Motif
Fear of bloodless death and preference for violent death to reach a better afterlife
fear_of_bloodless_death_and_preference_for_violent_death_to_reach_a_better_afterlife
A motif of the Afterlife Navigation and Passage family, within the sub-family Warrior Death and Heavenly Reward. Every row below is a tagged passage; each rests on a quote in its source text.
1 occurrences
1 traditions
norse
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Myths of the Norsemen: From the Eddas and Sagas CHAPTER XVI: VALI / CHAPTER XVII: THE NORNS / CHAPTER XVIII: THE VALKYRS / CHAPTER XIX: HEL; lines 6660-6800 confidence: medium
Hel receives perjurers, criminals, those who die without shedding blood, and those who die of age or disease; innocents are treated kindly, but northern people fear Hel and may choose violent death or self-killing to avoid her realm or join loved ones.
The passage states that people feared Hel's cheerless abode and describes men and women choosing wounds, burning, falls, or swords to avoid it or join loved ones among the gods.
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