Origins and development Jacob Grimm described Hel as an example of a "half-goddess": "one who cannot be shown to be either wife or daughter of a god, and who stands in a dependent relation to higher divinities", and argued that "half-goddesses" stand higher than "half-gods" in Germanic mythology.Grimm (1882:397). Grimm regarded Hel (whom he refers to here as Halja, the theorized Proto-Germanic form of the term) as essentially an "image of a greedy, unrestoring, female deity" and theorized that "the higher we are allowed to penetrate into our antiquities, the less hellish and more godlike may Halja appear". He compared her role, her black color, and her name to "the Indian Bhavani, who travels about and bathes like Nerthus and Holda, but is likewise called Kali or Mahakali, the great black goddess" and concluded that "Halja is one of the oldest and commonest conceptions of our heathenism".Grimm (1882:315). He theorized that the Helhest, a three-legged horse that in Danish folklore roams the countryside "as a harbinger of plague and pestilence", was originally the steed of the goddess Hel, and that on this steed Hel roamed the land "picking up the dead that were her due". He also says that a wagon was once ascribed to Hel.Grimm (1882:314).
Origins and development Jacob Grimm described Hel as an example of a "half-goddess" "one who cannot be shown to be either wife or daughter of a god and who stands in a dependent relation to higher divinities" and argued that "half-goddesses" stand higher than "half-gods" in Germanic mythologyGrimm (1882397) Grimm regarded Hel (whom he refers to here as Halja the theorized Proto-Germanic form of the term) as essentially an "image of a greedy unrestoring female deity" and theorized that "the higher we are allowed to penetrate into our antiquities the less hellish and more godlike may Halja appear" He compared her role her black color and her name to "the Indian Bhavani who travels about and bathes like Nerthus and Holda but is likewise called Kali or Mahakali the great black goddess" and concluded that "Halja is one of the oldest and commonest conceptions of our heathenism"Grimm (1882315) He theorized that the Helhest a three-legged horse that in Danish folklore roams the countryside "as a harbinger of plague and pestilence" was originally the steed of the goddess Hel and that on this steed Hel roamed the land "picking up the dead that were her due" He also says that a wagon was once ascribed to HelGrimm (1882314)