hel of a woman

I doubt not

but Dyggvi's corpse

Hel does hold

to whore with him;

for Ulf's sib

a scion of kings

by right should

caress in death:

to love lured

Loki's sister

Yngvi's heir

o'er all Sweden.

           – Heimskringla

Hel is described as being half alive and half dead. She is commonly depicted in Norse mythology with one half of her face being a skeleton or zombie and the other a beautiful woman with cold eyes. She also typically has half black hair and half white.

This image of Hel has always stood out for me. When I read that she was half dead and half alive I imagined that she was split at the waist rather than down the middle. 

The original fantasy painting was done in oil and measures 18" x 24".