Icelandic Naming Committee Disapproves Of Hel

The Icelandic Naming Committee has published twelve new rulings on names, reports Vísir. This time, the committee approved ten new names and rejected two.

Approved female names include Beth, Einsa, Árey, Gúníta, Dawn, Ljósynja, Haukrún, and Dania. The committee also approved the male name Deimos and the gender-neutral name Frey.

The names the committee did not approve are Hel and Bölmóður.

This is the third time the committee has rejected the name Hel; previous rejections occurred in 2017 and 2021.

In its ruling, the committee references these earlier decisions, which stated that the word “hel” carries a negative meaning. Those rulings also noted that the name is cited as an example of one that could cause discomfort or embarrassment to the bearer, as outlined in the explanatory notes accompanying the Icelandic Naming Law.

According to the Icelandic Dictionary, the proper noun “Hel” refers to the “goddess of the underworld” in Norse mythology, while the common noun “hel” means “realm of the dead, death, or demise.”

“Therefore, it is clear that the name Hel has a negative and demeaning connotation in public perception and may cause distress to its bearer,” the 2021 ruling stated.

Bölmóður was rejected on the same grounds as Hel — that a name must not cause its bearer harm or distress.

The committee noted that “böl” means “misfortune or calamity,” and that the compound noun “bölmóður” signifies “a mental state of pessimism and despair.”

“The committee finds that the name Bölmóður carries a very negative meaning,” the ruling states.