Woland and Hella

Hella is a female vampire in the retinue of the mysterious Professor Woland, a naked red-haired girl whose eyes burn with a phosphorescent gleam and whose touch is cold as ice. She appears without warning in the semi-dark front hall of Apartment No. 50 on Sadovaya Street, and her presence marks the most terrifying moment in the lives of those she encounters. Unlike the talkative Koroviev or the clownish Behemoth, Hella acts with a silent, predatory purpose, serving as an instrument of supernatural punishment and terror.

Appearance and Nature

Hella is described as a completely naked girl with red hair and eyes that shine with a phosphorescent light. When she places her palms on the shoulders of the administrator Ivan Savelyevich Varenukha, he feels a cold that is not merely physical but the cold of ice itself, penetrating through his water-soaked Tolstoy blouse. Her body bears spots of decay on her breast, marking her as one of the undead. She moves with an unnatural rubber-like flexibility, her arm lengthening as she reaches through a window vent, and her fingers become covered with a putrid green color. Her voice is soft but insinuating and lewd, capable of whispering threats over the telephone.

Attack on Varenukha

After Varenukha is beaten and dragged to Apartment No. 50 by Koroviev and Azazello, Hella appears in the front hall. As he recoils against the wall, she approaches him and places her icy palms on his shoulders. She speaks tenderly, saying "Let me give you a kiss," and brings her shining eyes close to his. Varenukha faints at that moment and never feels the kiss, but the encounter leaves him transformed into a vampire himself, later returning to the Variety Theatre as a creature that casts no shadow.

Menace to Rimsky

Later that same night, Hella appears at the window of the financial director Grigory Danilovich Rimsky's office, her face pressed against the glass and her naked arm reaching through the vent-pane to open the lower latch. As Rimsky watches in horror, her arm lengthens like rubber and becomes covered with putrid green. Her fingers claw at the latch, and she finally opens the frame, stepping onto the window-sill. The smell of a cellar bursts into the room, and Rimsky clearly sees the spots of decay on her breast. She is driven away only by the crowing of a cock, which announces the approach of dawn. At the first crow, savage fury distorts her face and she emits a hoarse oath; at the third, she turns and flies out the window, followed by the vampire Varenukha.

Role in Woland's Retinue

Hella is one of the four members of Woland's retinue that appear in the bedroom of Styopa Likhodeev, alongside Koroviev, Behemoth, and Azazello. She is the only female figure among them, and her role is that of a silent enforcer. Unlike the others, she does not speak in conversation or engage in the banter that characterizes the group's interactions. Her power is purely physical and terrifying, and she acts as a direct instrument of supernatural violence. Her presence underscores the demonic nature of Woland's company, adding a layer of horror that complements the satire and comedy provided by the other members.

Narrative Significance

Hella's attacks on Varenukha and Rimsky serve as the climax of the Variety Theatre's supernatural invasion. They demonstrate that Woland's power extends beyond the stage and into the lives of those who oppose or threaten his plans. Her ability to transform Varenukha into a vampire and her near-success in killing Rimsky show that the demonic forces are not merely playful but deadly. The fact that she is driven away by the crowing of a cock, a traditional symbol of dawn and the defeat of evil, reinforces the novel's use of folkloric and Christian imagery to mark the boundaries between the supernatural and the natural world.