to do a little walkthrough of my devotional spaces and what I’ve done—without writing a whole essay… hopefully.

First: Aphrodite.

I’ve been working with Aphrodite since I was seventeen, which is why her altar space holds so many devotional pieces. Over time, her statue had unfortunately gathered a layer of dust due to my own neglect, so I finally sat myself down and meticulously cleaned every nook and cranny with rose water. Even if it wasn’t true rose water—just loose-leaf rose petal tea steeped in a wooden bowl of water—it felt like the right thing to do. Even if I know some other Aphrodite devotees might raise an eyebrow at that.

I had originally placed her altar inside the shelves in my room, but I quickly realized she needed to be moved to the surface of my bookshelf instead—so she could bathe in the midday sun as it filters through my window. Her space is now filled with jewelry, roses, crystals galore, and smaller offerings nestled inside her shell offering bowl. It feels open, soft, and lived-in in the way devotion should be.

And now that she’s out in the open, I was finally able to make room for Hel, the goddess I started following around age twenty-two.

Hel’s altar is much smaller and far more condensed, but everything there is intentional. Crystals, bones, candles. I would have placed her bottle of invoking herbs with her, but there simply wasn’t space in the cubby—and I didn’t want Hel to feel cramped. Her altar feels more like a quiet vigil than a display, and that felt right.

As I’ve crafted both of these altars, I’ve noticed how picky I’ve become about what belongs where. Things have to resonate just right. And in the process, I realized a personal detail about my practice that really stood out to me.

For the Hellenic gods and goddesses I worship, I’m always drawn to statues that carry the same feeling as white Parian marble—the kind used for the original statues of the gods. Sleek, bright, almost luminous. I don’t even fully understand why, but it makes sense to me on a level deeper than logic.

And interestingly, while searching for marble-esque statues for the Hellenic deities, I found myself drawn only to wooden statues for the Norse gods. When I was searching for Hel’s statue, I went through countless options—but the moment I saw this one, carved from real wood, it simply clicked. It felt ancient. Grounded. Honest.

Anyway…

I’ve already rambled on this much—if anyone would like a full rundown of both altars, I’d be more than happy to go into everything.

Blessed be 🌒🌕🌘

⸻

TL;DR

I reorganized and revitalized my altars for Aphrodite and Hel. Aphrodite’s space is open, sunlit, and filled with devotion, while Hel’s is smaller, quieter, and deeply intentional. I also realized I’m drawn to marble-like statues for Hellenic deities and wooden statues for Norse gods—it just feels right.

[sophia-the-hearth-witch]

I realize that I never shared these little paintings I did for my deities last year~

These paintings were very heavily inspired by @lokabrenna13's art for Loki that they shared on their blog I thought their paintings were so pretty and wanted to create some mini ones for all the deities I work with so I could decorate their altar spaces!

Loki

Loki got two paintings because I get two different energies from him and because he's so prominent in my practice. I generally associate him with green and gold, but he's also so fiery that the flame always seems to come through Loki's paintings are perhaps the most abstract and impulsive of the paintings I made and that truly feels appropriate

Sigyn

I associate Sigyn heavily with light pinks, purples, and gold as well as roses. I tried to incorporate the soft warm energy I get from her in her painting

Hel

Hel is always black and white, light and dark. Her altar space is always neat, clean, balanced, and minimal because I get the impression that that is what she prefers. There's a very sure "set" feeling to her energy, but that does not make her lack understanding and I tried as best I could to reflect that in her painting~

Tyr

Since Tyr is the deity that called me to the Norse pantheon, he is very much what roots me to my practice. He is strength, protection, justice, and grounding to me. Similar to Loki his energy is very hot like a fire, but he smolders like the hot embers. He is constant and stable.

Thor

For me Thor's warmth is different from the others. His is like the sun. When I think of Thor, his energy feels like laying in a peaceful sunny field of tall grass. His hammer is a constant reminder of my faith and I wear it daily.

[aurvandill]

Let Hel hold what she has.

[awolvenjournal]

Community Project: A Guide to Jotnar

(The title is a work in progress)

So recently I've been heavily tossing around the idea of collection individuals experiences with various Jotnar that are involved with heathenry. This is going to be a UPG heavy project, but I want to collect the experiences of those that do interact with these entities and potentially create a website guide or maybe a book or something to show how various heathens that do have cultus with the Jotnar experience them, and maybe get people in touch with eachother to talk about it. This is a very early project idea, so I've made a google form to gauge interest in wanting to share stories, analysis, devtional pieces, etc. https://forms.gle/FVBkySjWtYBYBVnM6 Disclaimer: This is going to be about entities of the living tradition, just because a name is not mentioned somewhere does not mean that they are not going to be included, this is UPG heavy so if you're not cool with that it's not the project for you.

[rain--goblin]

Just stopped listening to an audio book cause it said that Hel was the daughter of Loki and Sigyn

There's some misinfo that's easy to aquire but how do you fuck up that bad

There were other bits of misinfo I was willing to be open to as different variations, cause that's popular in Norse mythology

But after that I realized the author just didn't know what she was talking about

The names Angrboda and Sigyn don't even look or sound the same

This author also said Loki and Odin were stepbrothers, like gd 😭

[chaos-bites]

💀 Subtle Hel Worship 🪦

Honor your ancestors or passed loved ones

Visit cemeteries; leave flowers at graves (with permission!!!)

Try veiling

Have a candle that reminds you of her (no altar needed)

Wear jewelry that reminds you of her

Keep a picture of her in your wallet

Have imagery of birch trees, cemeteries, skulls, snakes, wolves, or dogs (dogs are huge) around

Have a stuffed animal dog, wolf, or snake

Practice mindfulness; try meditation

Explore abandoned places (urb-ex; be safe!!!)

Take time to yourself every day to decompress

Drink relaxing teas or beverages; black tea or coffee is especially good or dark hot chocolate

Eat a comforting meal

Engage in activities you find calming; drawing, painting, crocheting, reading, etc.

Feel your feelings; cry if you need to, scream if you need to, etc.; find a healthy outlet for these emotions (drawing, boxing, dancing, etc.

Support homeless or animal shelters, healthcare or humanitarian organizations

Volunteer at homeless or animal shelters

Feed neighborhood dogs, cats, birds, etc.

If you have dogs, play with and take care of them; play with/take care of any pets c:

Cook a meal for someone you love

Donate supplies to animal or homeless shelters

Cook a warm meal for someone in need

Collect animal bones (please thank the animal's spirit after doing so)

Recycle, make/use compost (great with gardens)

Spend time with loved ones; spend time with any elderly or older folks that you love

Take care of your basic needs; eat three meals a day, get some movement into your day, take a shower when needed, etc.

Revisit things from your childhood; keep any stuffed animals from childhood or buy ones you've always wanted

Practice patience, especially with yourself

Take a walk at night, especially on the new moon (only if it's safe in your area!!!)

Have a nighttime/bedtime routine

Learn more about death; get more comfortable with the concept itself; focus on figuring out what your beliefs on the afterlife are (if any)

Collect old items or antiques; try to restore them or give them a fresh coat of paint/polish; keep them or give them to someone who will love them

Have compassion towards those who are often looked down on by the wider society, such as addicts or the homeless; donate to causes that aid them /their recovery

Eat an apple; go apple-picking; visit an apple orchard

Wear clothes that make you feel comfortable; when at home, get comfy!

Learn to get comfortable with change, especially necessary change; try spontaneous things, go outside your comfort zone, find effective ways to manage stress during changes

Take note of the seasons changing; maybe capture the moment of an Official Season Change™ in a painting or picture

Take time to reflect on yourself objectively; if you find yourself being unkind, take a step back

Observe the life cycles of animals; learn more about the natural world around you

Practice compassion and forgiveness towards yourself and others

Set healthy boundaries; learn what your personal boundaries are

Let go of what no longer serves you; release what you no longer need in your life

Go out in weather that reminds you of her if it's safe to do so (may sound weird, but I associate fog with her)

Be kind to children; play with them if offered

Start a new hobby - something that is calm and enjoyable; crocheting, carving, painting, etc.

Live your life unapologetically

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I'll likely add more to this later as I feel it's incomplete. For the time being, this is my list of discreet ways to worship Hel. I hope this is helpful! Take care, everyone. 🩵

Link to Subtle Worship Master list