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God of War: Ragnarokcontinued Kratos and Atreus’s journey through the Nine Realms and showed the immediate consequences of a few decisions they made in the first game. Mimir warned Kratos that Thor and Odin wouldn’t take kindly to the deaths of Magni and Baldur, as well as the latter’s death signaling the beginning of Ragnarok.
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Kratos did not intend to initiate Ragnarok when he killed Baldur; the Spartan was only trying to save Freya. However, Baldur’s death sparked the beginning of the end for the Norse Gods, an event that the Jotunn Groa prophesied. But what exactly is Ragnarok and how do Kratos and Atreus fit in all of it?
The following post contains spoilers for God of War: Ragnarok. Please do not continue reading unless you’ve finished the game.
What Is Ragnarok?
To put it simply, Ragnarok is total destruction. According to Scandinavian mythology, Ragnarok, otherwise known as the Doom of the Gods, is thetotality of several key events that include thedeaths of several major gods and a complete rebirth of the world. Among the Gods who meet their deathly fates areOdin, Thor, Loki, Heimdall, Tyr, Garm, and Fenrir.
Not only has Ragnarok deemed the end of the Gods but also man. The fire giantSurtrwillengulf Asgard and the rainbow bridge Bifrost in a hellish firethat will extend to all the Nine Realms. Even the sun and moon will be consumed as the world is subdued into water. However, Ragnarok also signals thebeginning of a new world.
Unfortunately, there isno way for the Gods or man to prevent Ragnarok; all Odin or anyone else can do is predict when it might happen. Three warning signs indicate Ragnarok is coming: thedeath of Baldur, the long cold winters calledFimbulwinter, and finally, thesun and moon and stars disappearing from the skythat sends the world into complete darkness.
Baldur’s Death
As the son of Odin and Freya (Frigg), Baldur was considered one of the favorites of the Gods. He was beloved by all living things because of his physical appearance and his cheerful disposition, making him thegod of beauty and light. This is a far cry from his iteration in God of War, as Baldur is depicted as being ruthless and aggressive.
However, Loki disguised himself as a giantess and refused to weep for Baldur and he was doomed to remain among the dead. Because Loki was half Jotunn, it can be speculated that the God of Mischief knew of Ragnarok and killed Baldur for that reason. In God of War: Ragnarok, Kratos was responsible for killing Baldur before the Norse god murdered his mother, Freya. Following Baldur’s death, along frigid winter begins for three years called Fimbulwinter.
What Is Fimbulwinter?
The second sign of Ragnarok is athree-year-long winterthat destroys nearly all life on Earth. Fimbulwinter means “awful, mighty winter” and it begins shortly after the death of Baldur. Knowing that Ragnarok is nearly upon them, Odin sought guidance from a wise Jotunn named Vafthruthnir. The All-Father asked who would survive the harsh winter and the Giant said onlyLif and Lifhrasirwould survive and be responsible for repopulating the Earth.
It’s revealed that Odin tries to find more information about Ragnarok in the game byconvincing Tyr to negotiate a peace treaty with the Jotunn. However, Odin’s treachery is discovered and he’s banished from Jotunheim but not before he’s able to extract bits and pieces of the Ragnarok prophecy.
The effects of Baldur’s death are immediately felt in God of War, as Kratos and Atreus’s home in Midgar is beinghammered by relentless snowat the end of the game. God of War: Ragnarok continues to show the effects of Fimbulwinter across the entire realm. Although Fimbulwinter is the second sign, it’s the first major event that causes the Norse gods, particularly Odin, to prepare for the inevitability of Ragnarok.
Total Darkness
The final sign of Ragnarok is the world being consumed by complete darkness. It’s said thatSkoll and Hati, the two wolves that chase the Sun and Moon, will devour both and mark the beginning of the war between the Aesir (Asgardians) and the Jotunn. In the game, Heimdall is sent on a secret mission by Odin tosteal the moonto further try to prevent Ragnarok.
Unbeknownst to the All-Father, Groa’s prophecy foretold thatKratos and Atreus would find the moon and restore Skoll and Hati to the sky. Once Atreus returned the moon to the sky, hefired an arrow for the wolves to chasethat restored the world. But Atreus’s arrow also marked the passing of the final threshold before Ragnarok.
Summoning Surtr
In both Norse mythology and the game, thefire giant Surtris the one that ultimately destroys Asgard. Kratos and Atreus travel to Muspelheim to convince Surtr to play his role in Ragnarok. Surtr and his counterpart Sinmara (Mimir’s wife) mustcombine to form a massive giant that would decimate Asgard.
Surtr wasn’t interested in combining with Sinmara in God of War: Ragnarok. He wanted to spare her from the prophecy and wouldn’t sacrifice her life, even if it meant killing Odin. However, Surtr believed theeternal flames in Kratos’s Blades of Chaoscould act as a suitable substitute and transform into Ragnarok itself.
The Death Of The Gods
Besides Surtr being prophesied as the catalyst of Ragnarok, there were many other key battles. Thor and the World Serpent fight in both God of War Ragnarok and Norse mythology, with the God of Thunderhitting the creature so hard that it gets sent back in time in the game. Other mythological interpretations tell of Thor simply killing the serpent but alsodying himself from poisonous wounds inflicted by the serpent.
While Thor’s fight with the World Serpent remains consistent, other key battles differ in the game compared to mythology. Naturally, Kratos and Atreus fight Odin at the end of God of War Ragnarok but in Norse mythology, theAll-Father dies fighting against the wolf Fenrir.
Loki and Heimdall are destined to meet and fall in battle but it wasKratos who killed the watchman of the godsin the game. And while Tyr, the Norse God of War, battles and falls against Garm the watchdog of Hel, he’s still imprisoned by Odin somewhere on Asgard in the game.
Rebirth
The main result of Ragnarok is the same in God of War as it is in Norse mythology: Asgard is destroyed. But unlike Norse mythology, Surtr’s destruction of Asgarddid not extend throughout the Nine Realms, as everywhere besides Asgard was spared in the game. According to the myths, Ragnarok is thetotal destruction of the entire cosmos, meaning nothing survives albeit the two individuals tasked with repopulating the new world.
After Ragnarok passes, the world will rise from the water with Lif and Liftraser. The pair survive by findingrefuge in the World Tree Yggdrasil. Although it’s said that Ragnarok would mean the death of the gods, some managed to survive.
Thor’s sons Magni and Modi survived and inherited Mjolnir, a difference fromThrud inheriting her father’s hammer and Kratos killing Magni. Baldur also wasresurrected from the deadand became a god for the new world. It’s speculated that because Loki fell in battle, there wasn’t another living creature that wouldn’t weep for Baldur, allowingHel to restore the fallen godwhose death kicked off Ragnarok in the first place.
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