3598) Hel (mythological being) Presider over the Underworld Realm, Republic of Cameroon: "Norse Blessing Coin Series": 2nd issue in the Series: A 2,000 Franc CFA Silver Antique Finish (AF) Coin issued by Cameroon: Date/Year of Coin issue: 2025:
About Hel:
Hel (from Old Norse: hel, lit. 'underworld') is a female being in Norse mythology who is said to preside over an underworld realm of the same name, where she receives a portion of the dead.
Hel is attested in the Poetic Edda, compiled in the 13th century from earlier traditional sources, and the Prose Edda, written in the 13th century.
In addition, she is mentioned in poems recorded in Heimskringla and Egils saga that date from the 9th and 10th centuries, respectively.
An episode in the Latin work Gesta Danorum, written in the 12th century by Saxo Grammaticus, is generally considered to refer to Hel, and Hel may appear on various Migration Period bracteates.
In the Poetic Edda, Prose Edda, and Heimskringla, Hel is referred to as a daughter of Loki.
In the Prose Edda book Gylfaginning, Hel is described as having been appointed by the god Odin as ruler of a realm of the same name, located in Niflheim.
In the same source, her appearance is described as half blue and half flesh-coloured and further as having a gloomy, downcast appearance.
The Prose Edda details that Hel rules over vast mansions with many servants in her underworld realm and plays a key role in the attempted resurrection of the god Baldr.
Scholarly theories have been proposed about Hel's potential connections to figures appearing in the 11th-century Old English Gospel of Nicodemus and Old Norse Bartholomeus saga postola, that she may have been considered a goddess with potential Indo-European parallels in Bhavani, Kali, and Mahakali or that Hel may have become a being only as a late personification of the location of the same name.
The Poetic Edda, compiled in the 13th century from earlier traditional sources, features various poems that mention Hel.
In the Poetic Edda poem Völuspá, Hel's realm is referred to as the "Halls of Hel".
In stanza 31 of Grímnismál, Hel is listed as living beneath one of three roots growing from the world tree Yggdrasil.
In Fáfnismál, the hero Sigurd stands before the mortally wounded body of the dragon Fáfnir, and states that Fáfnir lies in pieces, where "Hel can take" him.
In Atlamál, the phrases "Hel has half of us" and "sent off to Hel" are used in reference to death, though it could be a reference to the location and not the being, if not both.
In stanza 4 of Baldrs draumar, Odin rides towards the "high hall of Hel".
Hel was also alluded to in Hamðismál.
Death is paraphrased as "joy of the troll-woman" (or "ogress") and ostensibly it is Hel being referred to as the troll-woman or the ogre (flagð), although it may otherwise be some unspecified dís.
In chapter 34 of the book Gylfaginning, Hel is listed by High as one of the three children of Loki and Angrboða; the wolf Fenrir, the serpent Jörmungandr, and Hel.
High continues that, once the gods found that these three children are being brought up in the land of Jötunheimr, and when the gods "traced prophecies that from these siblings great mischief and disaster would arise for them" then the gods expected a lot of trouble from the three children, partially due to the nature of the mother of the children, yet worse so due to the nature of their father.
Hel, the Norse goddess of the underworld, governs the passage between life and death with grace and authority. But she is far from being a mere figure of darkness. She offers a blessing for peace, acceptance, and healing; a reminder that life and death are interconnected in a cycle of constant renewal.
The Coin:
The Reverse of the 2,000 Franc CFA Silver Coin depicts a beautifully detailed profile of Hel, her face split into two contrasting halves, one shrouded in shadow, the other bathed in light.
The colour-changing effect brings this design to life, subtly shifting in response to heat, echoing Hel’s role as both the Keeper of the Underworld and a compassionate figure who ushers souls into the afterlife with dignity and peace.
On the Obverse of the 2,000 Franc CFA Silver Coin, alongside the Cameroon Coat of Arms and the coin specifications, Hel is shown in a serene underworld landscape, where the boundaries between life and death fade into an ethereal, glowing scene.
Coin Highlights:
2nd issue in the Norse Blessing series
Exclusive low mintage of 199 pieces
Highly detailed strike with Antique Finish (AF)
Fantastic artwork on both coin faces
Legal tender issue of Cameroon
Coin specifications:
Coin Series Theme: "Norse
Blessing"
Year: 2025
Coin Quality: High
Relief, Colour, Antique Finish
Denomination: 2,000
Francs CFA
Metal Content: 2
Troy Ounces (62.2 grams)
Purity: .999 /
99.9%
Issuer: Republic of Cameroon
Mintage: 199 pieces
Diameter/Size: 50.00 mm
Delivers With: Capsule, Sleeve, Certificate of
Authenticity (COA)
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Santosh Khanna has commented:
ReplyDelete"Thanks for sharing this interesting and informative post."
Thank you so much Khanna sahab.
DeleteRajan Trikha has commented:
ReplyDelete"Wonderful post 👍."
Thank you so much, Trikha sahab.
DeleteRaj Kumar Srivastava has commented:
ReplyDelete"Interesting."
Thanks Raj.
Delete