Where does “Hel” come from?

Hel (English) comes from Old Norse Hel, from Proto-Germanic haljō, from Proto-Indo-European ḱel- — to cover; to incline.

Hel (English): The goddess of the realm of the unheroic dead, a daughter of Loki by the jotun Angrboða

Definitions

  1. The goddess of the realm of the unheroic dead, a daughter of Loki by the jotun Angrboða

Ancestry of “Hel”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old NorseHeldeath
2Proto-Germanichaljōthe netherworld, the underworld, hell
3Proto-Indo-Europeanḱel-to cover; to incline
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ḱel- →Every word from Proto-Germanic haljō →Every word from Old Norse Hel →