#Norse god of war license

It wouldn't be a God of War game without puzzle mechanics, but along with the classic whirring blades and squishing blocks the game has worked in a niche piece of Norse culture. But men are known to use it as well notably, both Loki and Odin are said to have practised seiðr while in female form, although this is considered a source of shame.

It's primarily associated with women practitioners of magic, for example the goddess Freyja introduces the magical craft to the Aesir. In the myth it's a pretty neutral form of magic, although it is heavily gendered.

In the game seiðr is straight-up evil, being used by undead revenants and exploding wizards. Seiðr is alluded to often in Norse literature, and is a vaguely defined form of magic. This turns up pretty early in the game, with multiple enemies wielding the evil power of seiðr (pronounced say-thur) against Kratos and son. But Odin doesn't want to lose a good adviser, so he brings the head of Mimir back to life and frequently consults him on important matters, e.g. Not by Kratos (surprise surprise) but by the Vanir, the rival tribe to the Aesir. In addition, Mimir's head really does get lopped off. He also owns a magic well, into which Odin drops his own eye. In the old Norse poems it's mentioned that he provides counsel to Odin. In the mythology too, he is a useful source of advice. Mimir acts as a useful exposition-man, feeding Kratos information about the world of Norse gods. Just your friendly neighborhood tree-prisoner. He's the tree dude who asks Kratos to cut off his head. MimirĪ little-loved mainstay of Norse myth, you'll have spotted Mimir in the trailers for the game. The conflict is eventually resolved with a sort of hostage exchange, with Vanir gods going to live with the Aesir and vice versa. The Aesir are led by Odin, while the Vanir include the likes the Norse goddess of beauty and fertility Freyja, and Njord, god of the sea. This is a central part of Norse mythology, which is still shrouded in mystery. The Aesir-Vanir conflictĪs you journey through Midgard as Kratos, you'll start to notice references to the Aesir-Vanir war. Still, the God of War version of draugr is just as fun. Draugr were corporeal undead, given to hanging around grave mounds or occasionally riding the roofs of people's houses. In the old Icelandic, draugr translates to something like ghost, but really they're more like zombies. You may remember Draugr from Skyrim, and arguably The Elder Scrolls was closer to the mark. They look sort of like tree demons, and they're great fun to splat with Kratos' axe, with orange ichor spurting all over the shop.ĭraugr appear in the game's Bestiary as warriors who were too stubborn to go with their Valkyries. Draugrĭraugr are your first basic enemy in God of War (opens in a new tab). Here are just a few things I spotted playing through.

#Norse god of war license

They take a lot of creative license - and rightly so, Norse literature leaves a lot of gaps to fill - but nonetheless it will satiate even the most persnickety of Norse nerds.Īs a self-professed Norseoholic, I was blown away by the wealth of details that enriched the world of God of War. We've all heard of Thor and Loki, but God of War (opens in a new tab) plays with much more obscure areas of Norse mythology. The devil is really in the details with this game. In this newest installment of the series, our anti-hero Kratos, having decimated the Greek pantheon, has settled down in the realm of Norse myth and legend.ĭespite having started a family in the world of Midgard, Special K has apparently spent no time acquainting himself with his new home's culture, leaving his son Atreus to explain much of how the world works to his dad. This article presents a complete list of these deities.Don't have time to replay the 'God of War' trilogy? Here's a recap. An important event in Norse mythology is the Æsir-Vanir War which ultimately resulted in the unification of the gods. In Norse Mythology the original inhabitants of Valhalla were the Æsir (gods) and Ásynjur (goddesses), but they were not the first divinities the Nordic races worshiped because they also recognized the power of the gods of the sea, the wind, the forests, and the forces of nature, known as the Vanir.