Women are Hell

Emily S, in Metropolis continued discusses religious symbolism in Metropolis as well as possible meaning behind "Hel," the name of Fredersen's wife (and Freder's mother). To me "Hel" stood out as a sort of alias for the Maria robot, the machine's true identity, and I have approached the question from this angle.

I too was intrigued by the robot formerly known as Hel, in the movie Metropolis, so I did a little internet investigation to find out what Fritz Lang's choice of name might mean.

"Hel" is the Old English root for the "hell" that we use in modern English, with the meaning "to hide or conceal." Exploring this meaning, the name could be reflective of the roboMaria's deceptive nature, or the hidden agendas of Fredersen and the thinking class, or the hidden malevolence of Rotwang.

More interesting, is that the Norse "Hel" having the same root, developed somewhat differently than its English counterpart. In Norse mythology, Hel is the daughter of Loki (the trickster, a non deity, but adopted brother of Odin), one of his three children, imprisoned by the Norse pantheon until they become free in the destruction of the world, and combat the gods at Ragnarok. This roll, while decidedly not good, plays a critical part in Norse mythology. With her siblings Jörmungandr (the world serpent) and Fenrisulfr (a gargantuan wolf) Hel is to lead an army of dead against the (good) Norse gods, and die, but succeed in taking the lives of most of the pantheon in her defeat. As the only honorable way to die in the Norse belief system is in battle, Hel and her siblings are securing the fate of the Gods by fatally wounding them in combat. Similarly, in Metropolis, the robot Maria causes great destruction by inciting rebellion among the workers, but is a necessary catalyst in the sequence of events that leads to resolution and peace between Fredersen and the leader of the workers. Hel leads an army of the dead to the salvation of the Norse pantheon, while the robot Maria leads an army of workers to the salvation of the thinking class (as they are no longer trapped in their contructed and somewhat dysfunctional society).

What is the value of these reflections? Perhaps, simply, that evil (or chaos, or whatever it is that you suppose causes trouble) has its place. Good and order cannot exist without their counterparts. Beyond this rather common reflection, something incredibly destructive and costly can result in something priceless. Though rioting and floods are certainly not good in themselves, in Metropolis they bring about resolution between unhappy classes that fail to communicate with each other. As a piece, it lends us insight. Do not dwell on the bad, but instead, what good can be made of the turmoil which has resulted.