In Norse mythology, Móðguð guards the bridge leading toward Hel’s realm.
Móðguð is the female guardian associated with Gjallarbrú, the bridge crossed by the dead on the route toward Hel. In the account of Hermóðr’s journey, she questions him and explains that Baldr has already crossed the bridge. Her encounter gives the otherwise mysterious passage a named guardian and a dramatic threshold.
Móðguð should not be confused with Garmr, the hound associated with the entrance to the underworld in some traditions. Nor is Gjallarbrú the same as Bifröst, the rainbow bridge connecting Asgard and Midgard. The surviving sources describe these crossings in different contexts, and modern retellings sometimes merge their imagery.