Helga Needheim

In the novel Destination Unknown, Helga Needheim is a German woman who traveled with Hilary Craven towards "the destination unknown". She was at first disguised as a nun but much later, after she discarded her nun's habit, she was introduced as an endocrinologist.

Hilary was puzzled by her fellow travellers and Helga was no different. Hilary had thought that all of them were trying to defect behind the Iron Curtain. Yet they have vastly different points of view and ideological outlooks. Helga for instance, struck her as a fascist of "the most arrogant and pagan kind". Helga believes that Christianity has "made fools of women", and was a "worship of weakness". On the other hand, "Pagan women had strength. They rejoiced and conquered! And in order to conquer, no discomfort is unbearable. Nothing is too much to suffer."

Helga was described as having "impersonal, incurious eyes", "short, stubby fingers", pale skin, a severe face". Her age was difficult to guess, but it turned out that she was younger than she looked in her nun's habit, being not more than thirty-three or thirty-four.

The "destination unknown" turned out to be Aristides's research establishment. After arrival, Fräulein Needheim stayed in the same building as Hilary but they hardly saw each other, except at meals.