God of War Series – Norse Monsters / Characters

All creatures from Norse mythology (plus a few from others) that aren't Gods or Humans. While some of them are associated with other races (mostly the Jötnar), for convenience's sake they should be placed here. Obviously, most of them serve as enemies and/or bosses in the series, although many are passive or even allies.

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Introduced in God of War (2018)

Jörmungandr

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/untitled_864.png

Voiced by: Mike Niederquell

The World Serpent. Said to be so large, he surrounds the very earth to the point that he can grasp his own tail. Despite his legend, Jörmungandr is extremely helpful during the course of the game.

Adaptational Heroism: He's the Beast of the Apocalypse of Norse mythology but though he's fated to be one of the creatures responsible for the destruction of the world come Ragnarök, he has been described by Faye as "friendly," and even actively helps Kratos and Atreus multiple times on their quest. He's overall shown to be an approachable and seemingly kind individual. Ragnarök reveals that he was a snake infused with a giant's soul by Atreus, so his friendliness to the young man makes sense as he is in a sense his father.
Age Lift: Jormungandr is traditionally Loki's second son after Fenrir, but in Ragnarök, he's created first when Loki and Angrboda place a giant's soul into a snake.
All-Powerful Bystander: An incredibly powerful giant who can go toe to toe with Thor, he largely doesn't get involved in Kratos and Atreus' conflict directly.
Arch-Enemy: The young Jörmungandr battled Thor during Ragnarök and after their battle splintered Yggdrasil enough to send him back in time, he battled past Thor to a standstill. Unsurprisingly he hates the God of Thunder.
Baritone of Strength: The World Serpent's deep, powerful voice almost makes Kratos sound like a choir boy in comparison.
Berserk Button:
- Really hates Thor to the point that he munches on a stone statue of the thunder god in anger. He doesn't exactly have an all dissolving gut either so it's not like he won't have to deal with that later, he's just that sick of looking at that statue.
- He also hates Odin due to instigating the whole Giant massacre in the first place to the point that when Mimir miscontructs a language about them being friends with Odin, he almost attacks the three in anger until Mimir cleared up the misunderstanding that they want to scatter Faye's ashes in Jötunheim.
Black Speech: He speaks an ancient and long forgotten language known only to the rare few alive who knew the giants. Supposedly he's a great conversationalist though.
The Cavalry: Answers Atreus's cry for help during the final battle against Baldur to take down the dead Giant Freya is controlling.
Composite Character: If one looks closely, the soul that Atreus and Angrboda fused into his soulless body was the one labeled Hroðr. While there is very little known about the Jotunn in the original Norse myths, the Poetic Edda refers to the Jotunn as an adversary of Thor (and was female and also is the mother of Týr).
Creepy Good: He's a giant serpent with a deep voice and he only speaks in ancient norse. If Faye and Mimir didn't clarify that he was good, you'd mistake him for an enemy or a future boss fight.
Dark Is Not Evil: Has sickly pale skin, matted strands of hair, and yellow eyes, all the characteristics of a demonic beast. However, he's also an ally of Kratos and Atreus. The only people he openly antagonizes are the Aesir gods, who are pretty terrible to everyone and committed genocide against the other giants, and those who support them.
Demoted to Extra: Downplayed from 2018 to Ragnarök; Jörmungandr wasn't an especially present character in 2018, essentially being a sentient piece of the scenery whenever Kratos and Atreus were out on the Lake of Nine, but he did prove instrumental in aiding our heroes when they needed to crawl inside his belly to find Mimir's missing eye as well as taking down Thamur's Corpse during the last fight against Baldur at the end of the game. Come Ragnarök and three years worth of Fimbulwinter and he's been encased in the ice that froze over the Lake of Nine, and only appears to give Atreus some vague advice on one of his outings before going back to sleep. We are shown his creation when Atreus and Angrboda infuse a giant's soul into a soulless snake, as well as the tail end of his fight with Thor during Ragnarök that sends him back in time, but he never speaks or aids the main characters outside of his one conversation with Atreus. Possibly justified as well because of the fact that he's cold-blooded; a three year long winter would kill basically any reptile or amphibian from lack of ambient heat, so for one as huge and obviously magical as the World Serpent it essentially sent him into torpor so he could reserve his strength.
Faster Than They Look: He's a serpent the size of the world, and normally he moves at an appropriate speed and scale — so huge he looks like he's slow despite crawling faster than you can sprint. But when Atreus calls for his help, he's there in an eyeblink, and he attacks just as swiftly.
Fish out of Temporal Water: The Jörmungandr we meet in God of War is a many hundreds of years old giant who was transported back in time during Ragnarök as a result of his battle with Thor. The event happens in the background during the actual assault on Asgard.
Foreshadowing: The fact that he's willing to help Kratos and Atreus throughout their journey is a hint that the Serpent has an existing connection to Atreus.
Gentle Giant: Surprisingly for one of Norse myth's greatest and most terrible monstrosities, Jörmungandr hardly appears to be the apocalyptic beast that the Norse gods proclaim him to be. He never tries to hinder Kratos and Atreus' journey in any way and even offers direct assistance when asked, to the point where when they have to find Mimir's left eye in his gullet he leaves his mouth wide open for them (despite not being too hot with the idea of letting the heroes in his mouth). He can even be found from Tyr's Temple simply looking over the horizon or sleeping, amusingly enough. It's implied that his kindness towards our heroes is because he recognizes Atreus as a part-giant. He still doesn't go out of his way to harm anyone else though and only acts hostilely when Atreus asked him to or during a brief misunderstanding where he thought someone was allied to Odin/Thor whom he rightly hates for committing genocide.
Giant Eye of Doom:
- Stares at Kratos and Atreus after rising from the deep. Subverted in that Jörmungandr is not hostile to anyone outside the Aesir gods, most of whom are shown to be just as terrible as the Greek gods, and is content to spend most of his time relaxing around the lake bothering nobody.
- Repeated in Ragnarok: Atreus calls Jörmungandr, and the cliff face just nearby crumbles to reveal Jörmungandr's face, opening one gigantic eye as he frees himself from several years' worth of ice.
Giant Space Flea from Nowhere: In-Universe. He just appeared one day without explanation. However, Mimir suggests that Jörmungandr was sent back in time before his own birth—the battle against Thor in Ragnarök being so catastrophic as to bend space and time itself.
Glad He's On Our Side: If the original series took place in the Nine Realms, Jörmungandr would have absolutely been a boss. Fortunately for Kratos and Atreus, he's quite pleasant to them, and eager to help whenever asked. Likely because Atreus is his part-Giant "father", Loki, having given him new life by providing a giant soul.
The Great Serpent: An absolutely massive snake whose eye alone is far larger than a grown man. Although, unlike other examples of this trope, he is far more friendly than he is deadly.
Informed Attribute: In-universe. Mimir says that Jörmungandr is quite an eloquent conversationalist, but because he speaks in an ancient language that none of the characters speak (save for Mimir himself), you'd never expect something of that sort from such a giant beast.
Last of His Kind: When he's first encountered, it's brought up that he's the last remaining Giant in Midgard. Subverted when we find out Faye was one herself before her death and her son Atreus is half-Giant too.
Our Dragons Are Different: He's a massive, pale serpent that seemingly has a beard made from sea weed.
Our Giants Are Bigger: Even if he doesn't live up to the traditional description that he's big enough to wrap around the world and touch his own tail (only time will tell), he's colossal regardless. Also, he's a giant serpent as opposed to a Human Alien like most other Giants (in keeping with mythology).
Paradox Person: Jörmungandr is trapped in the past after his destructive fight with Thor. He appears years before his own "birth" in Asgard and the version of Jörmungandr we're most familiar with doesn't actually get involved in Ragnarök, rather it is his younger self who battles Thor and is sent back in time.
Perpetual Smiler: In the most unsettling way.
Rapid Aging: The snake Atreus infuses with a giant's soul grows exceptionally fast, and reaches his "world serpent" size in enough time to battle Thor during Ragnarök^note.
Related Differently in the Adaptation: Rather than being the literal offspring of Loki and Angrboda as in the original myths, Jormungandr is instead their "child" in the sense that he was created by them magically fusing a Jotnar soul with a soulless serpent body.
Reptiles Are Abhorrent: According to Norse myth, he's a danger to gods and mortals. Subverted as he's overall perfectly pleasant and only a threat to the gods as they oppose Atreus.
Sea Monster: Just like in myth, he seems to live out in the water. Though he spends most of the game chilling among the mountains in the background.
Sea Serpents: In this case, however, he's living in a lake.
Spared By Adaptation: In the original myth, Jörmungandr dies battling Thor (although he manages to take the god down with him). Here, the younger Jörmungandr is sent back in time during his battle with Thor, and lives out his life in the lake. The older Jörmungandr does not travel to Asgard and survives Ragnarök to continue living in Midgard.
Stable Time Loop: Saves his own "father"'s life in the past, which allows Atreus to create Jörmungandr, leading to him battling Thor and getting sent back in time to where the loop began.
Thicker Than Water: It's possible Jörmungandr recognizes Atreus as a part-Giant, and so willingly helps Kratos and his son throughout their journey at multiple points.
Transformation of the Possessed: Once Atreus and Angrboda put his soul into a souless snake, the body of the serpent began to change, quickly growing to enormous sizes and getting a more anthropomorphic face.
Trapped in the Past: Mimir theorises at one point that his battle against Thor will be so brutal that it shatters the World Tree, hurling Jörmungandr into the past to grow to colossal size. This is corroborated by several points: he's described as simply appearing in the lake one day, he's an odd one out as the only Giant left outside of Jötunheim, he finds Atreus familiar despite having never met him before, and the mural in Jötunheim portrays a white serpent bursting out of Atreus' mouth.
Ugly Cute: Cute may be a bit of a stretch, but many players are nonetheless endeared by Jormie’s constant smile, friendly demeanor, and surprisingly expressive face.
Weird Beard: Made of seaweed, apparently.
Womb Level: Near the end of the 2018 game, he allows the trio to enter his body to find Mimir's eye, which was in a statue he swallowed.

Hræsvelgr

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/god_of_war_20180520191428.jpg

A giant eagle who lives in Helheim. The powerful gusts of wind from her wings are said to be what causes the realm of the dead to be so cold.

Animalistic Abomination: A gargantuan eagle with multiple sets of wings that is capable of freezing an entire realm with her wing beats alone. She’s so powerful in this regard that she managed to drive away even the likes of the Aesir, something that not all creatures can proudly hold a claim to accomplishing.
Attack of the 50-Foot Whatever: While she doesn't do anything per se, she's still a humoungous ominous-looking bird.
All-Powerful Bystander: An extremely powerful Giant whose eagle wings can freeze an entire realm with her wing beats alone and even the Aesir cannot conquer her realm, she plays absolutely no role in Kratos and Atreus' struggles in the first game, and even when Garm gets released in Ragnarok, she is not shown to make any move against the beast rampaging in Hel and does nothing but tell Atreus how many tears they are and straight-up refuses to offer them any help or reward for closing them. The only role she plays is lending the Army of the Dead for Ragnarok, and she doesn't appear herself to attack Asgard.
- This is likely because as the watcher of Hel, she literately can't leave her perch much, if at all, as if she does, Hel would be overwhelmed by the dead.
Blow You Away: As mentioned above, the powerful gusts of wind from her wings are said to be what causes the realm of the dead to be so cold. Also combines this with An Ice Person.
Composite Character: According to a lore marker in Ragnarök, she's this with the goddess Hel, claiming the title of ruler of the realm of Hel. Although it's indicated that she's not the first to rule the place and probably won't be the last, given a post-game conversation in Ragnarök indicates she's looking for a replacement.
Demoted to Extra: Even though Hræsvelgr is a minor character in the myths, here she's reduced to just a background decoration without any important role whatsoever. This changes in the sequel, in which she can talk to Kratos and negotiates with Mimir for recruiting the dead as an army against Asgard, revealing herself to be the leader of Helheim and to be looking for a successor.
Gender Flip: Hraesvelgr is male in the Poetic Edda, but her appearance Ragnarök reveals that she's female.
Giant Flyer: She makes all the other flying animals encountered so far in the series (both regular and magical) seem like fleas. Even the Phoenix from "God of War II" is tiny compared to this gal.
Glowing Eyes of Doom: Has these. They help in making her look even more scary than she already is.
Jerkass Has a Point: She's right to be mad at Atreus for releasing Garm and for causing the realm tears, even Kratos doesn't argue with her on this. Her entire speech is summed up as "You made THIS mess, sort it out".
Names to Run Away from Really Fast: Hræsvelgr means "corpse swallower" in old Norse.
No Name Given: Her identity is never revealed in God of War (PS4). Instead people had to guess it (or look it up in supplementary material and the Internet). It was later confirmed in Ragnarök.
Our Giants Are Bigger: Apart from Jörmungandr (and possibly Thamur) she's the biggest creature in the whole game.
Plot Hole: Although the Frost Giants are supposed to have all been completely wiped out, Hræsvelgr seems none the worse for wear, notwithstanding her dwelling in the land of the dead. Unless she's either Dead All Along to begin with or not a Jotunn in the game.
- This is explained in Ragnarök. The Jotunns are alive, just in hiding.
Reasonable Authority Figure: Rather than try to kill Atreus for releasing Garm, she just tells him to fix this mess and not to expect thanks because they shouldn't have been opened in the first place.
Retired Monster: Not yet, but Mimir mentions that she wants to retire from being Hel, which greatly concerns our heroes on why she would give it up, what she will do after she is replaced, and who could possibly replace her.
The Spook: All she does is... just creepily stand there.
Terse Talker: In Ragnarök she briefly speaks with the party after Garm's rampage, and given Atreus and Mimir's reactions, she's essentially this in Elder Speech. Her quest description to repair Garm's realm tears amounts to "fix it and don't expect thanks," and when Kratos delivers news of his success, her response is, "I know. Get out."
Unusually Uninteresting Sight: Neither Kratos, Atreus or Mimir ever address or acknowledge the huge scary eagle in Hel... even when they pass right next to it.
- For Kratos this can probably be explained - he has literally seen everything from Trolls to dragons to shapeshifting Gods; a giant bird is far from a surprise for him - if anything, the surprise is that it's leaving them alone.
- Atreus has already met Jörmungandr as well and given he's just coming to terms with a major emotional revelation, as well as just recently having made both his father and Mimir quite angry, he probably decided not to push it.
- Mimir is probably just hoping it won't notice him before they escape. If it has reason to notice anyone it must be him after all, he's the only member of the party who is dead.
Vertebrate with Extra Limbs: According to the original mythology and the game's artbook, she has two pair of wings. When Kratos causes the ship to begin to fly, she can be briefly seen unfurling and flapping them, where she indeed has four wings, if the player elects to not pay attention to the battle and leave themselves open to attack by Hel-Walkers.
- And were one to not see it upon getting on the ship, there are angles in your 2nd visit to Helheim before you get on the ship where you can see that she has two distinct wings on one side.
Voluntary Shapeshifting: Assuming she stays true to Norse myths, Hræsvelgr is just a Jötnar that happens to have the shape of a giant bird. Otherwise, she is simply an Animalistic Abomination.

Chaurli

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/turtle_gow.jpg

A huge turtle which lives with the Witch of the Woods.

Aerith and Bob: A magical creature in an Old Norse setting whose name is "Charlie". Sure, they try to give it an exotic spelling, but it still sounds extremely incongruous. The first time Kratos hears the name, he's uncharacteristically alarmed.
Almost Dead Guy: After three years of Fimbulwinter, Chaurli is unconscious and struggles to even get up due to the cold in Ragnarök, but Atreus manages to warm him by lighting the fireplace in Freya's old house.
Development Gag: "Charlie" was originally the name mistakenly given to Atreus by a pre-release GameStop article long before his official name was revealed. In a much later post-release interview with GameStop themselves (who still have no idea how the original error happened), director Cory Barlog revealed that they found the error amusing enough to add a cheeky reference to it in-game, complete with a reaction of utter disbelief from Kratos.
Gentle Giant: A large magical turtle living together peacefully with a magical boar and deer. All of whom are friends with a goddess.
Turtle Island: Invoked and downplayed. The turtle is only as big as an elephant and there are only a single tree and a house on it, but can be easily mistaken by a rock before it gets up.
What the Hell, Hero?: In Ragnarök, When it and Freya reunite, its clear that Chaurli is not happy with how Freya abandoned it for three years to pursue her vengeance, though it does agree to give Freya another chance when she promises to make up for it.

Brok's Beast

A large hairy female animal that Brok uses as a beast of burden to carry his luggage around.

Cartoon Creature: It doesn't resemble anything from Norse mythology and is just a fictional species made up for the game. Interestingly, there are corpses of similar animals lying around Midgard, implying there are more such creatures.
Gentle Giant: While not amongst the biggest creatures in the game, it's still bigger than Kratos (Atreus is a child and Brok is a dwarf). It's however among the friendliest.
Killed Offscreen: Brok isn't seen with his Beast after Kratos and Atreus encounter them both at Tyr's Temple. If Atreus asks Brok what happened to her, Brok states plainly that he ate her. A horrified Atreus then calls him out on this, only for Brok to take it all in stride.
Mix-and-Match Critters: Resembles a cross between a kangaroo, a camel and a musk ox. It also has a beak like a bird and a pair of tusks on its face.
No Name Given: Both out- and in-universe, it's not named until we first meet it. After helping Brok, Atreus asks him what does he plan to name her. Brok decides on calling her "fucking gratitude".
Stubborn Mule: Appears to be this at first when it stops crossing the bridge, but it turns out it was actually scared from... something hiding in a nearby tree. Atreus learns from it about this and tells Kratos to throw his axe at the tree. It works and it makes the grumpy Brok grateful for the help.

Hræzlyr

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/hraezlyr_gow.jpg

"I can't believe it... Father just killed a dragon! I've never seen him fight like that before. I mean, I know he's really strong and all, but this thing was huge! The dragon's name was Hraezlyr, which is sort of like the word for "Terror". It's an appropriate name too—he's vicious, ugly, and shoots lightning out of his mouth. Luckily, Father was able to find some Yggdrasil tree sap crystals, and he used them to stun Hraezlyr. Then he stabbed a big crystal into his throat! There was a big explosion, and down went the dragon. I'm still shaking from the excitement, but Father's doesn't even seem fazed. Does he ever get scared?"

A dragon encountered by Kratos and Atreus during their journey.

Attack of the 50-Foot Whatever: While he's not as big as Jörmungandr or any of the Giants, he is the biggest creature fought (and killed) by our protagonists.
Evil Is Bigger: The only dragon fought directly as an enemy in the game and is much bigger than the three chained dragons.
Foreshadowing: Kratos and Atreus find his name written while climbing up the mountain before fighting him, presumably left as a warning from the Giants.
Hoist by His Own Petard: He is defeated when Kratos impales his throat with a crystal of the World Tree sap. When he tries to breath out lightning, the electrified sap explodes and kills him.
Names to Run Away from Really Fast: His name means "Terror" according to Atreus, and he is one of the most ferocious and dangerous enemies they face (though it is ambiguous whether that's his actual name or just a warning left by the Giants or the Dwarves that Atreus interpreted as such).
Our Dragons Are Different: A more conventional example than Jörmungandr, since he resembles a typical European dragon though his wings are still small, indicating that he is either rather young or that they were damaged somehow.
Shock and Awe: Unlike other dragons, He breathes lightning out of his mouth instead of fire. After he is defeated, Sindri uses one of his teeth to enchant Atreus' bow, granting him the same abilities.
Vacuum Mouth: He sucks air towards Kratos' direction, trying to throw him off his balance.
Wings Do Nothing: Justified. He cannot use his wings to fly, as they are small and seem to be either atrophied or indicating he is rather young.

Dagsetr

A dragon that serves as the personal mode of transportation for some of the Aesir gods.

Chekhov's Gunman: A minor example. Presumably he's the dragon that appears and flies away roaring at the end of the E3 2016 trailer. Also the location of his corpse reveals two secrets. The same corpse can be found in Ragnarök covered in snow, which gives a dialogue between Freya and Kratos.
Clip Its Wings: Kratos cuts his wing with the Blades of Chaos during the second battle against Baldur, forcing the dragon to crash land and die.
Cool Helmet: Wears one with long curved horns.
Dragon Rider: As already stated, the Aesir gods use dragons as aerial mounts. Specifically, Dagsetr is used by Baldur.
High-Altitude Battle: The second boss fight with Baldur is on Dagsetr's back, while he is flying over the skies of Midgard.
Our Dragons Are Different: He's noticeably different looking than the other dragons encountered in the game. Since you don't fight him but rather you fight on top of him, we never get to see his special abilities (assuming he has such).

Trolls

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/troll_gow.png

A fallen race of tall, brutish, albeit intelligent creatures who carry around large, pillar-like stone totems that radiate with runic magic. Tusks adorn either side of their face, adding only to their ferocious disposition. Said to have once been a great race of beings that were at one time very plentiful and in possession of their own cultures, they were betrayed by the gods ages ago and their societies were all but destroyed. A few survivors still draw breath and now roam around the realms with an understandably massive chip on their shoulders. Several of these behemoths are encountered in the story, and all are treated as bosses.

All Trolls Are Different: A race of beings with a clearly advanced intelligence, given they speak their own language, move and act in a vein similar to an average person, carry objects of worth and purpose, use runic magic in battle, and are stated to have a religion that their totems are related to (Dauði Hamarr can be seen doing a prayer ritual in front of his while caged underneath Veithurgard). The troll in the announcement trailer even speaks in Kratos and Atreus' tongue when begging to be spared, to no avail. Also, different from some Scandinavian folk tales, they are not affected by sunlight.
Carry a Big Stick: More like carry a massive pillar-like totem pole in this case.
Cruel and Unusual Death: Their own heads are squashed brutally by their own totem pole whenever Kratos defeats one. Máttugr Helson, keeper of the Bridge of the Damned, manages to resist the attack using pure strength, so Kratos destroys the totem with the fire of the Chaos Blades and drives his weapons into the guardian's skull, gouging out his eyes; he later lays a hand in reverence on Helson's chest after ripping out his heart, as the creature was only doing its duty and fought bravely.
Demoted to Extra: In Ragnarök, none of the trolls are mandatory to fight with the only one encountered in the main quest being swiftly dealt with by Kratos before the player can even do anything.
Giant Mook / Smash Mook: Played with in that they are treated more like mini-bosses, are only 6 meters tall and some of them have tricks up their sleeves (long-ranged attacks, elemental powers, status buffs, and so on).
Names to Run Away from Really Fast:
- The named trolls have threatening Old Norse titles with similar translations, almost half of them being some variation on "_____ Death"; Dauði Kaupmaðr (the first troll Kratos fights) means "Death Merchant", Brenna Dauði "Burning Death", Dauði Hamarr "Hammering Death", Dauði Munr "Mouth of Death", and the already-translated "Death Eater" (presumably Eter / Eater Dauða). The remainder are boastful names or titles of privilege — The Stonebeard King, Grendel of the Ashes / Frost, Máttugr Helson (Mighty Son of Hel), and Járn Fótr (Iron Foot).
- Though fewer trolls appear in Ragnarök, they still get a few more good names in, with Blodugr Steinn ("Bloody Stone"), Bjarg Stormr ("Storm of Rock"), Golrab of the Ashes / Frost, Vísi Haglkorn ("Hailstone Chieftain"), and Brenna Banamaðr ("Burning Killer / Mansbane").
- Ragnarök also subverts this a few times in Svartalfheim. Dauði Vörðir ("Guardian / Guarding Death") attacks and dislodges their tram car when they try to enter the Jarnsmida Pitmines, but this puts itself at eye-level with Kratos and his axe; the troll is unceremoniously beheaded, and proves to be not as much of an obstacle as advertised. There's also a vicious-looking helmeted troll within the Applecore named Miklimunnr (which can be translated as either "Loudmouth" or "Bigmouth").
Off with His Head!: In promotional material, the trolls have their waists decorated with the severed heads of travellers. This is also how Kratos finishes them.
Synchronization: The Grendel of the Frost and the Grendel of the Ashes have connected health bars during their Dual Boss fight — whenever one of them gets hit, the troll's health will be increased while the other's will lower, until both of their bars get equal.

Ogres

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ogre_gow.png

"Giant, powerful, angry, but thankfully not very smart. The Ogre is one of the ugliest enemies we've fought. Their huge arms give their attacks good range, and they can hit the ground so hard it creates powerful shock waves."

A race of primitive meat-eating humanoids who live in caves and glaciers.

Acrofatic: Surprisingly fast despite their size and girth.
Beast of Battle: Much like the Cyclopses from previous entries, Kratos can leap on their backs and use their flailing to lay waste to surrounding enemies.
Black Speech: The first ogre, when being confronted, speaks only once, in a very guttural and unintelligible dialect.
Boss in Mook Clothing: Strong enough to be a boss, but are treated as normal, if very massive mooks.
Cranium Ride: Of a sort, the stun grab involves Kratos climbing on top of the ogre and riding it around while pummeling on its head as it tramples anything in its path.
Dumb Muscle: They aren't the brightest, but you'll quickly learn not to underestimate their ability to deal out a thrashing.
Expy: Of the cyclopes from the Greek saga of games, being huge rough-skinned Giant Mooks which Kratos can ride to kill other enemies if he hurts them enough. Comes full circle in Valhalla, where the cyclopes there are partially rerigged Ogres with new club attacks.
Giant Mook: Some of the largest and strongest enemies of the Norse saga that are not bosses or sub-bosses.
Glasgow Grin: If killed with a stun grab, Kratos will finish them with an axe-blow to the mouth, leaving their jaws gaping gruesomely.
Grievous Harm with a Body: If encountered near Reavers, they may try to pick them up and throw them at Kratos.
Killer Gorilla: Resemble monstrous, hairless apes.
Our Ogres Are Hungrier: Implied to be related to the above Trolls.
To Serve Man: They can be regularly seen eating human corpses.
Smash Mook: They do nothing but relentlessly attack Kratos until either he or they are dead, making them exceptionally dangerous in battles with multiple threats at once.
Spikes of Villainy: Along with the Wulvers, there seem to be spikes growing out of their backs and arms.
The Worf Effect: The first ogre to be confronted in the 2018 game is presented as a tough enemy. When Kratos and Atreus arrive in Thamur's chisel later on, Magni is shown quickly killing one with a Neck Snap, thus establishing him as foe more dangerous than the ones fought before.

Ancients

A Fire Ancient (left) and an Ice Ancient (right).

"One of the Ancients... I can't believe it! Did Mom know they were still alive? They're, well... ancient! Supposedly they're a part of Ymir himself, and they've been around since the beginning of time."

Humanoid piles of rocks which can come to life and are associated with the elements themselves.

Attack Its Weakpoint: The core in the center of their torso. If they didn't expose it, they would be unbeatable. Justified since they require it in order to unleash their special move and most likely lack any intelligence.
Chest Monster: Are often found "asleep" and posing as a harmless pile of rocks.
The Dreaded: The "Soul Eater" variant, which are feared for their ability to immolate the souls of their victims due to lacking their own.
Atreus: That's a Soul Eater! If that kills us, that's it. No Valhalla. No Hel. No afterlife. Ever!
Elemental Embodiment: Each Ancestral is made out of elemental aspects of nature, such as rocks, ice, fire and plants.
Golem: Basically are this, though it's unknown if they are made by other sapient species or are "naturally born" in nature.
Hoist by His Own Petard: If their exposed weak point is hit while they are using their laser attack, small chunks of their body fall off which can be used against them.
Rock Monster: Fittingly for primal Elementals, they are made of rock, meaning the only way to defeat them is by damaging their core when they leave it exposed.
Sub-Boss: They have the same health bar as regular bosses, but are easier to defeat.

Travellers

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/traveller_gow.jpg

"They wear really strong armor, have huge swords, and are one of the toughest enemies we've faced. Who are they, and what do they want with us? Mom never mentioned the Travelers. I hope we don't have to fight too many of them."

Large, armor-plated humanoid foes who wield greatswords. They are devouts of The Path, a warrior code that promises riches and power to those who can find a way to Jotunheim.

Ambiguously Human: In 2018, they are an enigmatic minor hostile force that remain a total mystery for the entire game, even in the in-game bestiary written by Atreus. Only in the next game, Ragnarök, is this mystery answered, through questlines involving the former Traveller Birgir - they're foreign warriors lured into the Nine Realms by Odin and turned into zealots, in the hopes that they might stumble on a way into Jotunheim.
BFS: Their giant swords that do little to slow them down and can take huge chunks off of Kratos' health.
Clothing Damage: Whenever they take damage, their armor breaks and small chunks of it fall off.
Boss in Mook Clothing: All of them are able to deal massive damage to Kratos and in some cases one shot him with their swords, and are Immune to Flinching on top of that as long as their armor isn't shattered. It's telling that quite a few of them are encountered in both 2018 and Ragnarök as what are essentially minibosses with entire combat rooms to themselves and no allies to support them.
Half the Man He Used to Be: If Kratos manages to Stun Grab them a second time after removing their armor, he'll diagonally bisect them with their own BFS.
Heavily Armored Mook: The primary gimmick with Travellers is that they can't be hurt a whole lot unless their armor is removed, either just by damaging them a lot or filling their Stun gauge once and hitting them with a Stun Grab to tear it off.
Immune to Flinching: It's impossible to stagger them while they have their armor on, meaning Kratos can't be too aggressive or he'll wind up getting hit by their attacks.
Mighty Glacier: Zig-zagged. Some of their attacks can be surprisingly quick as long as you're in range of them, but they'll otherwise very slowly meander towards you, meaning it's important to keep your distance from them in group fights lest you become overwhelmed.
Shield-Bearing Mook: On top of their already strong armor, attempting to hit a Traveller that has a shield on its back will block your normal hits completely. Naturally, they take advantage of this by adopting a unique-looking fighting stance where they keep their backs turned toward Kratos until they're ready to strike, requiring you to hit them in the intervals between their attacks when they're facing you.
Smash Mook: They have no fancy magical attacks or unconventional gimmicks—just a big-ass sword which deals a lot of damage and extremely durable armor which makes them hard to kill.
The Spook: Where do they come from? What do they want? Even Kratos and Atreus don't know, and the in-game bestiary lampshades this. The sequel would eventually answer what they actually are.
Underground Monkey: Some of the strongest Hel-Walkers in the game are Hel-Travellers, who share a weakness to the Blades of Chaos' fire attacks with them.
Unwitting Pawn: Ragnarök reveals they are foreign warriors who were lured to the Nine Realms by Odin and indoctrinated into a false code - to travel the Realms in search for enlightenment and fortune in Jotunheim. One of many seeds cast by Odin in the hopes of finding a way into the Realm of the Giants.

Draugr

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/49236264377_287b9ef51c_b_05.jpg

"Mother said that Draugr were warriors who died, but their souls were too stubborn and angry to stop fighting. They'd fight off the Valkyrie that came to collect them, and bring their own dead bodies back to life... warping and twisting their previous form into something else. Now they're husks of their former selves, and fight anybody they can find. She also said they can come back in all different shapes and sizes and that some even have powers that others may not."

Undead warriors that were so blinded by rage that they refuse to hear the call of the Valkyries and now walk the Earth as shambling corpses that attack the living.

Alien Blood: They appear to bleed hot lava when they are struck.
Ax-Crazy: They are so driven by Unstoppable Rage and a desire to do battle that they’ll attack anything or anybody that isn’t one of their number. They don’t care about age or occupation, and live only to satisfy their endless wrath.
Body Horror: Their corpses are visibly rotting and very disfigured, and for good reason. As described in an excerpt of ‘’The Lost Pages Of Norse Myth’’, when dueling the Valkyries, the heat from their weapons clashing melts the souls of the dead warriors, fusing hair and armor to the skin.
Evil Is Burning Hot: The creatures bleed a magma-like substance, and they use fire in their moveset: throwing it in the form of fireballs, lighting themselves on fire and jumping at Kratos, slamming the ground with their weapons to make fire flow along the ground, or shooting fire from their legs to give them a speed boost.
The Goomba: They are some of the most common and basic enemies in the Norse games and are used to introduce the combat in the start of God of War (2018), especially since the ones with special abilities are only encountered later on in the narrative. In Ragnarök, the Raiders are the introductory enemies in Midgard instead, but the Draugr continue being one of the most frequent foes across the realms (except for Helheim and Asgard). Notably, in both games they are the base models used in the videos showing the skills and runic attacks the player can choose from.
Glowing Eyelights of Undeath: Obviously have these.
Half the Man He Used to Be: One of Kratos' stun finishing moves involves him grabbing them by their necks and ripping them in half.
Mirror Character: Hertha the Hateful was an empress that blamed the gods for the death of her family and became a draugr when she refused to stop fighting even after she was killed. She can be fought several times in Draugr holes, and Kratos comments about how he knows what it is like to be so blinded by rage that you attack anyone on your sight.
Mook Promotion: The Hateful is a much stronger draugr that can be fought multiple times in Draugr Holes in Ragnarök.
Night of the Living Mooks: They are more or less the Norse equivalent to the undead legionnaires from the previous games: zombies that make up large bulk of the common enemies.
Off with His Head!: One of Kratos' finishing moves has him slamming a Draugr to the ground and crushing their head with a stomp.
Our Zombies Are Different: Fast-moving, hostile and sentient enough to fight, being revived corpses of deceased warriors.
Playing with Fire: While all Draugr are usually on fire or partially made from molten lava by default, some of their number can directly weaponise those flames, either in the form of fiery explosions or spewing gouts of molten material at their enemies.
Refusal of the Call: A bit part of their creation. When a warrior dies, one of the Valkyries takes their soul to Valhalla to become a part of the Einherjar, Odin’s army. However, due to being blinded by anger and too stubborn to submit, they refuse the Valkyrie and engage the spirit in a duel. It goes as well as it sounds, and the dead warrior devolves and mutates into a Draugr.
Revenant Zombie: Although there are separate enemies in the game called "Revenants" (look below), the Draugr fit this trope better, being restless dead soldiers brought to life desiring either revenge or an eternal fight. "The Hateful" takes this to another degree and refuses to stop fighting even after she is slain again as an undead, continuing to return in Draugr holes.
Zombie Apocalypse: Draugr are stated to be emerging in ever increasing numbers all over the realms, which several characters are alarmed about; it means most recent dead weren't able to find their way to the afterlife and that something's going terribly wrong. The reason for this is that the Valkyries have been trapped in mortal form and without them to sort the dead Hel is overwhelmed. This has the side effect of paving the way for the actual apocalypse of Ragnarök far earlier than it should.

Hel-Walkers

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"First, it was a human Reaver. Then we killed it. It died in battle, so shouldn't the Valkyries have taken it to Valhalla? But they didn't...it just came back as something else.
Before she died, I overheard Mother telling Father that, 'The Hel-Walkers were returning.' Is this what she was talking about? People rising from the dead? Father doesn't seem to know (or care) much about it."

Mutated undead humanoids who normally inhabit Helheim. Being from there, they are immune to cold and thus the Leviathan Axe is useless on them.

Amazing Technicolor Population: They come in a variety of skin colors which along with their head and body ornamentations denote their elemental type and method of offense. Also, they can wield various different weapons- swords, shields, maces, axes, bows and spears.
Ax-Crazy: Despite being somewhat different than the Draugr in both creation and appearance, they’re still just as violently homicidal to the living as they are.
Body Horror: Besides the obvious fact of them being frozen zombies, some can appear with spikes or thorns sticking out of their flesh.
Canon Character All Along: They at first seem to be a kind of undead that, different from the Draugr, isn't related to any specific myth. The sequel then reveals that they are the undead that form the army from Hel which sails to fight against Asgard during Ragnarök according to the Poetic Edda, recruited by Mimir through Hraesvelgr to make part of Kratos' forces.
Chest Monster: They can be found in a couple of occasions inside of chests, attacking Kratos by surprise. Considering most of the chests in the games are actually coffins (there are even skeletons in them) and Hel-Walkers are undead, it makes sense.
Elite Mooks: Far stronger than Draugr and are immune to the Leviathan Axe, requiring Kratos to use his fists. Or the Blades Of Chaos.
An Ice Person: Coming from the frigid depths of Helheim, Hel-Walkers are covered in ice and use it to try to freeze Kratos and Atreus, as well as to make shields, weapons and barricades out of ice.
Mercy Kill: A side-quest involves Kratos and Atreus helping the spirit of a boat captain and killing a number of crew mates who got reanimated as Hel-Walkers after death so their souls would be freed, as the spirit blames himself for the shipwrecking of his fleet and the fact that his men weren't even able to rest in peace afterwards.
No-Sell: Immune to the Leviathan Axe due to being from the Cold hell of Helheim.
Off with His Head!: Kratos will kill a stunned Hel-Walker by throwing them to the ground and stomping on their head, a finisher shared by Draugr.
Revenant Zombie: A byproduct of the balance between life and death being disrupted by the machinations of Odin, they’re just as tactically intelligent as they were in life and less rotten looking overall. When returning to his house to reclaim the Blades of Chaos to save Atreus with, Kratos can see several Hel-Walkers in the surroundings after his vision of Athena, which don't scream, cry or do anything to attack him. They just stand and silently watch him come closer, apparently aware he's heading right to where they can get to him.
Undead Counterpart: Many enemies have undead Hel counterparts with ice powers, such as seiðr reavers, vikens, revenants, travelers, and raiders.
Underground Monkey: There are different kinds of Hel-Walkers with unique abilities, such as throwing projectiles and making ice barricades that explode near the player.
Shout-Out / Expy: Of the White Walkers from Game of Thrones.

Seiðr Reavers

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/846f3e5cb41418d2d74514d479493129.jpg

"These were just normal human Reavers once, but they look like they've been corrupted by Seiðr magic. When did this start happening?"

Humans corrupted by the addiction and overuse of Seidr magic over time, eventually becoming poisonous husks of their former selves.

Action Bomb: After being defeated, reavers explode into a cloud of poisonous Deadly Gas.
Body Horror: The effects Seidr left on them were certainly not pretty — their skin turned yellow, black and green, and there are several spikes sprouting out of their heads and arms.
Elite Mook: The Vikens are a larger variation with huge maces that are more durable and deal more damage than the weaker and more common reavers and shadows.
Healing Factor: They will use magic to rapidly regenerate themselves whenever a large part of their health has been vanquished.
Mercy Kill: A side-quest in Ragnarök involves Kratos and his allies attending the request of a spirit to free a number of Vanaheim citiezens from their misery, as they had been corrupted by the magic when they tried to use Seidr to protect themselves from the Aesir's military advances in the realm. Overall, Freya sees killing them as a last attempt of helping them. A Lore Marker tells the anguish and regret of some of the corrupted:
May we be forgiven. We thought the magic could be controlled — unleashed on our Aesir oppressors. But the dark magics do not discriminate. We have hurt those we love. We can feel our minds unraveling. If you read this, and we still draw breath... End it, for our sakes.
Poisonous Person: Like the Revenants, they use Seidr magic to poison their enemies through their attacks, and are commonly found nearby places with poison.
Rise from Your Grave: Several of them rise from their graves in the cemetery of Veithurgard.
Spikes of Villainy: They have several spikes growing out of their bodies, further accentuating their inhuman and disfigured appearance.
The Undead: Many reavers rise out of their tombs in a graveyard, implying they reanimated their corpses through Seiðr after death.
With Great Power Comes Great Insanity: Due to Seiðr's status as an Addictive Magic, humans who overused it for more power got corrupted and had their minds unraveled.

Brood Legions

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/gow_bestiary_page_91.jpg

"These things are a complete mystery. They always show up in groups, but at least they go down fairly easily. They don't have weapons, but they can grow their limbs into sharp points that are just as dangerous. They also tend to try and latch onto Father, and use their greater numbers to overwhelm us."

Supernatural entities that inhabit plants and can be summoned by Seidr magic.

Action Bomb: One variant explodes either via attack or upon its death.
The Blank: Justified, since they are plant spirits and don't require eyes, ears, a nose or a mouth.
Green Thumb: Associated with nature. Freya calls a bunch of them during your final battle against Baldur.
Nature Spirit: Can be summoned by any Norse people who practice Seidr magic. Or Vanir gods, like Freya.
Personal Space Invader: They just love to jump and latch onto you so other enemies can flank you, much to your annoyance.
Plant Person: Resemble humanoids made of leaves and tree bark.

Revenants

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/revenant_gow.jpg

"Mother once told me that some witches trade little bits of their soul here and there to become more powerful in Seidr magic. Eventually, they lose every part of their humanity and become Revenants. They can disappear in an instant, and these particular Revenants are able to spread poison through touch and breath."

Witches that traded little bits of their soul to become more powerful in Seidr magic, until they lose their humanity and are turned into Revenants.

Enemy Summoner: Some of them can summon Nightmares into battle.
Evil Laugh: Their wicked cackling can be frequently heard whenever they are nearby.
Humanoid Abomination: Their dabblings in Seidr magic have transformed them into a walking nightmare, having disfigured and twisted their bodies and minds in equal measure.
Lean and Mean: Some of the skinnier enemies, but also some of the nastiest.
Neck Snap: If you can somehow fill their stun bar, this is how Kratos can kill one, by grabbing their headdress' horns, and twist their necks twice before throwing them.
Poisonous Person: They use Seidr magic to poison their enemies through their touch and breath.
Power Floats: And this ability can be combined with telepo rtation.
Skull for a Head: They wear an animal skull headress, with their decaying hair and face being partially visible below.
Squishy Wizard: Thoroughly averted, they're quite tanky despite their profession and age.
Wicked Witch: They lost their humanity a long time ago and look like shriven, inhuman hags.

Nightmares

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/nightmare_gow.jpg

"Mom used to tell me stories about Nightmares until, well... I started having nightmares. I was embarrassed, but she said they were just another part of life, and that sometimes there was "beauty in the horror." She always saw the upside to everything, even these creepy little floating eye monsters. They're named after an older creature, called a Mare, that sits on your chest while you sleep and feeds off your fear."

Floating octopus/jellyfish-like creatures with a single eye said to give nightmares (hence their name).

Action Bomb: Some Nightmares can throw themselves at the player and explode near them to cause damage; Mimir speculates they must be part of some kind of Hive Mind to sacrifice themselves so quickly, losing a few for the good of many.
Airborne Mook: All of them can float and attack you in the air.
Eldritch Abomination: A miniature example. They are bizarre-looking... things (bonus points for having a body consisting only from tentacles and a single eye) who can induce nightmares, fire beams of energy from their single eye and can possess other beings.
Grievous Harm with a Body: As a finisher, Kratos can grab a stunned Nightmare and throw it, which will damage any other monsters in its path.
Informed Attribute: The original nightmare from myths was a small goblin/imp sitting on people's chests while they are asleep and giving them bad dreams. While they are a bit creepy, these nightmares don't look or act the part.
Combat Tentacles: For better or for worse, they don't use them on Kratos, but can use them to capture Atreus occasionally.
Oculothorax: They are composed solely of a body with one large eye and tentacles, possibly inspired by Beholders. They were originally designed as monstruous imitations of the eye Odin traded for knowledge, but during development they gained a deeper identity and name inspired by the Mares.
Puppeteer Parasite: They can latch onto other enemies and increase their stats as well as giving them a Healing Factor.
Sleep Paralysis Creature: Zig-Zagged. They attack people at night to cause nightmares, and while they are pretty different from the Mares from European folklore, who better fit this trope, Atreus' diary says they were named after them.
Underground Monkey: There are several kinds of Nightmares that give different kinds of conditions; they normally poison the player, but there also those who inflict fire, ice and blindness attacks.

Tatzelwurms

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/tatzelwurm.jpg

"A Tatzelwurm is part lizard, part cat - a Lizard-Cat! Or a Cat-Lizard...or something. Either way, the combination is pretty weird. They like to burrow underground to close the distance between them and their prey. Their claws and teeth are extremely sharp, but it's that poisonous barb on their tails that we really need to watch out for."

Part-lizard, part-cat serpentine monsters which usually burrow underground.

Beware My Stinger Tail: The tail of the normal variety ends in several nasty barbs. It also delivers a poisonous sting.
Cats Are Mean: Very aggressive as enemies.
Dig Attack: Their modus operandi along with biting.
Metronomic Man Mashing: If the player stuns a Tatzelwurm, Kratos' finishing move has him grabbing the beast by the tail and smashing it against the ground until it's dead.
Mix-and-Match Critters: Akin to their counterparts from Alpine folklore, they have the head and front limbs of a cat but the body and tail of a snake.
Poisonous Person: Being part-snake, this is a given. There are variants that will inflict poison status damage on you, either via biting from close range or by spitting it from long range.
Prehistoric Animal Analogue: They resemble saber-toothed cats such as Smilodon due to their large tusks.
Reptiles Are Abhorrent: More reptilian than feline in spite of the above.
Unique Enemy: A single blue variant can be encountered in the Giants' mountain mines. It is noticeably faster and harder to kill than the others.

Wulvers

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/wulver.jpg

"They look like wolves, but they stand upright like humans and are a lot smarter. And stronger. And faster. Their fur is so dense, it makes them tough to put down. They remind me a little of those Berserkers that Father put down last summer...but wolves instead of bears."

Werewolf-like creatures which attack fast and hard as well as dodge.

Adaptational Villainy: They're based on a creature from Scottish mythology that was said to be perfectly harmless (or even helpful) to humans if not antagonized. In the game, they eat human corpses and attack Kratos and Atreus at the first sight. In Ragnarök, Mimir — who is also Scottish in this version — reveals in the bestiary that the Wulvers from his homeland are much closer to the original myths, being relatively kind and occasionally giving fish to people, and only the ones encountered are aggressive and brutal.
Blade Below the Shoulder: Once they go berserk, they grow large spikes from their arms and hands. All the better to kill people with.
Crossover Cosmology: They originate from Scottish/Celtic mythology rather than Norse/Greek.
Cruel and Unusual Death: If stun-killed, Kratos rips their jaw all the way down to their torso. Yikes.
Lightning Bruiser: The reason they're hated by players so much stems from just how durable they are and how often they can dodge.
Turns Red: If they are not killed fast enough or if their health reaches a certain percentage, their spikes and claws will grow bigger and they will gain a boost in attack and speed. Also, they literally turn red in color.
Our Werewolves Are Different: Originate from Scottish mythology and unlike those in the game, would not attack if left alone. They weren't affected either by a full moon or silver and instead of a shapeshifting human they were rather some sort of nature spirit.

Wolves

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"I've always admired wolves, but the ones we've encountered attack us on sight, which means they're probably rabid. I guess to them, we are food. I know it's kill or be killed, but still... they're beautiful in their own way, and killing them makes me a little sad. Good thing Father probably won't read this."

Feral wild canines that inhabit Midgard and attack in packs.

Canis Major: Downplayed. While they seem to be bigger than real life wolves, they are still (relatively speaking) normal sized. It's unknown if they are related to any wolves from the Norse myths (Freki and Geri, Sköll and Hati, Fenrir, etc).
Carnivores Are Mean: The only enemies in the game which are (presumably) regular wild animals and not mythological beings. Others are either herbivores which serve as huntable NPCs which can't and won't fight back but will instead run away (boars and deer) or harmless ambients (birds and fish). Atreus discusses this at the start of the game, saying the wolves Kratos had just killed weren't evil, just hungry.
Non-Malicious Monster: Discussed Trope. After the first fight against them, Atreus claims they weren't evil, but starving and rabid.
Poisonous Person: The feral ones will poison you.
Savage Wolves: The ones you run into are either starved or feral.

Duraprór

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/duraprr_statue.png

The statue of Duraprór.

One of the four stags (male red deer) that eat the branches and leaves of the World Tree Yggdrasil. A statue of him appears as a puzzle in the Giants' Mountain.

Anthropomorphic Shift: Duraprór was originally a regular (or according to some sources, giant) deer. Here he's shown as a humanoid with a deer's head. Oddly in Ragnarok he appears as a regular (mystical looking thing in the shape of a) deer instead.
Horned Humanoid: Which makes him resemble the Celtic god Cernunnos. Like most statues in the games, come Ragnarok we find out that it is not an accurate representation of his actual appearance.
The Marvelous Deer: A large, mystical deer. It's worth mentioning that other magical deer also appear in the game (including the one which Kratos and Atreus hunt at the beginning) and Ragnarok even has the other 3 deers of Yggdrasil make an appearance.

Introduced in God of War: Ragnarök

Fenrir (SPOILERS)

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/gow_fenrir.jpg

A Big Doggo who is the Goodliest Doggo.

A colossal Beast of the Apocalypse who is prophecized to play a part in Ragnarök and who is alluded to in the shrines of God of War (PS4). He's properly introduced in God of War Ragnarök as Atreus' pet wolf who's sadly dying by the time the game begins — but not forever, as Atreus later brings him back to life by Giant magic after his soul is transmigrated into the Hel-hound Garm's body.

Action Pet: He joins the heroes in the battle of Ragnarök at the end of the game and puts a good dent in Odin's forces.
Adorable Abomination: Has the body of giant, reality-warping concept-devouring Hel-hound, and the soul of a loyal and obedient wolf. The two combined creates a devastating but strangely-adorable Canis Major that Kratos can even pet like a puppy.
Adaptational Heroism: Most of the destructive acts Fenrir committed in the myths, like eating Tyr's hand, have been attributed to Garm in this version. Fenrir meanwhile is a very good boy who only ever assists the heroes.
Adaptational Species Change: In Norse mythology, he's Loki and Angrboda's biological son, he just also happens to be a giant wolf. Here he's just a wolf, albeit one with supernatural abilities inherited from Garm's body.
Animalistic Abomination: Subverted, he was an average wolf but became a Hel-hound after Atreus put his soul in Garm.
Badass Adorable: A colossal, immortal wolf who can create portals across the realms on the go and kill a dragon in seconds. He's also the biggest and goodest boy in the game, acting more like a cuddly pet than the Beast of the Apocalypse.
Beast of the Apocalypse: Downplayed, in that Fenrir isn't malevolent by any means unless you happen to hurt his owner, but his revival as a giant is one of the omens of Ragnarök.
Big Friendly Dog: Even when he was still just a wolf, Fenrir was extremely tame and cuddly. After being reincarnated into Garm's body, Fenrir continues to act like a massive, loyal and submissive dog, happily snuffling up to Kratos, Atreus, and Angrboda looking for pets and attention while now being so massive Kratos is only as big as one of his paws. This only applies to people he likes though, when ordered on the attack or put on the defensive, he proves just as lethal and powerful as he should be.
Came Back Strong: Once inside Garm's body, he has all of the giant wolf's abilities and none of the illness that killed him the first time.
Canine Companion: He becomes this to Angrboda after befriending her, with the two of them saving everyone from Asgard's destruction, and she's the one looking after him after Atreus departs Midgard in the end.
Canis Major: He was already Atreus's size as a mortal wolf: in Garm's body his legs are taller than Kratos.
Composite Character: In the original mythology, Garm was Hel's pet wolf while Fenrir was Hel's brother. Here, Fenrir was a dire wolf whose soul was transplanted into Garm's body, this being how Fenrir became the Beast of the Apocalypse as prophecy foretold. This is in line with what some real-life scholars theorize: that Garm and Fenrir are actually one and the same.
Dark Is Not Evil: He's a Beast of the Apocalypse with the personality of a Big Friendly Dog.
Decomposite Character:
- The story about Tyr and chaining up Fenrir is instead applied to Garm, as the Hel-wolf predates Fenrir by quite some time. Ironically, they are made one and the same by way of giant magic anyway, so the different is largely academic.
- He is also not Sköll and Hati's father, as they are much older than him, with Mimir mentioning in a conversation in the 2018 installment that they are children of the wolf Hróðvitnir — one of Fenrir's sobriquets in mythology.
Dire Beast: He starts out as a wolf as big as a human. When his soul is transplanted into Garm, it makes him much larger.
From Nobody to Nightmare: He goes from the dying old pet of a retired God of War and his son to a titanic and completely immortal Beast of the Apocalypse with Abstract Eater abilities, thanks to Atreus's Jotunn soul magic.
In-Series Nickname: Atreus will call him "Fen" for short.
Loophole Abuse: The solution to the immortal, soulless Garm terrorizing the realms? Give it a soul, which Atreus does with the piece of Fenrir's soul that he unwittingly bound to his knife and injects into Garm. Not only does this bring Fenrir Back from the Dead as loyal to Atreus as ever, but Garm's body remains immortal, so the consequences of dying with a fractured soul aren't applicable. Even Mimir thought it was clever.
Mimir: "O hoho-clever one, lad! A gigantic Hel-beast with the soul of a loyal pup. Bloody brilliant!"
Morphic Resonance: When Garm gains Fenrir's soul, his eyes change to brown and his facial fur darkens except for the patch of white fur Fenrir had over his left eye.
Named After Somebody Famous: Subverted. Atreus thought he was just naming his pet after Fenrir, but in fact, it's a Stable Time Loop - Fenrir was later reborn as his own inspiration.
Old Dog: At the beginning of Ragnarök, he's incredibly sick due to complications by his age, and can barely eat or move on his own without help from Atreus. Having to put Fenrir to sleep is a heart-wrenching moment for the poor kid.
Plot-Triggering Death: Similar to how Faye's death sets in motion the events of God of War (PS4), Fenrir's death in God of War Ragnarök catalyzes a chain of events that compels Kratos and Atreus to take action. After Odin and Thor compromise their home, the father-son duo must relocate and confront Ragnarok's looming threat, which has now been set in motion.
Puppy-Dog Eyes: Both literal and metaphorical. When he comes Back from the Dead, the resultant cutscene places a lot of emphasis on how Garm's fearsome Icy Blue Eyes have been replaced with Fenrir's huge, innocent brown eyes as he peers down at Kratos and Atreus.
Spared by the Adaptation: Fenrir dies in Norse myths in the hands of the Aesir god Viðarr, in revenge for Odin's death. In the series, Fenrir survives Ragnarök and can even be visited in Jötunheim.
Unrelated in the Adaptation: He's not the father of Sköll and Hati, as they're already adults when Fenrir himself gains Garm's body. Nor is he Loki's offspring, at least not in the most literal sense.
Thinking Up Portals: He gets to keep Garm's power to create gateways between the realms, being able to return to Midgard from Helheim.
Videogame Caring Potential: After the main story is complete, Kratos can visit Fenrir in Jotunheim and gets the chance to pet him.
Kratos: Good boy.

Svanna and Speki

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/spekisvanna.png

"Not long ago, we rescued a pack of wolves from Raiders on the Lake of Nine. Despite my warnings, Atreus decided to name them. Having these two to pull the sled has made transportation significantly easier."

The two female wolves that act as sled dogs for the heroes in Midgard.

Beware the Nice Ones: While they are not aggressive or dangerous, they quickly growl at the sight of Freya and has to be told by Kratos that she is now an ally. They quickly warm up to her though.
Big Friendly Dog: Both are never shown to be aggressive or ever engage in combat. They're also very obedient and affectionate (to Atreus, mostly) to their owners.
Dark and Troubled Past: It is implied that they were previously captured, abused and eventually were freed by Kratos and Atreus from a tribe of raiders.
Dire Beast: Are as big as Fenrir when he was a mortal wolf.
Helpful Mook: Wolves were all enemies in the previous games, but these ones are tamed and are nothing but lovable pets.
Samus Is a Girl: Kratos mistakenly called them boys when he's trying to comfort them and has to be corrected by Freya or Atreus.
Sled Dogs Through the Snow: Their main role in the game is to be this for the heroes in Midgard.

Sköll and Hati

The two giant wolves that chase down the sun and the moon across the skies. They are first shown in a shrine in God of War (PS4), and are properly introduced in God of War Ragnarök, being revealed to have been moved to Vanaheim by the Giants to stay away from Odin's hands.

Adaptational Heroism: In Ragnarok, they appear in Vanaheim and give the heroes a tool to use at certain altars to summon them in order to change it to day or night, which is helpful as the land in Vanaheim changes depending on what time of day it is. They also appear at the final battle in a Freeze-Frame Bonus tearing apart some enemies.
Beast of the Apocalypse: They were prophecized to herald Ragnarök by catching the sun and the moon, which is one of the reasons why Odin captured them; while he couldn't control Ragnarök itself, he believed that controlling the wolves would allow him to decide when the war would start, giving him the advantage.
Canis Major: Though smaller than Garm, they are still large enough to tower over Kratos.
Heavy Sleeper: Both of them are fast asleep when the group first meets them in Vanaheim and wouldn’t wake up until the moon is released back into the sky.
Night and Day Duo: As the celestial wolves related to the day and night cycle, the wolves have slightly different motifs — Sköll chases the Sun and has lighter fur and glowing orange eyes, while Hati chases the Moon and has darker fur and glowing blue eyes.
Unrelated in the Adaptation: Played With; the Eddas say Hati, and thus Sköll, are offspring of Fenrir, whereas in the games Fenrir is originally a normal wolf who only gains Garm's body long after Sköll and Hati were born. However, Mimir also mentions in a conversation that they are children of the wolf Hróðvitnir — one of Fenrir's alternate names in mythology, with Hati being called "Hati Hróðvitnisson" a few times — so it's uncertain if Hróðvitnir is one of Garm's names instead, as he already took other traits of Fenrir like biting Týr's hand, or a different character alltogether.

Garm

A titanic Hel-hound said to guard Helheim's gates and whose howl will announce Ragnarök. He was chained up due to his ability to tear though realms and voracious hunger, but was allowed to rampage once again when Atreus freed him.

Animalistic Abomination: At first glance Garm looks like a gargantuan Wolf with clouded eyes and ice powers, but the fact that he has proven himself capable of eating both entire concepts and weather seasons, tearing open holes between dimensional planes with ease, being able to live despite lacking a soul of his own and completely unkillable on top of that only shows that Garm’s ties to the natural order are only skin deep, even by the fantastical standards of the setting.
Abstract Eater: If Mimir is being serious, there used to be a fifth season and a word that meant being so hungry you're no longer hungry. Garm ate them.
Arc Villain: Of the Unleashing Hel quest of the main game; stopping Garm before he tears the Realms apart serves as the primary objective for Kratos and Atreus.
Chain Pain: He takes one of the chains that bonded him in his mouth and uses it like a huge whip.
Complete Immortality: Nothing can truly harm or permanently kill Garm, as he lacks a soul to kill. Any injury he sustains is countered by a ferocious Healing Factor, and if someone does manage to kill him, he just heals and gets back up anyway. Atreus manages to circumvent this by taking advantage of the beast’s soulless nature, giving the creature Fenrir’s soul. This ends up destroying Garm’s mind and resurrecting Fenrir with his body.
The Dreaded: Being a powerful voracious giant immortal magical hound who can tear though the borders between Realms and who once ate a season and a word from existence, everyone is pretty terrified that Atreus freed it. Case in point is Kratos's reaction upon learning how much of Implacable Man Garm is, the Ghost of Sparta is uncharacteristically yet understandably unnerved to the point that he pretty much tells Atreus just to run.
Mimir: "Garm?! Great bleedin' fuck, lad! You freed Garm!?"
Týr: "Garm? Who freed Garm?! That's madness- surely not you, young one!"
Freya: "If the Hound of Hel is loose, he'll chew through the fabric of the realms. Hel-walkers are just the beginning- What Were You Thinking?!"
Mimir: "Aye, this is a fuck-up of not-insignificant proportions!"
Grand Theft Me: This is his ultimate fate, courtesy of Atreus transferring the soul of Fenrir into Garm. Due to Garm having no soul of his own, Fenrir’s is able to take over his body and mind, effectively killing him.
Helhound: He's the Gatekeeper of Helheim, and much like Hel, uses ice instead of fire.
An Ice Person: He can harness the ice of Helheim to fire icicle missiles from his mouth.
Implacable Man: Garm is a nigh-unstoppable creature of pain, fury and destruction that isn’t stopped by anything, and even when Kratos and Atreus managed to put him down by breaking his neck, he was already up on his feet again within minutes and mad as Hel about it. The only thing that managed to permanently put an end to Garm was Atreus implanting the soul of Fenrir into him, overwriting his mind and personality with that of their loyal, deceased pet.
It Can Think: Garm looks and generally acts like a mindless, feral monster but he does show some bits of cunning during his boss fight, such as using his own chain as a weapon for greater reach and retreating to a distance and using projectile ice blasts as a long-range attack.
Mass "Oh, Crap!": He causes this in everybody who learns of the fact he's been freed from his bonds, regardless of which side they're on, underscoring both how much of a bad decision it was and how dangerous a monster he is — as Mimir puts is 'a fuck-up of non-insignificant proportions'. Even Ratatoskr, who expelled most of his negative emotions as separate beings, makes it clear he's quite upset with Atreus for his screw-up and that he and Kratos needs to fix things immediately before the damage becomes irreversible.
Sadly Mythtaken: Garm in the original myths was merely a giant wolf destined to Mutual Kill Týr in single combat at Ragnarok, whereas here he takes over much of the role that Fenrir has in the myths, being a gigantic, impossibly strong and unstoppable wolf sealed away in powerful chains deep in Helheim. There's also nothing in the original myths about either Garm or Fenrir being soulless dimension-tearing Abstract Eaters, either.
Sealed Evil in a Can: Introduced wrapped in gigantic chains somewhere in Helheim, having been imprisoned by the Aesir at the cost of Týr's arm (it grew back) in a blurring of the myth of Fenrir. Atreus unfortunately has no idea about any of this and only sees a bloody, chained-up wolf, and he frees it out of pity.
Transformation of the Possessed: Once Atreus inserts Fenrir's soul into Garm's body, destroying the soulless beast's original mind in the process, Garm's body takes on traits and characteristics similar to that of the mortal Fenrir including his eyepatch-like birthmark.
Unstoppable Rage: Garm was already pretty out of control and rampaging wantonly until Kratos and Atreus temporarily killed him by snapping his neck. Then he really went on the offensive and actively began pursuing them, completely fixated on killing the duo at the expense of everything else.
Zombie Apocalypse: Once he's freed, his mere presence causes massive armies of Hel-Walkers to begin invading the realms as he chews through the very fabric of reality, ripping open rifts from Helheim to the rest of the Nine Realms.

The Raven Keeper

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/raven_keeper.png

"Get away from my children. Have you any idea how long it took to shape their spirits into something useful? Have you any idea of the EFFORT? The FOCUS? Were it not for me, these misbegotten urchins would have perished in the winds of Fimbulwinter. But instead? They became something greater. Something magnificent. They MATTERED to the All-Father...and they mattered to ME."

A super-revenant keeping Odin's Ravens confined to the Raven Tree after they are destroyed.

Early-Bird Cameo: She wrote the scroll talking about how Asgard was made perfectly secure in the PlayStation 4 game. She appears in person as a sidequest boss in Ragnarok.
Flunky Boss: After clearing portions of her health, she will disappear and send Hel-Walkers after you, not re-appearing until you beat them. She tops it off at the very end by sending a dragon you have to clear to have her show back up.
Mook Promotion: Much like Gullveig in the last game, she is a tougher revenant with extra tricks.
More Despicable Minion: As ruthless as Odin was for endorsing the Spectral Ravens project, even he couldn't come up with something this sick on his own. The Raven Keeper designed and oversaw every facet of this project, especially the getting-fanatical-worshippers-of-Odin-to-murder-their-own-children-by-hanging part. Every interaction with her is like watching a horror show about abusive supernatural guardians, and the Spectral Ravens don't have any positive remarks about her 'parenting'. It's telling that Kratos himself was visibly disgusted by what she had done.
Optional Boss: She doesn't have to be fought to progress the narrative, being an option to the player after all of Odin's ravens are freed.
Unseen No More: She was only mentioned in scrolls in the previous game, but in Ragnarok is a sidequest boss.
Wicked Witch: Even more so than regular Revenants. Her magnum opus involved child murder and enslavement. Yes, in that order.
Would Hurt a Child: Turns out it was her idea to have Odin command child sacrifices so she could re-fashion their souls into the Spectral Ravens fit for spying on the realms.

Einherjar

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/raf_grassetti_expl00_5.jpg

The honored dead of Valhalla who have been conscripted by the Aesir to be their soldiers for Ragnarök.

Blood Knight: The Einherjar always look for a fight rather than set formations or lay traps. Seeing as none of them will stay dead, they don't seem to care about being strategic.
Enemy Chatter: They can be sometimes heard chatting between each other in Icelandic before noticing Kratos. For example, an einherjar in Vanaheim complains about how hot that realm is and how she prefers Asgard's sun.
It's Raining Men: The einherjar can be deployed to the Realms this way using the Bifröst, falling from the sky like glittering comets.
Mooks: For Odin and the Aesir. Normally they're supposed to only be marshalled during Ragnarök itself, but Odin has found a loophole (facilitated by the corruption and replacement of the valkyries) to use them as a standing force for occupying the Realms.
The Remnant: After Ragnarök and the death of Odin, Asgard is destroyed and fragments of it rain down across the surviving Realms, bringing with them scattered warbands of einherjar for Kratos and Freya to mop up in the post-game.
Resurrection Sickness: Einherjar freshly summoned from Valhalla are dazed and confused, until a spell is used to supposedly remind them of their mortal identities.
Resurrective Immortality: When einherjar are slain, their souls simply return to Valhalla, which means Asgard never has to worry about Mook Depletion.
Sadly Mythtaken: A minor issue, but one entirely to do with grammar. "Einherjar" pronounced correctly is "In-her-yar", not "Ein-her-yar" as is said in-game; additionally, the singular of "Einherjar" is "Einherji", which is never spoken by any characters who instead incorrectly use the plural in all circumstances.
Shout-Out: Their designs are very evocative of the War Boys from Mad Max: Fury Road, being pale skinned, shirtless berserkers with black warpaint covering their eyes. The men are even bald, though the women do have their hair sometimes shaved along the temples. They also hail from Valhalla, which the War Boys strove to enter when they died in glorious combat.
Sinister Scythe: Fiske, the einherjar captain, uses a Bifröst-imbued scythe in his battle. Kratos presumes Fiske was a farmer who had to use the farming tool as a weapon against some threat in life, being rewarded (or tasked) with more slaughter after death.
Slave Mooks: Maybe. Einherjar act fairly subdued when first summoned from Valhalla, it's only after Odin casts a "blessing" on them that they suddenly become very aggressive in mannerism. He claims that he's simply helping them remember their mortal identities, but this is Odin talking, and altruistically helping his disposable mooks reconnect with their past life serves no discernible benefit to him and thus does not sound like something he'd actually do.
- They at least are able to hold genuine conversations with one another, indicating at least some level of freedom, as translations of their dialogue in Vanaheim have some remark that they like or dislike the rain that occurs there, respectively.
- As mentioned above, it's implied Odin's story to Atreus is a lie, and the Valhalla DLC seems to add little clarification other than that Valhalla is something beyond Odin's control due to it being more primordial in nature. While the recent warrior dead may get stuck in a never-ending loop of fighting in Valhalla (whether by choice or inability to move on) according to Sigrun, it's indicated that successfully navigating Valhalla's tests is a means of self-enlightenment and wisdom. So it's difficult to say whether the Einherjar are truly "confused", or if Odin is simply brainwashing them. Even translating what he says to them makes it seem like he's giving them a name like they're children, reinforcing his control, rather than reminding them of who they were.
We Have Reserves: Einherjar are unable to die permanently, and will return to Valhalla to fight over and over again, making a long-term war against them impossible. At its most extreme, if they die in Valhalla then they're back in fighting shape within minutes at most.

Niðhögg

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/how_to_defeat_nidhogg_boss_in_god_of_war_ragnarok.png

A large serpent with clawed arms that lives at the roots of the World Tree. Pulling on the knots of these roots summons this beast to protect them.

Adaptational Heroism: In the original myths, the monster was an Eldritch Abomination that gnawed at the roots of the World Tree like a parasite, as well as the damned corpses of the inhabitants of Náströnd. Here, Niðhögg and its fellow Lindwyrms perform a vital role in helping to control Yggdrasil's growth by gnawing on its roots, just as Ratatoskr tends to the World Tree's branches; the creature also defends the roots from intervention against Kratos and Freya.
Adaptation Species Change: From a full-blown giant, universe-encircling Draconic Abomination to a still large, but nowhere near as gargantuan as Jörmungandr, Lindwyrm with arms.
Adaptational Wimp: In the Norse mythology, Niðhögg was described as even larger and more terrifying serpent compared to Jormangandr; while the latter encircled the world, Niðhögg encircled the base of the universe. In the game, not only is Nidhogg much smaller, but also dies like any other monster that gets in Kratos' way. It's also just merely one of an entire race of Lindwyrms.
Bizarre Alien Biology: It is able to open its torso to directly suck matter into its stomach, spitting the debris back at Kratos with its mouths.
Death by Adaptation: In the Poetic Edda, the lasts verses of the Völuspá have the seer foretelling the events of Ragnarök to Odin finish her prophecy by describing Niðhöggr flying in the air with corpses in its jaws, implying the dragon is one of the few survivors of the event ^note. In here, Niðhögg is killed by Kratos and Freya some time before the start of Ragnarök.
Dimensional Cutter Can tear open rifts with its claws.
Draconic Abomination: While an Adaptational Wimp compared to her Norse mythological counterpart, Nidhogg is still an interdimensional draconic entity capable of ripping portals in space and opening her torso to suck in debris she can spit as projectiles.
Gender Flip: A male dragon in the myths, a female dragon in the games.
Lightning Bruiser: Unlike the often-slow Jormangandr, there isn't a moment where this monster isn't quickly slithering and striking.
Monster Is a Mommy: The parent of the displaced Lindwyrms Kratos is asked by Ratatoskr to collect.
Non-Malicious Monster: Niðhögg, while ferocious when pushed, is simply a creature that functions in maintaining Yggdrasil's growth by gnawing on it's roots and protects it should the tree be threatened. Sadly for her, when Freya needs to free herself from Odin's spell, Niðhögg defends even the smallest of roots with her life (something Odin was counting on as a deterrent against anyone who tries to break Freya's curse) and dies for simply being in both Kratos and Freya's way at the time. Kratos notices in his Codex how, despite not regretting what he did to help Freya, he considered Niðhögg to ultimately be yet another innocent victim of Odin's schemes.
"Not So Different" Remark: Discussed; Ratatoskr tells Atreus, Kratos, and Mimir that Nidhogg is a stern matriarch who prefers to be left alone to raise her babies, she's also as "as protective of her offspring as she is determined to teach them proper discipline". Something Atreus and Mimir find all too familiar and Kratos grunts in both agreement and, seemingly, approval.
Portal Cut: Kratos and Freya slay the beast when it tries to escape through a portal. Only its head passed through when they shut it.
Purple Is Powerful: The creature itself is a bright blue, but its portals take on an indigo-purple color.
Teleport Spam: It can tear open portals in space-time.
Tragic Villain: As far as Niðhögg can be considered a “villain”. She is normally happy to mind her own business and not bother anyone, but will mercilessly engage anyone that tries to harm the roots of the World Tree Knowledge that Odin took advantage of in order to manipulate her to attack anyone that tries to break Freya’s curse, forcing Freya and Kratos to slay her as collateral damage in their quest to undo it in Vanaheim. Even Kratos himself acknowledges in his journal that Niðhögg was just another innocent pawn of Odin, making it all the more unfortunate that he and Freya did not seek Ratatoskr’s aid/advise beforehand which could have potentially helped avoid needlessly killing her and orphaning her offspring.

Dragons

Large, quadrupedal dragons that make up a number of the game’s overworld boss encounters, especially in the crater area of Vanaheim.

Big Eater: The aptly named Corpse Eater is seen hunting a gazelle and stealing an ogre Kratos had recently killed, the latter of which it is still eating when Kratos confronts it.
Breath Weapon: All dragons pocess a form of this. "The Crimson Dread", "The Ash Tyrant", "The Crimson Dread", and the unnamed one that participates in Ragnarök breath fire, whilst the "Corpse Eater" and "The Pale One" breath ice.
Names to Run Away from Really Fast: Though none of their actual names are displayed, these dragons come with rather intimidating epithets instead: “The Crimson Dread,” “The Corpse Eater,” “The Ash Tyrant,” “The Everlasting,” and “The Pale One”
Optional Boss: All five dragons encountered in the game are optional. Three are found in the optional Crater region of Vanaheim, one is a part of the Raven Keeper’s boss fight, and the final one is frozen in stone on a beach in Svartalfheim and only able to be freed by a specific item that is in an obscure corner of Midgard that can only be accessed with a different item gained halfway through the game. The only dragon met in the main story, in Asgard during Ragnarök, isn't directly fought against, with Kratos destroying the pillar it was on and Fenrir quickly killing it instead.
Our Dragons Are Different: These dragons are noticeably different to the dragons of the last game, being significantly smaller and only having four limbs (two legs and two wings). This does get hand-waved by the fact that these are true dragons, while the dragons in the last game were transformed dwarves, but that does not account for Hraezlyr or Dagsetr.
- While these dragons look different to those in the previous game, they are otherwise fairly typical 4 limbed dragons as horned, wing walking creatures with scaly skin, with their main defining trait being a beak formed from the dragon's front teeth.
- It could just be that different realms have different kinds of dragons. Midgardian dragons are larger with four legs and wings on their back, while Vanir dragons are smaller with two legs and two arm wings.

Dreki

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/screenshot_2024_01_13_at_17_41_46_andrew_ariza_d04webp_webp_image_1000_563_pixels.png

Giant crocodile-like reptiles that live in the lakes of Svartalfheim and Vanaheim.

Dual Boss: Of the 5 Dreki encounters in the game, 3 require fighting two Dreki at once. In these battles, the Dreki will tag team Kratos, one physically attacking him while the other fire projectiles from nearby water holes (water if uncharged, electricity if charged, and poison if cursed), with both periodically switching roles.
Lightning Bruiser: One of the biggest and fastest enemies in God Of War. Most of the dreki's attacks are quick and quite powerful and it's also capable of leaping high and quickly enough to caught Kratos of guard and snatch him in it's jaws. This is taken literally when he omits lightning from his body.
Meaningful Name: "Dreki" means "dragon" in the Old Norse language.
Mix-and-Match Critters: It looks like a cross between a crocodile and a porcupine, with a fish tail.
Never Smile at a Crocodile: It is an amphibious dragon that resembles a giant spiky crocodile.
Our Dragons Are Different: Unlike the two-legged but relatively small lindwyrms, the two-legged cat-faced tatzelwurms, and winged wyverns, dreki resemble crocodiles and can spit bolts of lightning. Despite their name and Breath Weapon, the lore entry for wyverns reveals they're not considered dragons.
Poisonous Person: Cursed Dreki emit poison instead of electricity, and can leave globs of it on the ground as a form of area denial.
Slashed Throat: After Kratos slams it down, Atreus slashes its throat multiple times after firing a few arrows at it. The dreki is then killed when Kratos and Atreus both jab their knifes deep in its head.
Shock and Awe: After it is damaged enough, the Dreki can emit lightning throughout its body and uses it either as barriers or projectiles.

Drakes

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/screenshot_2024_01_13_at_17_42_10_drakewebp_webp_image_1000_563_pixels.png

Enormous, burrowing dragons with thick hides and dangerous tusks.

Mix-and-Match Critters: They look like an unnatural cross between a rhino, elephant and ankylosaur.
Optional Boss: All three Drake encounters are located in optional areas.
Our Dragons Are Different: Unlike Dreki, Drakes are explicitly only a different kind of dragon rather than a distant offshoot, with them being flightless, brutish beasts rather than the "true" dragons of the game.
Mighty Glacier: Whilst all three dragon-type creatures are heavily physical fighters, Drakes are the largest of the group and only one to lack a breath/elemental attack (although they still have projectiles in the form of scales launched from their tails). Accordingly, they hits like a truck and are the only ones of the genus to have unblockable physical attacks.

Wyvern

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/screenshot_2024_01_13_at_17_48_04_alec_hunstx_lowreswebp_webp_image_1000_565_pixels.png

Birdlike four-limbed winged creatures from Vanaheim used as mounts and war beasts by the Einherjar.

Early-Bird Cameo: They can be seen perching around Asgard in Atreus' first visit to the realm, before they are fought by the first time later on in Vanaheim.
Our Wyverns Are Different: They resemble many classical depictions of wyverns, lacking forelegs and being bipedal while also being smaller and more agile than most dragons fought in the games; according to its bestiary entry, unlike the more reptilian-looking drakes and dreki, wyverns in God of War are not actually members of the dragon family.
Shock and Awe: Base wyverns are able to shoot lightning from their mouths.
Slave Mooks: Before Vanaheim was occupied by Asgard, Vanir riders used wyverns as mounts in a bond that required trust and respect from both parties, but once Odin conquered the realm, the Einherjar began using and enslaving the beasts to suit their combat needs.

Graðungr

Fierceful leonine animals with horns or antlers, some of which used as mounts by the Aesir.

Adaptational Species Change: Gulltopr, Heimdall's mount, was a horse in myths, whereas in here he is one of these animals.
Beast of Battle: Heimdall mounts a Grauðngr as the first phase of his boss fight. They are also implicily this to the Einherjar, who are frequently found fighting alongside them.
Call a Smeerp a "Rabbit": "Graðungr" in Old Norse means literally "bull", but the word here is used to refer to a fictional creature with traits of bulls, felines and others.
Fiery Lion: Flame Graðungr are the most leonine type — Mimir even notes in the Bestiary that Kratos compared them to Grecian lions — and capable of sending out burning shockwaves in combat.
Mix-and-Match Critters: They are quadrupedal beasts with traits of felines, but who possess either goat-like horns or stag-like antlers and charge like bulls.
Panthera Awesome: While "graðungr" in Old Norse translates directly as "bull", these creatures are huge predatory cats with horns or antlers that charge like bulls.
Underground Monkey: There are different kinds of graðungr who inflict different status conditions like fire, ice and Bifröst.

Gulon

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/bob_wallace_of6lnljc_9.jpg

Feral animals from Vanaheim that hunt in packs.

Chariot Pulled by Cats: The sled in Alfheim's desert is pulled by two Gulons.
Helpful Mook: The Gulons in Alfheim are the only ones that will not attack Kratos and even help him and his allies to travel through the barren deserts. The characters presume some Gulons were domesticated and brought by Freyr to help with the harvest in the realm.
Mix-and-Match Critters: Like in Scandinavian folklore, they resemble the combination of different animals, having about the size and shape of dogs and cat-like features.
Poisonous Person: Some Gulons can vomit poison on their enemies.
Suspiciously Similar Substitute: Their movesets share many similarities with the ones from the wolves from the previous game, such as attacking in packs, biting Kratos' arm and throwing up poison.

Stalker

Fierce centaurs worshippers of the Jötunn goddess of hunt Skaði who slay any living creature who violate their territory.

Aim for the Horn: If you hit the Stalkers while their antlers glow yellow, they'll take a bunch of extra damage and lie on the ground vulnerable until you hit them again.
Arrows on Fire: The first variant of stalker you meet is an archer whose every arrow is flaming. She doesn't appear to have a torch or anything to light the arrows aflame, so maybe magic is involved.
Degraded Boss: The Stalkers are lethal centaurs who serve as the game's brutal third boss, giving Kratos enough of a beating to break his shield. After you've leveled up a ton, you can find one or two of them in sidequests without a boss healthbar.
Hit-and-Run Tactics: The Untamed Fury is a Stalker from Vanaheim that repeatedly targets Kratos in his exploration of the Crater, suddenly attacking and then retreating after a portion of her health has been taken away.
Our Centaurs Are Different: These centaurs are savage hunters who specialize in lances and bows, though they lack the debauchery of centaurs from Greek myth. They are your standard half-horse half-human, with the only notable addition being their antlers. While there are no centaurs in Norse mythology, they have a semblance to Elgfróði, the legendary brother of the hero Bödvar Bjarki in The Saga of Hrolf Kraki, who is a human in his top half and an elk from the navel down.
Trick Arrow: One of the unblockable attacks the Stalker can do is fire a volley of bomb arrows that explode along the ground around Kratos.
Use Their Own Weapon Against Them: The stun grab move against them sees Kratos grab whatever their weapon is, knock them over, and impale them with it twice.

Grim

Amphibian creatures from Svartalfheim that go through a strange metamorphosis.

Action Bomb: Exploding Wretches do exactly what their names say.
Expy: Bear a striking resemblance to Hunter Alphas.
Frog Men: They're humanoid amphibians with long tongues who usually inhabit wetlands and go through a similar life cycle, being born as small tailed creatures, like tadpoles, and growing up to become larger and more robust beasts with four limbs and throat sacs, like toads.
Metamorphosis Monster: They are first born as the small and tailed Wretches, use gasses to grow into the taller and slim Grims, and eventually become massive Bersgras, with some of the latter also sprouting out new Wretches and restarting the cycle. Curiously enough, Mimir says the entire tranformations happens in just a moon cycle, which he attributes to just how much of those monsters are made out of sheer Svartalfheim gas.
Multipurpose Tongue: Wicked Grims have long tongues they use to attack and trap the player.
Poisonous Person: Cursed Grims will spit poison at Kratos from afar, while Bergsras can breath out a toxic Deadly Gas.

Bergsra

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Squamous, vaguely amphibian mountain-dwelling creatures native to Svartalfheim, implicitly either related to Grims or fully-grown versions of them. They primarily serve as heavy-hitting Smash Mooks during Kratos' adventures and digressions in Svartalfheim. A female variation, the Bergsra Mother, appears far earlier in the game than the larger male Bergsras.

Adaptational Ugliness: While bergsrås in Norse folklore were often supernatural creatures of the moutains often surrounded by trolls, female bergsrås could also be seductive, attracting men to their mountains. In the game, bergsras are all toad-like monsters who use only brute force, including the female Bergsra Mothers.
All Trolls Are Different: Bergsras are more like Tolkienesque trolls than the actual Trolls in-game, being brutish, almost feral rough-skinned mountain-dwelling monsters.
Bizarre Sexual Dimorphism: The female Bergsra Mothers are covered in lumpy beehive-like holes which Wretches emerge from which aren't present in male Bergsras.
Cruel and Unusual Death: Both of the Stun Grab finishers Kratos can perform on them involve messily ripping out their throats and tearing a huge gash across their chest with the Blades of Chaos.
Sadly Mythcharacterized: While there isn't a lot to go off of what bergsrås actually really are in Norse Mythology, this game makes the common mistake of assuming them to be troll-like creatures because of how their name is etymologically very close to "Mountain Troll". While bergsrås in the myths did live in the mountains and frequently collaborate with trolls, it's unclear what they were themselves.
Smash Mook: They have a lot of health and their attack plan primarily consists of rushing Kratos down and flailing at him relentlessly. This especially applies to male Bergsras, since their primary attack is an unblockable multi-hit combo that Kratos must dodge to avoid.
Weaponized Offspring: Bergsra Mothers will occasionally spawn Wretches out of the divots in their backs, overwhelming Kratos with more enemies.

Nokken

Disgusting little creatures whose ugly songs impose terror on their enemies and heal their evil allies with unearned life.

The Fair Folk: Based on the shape-shifting mischievous aquatic spirits from Scandinavian folklore, they are malevolent gangly imp-like sprites who hide in the woods and use their songs to give more strength to every monster roaming around nearby.
Interface Screw: The Nokken can blind Kratos and the player by jumping at Kratos' head, clawing at his eyes, and leaving half the screen greyed out and your Enemy-Detecting Radar inoperable for a short time.
Mook Medic: The Nokken sings a horrible ballad that causes all enemies who can hear it to regenerate so fast that you stand no chance of killing them without one-hit kills or some bottomless pits.
Noodle Incident: According to Sindri, Brok being forbidden from going back to Alfheim has something to do with a "juicy Nokken", but Kratos cuts him from explaining what it means.
Sadly Mythtaken: Nøkken from Norse Mythology are capricious and unpredictable water spirit creatures, whereas here they're more arboreal fairylike beings.
Shoot the Medic First: Their songs will constantly heal all enemies in the vicinity until they're dealt with.

Wisp

The manifestation of pure magic given form, birthed from raw magic springs throughout the Nine Realms.

Bad People Abuse Animals: You know these things are mean when you find them torturing innocent deer and other animals in Vanaheim.
Kung Fu-Proof Mook: None of Kratos' attacks can hurt these thing until an arrow can hit and stun them.
Made of Magic: Wisps are manifestations of errant magic unleashed upon the world with the coming of Ragnarök.
Nocturnal Mooks: Will-o-Wisps prefer the darkness of night, so you can only find them in Vanaheim when the sun has been chased over the horizon.
Untouchable Until Tagged: Will-O-Wisps are too fast for Kratos to hit with any of his normal attacks. However, Atreus is quick enough to hit them with his arrows and startle them long enough for Kratos to get one hit in, which always kills them.
Will-o'-Wisp: Like many folkloric portrayals of Will-O-Wisps, these creatures are floating spheres of light who prefer to appear in the dark of the night.

Wight

A creature made out of sentient magic formed when three Wisps fuse together, as another symptom of Fimbulwinter.

Enemy Summoner: Wraiths can summon lesser spirits like will-o-wisps mid-combat if left uninterrupted.
Our Wights Are Different: Different from some portrayals of wights, they aren't undead, but phantasmagoric apparitions made out of pure sentient magic with the sole goal of destructing every life on its sight; some translations also call them ghosts.
Resistant to Magic: The magic of Atreus' arrows does nothing to the Wraiths, fitting for a being of pure magic.
Sentient Cosmic Force: Wights are, by definition, sentient magic created when three Wisps converge into one entity.

Phantom

Chaotic beings summoned by the leaked magic of multiple runic springs.

Attack Its Weak Point: Played with - Phantoms cannot be harmed directly. Instead, once its stun gauge is filled, players must find and destroy specific energy totems tied to the Phantom and destroy those to deal actual damage to it.
Elemental Embodiment: As creatures birthed out of raw rogue magic, they are made out of and attack with either frost or fire.
Equivalent Exchange: Freya presumes that's how they came to be: since the Fimbulwinter drained magic out of curses and spells, making them get weaker, the unstable magic eventually culminates into Phantoms through enough runic springs.
Mini-Boss: They are more durable and deadly than other enemies, but are easier to take down than bosses and are found in the mid-sections of the areas.
Soul Jar: Phantoms are immune to damage, since their life-force is created by runic springs rather than being contained in themselves. As such, the only way to kill a phantom is to destroy the springs.

The Lyngbakr

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A massive whale-like creature captured and chained by Mimir in Svartalfheim as a way to gain Odin's favor by harvesting its fat for oil. After being imprisoned himself, Mimir comes to fully regret it, and tries to free it as soon as he returns to Svartalfheim ages later with Kratos and Atreus.

Adaptational Heroism: In Icelandic folklore, the lyngbakr is one of the illhveli, or "evil whales", that was the sworn enemy of sailors and sank their ships out of pure malice. Here, while retaining its island-sized proportions from mythology, it's ultimately an innocent animal that was imprisoned by the Aesir to be exploited for centuries, and even Kratos pities the creature enough to free it.
Gentle Giant: It is the size of a small island, but harmless to anyone who doesn't provoke it, peacefully floating in the bay after being unchained.
Mirror Character: Both Mimir and the Lyngbakr were chained for centuries by the Aesir, which is why he regrets what he did so much — thus, Mimir blames himself for being unable to make the creature go away and swim freely due to it getting used to its chains. However, Týr points out how Mimir doesn't blame Kratos for not being able to save the rest of his body from Odin's imprisonment, meaning that mitigating someone's pain the way you can is better than not changing anything at all.
Monster Organ Trafficking: Chained up in the bay, the Aesir exploited the Lyngbakr for its plentiful blubber which they harvested for lantern oil, while the poor creature was still alive.
Monster Whale: Averted. Despite its supernaturally large size and scary teeth, the Lyngbakr is an innocent and passive creature that, like many whales in real life, was exploited for lantern oil.
Turtle Island: Like how it is described in the Örvar-Odds saga, the Lyngbakr is so large that it can easily be mistaken for an island before it emerges, even having constructions, chests and enemies on it.

Hafgufa

Enormous flying jellyfish-like animals from the deserts of Alfheim. Atreus overhears the pain of one that got stuck in a canyon, and Kratos and his allies can go further into the realm in order to free it.

Adaptational Species Change: In Norse legends, the Hafgufa was a whale-like Sea Monster said to be the largest in the ocean, so big that it swallowed ships, whales and anything else around, to the point its nostril and lower jaw got mistaken for two massive rocks emerging from the sea by Örvar-Oddr's crew. In the game, Hafgufas are jellyfish-like instead, and inhabit the skies of Alfheim rather than Icelandic seas.
Birth-Death Juxtaposition: Hafgufas reproduce by giving part of their vitality to their offspring — the more they give, the higher chances of surviving will their children have. When the two freed Hafgufas mate, they sacrifice their lives, but countless of their children then color the skies, ensuring their species will live on. Kratos comments with Atreus or Freya about how every parent would also sacrifice a part of themselves for the sake of their children.
Flying Seafood Special: Colossal floating jellyfish that fly above Alfheim's barren lands. After the two trapped Hafgufas mated and died to ensure their children would live on, their smaller offspring started to populate the skies instead.
Unwitting Instigator of Doom: Two Hafgufas got stuck in underground caves by the Dark Elves' hive tendrils when burrowing through the sands, and thus their songs ended up causing heavy endless sandstorms in the deserts of the realm. Only when Kratos and his companions free them that the storms subside.

Kelpie

An aquatic horse-like fey kept as a pet by the Norns.

Adaptational Heroism: In Scottish folklore kelpies are usually said to kidnap and drown people near their rivers and lakes, while in the story, Mimir says they would only do it so if provoked.
The Dreaded: Mimir notes that they have a bad reputation for drowning people who get on their backs, but are actually generally quite placid... unless someone insults them.
The Fair Folk: Is not a being from Norse mythology, but a type of fairy from Celtic mythology. Mimir, himself a fairie from Scotland, is confused to see one in the territory of the Norse gods.
Hellish Horse: It can glamour itself as a black horse, but its true form is a pale horse-like creature with seaweed-like tentacles for a mane and tail, and additional tentacles extending from its shoulders.
Misplaced Wildlife: Mimir notes that they're native to his homeland — what would become the British Isles — and is confused to see one in Scandinavia.

Characters / God of War Series – Norse Monsters

Introduced in God of War (2018)

Introduced in God of War: Ragnarök

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Characters / God of War Series – Norse Monsters

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Introduced in God of War (2018)

Introduced in God of War: Ragnarök

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