10 Characters God of War Got Mythically Right And Wrong

#10: Brok and Sindri

“God of War” (2018)

God of War 4 introduces us to a pair of dwarven brothers, Brok and Sindri. These two whimsical blacksmiths not only serve to upgrade Kratos’ and Atreus’s equipment, they also provide the player with extra exposition about the setting we play in, namely Norse mythology. They’re actually pretty faithful to their mythological counterparts, with only slight differences such as their real names being Brokkr and Eitri. And just like in the game, they did really create Thor’s hammer Mjölnir in Norse folklore. However, Kratos’ Leviathan Axe is a creation unique to the game, and is not directly based on Norse mythology. But just HOW cool is that axe throw?

#9: Thor

“God of War Ragnarök” (2022)

Most of us know Thor from Marvel comics and “The Avengers” movies [show Marvel Thor], but God of War’s depiction is more accurate. Unlike his Marvel version, Thor is historically portrayed with red hair. While it’s hard to say what color his hair actually was, he’s accurately depicted as a heavy drinker. It’s clear that he’s super strong just like in the myths, although he IS missing a few accessories. He also can’t fly with the use of his hammer, or really fly at all… in the folktales, he travels using a chariot pulled by two goats, both of which he eats every night and resurrects the next morning! You heard that right, Thor can resurrect his goats using his hammer - What he does to Kratos at the start of God of War Ragnarok makes so much more sense when you know THAT.

#8: Tyr

“God of War Ragnarök” (2022)

It’s time to discuss the ‘S Tier’ God ‘Tuesday’ was named after; the Norse God of war and justice, Tyr. You might know that in traditional folklore, Tyr sacrificed his hand to bind Fenrir, “The Great Devourer”. BUT as we can see, Tyr keeps both his hands in God of War. Their stories are ultimately very different too, as Tyr is never imprisoned in mythology. Although you’ve gotta admit, he IS pretty cool. Unfortunately, he’s one of the least true-to-myth gods in the game, which is a bit of a let-down with how intriguing and mysterious he was in God of War 2018! There was even a popular theory that Kratos WAS Tyr before God of War Ragnarök came out!

#7: Cronos

“God of War” (2005)

You don’t wanna ask THIS titan where his kids are, they’re so cute you could just eat them up! We’re of course referring to the one and only Cronos. Tall as a mountain and with the skin of one, it took Kratos a whopping three days to climb this titan. But his size is actually a God of War thing! In the myths, his size is never specified, and he is most typically depicted as an elderly man with long grey hair. They’re also missing his scythe and a pair of wings! With that said, they got SOME things right such as him consuming his children out of fear of being overthrown by them. They also both lead the titans, but that’s it for mythological accuracy!

#6: Hercules

“God of War III” (2010)

You know zero to hero [show Disney clip], but get ready for hero to zero. Consumed by jealousy due to the box of Pandora, Hercules let his ego get the better of him and Kratos had to put a stop to his roll. In mythology, Hercules is the Roman adaptation of Heracles, who was actually Greek! And outside of being large and strong, the Hercules we see in game doesn’t have much in common with his mythological counterpart. Lacking all of his mythical weapons or his lion pelt, Hercules in God of War is also the son of Zeus and a mortal, like Kratos, but this isn’t accurate to folklore, where his mother is the Queen of the Gods, Hera. All in all, it’s a pretty poor representation!

#5: Odin

“God of War Ragnarök” (2022)

Imagine a superpowered king, but instead of ruling a kingdom of humans, he rules over the entire universe! That’s basically Odin. He’s the Norse God of war and God of wisdom, wisdom that he acquired by sacrificing an eye in the well of Mimir. In God of War Ragnarok, Odin is portrayed pretty much as a perfect representation of his folklore counterpart, except for how evil he is. In the mythology he learns that the fate of the gods is to die at Ragnarok, which causes him to endlessly seek a solution. That’s not to say that he isn’t bad at all, he’s just less of a comically evil supervillain in folklore. It’s safe to say they completely nailed Odin!

#4: Zeus

“God of War” (2005)

Get ready to be shocked and enlightened about this electrifying individual, the leader of the Greek pantheon himself, Zeus. More complex and hungrier for power, this version of Zeus’ main deviation from mythology is that he’s revealed to be Kratos’ father. This connection is not found in Greek mythology. While they do share some characteristics and a similar backstory, both having been eaten by Cronus; God of War’s version is a somewhat original take on the character. After Pandora’s box is opened, Zeus’ evil tendencies are only amplified. But ‘surprise surprise’, Zeus is actually traditionally a bit of a jerk. Save for Kratos being his son, God of War’s portrayal of Zeus is very true to folklore!

#3: The Goddess of Love

“God of War Ragnarök” (2022)

Have you ever wanted to live inside a giant magical turtle? That’s where we find Vanir Goddess Freya in God of War 4, and we soon discover that she’s the mother of Baldur as well as Odin’s ex-wife. In the traditional mythos, Baldur’s mother is an Aesir known as Frigg; a name Freya is called by Odin in God of War Ragnarök. The game seems to have turned the two into one character, and much like the game, the Vanir and Aesir were originally at odds with one another. Although she isn’t Frigg, Freya WAS the Queen of the Valkyries, and is known for her use of seidr magic. Her character arc is a welcome twist to her mythological counterparts!

#2: Loki

“God of War Ragnarök” (2022)

In Norse folklore, Loki is the quintessential trickster god - it’s also the name that Kratos’ wife Faye gave to their son, Atreus. And just like in Norse mythology, Loki gets adopted by the Aesir. Of course, in the mythos, Loki isn’t the son of a Spartan general, but he IS the son of Laufey, or Faye, who is sometimes described as a Giantess in traditional folktales. They share a lot of similarities, but Atreus is overall a better person than the malicious trickster god we know from mythology. And whaddya know, Loki and Heimdall are actually arch-enemies in the folklore. Overall, it’s a pretty accurate depiction of Loki outside of Santa Monica Studios’ own flavorful twists.

#1: Kratos

“God of War” (2005)

Of course, we couldn’t make this video and not talk about Kratos! Other than having a lot of strength and sharing the same name, Kratos isn’t mythologically accurate at all! While it’s easy to draw a comparison between him and the ‘Cratos’ we know of in Greek myth; their shared name is a complete coincidence. The game director of “God of War III”, Stig Asmussen, calls it a “happy mistake”. The real inspiration behind Kratos’ character comes from various Greek heroes such as Theseus, Perseus, and Achilles. The biggest inspiration for Kratos’ design is from the mythological character who inspired none other than his jealous in-game brother, Hercules. Talk about irony!

So which god in God of War is YOUR favorite? Can you relate to the fatherly struggles of Kratos, or maybe you’re just ‘done’ like Thor! Did you think they got these characters right, and why? Tell us in the comments below!