In Norse mythology, Hel rules Hel, the underworld realm connected with Ragnarok.
Hel is both the name of Loki’s daughter and the name of the realm over which she presides. Odin casts her into the underworld, where she receives many of those who die from sickness or old age rather than in battle.
Hel is usually described as having a divided appearance, with one side associated with the living and the other with the dead. This imagery distinguishes her from a simple personification of evil. Her realm is part of the Norse mythological geography and is not identical to Valhalla, Odin’s hall for selected slain warriors.
During the events surrounding Ragnarok, Baldr remains in Hel’s realm after his death. Accounts say he returns after the cosmic destruction, linking Hel’s domain to the world’s renewal.