Nifleheim means 'house of mists'. The land of ice, fog, mist, and darkness is Nifleheim. Helheim, said to be the same place is here also, this is the land of the dead. They are ruled by Hel, and are where those unworthy of joining the gods in Asgard go when they die. Not even the gods can escape from Nifleheim. Nifleheim is one of the two worlds that existed before the gods themselves. Both lie deep beneath the ground, under the third root of Yggdrasil, which the serpent Nidhogg is constantly chewing away at.
