What is the realm of the dead?

The story behind the answer

Helheim is the Norse realm of the dead for those who die of illness, old age, or otherwise not in glorious battle. Ruled by Hel, the daughter of Loki, it’s a cold, misty underworld distinct from the warrior feasts of Valhalla. Niflheim is a primordial world of ice and mist, not the afterlife itself, and Shangri-La is unrelated to Norse myth.

To remember: Helheim sounds like “hell,” but in Norse belief it’s not a place of universal punishment—more a somber resting place. By contrast, Valhalla is a hall in Asgard where Odin gathers chosen fallen warriors (einherjar) to train for Ragnarök.