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God of War Ragnarokcontinues the thrilling adventure of Kratos, the former Greek god, and his son, Atreus. After successfully honoring his wife Faye’s last wishes and spreading her ashes from the highest peak in the Nine Realms, the two adventurers returned to their Midgard home.
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However, Kratos was unaware that his killing of Baldur to save Freya would begin the process of the Norse apocalyptic event known as Ragnarok. Although the God of War series has several prominent Norse gods and goddesses, many differ from their mythological counterparts.
The following post contains spoilers for God of War Ragnarok. Please do not continue reading unless you have finished the game - or unless you don’t mind the spoilers!
Odin
The main antagonist of God of War: Ragnarok is the All-Father, Odin. Although he didn’t officially appear until Ragnarok, he wasmentioned frequently throughout the first gameas someone who would eventually cross paths with Kratos.
Odin and Freya are two of the greatest users ofshamanism, the ability to connect with the world and usehealing powers. It’s also said they could communicate with spirits.
Odin and the other Norse gods knew of Ragnarok but could do nothing to prevent it. In God of War Ragnarok, Odin only knewpieces of Groa’s prophecyand grew more and more paranoid in trying to change his fate. He sealed off passages to other realms and tried tosteal the remaining information from the Jotunnbut was banished from Jotunheim.
Odin’s portrayal in Norse mythology shows him as aprotector of heroes and an honorable ruler. But this description doesn’t put him on the same tier as Thor or Tyr regarding seeking justice. Odin specializes inusing magic and his witsto manipulate those around him.
The All Father’s fate in mythology was similar to most of the Norse pantheon: he fell during Ragnarok. Odin wasswallowed up by Fenrir,but the wolf was immediately killed by Odin’s son Vidar. In the game, Odin was subdued by Kratos, Atreus, and Freya before Atreus captured his soul in a marble. Although Freya decided against killing Odin and claiming her revenge,Sindri was the one who snuffed out the Aesir leader for killing Brok.
Thor
While most people might immediately think of Chris Hemsworth when Thor is mentioned, the Marvel iteration of the God of Thunder could not be more wrong. Thor is depicted as agreat warrior with a red beardwhose main foe is the Jotunn. Ironically, Thor isthree-quartersJotunn because Odin is half-giant and his mother, Jord, is a full one.
Norse poems say Thor was anextremely loyal and honorable warrior,but he’s a shell of this description in God of War Ragnarok. Thor constantly refers to himself as “a destroyer,” and while he is loyal to Odin, it’smainly out of fear and not honor. Thor’s wife, Lady Sif, pleads for Thor to challenge the All-Father but instead drowns himself in ale after slaughtering whatever creature Odin wishes.
Thor’s hammer Mjolnir wascrafted by Brok and Sindriin both God of War and Norse mythology. However, stories that include Mjolnir never mention its wielder needing to be worthy like his comic book iteration, only that the hammerincreases Thor’s raw power and its ability to return to the user.
As is the case with most Norse gods, Thor dies during Ragnarok, but his manner of death is different. Besides the Jotunn, Thor’s other main adversary isJormungand, the World Serpent. In Norse mythology,Thor and the serpent kill each other, but in God of War, it’s Odin who puts an end to his son.
Freya
Considered the most renowned of the Norse goddesses, Freya is Odin’s wife in both God of War and Norse mythology. Freya is mainly known as thegoddess of love and fertilitybut has also been regarded for her skills in battle.
Freya was anextremely skilled magic userand is credited with teaching witchcraft to the Aesir. This was considered an evil act because of the perception of magic and how dangerous it can be.
In both mediums, Freya seeks to protect her son, Baldur, from any harm. She blesses him withinvulnerabilityby asking every living creature not to harm him except mistletoe. Freya’s protection spell was viewed as more of acursein God of War because Baldur couldn’t feelanything,let alone pain. Although Kratos killed Baldur to protect Freya, she swore her revenge against the Spartan.
It’s assumed thatFreya survived Ragnarokbecause she isn’t mentioned in the stories about the battle. Her survival and Baldur’s resurrection after Ragnarok would be a rare happy ending for the Norse goddess.
Baldur
Also known as the Stranger, Baldur is the Aesir god of light and peace. Ironically, he’s anything but that in God of War. Baldur is portrayed as aneccentric and chaotic godwho has spiraled into a state of madness because of Freya’s invulnerability curse. Freya hoped to protect Baldur from “dying a needless death” but Baldur’s death led to the coming of Ragnarok.
For many years, Baldur grewanimosity toward Freya because of his curse and tried to kill her, even after the curse was lifted. Kratos snapped Baldur’s neck again, against Freya’s wishes, and killed the god for good.
Mimir knew aboutBaldur’s weakness to mistletoe, but Freya cursed him to prevent him from revealing it.
The antagonist of the first God of War is depicted in a completely different light in Norse mythology. Baldur was considered thefavorite among the Aesir godsand was beloved by nearly everyone. When Baldur and Freya (Frigg in Norse mythology) had a dream of Baldur’s death, Freya asked almost every living creature to promise not to harm Baldur butfailed to ask mistletoe.
Baldur’s death signaled the beginning of Ragnarokand brought about the long winter known as Fimbulwinter.
After gaining invulnerability, Baldur was subject to the amusement of the gods as they would throw various objects at him. Loki disguised himself and found out about Baldur’s weakness to mistletoe from Freya andtricked the blind god Hodorinto throwing a spear with mistletoe at Baldur.
Odin sent his son Hermod to try to persuade Hel into reviving Baldur. Hel agreed she would revive Baldur ifevery living creature wept for himas a sign that he was indeed beloved by all. Once again disguised, Loki did not weep for Baldur, and the Aesir god was left in the underworld with Ragnarok on its way. However,Baldur would come back to lifeafterRagnarokand become a new ruler in the new world.
Tyr
Tyr, the Norse God of War, is a stark contrast from both Kratos and Ares, the Greek gods of war. Tyr used his power toseek fair justice, not senseless killing. He’s responsible for the construction of theTemple in the Lake of Ninethat allows faster traveling between the Nine Realms.
In God of War Ragnarok, Kratos and Atreus believe to have rescued Tyr, who was thought to be dead. Instead,Tyr was imprisoned by Odinafter forfeiting his role as the God of War. But it’s revealed thatOdin was impersonating Tyrto spy on Kratos and Atreus, while the real Norse god was still imprisoned somewhere in Asgard.
When Odin ordered Thor to kill all the giants in Midgard, Tyr helped Fayehide a secret gate to Jotunheimthat prevented Odin from returning there.
Before Tyr gave up his title as God of War, he journeyed with Odin to Jotunheim because he thought the All-Father was interested in brokering a peace treaty with the giants. However, Odin was using Tyr so he couldgain passage to the realm and attempt to find more information about Ragnarok.
Tyr manages to survive Ragnarokin God of War because he was still imprisoned during the battle.
Throughout Norse mythology,Tyr loses his right handafter putting it inside the mouth of Fenrir as bait so the gods could bind the wolf. When Fenrir realized the gods tricked him and he couldn’t break from his binds, the wolf tore off Tyr’s hand. Tyr’s encounter with Fenrir foreshadowed his demise during Ragnarok, as thegod was slain by the wolf Garm.
Freyr
Brother of Freya, Freyr is known as the ruler ofpeace and fertility. Freyr is originally a Vanir god who lived in Alfeim, the homeland of the elves, and is one of the most liked among the gods, some even stating that Freyr was “hated by none.”
Freyr taught many of the Aesir gods the secrets of how to harvest crops and cultivate the land but they ultimately failed because of their stubbornness. The Aesir gods took out their failures and frustration on Freyr and tried to kill him, but hemanaged to flee to Vanaheim. This started theAesir-Vanir war, which ended withFreya marrying Odin and solidifying the All Father’s rule over the Nine Realms.
Unlike most of the Norse gods, Freyr’s fate in God of War Ragnarok aligns with his fate in Norse mythology. Freyr wasone of many casualties committed by Surtr, the fire giant who’s ultimately responsible for destroying Asgard. In the game, Freyr sacrifices himself so everyone can escape through the portal back to Midgard.
Heimdall
One of the most important Norse gods in both the mythologies and the game is Heimdall. Otherwise known as the Watchman of the Aesir and Bearer of Gjallarhorn, Heimdall isanother key figurein the coming of Ragnarok. In Norse mythology, Heimdall is responsible forwarning the Aesirthat Ragnarok is approaching by blowing Gjallarhorn.
According to Norse mythology,Heimdall blew Gjallarhorn when he saw the giants approaching Asgard, signaling the arrival of Ragnarok. Heimdall and Loki fought and killed each other in battle.
While Kratos rejected Odin’s offer in preventing Ragnarok, the Spartan did try to stop the apocalyptic event with Freya to alter their fate. The Norns told Kratos thatHeimdall would kill Atreus, so he targeted the Aesir god. But instead of preventing Ragnarok, Kratos sounded Gjallarhorn after Odin killed Brok.
Loki
The difference between the Norse mythology iteration of Loki compared to Atreus is the most obvious. Known as the God of Mischief, Loki is a cunning trickster with the ability todisguise himself as anyone. It remains to be seen if Atreus will develop an advanced shapeshifting power but currentlyhe can change into a bear and wolf.
Loki bore three children with Angrboda:Hel, Jormungand, and Fenrir. Atreus doesn’t have a connection with Hel, but he did seem to share a connection with Jormungand in the first game and his caring for Fenrir. Atreus’s relationship with Angrboda indicates there might be a budding romance between the two.
Whether or not Loki started the events of Ragnarok on purpose, he was theone responsible for Baldur’s death and denial of his resurrection. He disguised himself to find out his weakness of mistletoe and convinced Hodor to throw the spear. When Hel said she’d revive Baldur if every living creature wept for him, Loki refused.
Loki and Heimdall were said to have killed themselves during Ragnarok, butKratos is the one that killed Heimdall. Because Heimdall dies, Atreus survives Ragnarok and embarks on his journey torestore the giants hidden throughout the realms.
