Word journey
The word hell
the hidden place; the underworld of the dead
The journey
| Form | Language | Date | Sense |
|---|---|---|---|
| *ḱel- | Proto-Indo-European (reconstructed) · Proto-Indo-European Religion | undated | to cover, conceal; reconstructed root |
| *haljō | Proto-Germanic (reconstructed) | undated | concealed place, the underworld; reconstructed |
| halja | Gothic · Christianity | 360 CE | hell (Wulfila's Bible) |
| hel / helle | Old English · Christianity | 725 CE | nether world of the dead, later Christian hell |
| Hel | Old Norse · Norse / Germanic Paganism | 1220 CE | realm of the dead and its ruler |
What is certain and what is not
From a Germanic word for "concealed place" (PIE *kel- "to cover"), it was taken over to name the Christian place of punishment. Finnic and Uralic words like Finnish koljo ("giant") may be native, not loans, which complicates the picture.