Ragnarok is just over the horizon in theGod of Waruniverse. Years after Kratos defeated the Greek gods, the Norse pantheon seems doomed to meet a similar fate when their prophesized end times come to fruition.
Fortunately forGod of Warfans, the Ragnarok of Norse mythology has some very specific steps that hint at what might be coming up in the next game. Some of these steps were already unambiguously fulfilled in 2018’sGod of War. Here’s every part of the “twilight of the gods” that has already taken place in theGod of Waruniverse, and some parts of the prophecy which remain open to interpretation.
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The Pre-Requisites of Ragnarok
The first major event leading up to Ragnarok in the myths is the death of Odin’s son,Baldur. After both Baldur and his mother Frigg have dreams of Baldur’s death, Frigg makes every object swear never to hurt her son. The only object that refuses is mistletoe. Baldur, however, becomes impervious to every other object thrown his way, and the other Norse gods make a game out of hurling dangerous objects at him and watching the god remain unharmed.
Loki, the god of mischief, then tricks the blind god Hod into hurling a spear made of mistletoe at Baldur, which kills him. In most versions, Hod is then killed as punishment while Loki is imprisoned beneath the earth with a snake dripping venom on his face, leading to earthquake-causing fits of agony. It is also said that Faye, who is Loki’s mother, will return home near the beginning of Ragnarok (which she does in the form of ash).
God of Wardraws a lot from this story, though the specific execution is quite different. Baldur is still blessed with invulnerability, butAtreus' mistletoe arrows break the spell rather than directly causing the god’s death. Kratos is personally responsible for Baldur’s death when he snaps his neck, but the death of the once invulnerable god remains the main harbinger of Ragnarok.
In both versions, Baldur’s death triggers Fimbulwinter, a three year-long winter which immediately precedes Ragnarok. In Norse mythology, Fimbulwinter wipes out all life in Midgard aside from the gods and two humans,Lif and Lifthrasir. This couple survives by hiding in a wood called Hoddmimis holt, sometimes interpreted to be inside of the world tree. They then emerge after Ragnarok to repopulate the world.
Fimbulwinter begins at the end of 2018’sGod of War, though just how barren it will leave the game’s version of Midgard remains to be seen. There aren’t many mortal characters in theGod of Warseries, so it is possible thatFimbulwinterwill also wipe out a lot of the life in Midgard between the next two games without killing off any of the main characters.
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Thor’s Arrival And Loki’s Imprisonment
After Fimbulwinter, Loki is said to escape from his prison underground, and goes on to lead the giants into battle against theother Norse gods. It’s unclear if this part of the prophecy will ever come true inGod of War’s version of events. The mythological Loki is bound in the entrails of one of his children, and his wife Sigyn tends to him in his prison. Neither of these aspects align with Atreus' age in the games.
It is Thor’s eventual arrival on the scene that immediately precedes Loki’s capture and binding in some versions of the myths. Thor’s arrival at theend of 2018’sGod of Warafter his notable absence from the rest of the game may be fulfilling that part of the story.
Otherwise, however, it seems this part of the prophecy will be skipped. It is also possible thatGod of War’s Ragnarok sequel will involve some form of time travel likeGod of War 2that could allow the storytellers to go back and realize this part of the prophecy in a way that more closely resembles the myths. InGod of War, it is hinted that Odin had Tyr imprisoned or possibly killed after discovering that he had helped the giants hide the gates toJotunheim. It could be the case that Tyr’s imprisonment in theGod of Waruniverse may in some way take the place of Loki’s imprisonment in the myths.
The World Serpent Time Loop
There are a few otherparts of the Ragnarok prophecywhich appear to have already taken place from the perspective of certain time-travelling characters inGod of War. In the myths, Thor is prophesized to succumb to the poison of the World Serpent during Ragnarok after delivering a mortal wound to the creature.
InGod of War, however, Mimir says that during the final fight between Thor and the World Serpent, the god of thunder will hit the giant with such strength that it will splinter the World Tree and send the World Serpent back in time. This implies that the World Serpent thatKratos and Atreusmeet in the 2018 game already mortally wounded Thor in the future, but was sent back in time, creating a loop.
God of Waralso references this time loop when Mimir says that Thor and the World Serpent “have a bit of an unpleasant history between them, or they will anyway.” A time loop could also explain the fact that the World Serpent and Fenrir - the wolf who will devour Odin - already exist in theGod of Waruniverse despite beingLoki’s childrenin the myths.
The World Serpent’s shrine in-game has a series of runes on it that describe the creature as a “son of Loki.” This makes it seem likely that some of the events necessary for Ragnarok - like the births of Fenrir andthe World Serpent- will happen in the next game, but due to time travel have also already taken place from the perspective of characters like the World Serpent by the time of 2018’sGod of War.
This could mean that many more of the events which precede Ragnarok but which appear not to have taken place yet in 2018’sGod of Warhave actually already been fulfilled as part of this time loop. If time travel is involved an older version ofAtreus/Lokimay already be imprisoned somewhere, for example. The storytellers will have to handle this carefully to avoid things becoming too confusing. However, it could mean that many more of the early parts of the Ragnarok prophecy, or the events necessarily preceding them, have already taken place by the time Thor confronts Kratos and Atreus at the end of Fimbulwinter.
God of War Ragnarokis currently in development and scheduled for a 2021 launch.
