How God Of War & Ragnarök Differ From Actual Norse Mythology

How God Of War & Ragnarök Differ From Actual Norse Mythology

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God of War Ragnarok continues Kratos’ and Atreus’ journey into the fantastic (but at times rather divergent) Norse mythological universe.

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How God Of War & Ragnarök Differ From Actual Norse Mythology

The upcoming God of War Ragnarök will conclude Kratos’ journey into the Norse mythology setting. It is clear by the recently released trailer for Ragnarok that the Norse Gods will still have roles to play in the conclusion of this saga. Inspired by the great myths of deities such as Odin and Thor, it might surprise some fans to know that not all elements in God of War are as accurate about Norse myths as they could be.

Norse mythology bases much of its study on the Eddas and the Sagas, a collection of stories and myths written during the 13th century that contain material going back to the Viking Age. Compared to Greek mythology, however, these sources are scarce. This leads to many things in the texts being vaguely referred to but not necessarily explored (such as details about all nine realms). Fortunately, this allows for much creative freedom for developers when it comes to interpreting the unknown into video games like God of War.

Before mentioning inaccuracies it may be important to note what God of War does skillfully. The God of War universe does an excellent job of creating a vivid world based on the more fantastic aspects of Norse mythology. And although it takes some creative liberties in its interpretations of the texts, much of it is justified. Due to the scarceness of information in the Eddas and Sagas about subjects such as Alfheim (the home of the Elves), Santa Monica Studio was able to construct its vision of what that realm would look like without directly contradicting the ancient myths. Additionally, familial conflict is a pervasive motif in Norse mythology, and it is prevalent in the game, such as in Kratos’ relationship with Atreus, or between Baldur and Freya.

How God of War Games Are Different From Norse Mythology

How God Of War & Ragnarök Differ From Actual Norse Mythology

To start with the obvious differences in God of War and Norse myth, no Greek god ever went on a rampage against Norse gods in the texts. Although both mythologies share many similarities, it is most likely because they stemmed from the same Indo-European religion. Not to mention the fact that Kratos is mostly an original fictional character and only very loosely based on Cratos (personification of strength) from Greek mythology.

There are many old runes in God of War that are more out of place than they might seem. Most of what players see in the game is in Elder Futhark, a primitive rune alphabet used many centuries before the old Norse and Viking periods. Although there is an argument to be made for this, since the gods themselves might have existed during that period, the anachronism is more jarring than it seems. It would be roughly equivalent to finding medieval letters with emojis. To make matters a bit worse, the runes shown around the omega symbol in the God of War Ragnarok title screen in the recent trailer misspells Ragnarok as they are in the wrong order.

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Norse texts rarely physically describe the Gods with a few exceptions. Odin is usually depicted as a one-eyed bearded old man with a cane and Thor as having red hair, which Ragnorok’s concept art seems to get accurate. However, there is almost no evidence or mention of tattoos anywhere in the Norse world. In fact, no word for “tattoo” even exists in old Norse. In the God of War universe, however, characters are rarely seen without any ink on their bodies. From Baldur to Mimir, and even Atreus’ neck and arms, tattoos in the game are not only common but extremely prevalent and not at all supported by Norse texts.

Travel between the realms in the Norse myths is described as simply moving from one place to another, often over far distances. The realms, even that of Hel (Hellheim), are located in the same world. In God of War, however, these realms are depicted as other worlds or dimensions, each distinct and separate from one another in which to travel between them, portals are required. The suffix “heim” that follows most realms’ names refers to “home”. Therefore, Alfanheim for example translates to the home of the elves (Alfan meaning Elf). Knowing this, it makes very little sense to call Norse Hell, Hellheim, as it would be equivalent to saying “home of hell” in the English language. The Norse texts refer to this realm simply as Hel, and although it is a place where people go after death, much like any realm, it is also possible to travel there before dying.

The giant bird players see in Hellheim, referred to in the texts as “Hræsvelgr” or “raw meat swallower” is in the wrong place. Although entirely possible due to God of War’s narrative, it is currently unknown why it is in Hellheim. According to myth, this giant bird, who is actually a Jötunn (Giant in the God of War universe) in disguise, stands atop Yggdrasil, the mythical tree which has roots in Jötunheim, Asgard, and Hel.

How God of War Characters Differ from Norse Mythology

Mimir (and Odin)

Mimir is a figure considered very wise by Odin himself, who keeps him close for this very reason. At one point in the myths, Odin seeks to drink from Mimir’s well so that he too can become as wise. As payment, he is required to remove an eye and drop it in the well, which is how Odin becomes one-eyed. In the God of War universe, Mimir’s well is actually a hallucinogenic potion meant to trick him into having visions. Because of the potion, Odin ends up tearing out one of his eyes. Later, Odin confronts Mimir for helping the giants and rips out one of his eyes to keep him from traveling between realms.

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Baldur

Baldur in God of War is almost the complete opposite of what he represents in the myths. In mythology, Baldur was a beautiful god loved by all, and for that very reason Freya, his mother, made everything swear not to harm him. However, mistletoe was too young to swear an oath. Loki eventually uses mistletoe to indirectly kill Baldur, which marks the coming of Ragnarok. In God of War, Baldur feels cursed by his mother, as the same magic that protects him also impedes him from feeling anything, something not mentioned at all in the myths. His relationship with her is incredibly strained and he even tries to kill her at one point. Upon being struck by mistletoe he loses his invulnerability instead of only being vulnerable to the mistletoe itself.

Loki

In God of War’s final moments, it is revealed to the players that Atreus is in fact Loki. However, this imposes various issues regarding the timeline of the myths. In the texts, Loki is the father of Jörmungandr, the world serpent, yet in the game, a young Loki is shown meeting the ancient wyrm for the first time. In fact, Loki fathers many beings, one of which, the wolf Fenrir, is prophesized to kill Odin during Ragnarok. Loki also has an important place in the creation of Thor’s hammer. A story in the texts tells that Loki, in an attempt to thwart the creation of the mythical hammer of the god of thunder, bit one of the dwarves between the eyes, blinding him with his own blood. Because of this, the dwarf mistakenly cuts the hammer’s handle shorter than intended, thus creating the emblematic one-handed hammer of Thor. Although the timeline of these events might yet be rectified or explained in the upcoming God of War Ragnarok, it currently does not fit the myths.

Tyr

Tyr is known in Norse mythology as the god of law and heroic glory and is depicted as having only one hand. The most emblematic story about Tyr in the Norse texts tells of how he loses his hand. As the gods attempt to bind Fenrir, the mythical wolf prophesized to kill Odin on Ragnarok, it asks for one of the gods to put one hand in his mouth to prove their good intentions. Tyr bravely volunteers, and as Fenrir is bound, it senses treachery and bites Tyr’s hand off. In God of War Ragnarok, not only is Tyr shown with both of his hands, but he is also referred to as the Norse God of War. Although not technically correct according to the Eddas, this is an assumption made by many, most likely because Tyr etymologically shares the same day of the week as the roman God of War, Mars (Tuesday).

Link Source : https://screenrant.com/god-war-ragnarok-actual-real-norse-mythology-different/

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