#100Monstrous Poems 98: Hel

I am the goddess of the hidden realm
And who says that a god can’t be a monster?
I’m Loki’s child, and no blood of the Aesir,
Nor of the Vanir, runs within my veins
No, I am not divine, and yet I reign.
My brothers fared less well: exiled or bound
But I was just a girl: no threat to Odin!
He saw my good side: beautiful, demure,
And asked me what I wanted. So I told him
“I want to be the queen of all the dead
Who don’t go to Valhalla. Those who died
What you would call dishonourable deaths
Who did not die in battle, but in bed
Of old age, sickness, even accident
They too deserve someone to take their side
And I would rule them fairly, if you’d let me
Give me a place that’s hidden from your sight
If they offend you. Let me be their queen.”
He granted my request, all graciousness
And bounty, but I saw the way he smiled.
What could she do, this pretty little girl
I turned to face him fully, and he saw
A side of me that chilled him to the marrow
But in the end, a god must keep his word
And so, unseen, I rule over my people
I have no hate for Odin and his kind.
My brothers want revenge? Then let them take it:
The heat of battle doesn’t interest me.
So keep your Ragnarok. I’ll stay down here
And welcome those who never killed another.
I do my job. I think I do it well.
Do not believe all that you’ve heard of Hel.