Where does “hel” come from?

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

Ancestry of “hel”, step by step

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