Helena is a Goddess whose Greek name is a word which means "wicker, reed, shoot; torch; or basket". Often the word is interpreted therefore as light, bright and sometimes sun, by extension. It was a name used for the Great Liberating Mother in the Graeco-Roman world when the traditional worship of Kybele was banned. Like both Hekate and Kybele, Helena carries the torch, which is a symbol for the Guiding Light of the Spirit in the Underworld which leads to Liberation of the animal self. She is the Mother of the Fortuitous Angels. She is sometimes confused with Fortuna, who is similar in nature but hails from Roman times and culture. She was known as Hel or Hela in the Northern European traditions, as the root Hel means Fortune in many languages. Pronounced Hel-lay-nah.