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10 Characters God of War Got Mythically Right And Wrong
MojoPlays
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8 months ago
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00:00
Welcome to Mojo Plays, and today we'll be looking at the most interesting characters
00:16
across the God of War franchise and seeing how they stack up against their respective
00:21
mythologies.
00:22
Spoilers ahead for both sagas.
00:33
Before we continue, be sure to subscribe to our channel and ring the bell to get notified
00:37
about our latest videos.
00:41
10.
00:42
Brock and Sindri
00:43
God of War 2018
00:57
God of War 2018 introduces us to a pair of dwarven brothers, Brock and Sindri.
01:03
These two whimsical blacksmiths not only serve to upgrade Kratos' and Atreus' equipment,
01:08
they also provide the player with extra exposition about the setting we play in, namely Norse
01:13
Mythology.
01:14
They're actually pretty faithful to their mythological counterparts, with only slight
01:19
differences such as their real names being Brokkr and Ytir.
01:23
And just like in the game, they really did create Thor's hammer Mjolnir in Norse folklore.
01:28
However, Kratos' Leviathan Axe is a creation unique to the game, and is not directly based
01:34
on Norse Mythology.
01:36
So just how cool is that axe throw?
01:46
9. Thor, God of War Ragnarok
02:03
Most of us know Thor from Marvel Comics and the Avengers movies, but God of War's depiction
02:08
is more accurate.
02:10
Unlike his Marvel version, Thor is historically portrayed with red hair.
02:14
While it's hard to say what color his hair actually was, he's accurately depicted as
02:19
a heavy drinker.
02:21
It's clear that he's super strong, just like in the myths, although he is missing a few
02:26
accessories.
02:27
He also can't fly with the use of his hammer, or really fly at all.
02:32
In the folktales, he travels using a chariot pulled by two goats, both of which he eats
02:37
every night and resurrects the next morning.
02:40
You heard that right, Thor can resurrect his goat using his hammer.
02:45
What he does to Kratos at the start of God of War Ragnarok makes so much more sense when
02:50
you know that.
02:52
8. Tyr, God of War Ragnarok
03:09
It's time to discuss the S-Tyr god Tuesday was named after, the Norse god of war and
03:16
justice Tyr.
03:17
You might know that in traditional folklore, Tyr sacrificed his hand to bind Fenrir the
03:22
Great Devourer, but as we can see, Tyr kept both his hands in God of War.
03:28
Their stories are ultimately very different too, as Tyr is never imprisoned in mythology.
03:35
Although you've got to admit, he is pretty cool.
03:39
Unfortunately, he's one of the least true to myth gods in the game, which is a bit of
03:44
a letdown with how intriguing and mysterious he was in God of War 2018.
03:49
There was even a popular theory that Kratos WAS Tyr before God of War Ragnarok came out.
04:01
7. Kronos, God of War
04:05
The murderer of Gaia enters my tomb, Kronos!
04:12
You don't want to ask this titan where his kids are, they're so cute you could just eat
04:17
them up.
04:18
We're of course referring to the one and only Kronos.
04:22
Tall as a mountain and with the skin of one, it took Kratos a whopping three days to climb
04:28
this titan.
04:29
But his size is actually a God of War thing.
04:32
In the myths, his size is never specified, and he is most typically depicted as an elderly
04:38
man with long gray hair.
04:41
They're also missing his scythe and a pair of wings.
04:44
With that said, they got some things right, such as him consuming his children out of
04:49
fear of being overthrown by them.
04:51
They also both lead the titans, but that's it for mythological accuracy.
05:03
6. Hercules, God of War III
05:13
You know Zero to Hero, but get ready for Hero to Zero.
05:21
Consumed by jealousy due to the Box of Pandora, Hercules let his ego get the better of him
05:26
and Kratos had to put a stop to his role.
05:29
In mythology, Hercules is the Roman adaptation of Heracles, who was actually Greek.
05:35
And outside of being large and strong, the Hercules we see in game doesn't have much
05:40
in common with his mythological counterpart.
05:43
Lacking all of his mythical weapons or his lion pelt, Hercules in God of War is also
05:49
the son of Zeus and a mortal like Kratos.
05:52
But this isn't accurate to folklore where his mother is the queen of the gods, Hera.
05:57
All in all, it's a pretty poor representation.
06:14
5. Odin, God of War Ragnarok
06:17
You know who I am?
06:23
Imagine a super-powered king, but instead of ruling a kingdom of humans, he rules over
06:29
the entire universe.
06:32
That's basically Odin.
06:33
He's the Norse God of War and God of Wisdom, wisdom that he acquired by sacrificing an
06:39
eye in the Well of Mimir.
06:41
In God of War Ragnarok, Odin is portrayed pretty much as a perfect representation of
06:45
his folklore counterpart, except for how evil he is.
06:50
In the mythology, he learns that the fate of the gods is to die at Ragnarok, which causes
06:54
him to endlessly seek a solution.
06:57
That's not to say that he isn't bad at all, he's just less of a comically evil supervillain
07:02
in folklore.
07:03
It's safe to say they completely nailed Odin.
07:16
4. Zeus, God of War
07:29
Get ready to be shocked and enlightened about this electrifying individual, the leader of
07:35
the Greek pantheon himself, Zeus.
07:38
More complex and hungrier for power, this version of Zeus' main deviation from mythology
07:43
is that he's revealed to be Kratos' father.
07:45
This connection is not found in Greek mythology.
07:48
While they do share some characteristics and a similar backstory, both having been eaten
07:54
by Kronos, God of War's version is a somewhat original take on the character.
07:59
After Pandora's box is opened, Zeus' evil tendencies are only amplified.
08:04
But surprise surprise, Zeus is actually traditionally a bit of a jerk.
08:10
As for Kratos being his son, God of War's portrayal of Zeus is very true to folklore.
08:21
3. The Goddess of Love, God of War Ragnarok
08:33
Have you ever wanted to live inside a giant magical turtle?
08:37
That's where we find Vanir goddess Freyja in God of War 2018, and we soon discover that
08:43
she's the mother of Baldr as well as Odin's ex-wife.
08:47
In the traditional mythos, Baldr's mother is an Aesir known as Frigg, a name Freyja
08:52
is called by Odin in God of War Ragnarok.
08:55
The game seems to have turned the two into one character, and much like the game, the
09:00
Vanir and Aesir were originally at odds with one another.
09:04
Although she isn't Frigg, Freyja was the Queen of the Valkyries, and is known for her
09:09
use of seetier magic.
09:11
Her character arc is a welcome twist to her mythological counterparts.
09:25
2. Loki, God of War Ragnarok
09:35
The giants called me... Loki?
09:40
In Norse folklore, Loki is the quintessential trickster god.
09:45
It's also the name that Kratos' wife Faye gave to their son, Atreus.
09:49
And just like in Norse mythology, Loki gets adopted by the Aesir.
09:54
Of course, in the mythos, Loki isn't the son of a Spartan general, but he is the son
10:00
of Laufey, or Faye, who is sometimes described as a giantess in traditional folktales.
10:07
They share a lot of similarities, but Atreus is overall a better person than the malicious
10:12
trickster god we know from mythology.
10:15
And what do you know, Loki and Heimdall are actually archenemies in the folklore.
10:21
Overall it's a pretty accurate depiction of Loki outside of Santa Monica Studios' own
10:26
flavorful twists.
10:30
I should be out there, finding out who I am, who Loki is!
10:34
1. Kratos, God of War
10:37
Ares! Destroy my enemies, and my life is yours!
10:44
Of course, we couldn't make this video and not talk about Kratos.
10:49
Other than having a lot of strength and sharing the same name, Kratos isn't mythologically
10:55
accurate at all.
10:56
While it's easy to draw a comparison between him and the Kratos we know of in Greek myth,
11:01
their shared name is a complete coincidence.
11:04
The game director of God of War III, Stig Asmussen, calls it a happy mistake.
11:10
The biggest inspiration for Kratos' design is from the mythological character who inspired
11:15
none other than his jealous in-game brother, Hercules.
11:19
Talk about irony.
11:21
The hands of death could not defeat me.
11:24
The sisters of fate could not hold me.
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And you will not see the end of this day!
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So which god in God of War is your favorite?
11:34
Can you relate to the fatherly struggles of Kratos?
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Or maybe you're just done like Thor?
11:40
Did you think they got these characters right?
11:42
And why?
11:43
Tell us in the comments below.
11:45
Did you enjoy this video?
11:47
Check out these other clips from Mojo Plays.
11:49
And be sure to subscribe and ring the bell to be notified about our latest videos.
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