Niflheim, << NIHV uhl HAYM >>, was a land of the dead in Teutonic mythology (also called Norse mythology). Niflheim was a region of eternal ice, mist, and darkness. It lay across the river Gjol, far to the north of Midgard, where human beings lived. Odin, the chief god, banished the goddess Hel to Niflheim. There she became the ruler of the afterworld, which housed the souls of those who died of disease or old age. The souls of warriors killed in battle went to a place called Valhalla.
Uller, the god of winter, lived in Niflheim during the summer months. The giant serpent Nidoggr dwelt there in a turbulent spring called Hvergelmir. The deepest root of Yggdrasil, a tree that supported the world, was located in Niflheim. Bifrost, the rainbow bridge, arched over Niflheim, connecting Midgard to Asgard, the realm of the gods.
See also Mythology (Teutonic mythology).
