God Of War's Most Overlooked Character Could Be The Villain All Along

Throughout the game, Kratos is berated by the godlike Baldur, and the murals reveal that Baldur was actually after Faye the whole time, being sent by his father Odin to collect her in order to prevent the Fimbulwinter - which in turn signals the coming of Ragnarök. The stone drawings show that Faye had originally wanted to name Atreus as Loki, with Kratos dying as Atreus births a snake. As you do.

I’ll leave that part for now, because there’s a lot of lovely big norse words here, so let’s break them down.

Laufey is a figure from Norse mythology, mother of Loki and consort of Fárbauti, her Jötunn husband whose name means 'cruel striker' or ‘dangerous hitter’. Little is known about her aside from mothering her more widely-known son, but her names and the interpretations of them describe her as being ‘full of leaves’, and combined with her husband, the two of them symbolically embody lightning, striking the leaves of a tree to give rise to fire.

That fire was Loki, a Norse god who is a shapeshifter and often known as a trickster. The stories tell that Loki certainly gets around, fathering many children including Hel of the dead, Fenrir the wolf and Jörmungandr, the world serpent, the last of which we meet in God of War 4.

God of War's Baldur was sent to find the last giant, Faye, by his Godly father, Odin, in order to prevent Ragnarök, not knowing that she was already ashes by his arrival. Baldur’s mother, Freya, fell out of love with Odin and was banished to the mortal realm, where she assists Kratos up until her son’s death at his hands, only to swear vengeance against him.

Mimir, claiming to be the smartest man alive, warns Kratos that the three-year-long winter has started, meaning Ragnarök will follow, a whole hundred years early.

Fimbulvetr comes from Old Norse, and means "Awful, great winter". It is the harsh winter that will see snow falling in all directions, without any summer in between, for three successive years. After the great winter, it is said that there will be innumerable wars, and the end of the world that will put an end to all life on earth, Ragnarök, will commence. Ragnarök will include a great battle that will lead to the deaths of all the Gods, including Odin, Thor, and Loki.

There will be countless natural disasters, and the world will become submerged in water.

This was the prophecy that the Giants foretold, of the twilight of the gods - the prophecy that Odin so desperately wanted to prevent.

Cont.