Niflhel ("MistyHel";Nifel meaningfog) is a location inNorse mythology which appears in theeddic poemsVafþrúðnismál andBaldrs draumar, and also inSnorri Sturluson'sGylfaginning. According to Snorri Sturluson's work, Niflhel could be interpreted as the lowest level ofHel, but Niflhel and sometimes Hel are conflated with the concept ofNiflheim, a term which originates with Sturluson.
InGylfaginning bySnorri Sturluson,Gylfi, the oldking of Scandinavia, receives an education in Norse mythology fromOdin himself in the guise of three men. Gylfi learns from Odin (asÞriði) that Odin gavethe first man his spirit, and that the spirits of just men will live forever inGimlé, whereas those of evil men will live forever in Niflhel:
"The greatest of all is this: that he made man, and gave him the spirit, which shall live and never perish, though the flesh-frame rot to mould, or burn to ashes; and all men shall live, such as are just in action, and be with himself in the place calledGimlé. But evil men go toHel and thence down to the Misty Hel; and that is down in the ninth world."[1]
InVafþrúðnismál, Odin has wagered his head in a contest of wits with the giant (jotun)Vafþrúðnir. Odin asks Vafþrúðnir whether he can tell all the secrets of the gods and giants, and Vafþrúðnir answers that he can do so since he has been to all thenine worlds, including Niflhel:
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Though not a part of theCodex Regius, in the poemBaldrs draumar, Odin makes a visit to Niflhel himself in order to enquire about the bad dreams of his sonBaldr:
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