There are a number of recent and upcoming games, films and tv shows that use various cultures and mythologies to drive their stories. This series aims to explore the relationship between an IP and its surrounding mythology. Today, we look at the upcoming God of War game, exploring the character of Odin and how the use of mythology in the God of War series might shape his character design.

Warning: This article contains spoilers for God of War.

God of War Ragnarok is set to be released in 2022. Since the trailer was released last September, we’ve seen images of both Thor and Tyr, key characters in both the Norse and God of War universes. But one character we haven’t seen yet, one whose effects permeates the entire world, is Odin.

Odin’s appearance in Norse Mythology

Odin in Norse Mythology is the leader of the Aesir. Known as the ‘Allfather’, Odin was the god of wisdom, death, war, magic and prophecy, poetry and healing. He is often depicted as an old man.

Odin’s search for wisdom is famous. Stories of how Odin ripped out his own eye, stabbed himself with his own spear and hanged himself from the World Tree, Yggdrasil, in order to gain knowledge of runes are well-known. Accompanied by his ravens, Huginn and Muninn, and armed with the gift of prophecy, the one-eyed god oversaw all of Midgard and Asgard.

We can expect, therefore, to see a one-eyed Odin in God of War. In the game, Mimir says how Odin tried to gouge out his own eyes after drinking from a drugged well, but that Mimir “managed to stop him before he finished the job.”

We can also expect to see Odin’s spear. Given to Odin by the Sons of Ivalnir – often known as Brokkr and Sindri – the spear is called Gungnir. It is not stated whether this was the spear with which Odin stabbed himself, but it is the spear with which Odin fights Fenrir, the Giant Wolf.

Odin will probably be accompanied by his two ravens, Huginn and Muninn in God of War Ragnarok. The two all-seeing ravens have already made an appearance in the trailer – probably acting as spies for the Allfather.

Finally, we may see some signs of his hanging. Having hanged from the tree for nine days, it seems likely Odin would have felt the effects of the rope, even if he could heal himself.

Character traits in God of War

Tattoos

Tattoos have a clear importance in the God of War franchise. Kratos’ red tattoos are a memorial to his brother, Deimos, and remind him of who he has lost. Baldur, covered in tattoos, is constantly reminded about his curse by those runic tattoos. The tattoos glowed an icy-blue when he attacked Kratos. In the promotional image of Tyr, we see he has a hieroglyphic tattoo on his arm, hinting towards his travels to Egypt that we heard about in the 2018 game. In Thor’s concept as well, we see Norse runes adorning his chest. Clearly, then, these tattoos tell a story about who each character is and the Norse Runes seem to have some magical abilities.

As one who hanged himself to learn of the Runes’ power and meaning, Odin will probably be adorned with several. These may just be used to tell his stories or they may have some magical abilities in the game or in combat. In fact, with his knowledge of the runes, what other weapon does Odin need?

Or perhaps Odin will adorn himself in the Nordic knotwork art-style that peppers the God of War design. Having hanged himself to learn of the Runes, perhaps Odin will boast of his victory over death by adorning himself with images of the ropes that bound him to the World Tree.

Scars

Scars also have an importance in God of War. The most prominent scar is Kratos’ abdominal wound from when he was stabbed by Zeus. Although Kratos can heal himself, he retained the scar – suggesting it be a constant reminder of his past. In addition, at the end of God of War, Kratos uncovers the seared scars of the Blades of Chaos, stating “I have nothing more to hide.” The scars are a reminder of who he was and we see Kratos accepting this past – with the promise to be better.

With Odin, we may see the scar from his spear or from where he ripped out his eye. But we may also see the scars of when he hanged himself – which leads us to the final point.

Kratos and Odin: A Parallel

During 2018’s God of War, we learn constantly of Odin’s tyranny and poor parenthood. He is a terrible husband and a terrible father. Kratos, meanwhile, is learning how to be a father and trying to learn from his own mistakes to teach Atreus to be better. Through the examples of the Allfather, Kratos learns what to avoid.

We also see the parallels between Odin and Kratos through their relationship with fate. Kratos claims “fate is another lie told by the gods. Nothing is written that cannot be unwritten.” Mimir replies, “on that, brother, you and the Allfather may just agree.” Both Kratos and Odin are trying to change their fate. Kratos is trying to stop the curse of son killing father and Odin is trying to stop Ragnarok. Both gods need to believe that fate can be changed.

It may be, then, that we see these parallels reflected in the character design of Kratos and Odin – with both characters fully embracing their past.

However, with no news of when the game will be released this year, we will just have to wait and see.

God of War 2018 is available at Go2Games and is available on both PS4 and PC. God of War Ragnarok will be available on both PS4 and PS5 upon release. 

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The post Mythology Corner: Odin in God of War Ragnarok first appeared on Get2Gaming.

Cory Barlog has stated that God of War Ragnarok is “just not ready to be shown.” Barlog made the statements whilst marking the fourth anniversary of 2018’s God of War release. The director of the 2018 game thanked fans for their “support”, before acknowledging the “elephant in the room” – the long-awaited sequel: God of War Ragnarok.

4 years ago, God of War (2018) released! We’re grateful to all of you who joined Kratos and Atreus on their journey, and we’re so proud of the team who worked to bring it to life.

While we’re not ready to share an update about what comes next, here’s a quick message from Cory! pic.twitter.com/Z5PHpKQppY

— Santa Monica Studio – God of War Ragnarök (@SonySantaMonica) April 20, 2022

Hard at Work

Ragnarok was originally given an ambitious 2021 release date. Then, in mid-2021 the Sony Santa Monica Studio announced that they would be delaying the game till 2022. However, since the reveal trailer dropped in September 2021, the studio have not shared anything new about the game.

Barlog – the director of God of War 2 and 2018’s God of War – reassured fans that the silence was due to everyone having their “heads down, hard at work.” Nonetheless, he guaranteed that when Santa Monica have something that’s ready to be seen, they will immediately share it. Cory Barlog has moved aside from director to producer for Ragnarok, with Eric Williams taking over. Williams has worked as a on all of the God of War games so far, specialising in combat design.

Long Road to Ragnarok

Amid the Covid pandemic, it seemed ambitious that the game would be ready for a 2021 release. Then, in late September 2021, Christopher Judge announced that he had had surgery that delayed the game. Judge, the voice and mo-cap actor for Kratos, tweeted that in 2019, he couldn’t walk and had to undergo several surgeries. Judge insisted that the studio gave him “nothing but love and support.” Finally, in April, Thor actor, Ryan Hurst tweeted his visit to the studios. Although no context was given, it might suggest he was still recording Thor’s part. However, Barlog’s message marks the first official press release on Ragnarok since the trailer last year.

While the developers at Santa Monica Studio have been working on the game, the internet has filled the silence with worries over whether it will be delayed once again. However, people at Santa Monica are still insisting it will be released in 2022. Santa Monica’s animation director, Bruno Velasquez assured fans on twitter that “Ragnarok is coming this year.”

https://twitter.com/brunovelazquez/status/1516797475645911042

Shrouded in Secrecy

With all the secrecy surrounding this game, we still have little idea of what the game will contain. However, due to the game being based upon Norse mythology, players have been able to make some predictions and theories on what we could see in Ragnarok. You can read some of those theories here.

Ragnarok in Norse mythology was the final battle between the Aesir and the Giants, where the gods meet their downfall and the world is wrought with natural disasters and great flooding. Of the Aesir involved in that battle, Santa Monica have only released images of Thor and Tyr so far. The vicious All-father Odin, that was pulling all the strings in the 2018 game, is still shrouded in mystery. Nonetheless, you can read about what he may look like here.

Until the studio is ready to share something though, we will just have to wait and see.

God of War 2018 is available at Go2Games and is available on both PS4 and PC. God of War Ragnarok will be available on both PS4 and PS5 upon release. 

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The post God of War Ragnarok “not ready” but still coming 2022 first appeared on Get2Gaming.

As an avid fanatic of the Norse Mythology, you can imagine my excitement when it came to the release of the 2018 reboot of the God of War series. This game had me hyped, and it did not fail to deliver in terms of satisfying action-packed gameplay which saw you encountering a variety of monsters and gods inspired loosely by those of the Norse world.

It also featured a gripping and emotional story that followed Kratos and his son, Atreus on their journey throughout the 9 Realms to fulfil the wishes of Kratos’ second wife, who is also Atreus’ mother. Along the way you come to discover Atreus’ true origin which also alludes to several of the story aspects that we can expect to see within the follow-up title; God of War: Ragnarök.

The sequel’s title, as well as the ending of God of War implies that the game will take place during the events of Ragnarök or at least the events that will lead up to the Nordic apocalypse. Throughout the game we are given hints and teasers that imply some of the events which may take place

. As the game was released a while ago, it’s understandable if you’ve forgotten about or missed some of these key details. In today’s article, I’m going to be giving a refresher on some of these so you can have an idea of what we could possibly expect to see in God of War: Ragnarök.

Freya’s Power is Restored

The first trailer for God of War: Ragnarök made no attempt to hide that Freya and Kratos were involved in some form of conflict against each other. This is understandable, as Freya has every reason to despise Kratos for the death of her son, Baldur, in the first game in the series reboot. However, due to a curse laid upon her by Odin, it is not possible for her to harm any living beings using weapons or magic which has essentially rendered her powerless.

In the trailer though we see her swing for Kratos with a blade. What would the point in her attacking him be, had she not somehow managed to find a way to free herself from these restrictions?  This means that we may get to see how she breaks the curse in Ragnarök, and what consequences that may have for Kratos and Atreus.

The World Serpent’s Creation

Kratos and Atreus first encounter the World Serpent, Jörmungandr, in the Lake of the Nine. We learn from Mimir that the serpent is sent back in time to a period before his birth after a battle with Thor, the Thunder God, when he is struck so hard that the world tree splinters.  From this, we can assume that it is likely that the events of God of War take place during a time before the serpent’s birth.

This is made clear by the fact that Atreus is still a child during his adventure with Kratos. Atreus is also revealed to be Loki, who within the Norse mythology is the World Serpent’s father, so that clearly adds up to meaning its not possible for the serpent’s birth to occur yet.

If the games version of events holds true to its source material, then it is possible that we could come to learn more about the origin of the World Serpent. Mimir also states that the snake feels a sense of familiarity towards Atreus, which further shows the two have some kind of connection.

The Giants Return

During God of War, Kratos and Atreus do not encounter many giants. Those that they do come across tend to be dead, excluding the World Serpent. We do come to discover though that they have not been entirely wiped out, and some fire giants still exist within the realms of Musphelheim. They are foretold to return when Ragnarök occurs. If this is the case, the assumption can be easily made that they may make a return in God of War: Ragnarök.

Contrary to popular belief however, despite what the name implies, the race of giants did not always take on the form of hulking colossal beasts within Norse mythology. The term was instead used to show their shared ancestry with the Aesir gods. If Santa Monica Studios decide to stick to this idea, then we could possibly see giants of all shapes and sizes with immense power and knowledge.

Thor Makes An Appearance

It wouldn’t be right to have any kind of story inspired by Norse Mythology, and not introduce the God of Thunder himself, Thor. In the games first reveal trailer, we see Kratos encounter, who we can assume is Thor due to the mighty hammer at his waist. Santa Monica Studios has a history of starting the series games off with epic boss battles, and Thor would definitely make for a good introduction.

Due to his strength and power, it could also be possible that this battle is intended to be lost and allows Kratos passageway to Valhalla. Not only would this make for a good way to balance Kratos’ power and cause him to lose some of the strength he has gained throughout his journey so far, it would also allow players to experience the Norse afterlife. Kratos is no stranger to escaping death and freeing himself from the afterlife, so this could make for an interesting introduction to the game.

So, here are some of my predictions based on what we’ve seen so far throughout trailers and some teasers in the game itself. What are you guys thoughts? Which Nordic gods would you like to see make an appearance?

Looking for that fast-paced action filled fix while you’re waiting for the next instalment in the series? Why not try Godfall – a looter-slasher, melee action-RPG. Or pick up some God of War merch in our store!

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The post God of War: Ragnarök Story Teasers and Predictions first appeared on Get2Gaming.