Sindri will become Bes from Egyptian mythology
So we have a short, bushy-bearded Norse dwarf leaving the remaining Eight Realms. If Atreus were to head to Egypt to look for surviving giants, Sindri may follow him out of revenge (possibly as a Starter Villain or a Greater-Scope Villain) before eventually Going Native and honouring the memory of his brother as the protector of new lives (read: souls). Still, Sindri would need to get fatter and more tan-skinned to look like the typical depiction of Bes (and Bes is thought to be a god imported from Nubia, let alone Europe).
Thor will provoke Kratos to engage him in battle
Thor may be a short-tempered and gluttonous bastard, but, when it gets personal, even people like him can temporarly suppress their rage to catch their foes off guard. Thor will pay a visit to Kratos and Atreus on behalf of Odin and treat them neutrally at first (after all, he's aware Kratos is strong enough to kill Aesir gods and finding a weakness is for him top priority). In order to not escalate the situation, Kratos will ask Atreus to hide Mimir somewhere inside the house and only then he will let Thor in. After that Thor will "calmly" recap the reasons why he has bad blood with Kratos (i.e. his sons' death as well as Baldur's demise), but Kratos will attempt to solve things diplomatically (they all attacked him first and he fought back). In that moment, Thor will provoke Kratos by calling him "Ghost of Sparta" or mentioning his reputation as a god killer in front of Atreus to twist the knife in the wound. Kratos' Rage Breaking Point will make Thor feel justified to fight back and start the battle from the trailer.
- Semi-Jossed. Thor does initially pay Kratos and Atreus a visit at Odin's behest at the very beginning of the game, but remains polite during the brief time they spend alone. He offers to share mead with Kratos, who then invites him in, and they begin to talk after having put down their weapons. Odin, when he arrives, is the one to bring up the deaths of Magni, Modi, and Baldur (and calls out Mimir, whom Atreus did in fact try to hide) and it's only when Kratos rejects his offer for peace that he finally signals Thor to attack.
- Turns out, provoking Kratos into a fight is Heimdall's job.
The Leviathan Axe will become the Lævateinn
The Lævateinn is a weapon crafted by Loki, and is usually described as being a wand or a spear. In either this game or the next, the Leviathan Axe will be broken, possibly by having its blade shattered or snapped off, and Atreus/Loki will use its remains to create the Lævateinn.
The main piece of evidence hinting to this? The names. The Leviathan is a creature that didn't exist in Norse mythology; Jörmungandr is its equivalent, but then why not name it the Jörmungandr Axe? It simply makes no sense for the developers to name it the Leviathan Axe, but they've said they chose the name for a reason. The logical explanation could be that Leviathan sounds pretty close to Lævateinn and the Leviathan Axe takes the place of the Lævateinn or will become the Lævateinn; likely the latter, since Atreus/Loki will possibly be the one to craft it. The weapon may be renamed, or it could have its name distorted by one of the Asgardians and the new name sticks.
Players will eventually be able to wield Mjolnir
Considering the previous game introduced a new weapon for Kratos to use, it seems likely the sequel will follow suit. Furthermore, with the Blades of Chaos being associated with fire and the Leviathan Axe with ice, it's only logical this new weapon would be associated with a different element. Mjolnir's association with lightning would make it the obvious choice.
- Jossed. Thrud becomes the new owner of the hammer.
Thor being fat is him having gone into a case of Drowning My Sorrows
After hearing of his sons and brother’s death, people he thought fated to survive him as well as unable to die, he spent the last several years drinking and eating his health away until Freyja points him to the man responsible.- Semi-Jossed. When Jormungandr eats Thor's statue in the previous game, Mimir flat-out refers to Thor as a "fat dobber", but it's implied that he has really let himself go from his depression and grief over his sons' deaths, including neglecting his personal grooming and putting on more weight.
Thor loses weight over the course of the game
Even when he's fat and out of shape, the God of Thunder still puts up a hell of a fight, though each time he comes back, he looks much slimmer until the final time where he's at peak physical health, better than even Kratos in his youth.- Jossed. He retains his bulk throughout the whole game.
Durlin is Odin in disguise.
It’s been suggested that Durlin is actually Odin, based on the ideas that his monocle is actually his missing eye and his pet octopus (an eight armed creature) is actually his eight legged horse Sleipnir.- Jossed. Durlin is a member of Odin's inner circle and works with him reluctantly, and when Odin does disguise himself to manipulate the heroes, it's not as him.
One of the sled dogs in the trailer is named Fenrir
In the original myths, Loki had a son who is a wolf named Fenrir. In the game, he'll probably be just a pet who is treated like a son.- Jossed. Santa Monica Studio's official account confirmed that the sled wolves are called Speki and Svanna. Fenrir is a different pet wolf that is on the verge of death by the game's start.
The Frog Men enemies encountered in Nidavellir/Svartalfheim in the gameplay trailer are Vodyanoy
Vodyanoy
are mischievous water spirits from Slavic Mythology that often have the appearance of men with frog faces. While they aren't Norse, the previous game also used creatures from other regions of Europe, such as Tatzelwurms and Wulvers. Thor won't be THAT antagonistic, at first at the begining of the game
Well, killing Thor in the first scene would be anticlimatic. He won't be happy at all with having his two children killed, but he will come, to talk, and put the things clear before swinging hammers and axes. Maybe even calling for a formal duel! And having pretty much a lot of the myths of the game before as propaganda. As seen from the latest Ragnarok trailer, Thor and Kratos eerily seem to have a VERY similar fighting style to each other, implying that, despite being from different realms, Kratos and Thor have a strikingly-mirrored "legend-type status" of both their kill count and reputation, giving Kratos a small pause in which he agrees with him, and while Kratos doesn't mind if he dies in combat with Thor, that doesn't mean he'll let him kill Atreus to spite Kratos and his son's prior killing of his two sons in the previous story.- Semi-Confirmed. Thor is understandably threatening and pissed-off towards the duo, but it's presented in a sympathetic light, and he expresses his respect towards Kratos when the latter hits his Rage-Breaking Point when he implies Odin intends to use Atreus. He's quite polite and mannerly towards them when sitting down for peace talks, much more so than Odin, and whilst he makes it clear that he's very unhappy when forced to work alongside Atreus later on, he does defend him and even starts to ease up slightly against him before Sif reminds him of what Atreus took from him. By the Final Battle, his participation in the fighting is framed as a desperate attempt to protect his remaining family and home from invaders endangering them rather than pure malice towards Kratos and Atreus like Hiemdall had, and he's eventually talked down by Kratos after a protracted fight because of their shared desire to be better for the sake of their kids.
Something will happen to remove Odin's spells against Freyja
According to Mimir, Odin placed powerful curses against Freyja, some preventing her from leaving Midgard (as seen when she's forcibly pulled back after exiting the Realm Travel Tower), others preventing her from attacking people physically (she still carries her sword, but states to Atreus "[she] no longer has need of [her arrows]"). However, in the trailer, she's seen lunging at Kratos and attacking him with her sword. Will she also be able to track them across the realms as well?- Confirmed. Thanks to the corroding effects on magic because of Fimbulwinter, Freya managed to reaquire her warrior spirit and valkyrie wings offscreen, with aid from Sigrun as well and helping her remove the curses binding her to Midgard is an in game plot mission.
Kratos will finally be free from the ashes of his family by the end of the game
It's been confirmed Kratos' skin is slightly less white in the newest installments due to the ashes fading out of his skin, possibly because of him learning to become a better person. So it is possible that Kratos learns an important lesson in a climatic moment and see the ashes of his family leaving him for good, freeing him of his curse and giving an end to his character arc of humility and empathy.- Semi-Confirmed. The ashes of his family don't disappear, but he does manage to finally come to terms with all of his bloody past and his responsibility in causing it, and resolves to become a better person and God going forward, finally taking steps to move past the 'Ghost of Sparta' that is defined by his ashen skin and past murdering of his family to all who see him. By the game's end, he seems a mural of himself as a Hope Bringer to Midgard, causing him to nearly break down in tears at getting some confirmation that he can be good despite all of his sins.
Odin will remain The Ghost until either the start of the next game, or the end of this one.
Provided the above WMG about Durlin being Odin isn't true, we won't physically see Odin until either early in the next game or at the end of this one. This can work the other way as well. If Durlin is Odin, it'll be a Wham Shot reveal at the end of this game setting him up for the final part of the trilogy. Showing he's more of a threat than Zeus as everyone is scared of him... except Atreus.- Jossed, he's the Big Bad of this game.
Atreus/Loki will get Shock and Awe related powers.
Upon closer look, during the scene when Atreus slips into Spartan Rage for the first time in the last game, on Atreus' upper torso and arms, there appears to be more of a red static electricity effect than a flame effect, unlike Kratos'. Similarly to the theory that was going around that Atreus caused a thunderstorm when he was ranting to Sindri, another loud effect plays when Atreus activates his Spartan Rage, slightly different in pitch than Kratos' Spartan Rage activation sound. Almost like thunder. Also, Most people assume that it's linked to the undead mass spawning, Thor, or Modi, but what if that red storm immediately after Atreus displays his Spartan Rage was actually caused by Atreus manifesting his power for the first time? He also shows an affinity for electricity when he easily stuns Kratos with a seemingly measly arrow from his bow during the scene before he gets kidnapped. It all adds up, even if it would be odd for Thor to show up, Kratos to get Mjolnir, AND for Atreus to get electric powers.- Jossed. Atreus gets sonic and enchanted arrows as well as controlling his emotions to turn into animals, but he gets no electric powers.
Thor’s daughter, Thrud, will be a boss of the game, or even his sidekick.
She’s already been obliquely mentioned in the first game, and in mythology might very well be the Valkyrie with the same name from the mythos. Players have already faced off against Thor’s sons and will be facing the “fat gobber” himself, so the daughter is next. She may even be teamed with her father for a fight against Kratos and Atreus.- jossed and confirmed. She's not a boss, let alone a Valkyrie, but she remains on good terms with Atreus until Ragnarok, when she briefly takes the side of the Aesir.
Atreus will learn about what Kratos did to his wife and daughter
At some point during the game Atreus will learn about Kratos murdering Lysandra and Calliope causing friction between Father and Son.- Alternatively, as a sign of Character Development, Kratos will tell Atreus about them of his own free will and admit the events that led to their deaths and as a result his ascension. Kratos will especially focus on how Calliope was very much nowhere near the Spartan ideal as a way to get through to Atreus about how much he cares for his son.
- Jossed, but partly confirmed. It's Freya the first Norse character apart from Mimir who learns the truth about Kratos' family.
Kratos will die part way through the game and the rest will focus on Atreus having to get ready to deal with the Aesir out for his blood.
For bonus points there will be a Time Skip that will lead to a fully grown Atreus who will have mastered his powers.- Semi-Jossed. This game does have several chapters where Atreus is playable, and he experiences the understandable animosity that some Aesir have towards him for his status as a Giant and past killing of Modi, but Kratos never permanently dies for that to happen, nor is there any Time Skip, counting some moments wherein events happened to either Kratos or Atreus whilst the game focused on the other. There is a Fission Mailed sequence during the first fight with Thor wherein he smacks Kratos to the ground and to the loading screen, before using his hammer to restart his heart and continue the fight, but that's as close as kratos canonically gets to dying.
Freya will make a deal with Odin for a chance to kill Kratos
And Odin will betray the terms of their deal for his own ambitions, likely trying to kill Atreus when Freya only wants Kratos dead.- Jossed, Odin becomes her main target after forgiving Kratos.
Freya will ultimately be the reason Kratos dies
And she'll find that Vengeance Feels Empty, especially if it makes things a lot worse. Atreus in particular will be tempted to try and kill her, possibly going into a Spartan Rage, but ultimately won't go through with it because Kratos wanted to save her life. He'll make it clear though that it's in his father's memory that he's sparing her, not his own choices.- Jossed, she eventually grows out of her hatred to Kratos.
Atreus will be taught in this game by Tyr, Surtur and a penitent Freya
Not only will he learn new magic but he'll also start to understand the different views of all the races so he can make the best choice possible.- Semi-Confirmed. He's given advice by Tyr on what kind of God/person he wants to be and how he should react to the present situation, but this is actually Odin in disguise using the opportunity to manipulate him for his plans. Surtr does given Atreus some small talk on the nature of having a One True Love and the lengths you go to for them, but they don't meet long enough for much more than that. Freya seems to give him some advise as well, but it's not presented as a major focus, and a large part of Atreus' portion of the game is him learning to become his own person, different from 'Loki' or Kratos.
Atreus will kill Odin
But he'll spare the rest of the Aesir, as a way of showing that he will be better than Kratos. Atreus will leave them be so long as they cause no more havoc but if they ever forget that the world doesn't exist just for them, then he will return...- In a way. Atreus transfers Odin's soul in a magic marble, but it's Sindri the one to smash the artifact with his hammer, dissolving Odin's essence once and for all.
Atreus will try to get advice about romancing Angrboda from Kratos
And it will be one of the funniest things in the entire series.- Jossed, despite undertaking a journey together at the end of the game, they never reveal their feelings to each other.
- Mimir also confirms to Kratos that at some point he gave Atreus romantic advice. It is pretty funny.
The game will end in the modern day with Atreus and Angrboda still alive
And he'll be safeguarding humanity against the monsters and myths of the Pantheons of old.- Jossed
Atreus will try to wield the Blades of Chaos
But he won't be able to use them because of Wrong Context Magic.- Jossed, he keeps his bow but he learns to use it as a melee weapon.
Arteus will taunt Thor about the death of Modi
It will be a Batman Gambit to turn things in his favor but it will still be unnerving because of how out of character he'll be acting during it.- Jossed. Thor is understandably very pissed at Atreus for his son's death and makes it clear he still intends to enact his Blood debt from him too, even after smacking Kratos around and settling his portion with that. Atreus therefore keeps trying to get on Thor's good side when Odin sends them on missions together to find the mask pieces, especially since he comes to like Thrud, and wants to improve her situation with her family. The closest he gets to running a Batman Gambit on Thor is sending him to try out the trials of Muspilhiem whilst they're searching it so he can access the secret door in Surtr's shrine. In fact, reminding Thor of his sons whilst Atreus is nearby almost leads to him killing him.
Felicia Day will potray Faye.
Her role in the Myths of Midgard trailer was indeed as Kratos' late wife and Atreus' mother Faye aka Laufey the Just. Much like Lysandra, Kratos will encounter her in the afterlife in some form; bonus points if Faye ends up being an illusion he sees just like he did with Lysandra.- Jossed. Cory Barlog has stated that Felicia Day does not play Faye.
We'll once again visit Helheim
Since it's Norse Mythology's version of the underworld, it'll fit the Once an Episode theme of visiting it in every game (save 2) and we already went there last game.- Seemingly confirmed in the story trailer, in which Kratos is seen once again in Helheim.
- Confirmed.
Kratos will lose a hand
The september trailer has Tyr holding one of the blades of chaos in one hand and Kratos' hand in the other. Kratos will need to sever a hand for whatever reason, taking on an aspect of the mythiological Tyr, much like the last game had him take an aspect of Odin in regards to Mimir.- Jossed, he retains both hands throughout the whole game.
Odin will try to negotiate with and make peace with Kratos, only for Kratos to refuse, causing Odin to act antagonistic and send Thor and other Aesir Gods at him
We've seen in the september trailer that Odin appears in Kratos's home and he at first speaks rather appealingly, remarking Kratos doesn't wish for war, before suddenly getting angry and spitefully declaring Kratos knows nothing of being a god, which means it may well have taken place before Thor came to attack Kratos. Perhaps Odin, realizing it's not only extremely difficult to kill Kratos after what happened to Baldur, Magni, and Modi, but also unwise because he's reached Jotunheim and would have seen secrets of Ragnarok, may decide the best course of action is to try to make an alliance with Kratos to work with him to stop Ragnarok. That would explain why he came himself rather than having Thor or other powerful Aesir gods to back him up, to portray the image of wanting peace.Atreus would freak out seeing Odin, while Mimir may be spiteful and make subtle taunts at Odin, but Odin would probably either ignore Atreus at first, or look at him curiously before moving on to Kratos, perhaps showing a brief amount of rage or being cold to Mimir. They talk, Odin tries to make Kratos see his reason by saying he doesn't want war and all the blood that comes with it. Kratos probably remains stoic and silent at the All-Father's words, so Odin then proposes they either work together to stop Ragnarok or Kratos tells him what he saw in Jotunheim and make a vow that he would not move against the Aesir, promising he'll leave Kratos, Atreus, and Mimir in peace, possibly even promising to resurrect Faye with magic, if he agrees to the terms.
Kratos briefly thinks about it, but Mimir adamantly opposes Odin's deal, they argue about Mimir "betraying" Odin and Odin being... Well, Odin. And so Kratos ultimately decides to tell Odin to piss off, that they won't go to war with Asgard as long as Odin doesn't do anything to them. And that's when things start to fall apart. Odin leaves empty-handed, and reminds Kratos he had made a mistake and should consider his offer, that he'll send warnings to him.
- Semi-Confirmed. The opening of the game has Odin show up with Thor as muscle to try and convince Kratos to continue being a Retired Monster whilst Ragnarok happens, as Odin believes he can avert it without needless bloodshed if he can find and complete the mask, using the murder of their kin and the Blood Debts owed to try and convince him to accept their offer or suffer the consequences. However, Kratos refuses despite the tempting offer becuase Odin also offers to 'take care of' Freya as a bonus, leading to Odin letting Thor engage in a beatdown on Kratos. However, it's implied this was a Batman Gambit of Odin's, as he uses the time Kratos is absent to offer Atreus entry into Asgard as the first step in manipulating him, and is counting on his insistence of Tyr's death to trick the duo into thinking finding him is the best option to thwart Odin, allowing him to disguise himself as 'Tyr' and manipulate them into aiding him without them knowing. Furthermore, it turns out Atreus' gift of languages as a god is necessary for Odin to find the other mask pieces, meaning he would have come for the boy one way or another to avert Ragnarok, meaning antagonising Kratos was unavoidable, so Odin did so in the most pragmatic method he could to still achieve his goals without seeming to be unreasonable about it.
Odin is Zeus
We've seen Zeus's face in previous game, even though events of Greek era mostly factor not in Norse era. Odin being Zeus will make the entire Ragnarok even more personal for Kratos... and also establish closer family ties between the main cast.- Perhaps every top god (Zeus, Odin, etc.) is an aspect of one being, who has taken umbrage with Kratos (and by extension Atreus) for killing its Greek aspect.
- Jossed. Odin is aware of what happened in Greece, but he remains a distinct figure and he doesn't even mention his Greek counterpart.
The magical mask with infinite knowledge that Odin was researching is related to God
Odin claims that inside the portal he explored was a key to infinite knowledge. It's not just knowing the deepest secrets of the universe, but knowing every possible future before it happens. Tyr claims that the portal was so ancient that not even the best minds of either Vanir or Asgardian knew who created it. But everyone's best guess is that the very power of creation itself lies beyond the portal, and this is why it grants infinite knowledge. Everyone who tried to peer into it went insane from the chaotic visions they saw, including Odin himself. What if this portal is a tear in the fabric of space time, left over from when God created the cosmos? God of War has strayed from touching Christianity, despite some writers intending it years ago, so imagine a creative energy that transcends the knowledge of all current mythologies/pantheons, and it's tied to a creator God none of them can understand. It would make for a good Sequel Hook.- Alternatively, it's tied to significantly darker forces.
Alternatively, related to the above, the mask and portal actually belong to Lovecraftian Mythology
An eldritch-like, sinister looking portal that drove men, including Odin himself, into madness just from trying to peer into it sounds very much like something from the Cthulhu Mythos. Perhaps Odin tried to seek knowledge from the Old Ones, who really could not care less about what he wanted. One day, Atreus will name his first son Brok
Just as Atreus was named in honor of a Spartan Warrior that Kratos still held dear to his heart, this would be Atreus' way of honoring his broken friendship with Sindri, in remembrance of their mutual sorrow for the loss of Brok.The storyline involving the mask is a deconstruction of the modification and building-upon of myths over the centuries.
The mask is somehow connected to Atreus (who we now know to be known by another name), although he has no idea what it is or where it came from. In the end, he decides he wants nothing to do with it and throws it through a portal. One day, Stanley Ipkiss finds the Mask of Loki... The next game will finally head to the Far East
Whether it's in China or Japan, Kratos, Atreus and co. will end up in a war against another pantheon. Bonus points if Thrúd joins the team. Sindri will undergo a Face–Heel Turn
Kratos came down on Atreus when he began acting aggressively. He does not do the same with Sindri when the latter begins to loath his former friends. Perhaps he knows that he cannot change Sindri's mind. But at any rate, we will probably see Sindri become a villain in the next game, if there is another one. Athena is the one who led Odin to explore the portal
As she exists in an astral, ghostly form, who’s to say she wouldn’t be able to whisper the idea of unlocking the portals secrets without Odin consciously knowing? Perhaps her plan was to use through Odin’s eyes and gain the knowledge that lies within for herself. After all, the goddess of wisdom would be able to make great use of infinite knowledge. The Fake Athena was Odin.
It makes too much sense.How could Athena survive when she died with her full divine power going critical and destroying/banishing her soul? Why is her spirit self so ludicrously and wildly different from her living self? Why was her explanation about her survival and ascension so weird and out-of-place? How does she constantly follow Kratos and send messages without being recognized while also taking care of Pandora (hint: Huginn and Muninn)? How has she convinced Pandora not to freak out at the many monstrous deaths of mortals inflicted by pretty much everyone else? And why does she seem so nonchalant about the total destruction of everything she once adored and built with her own wisdom, yet completely loses her shit the moment she loses manipulation of Kratos?
And, oh yeah, how the Hel does she visit Kratos in Scandanavia, especially since she's supposedly a spirit and the Greek magic she needs to sustain her form would be practically non-existent? In fact, why would she visit Kratos after centuries instead of focusing on rebuilding an empire in the ruined Mediterranean?
We know Odin can take many guises. We learn he has resorted to disguising himself as a woman if it'll get him what he wants. And we know that a war between Gods and Titans would have presented him with a unique opportunity to steal their greatest weapons and even gain a foothold over a new realm.
It's genius. And ironically, if this were his greatest triumph - total destruction of his biggest threat, their potential usurpers, and pretty much the entire Greek empire - it ended up becoming his fitting ultimate doom.
Atreus and Angrboda will have a daughter in the future who becomes Hel
Ragnarok did a very clever thing where Atreus and Angrboda become Jormungandr and Fenrir's metaphorical/symbolic parents rather than literally. One of their children from the myths is missing though, which would be Hel. Hel was the most human-looking of Loki and Angrboda's children, except she was often described as half her face being a corpse's face. Because she was still the most "normal" of their children, however, this likely means that Hel will become Atreus and Angrboda's actual biological child in the future, and she will likely be designed as fully human, with the "half corpse face" not happening until she becomes a ruler in Hel (if it does at all, Santa Monica can design her however they wish, after all). The second thing in favor of this is a post-ending conversation where Mimir mentions that while he was with Hildisvini in Helheim, Hræsvelgr mentioned that it eventually would want to retire. Kratos, Freya and Mimir discuss in confusion "Who would take over such a job?" Most likely, Atreus/Loki's child, Hel, will, and this simple conversation was foreshadowing to that.- Similarly to Atreus, his daughter would have a different name, "Hel" only becoming her name/title as a ruler in Helheim.
- Perhaps Atreus and Angrboda will name their child Calliope.
The Travelers are immigrants from Arthurian Britain.
Not only are they explicitly described as having come from outside the Nine Realms, but their armor and their swords are strongly reminiscent of knights, which would strongly imply that "The Path" is in fact the knighthood of medieval Europe. While the Travelers are vaguely mentioned as having a connection to Asgard, and "The Path" is subtly revealed to have been manufactured by Odin to find a way into Jötunheim, it is not out of the question that they originally strayed from the Round Table into the Nine Realms. A future game will feature Celtic mythology as it transitions into Arthurian legend.
Mimir is confirmed to have originated there and with either Kratos or Atreus' help, he will become involved in the rise of Arthur and his knights, perhaps he'll even turn out to be Merlin himself. More then that, it will be the version of the legend alluded to in the backstory for The Order: 1886, providing that series a second chance through a Shared Universe prequel more steeped in the supernatural.- Or Atreus becomes Merlin.
The series will focus on Atreus and Angrboda as they enter the realm of Celtic myths.
Related to the above, it would make the most sense for the franchise to adopt a Celtic setting in terms of location (Ireland would be a brief leap from Norway, compared to the already-hinted-at mythologies of Asia or South America). At the end of Ragnarök, Loki and Angrboda leave in search for their fellow Jötnar, which leads them overseas to a place where they are known as "Fomorians". Atreus/Loki attains his third cross-mythological identity of Cú Chulainn with his triple heritage, retroactively turning Kratos/Fárbauti into Lugh the long-handed (renowned for his proficiency with a spear, which can be Draupnir). As with Loki's and Angrboda's "children", Mimir assumes the symbolic role of Kratos's father figure as Dian Cécht. Alternately, Kratos becomes the Dagda, appropriately associated with manliness and strength, but also magic and wisdom. This is not only cemented by the Dagda's image as a huge man with a beard, but also the prophecy in the hidden mural on the shrine at the end of the game, where Kratos finally discards his reputation as a war god in order to assume the pedestal of a revered ruler. Such a passive position could allow for an adult Atreus to take charge as the new protagonist, while Kratos acts in a more supportive role halfway behind the scenes. For bonus points, this would turn either Freya or Laufey (post-humously) into the Morrígan. The original plan for the franchise will go out the window in favor of universe featuring a Alternate HistoricalFantasy universe
Years ago when the series first started, the endgame goal was to have Kratos travel to all the various lands and kill the hell out of everything mythological paving the way for Christianity. Given the game ends with most of the beings from Norse mythology still alive and Kratos has well and truly moved on from his attitude, this sets things up for a unique world where the mythologies still exist. The coming instalments will take a split approach in order to cover the plethora of untouched mythologies.
After parting ways with his son and future daughter-in-law, Kratos decides to return south(-east). Seeing that Greece is being rebuilt and not in need of aid, he continues beyond and lands in Egypt. Ultimately absolved of his past sins, Kratos loses the ashes of his family on his skin during the long journey, and thereby his persona of the Ghost of Sparta, allowing him to pass somewhat in terms of appearance (like his pale skin allowed him to pass in the north). Due to his new reputation preceding him, Kratos becomes the golden-skinned paragon depicted in the last shrine and assumes the name Horus. Jormungandr is a girl
If one looks closely at the marble that Atreus and Angrboda use on the souless snake that becomes Jormungandr, it is the one that was seen earlier labeled "Hroðr", who according to the original Norse myths was female, an advesary of Thor, and also the mother of Tyr. Jörmungandr is Apep/Apophis
When Jörmi is sent back in time by Thor's Mjölnir strike during Ragnarök, he/it is also locally displaced at first, allowing him/it to come in contact with a significantly older mythology than those already established. Upon briefly landing in Western Asia, Jörmungandr formed the basis of Egyptian mythology as its version of Chaos via (appropriately) the chaos effect. Kratos would eventally become the Immortal Warrior Santa Claus as seen in Violent Night
This would explain Santa Claus' unaging immortality, subconcious propensity to alcoholism and vulgarity, not to mention his formidable skills as a warrior. It was an unspecified number of centuries that Kratos spent in Iceland after the reviled God of War left Greece in shame for his war crimes before he started to change for the better, and no doubt he still had a long way to go even after saving the Nine Realms from Ragnarok to becoming a truly good person. In the centuries that followed, as belief and memories of the Greek Gods he slew dissapeared, the ashes of his murdered wife-and-daughter Lassandra and Calliope, as well the red sigils tattooed in memory for failing his brother Deimos finally faded. So too did the might of being born the son of Zeus eventually fade, leaving only his longevity. Adopting the mantle of Santa The God of Hope, Kratos takes the mortal name of Nicomund and Icelandic Norse Tatoos to honor and embrace his new Icelandic Heritage, marries for a third time to a Christian Shieldmaiden who became Mrs Claus (and possibly converting to her religion), finally laying down his past as The Ghost of Sparta and finding peace.Ragnarok is supposed to fight for whoever blows Gjallarhorn - and Odin really wanted this power.
This would explain why the very artifact meant to cause the apocalypse was so poorly protected. Gjallarhorn is some kind of purple geode with the outer shell of a horn, and represents the end of realms. Likely something that would be found at the Spark of the World, the birthplace of realms. The thing is, Ragnarok hadn't been 'born' yet - it was prophesized to be born at the Spark. In theory, Odin's original plan was to intentionally goad the nine realms into a slow-boiling escalation to war, meaning the resistance would eventually steal the horn from Heimdall (likely killing him, which Odin might have planned for all along), but would also bicker and debate on whether or not to create a world-destroying monster right up until Odin's loyalist Valkyries swooped in and killed them all during the ritual, retrieving the horn and blowing it right then and there to cement dominance over Ragnarok itself.There was just one little hitch: Groa's false prophecy meant Odin had to scramble during the homestretch, and his greed / lack of contingency meant he tried to gamble for all the goodies and lost. The Valkyries were ordered to kill Kratos but spare Atreus (who was even more integral to Odin's plans), instead of focusing on killing them both or stealing the Gjallarhorn, which meant they had too many handicaps and lost. Kratos wasn't ambushed earlier in the level by a larger force because Odin still wanted that damn Ragnarok.- That said, Heimdall isn't that bad a person to entrust with the Gjallarhorn. He's totally loyal to Odin so he'll never willingly let anyone else have it, and his foresight abilities mean that he can see any attempted theft coming and react accordingly, while hiding it somewhere runs the risk of somebody figuring out how to defeat the defenses while Odin isn't aware of it. Had the Norns not told Kratos about Heimdall's intent to kill Atreus, thus allowing him to plan for fighting Heimdall and develop a counter for his foresight, Gjallarhorn would've been safe.
The Norse Fates manipulated the timeline to prevent Kratos and by extension the Player from horribly killing them as they knew Kratos's fate as a revised God to overthrow Odin was inevitable, as well as the first intension of fighting them. They weren't afraid of Odin, they were scared-shitfilled by Kratos!
Odin wanted Freya to use the Curse of Invulnerability on him so he could look into The Rift.
Freya mentions that the original reason her marriage with Odin collapsed was due to her refusing to use the spell she'd cast on Baldur to give him Complete Immortality on Odin. Seeing what had happened to Baldur, Odin would've probably had a very good reason to seek such a spell despite its severe drawbacks. Assuming all this happened after his original attempt to use The Rift cost him his right eye, he may have believed that Freya's spell would allow him to power through the backlash unharmed and utilize whatever was inside. Given how violently he reacts to Freya's refusal, to the point of going cold and allowing their relationship to completely deteriorate despite genuinely loving her, if The Rift was indeed his motive, this further highlights his insane obsession with it and his self-destructive desperation to access whatever knoweldge he believes is inside. When looking into the tear, Odin saw God.
When he peered into the tear, he lost his eye as a result, implying that whatever he saw was so powerful that it burned out his eye just from gazing on it. Considering a mural in God of War 3 seems to depict the Three Wise Men journeying towards Bethlehem, the existence of the Christian God in this universe is not entirely out of the question, and people who are not angels being harmed by gazing directly on His true face after the fall of man is something that has happened. So with this idea in mind, perhaps Odin witnessed God's true glory through the tear for just a brief moment, and due to being unworthy was injured in the process, perhaps as a warning that he didn't listen to, resulting in him becoming obsessed with the tear. The theme of Valhalla is about on so you can let go.
One consistent trait throughout the series is that anything extremely powerful stays dead while mortals and those who have relinquished their power (even temporarily) can be brought back to life, especially Kratos and even Odin. The implication is that the price of power is the risk of loss, but those who have little to lose have much to gain. Valhalla has honed this into a science; when Kratos first arrives, he's relieved of his strongest gear and the stats needed to use his weapons, but can then gain new powers and even stronger potential through each run. Meanwhile, he retains his godly weapons because they represent the sacrifices and losses he has let go throughout his life; Faye for the axe, Calliope for the blades, and Brok for the spear. Finding permanent upgrades requires going through trials of great gain and great loss, learning to accept the frequent loss of great powers in exchange for a firm grasp on small strengths.