Hel: Goddess of the Underworld

Hel - Goddess Of The Underworld (lyrics)
[Hel, my spiritual Patroness, also known as Hela, Hulda, Holda and Holle]

Cold, this misty night
A black moon's preparing my mind
Out here, I seek her shrine
I welcome the queen of the lowest world
Into the ice hall
Where mirrors reflect my soul
She's freezing my tears
Taking all fears

Two sides to her face
Her claws pierce or embrace
Enter, with open eyes
You'll see her garden of delight

To the within
Beyond our memory
Falling so deep
Where unborn souls sleep

Hail, to the queen of death
Her shadow walks with you
Remember her kind
And understand life

Invisible mate
Waiting to seal our fate
Watch my strife
Hel, guard my life

Cold, this misty night
A black moon's preparing my mind
Beneath eternal fog
I have seen clear

Frey and Hela in Cohoots

In follow-up to my previous entry, reading further along in a linked article in which the Dark Elves (Dökkálfar) are discussed, I find it interesting that Frey is the Lord of Alfheim (World of the Elves) and Hela (Frau Holle, my Patroness) are both significantly connected to the World of the Elves. The synchronicity of my experience earlier today came on the heels of listing my newest candle yesterday dedicated to Frey. Hi Frey (waves to Frey).

My Jotun Bloodline, Hulda & the Old Goddess Nephesch

אַל-תִּתֵּן לְחַיַּת, נֶפֶשׁ תּוֹרֶךָ; חַיַּת עֲנִיֶּיךָ, אַל-תִּשְׁכַּח לָנֶצַח. (Psalm 74:19)
Give not the soul of Thy turtle-dove unto the ravenous company; forget not the company of your afflicted ones for ever. (words of the old Goddess Nephesch)

My patroness, Frau Holle, the ancient earth mother goddess of Old Fate, snow, spinning and illumination is also know by the names Holda, Hulda, Hel and Hela. As Hel and Hela, Frau Holle is an Underworld and Death goddess. She is also one of the Jotnir, the deities of the Jotunfolk (Giants). I am of her bloodline and she has claimed me.

Afflicted with scoliosis (I wore a back brace for 4 years as a teenager to straighten my back), general skeletal deformities are a characteristic of those of the Jotun bloodline from the Iron Wood clan. My personal history with anger, extreme introversion, cold detachment of personality, and the tendency to "hibernate" in my own space also suggest that Frost-thurse and Mountain-giant clan-bloods also mix in mine. All of these are giants of the Rökkr.

Rökkr means twilight, a liminality which partakes of both Night and Day. It also refers to the Hagazussa (hedge-sitter), a title worn by Hela, my patroness. Hagazussa is the root of the German word hexe (witch).

Rökkr means shadow, the soul, the visible testimony of what exists within. Helheim, the Land of Shadows, is Hel's country in Niflheim. Nifl is another form of Rökkr. The children of Nifl (the children of Hela - the Nifl-Hela) are known in Semitic legend as the Nephilim, the children of the pre-Mosaic goddess Nephesch, the dark counterpart of the light goddess Shechinah.

Darkness is the core foundation of light. Without darkness, there is no light. Light is itself a mask worn upon the face of darkness for a time, until it's life energy is spent. As darkness is the foundation of light, we can see then, how it is that the Death Goddess is also a Goddess of Illumination.

As Hulda, the Death Goddess is known for her transpersonal compassion, but it is a compassion that does not lie, no matter how hard the truth may be to take. There is no softening comfort sitting at Hulda's table - spiritual evolution, not mercy, is Hulda's focus. Yet Hulda's compassion is quietly full, noninvasive and protective - she provides a safe place for healing and full acceptance, warts and all. The monster within, the untouchable, the rot - don't try to pretty these things up with Hulda - these things are holy to her.

The hard healing truth which leads to spiritual evolution - this is what you get from the Death Goddess Hulda, and this is also why Hulda is the prophetess sought out by Kings in Semitic legend.

Life is wasteful, but Death wastes nothing.

Swedish Scandinavian Ancestry

In follow-up to an earlier post, it makes perfect sense that Frau Holle, the great mother goddess of the Teutonic people, is revealed to be my patroness as a witch, and as a descendent of the Vikings. In the photo, are the results of the autosomal DNA test (by STR analysis) I had done which looks at the genes I inherited from all of my ancestors. According to these results (numbers also shown for my top six population matches), which look back approximately 500 years, Sweden is clearly the top land of my modern ancestors - no other land even comes to close it in terms of the raw Match Index number result, although my Norway Tribe Score (in parentheses) is equal to my Swedish Tribe Score, indicating a strong Viking ancestry and family blood ties to Norway as well. Wales, Scotland and the UK in general are also in my top five matches - lands where Vikings heavily settled during the Middles Ages. On top of all this, my motherline mtDNA haplogroup is U5b, called Clan Ursula among genealogists, and is a Northwestern European haplogroup. My motherline and autosomal DNA tests were both done through different labs in different countries. Even as I await my Family Finder results (to confirm and add more detail to my ancestral genetic research), I think it's pretty clear that my ancestors were heavily Viking.

Teutonic Divine Femiine Mysteries Initiation

After finishing my work for the evening, in interesting synchronicity with earlier events, I reached into my runebag and pulled out a single rune to mark the energy of the day - Berkano, the rune of Hel (Frau Holle, the earth mother goddess) and initiatory rites of passage. My patroness Frau Holle has initiated me into the Divine Feminine mysteries of my Scandinavian Ancestors and marked it with this specific rune.

Teutonic Patroness and Sacred Witch Name

In follow-up to my dream post and my synchronous stumbling upon this video, it clear to me that my Scandinavian patroness is revealing herself! Teutonic FRAU HOLLE is the ancient mother witch goddess of the Teutons. This artistic image shows her with a crown of candles on her head. Along with finding the ancestral patroness of my magickal candle crafting, I have claimed my Teutonic sacred witch name. It is Lorilla, the Teutonic version of my actual birth name. My Teutonic name describes my personality exactly:

Meaning: Elfin Laura.

Soul Urge: People with the name Lorilla have a deep inner need for quiet, and a desire to understand and analyze the world they live in, and to learn the deeper truths.

Expression: People with the name Lorilla are excellent at analyzing, understanding, and learning. They tend to be mystics, philosophers, scholars, and teachers. Because they live so much in the mind, they tend to be quiet and introspective, and are usually introverts. When presented with issues, they will see the larger picture. Their solitary thoughtfulness and analysis of people and world events may make them seem aloof, and sometimes even melancholy.

The candle I create for my patroness is going to be something very very special.