10 Characters God of War Got Mythically Right And Wrong

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00:00Welcome to Mojo Plays, and today we'll be looking at the most interesting characters

00:16across the God of War franchise and seeing how they stack up against their respective

00:21mythologies.

00:22Spoilers ahead for both sagas.

00:33Before we continue, be sure to subscribe to our channel and ring the bell to get notified

00:37about our latest videos.

00:4110.

00:42Brock and Sindri

00:43God of War 2018

00:57God of War 2018 introduces us to a pair of dwarven brothers, Brock and Sindri.

01:03These two whimsical blacksmiths not only serve to upgrade Kratos' and Atreus' equipment,

01:08they also provide the player with extra exposition about the setting we play in, namely Norse

01:13Mythology.

01:14They're actually pretty faithful to their mythological counterparts, with only slight

01:19differences such as their real names being Brokkr and Ytir.

01:23And just like in the game, they really did create Thor's hammer Mjolnir in Norse folklore.

01:28However, Kratos' Leviathan Axe is a creation unique to the game, and is not directly based

01:34on Norse Mythology.

01:36So just how cool is that axe throw?

01:469. Thor, God of War Ragnarok

02:03Most of us know Thor from Marvel Comics and the Avengers movies, but God of War's depiction

02:08is more accurate.

02:10Unlike his Marvel version, Thor is historically portrayed with red hair.

02:14While it's hard to say what color his hair actually was, he's accurately depicted as

02:19a heavy drinker.

02:21It's clear that he's super strong, just like in the myths, although he is missing a few

02:26accessories.

02:27He also can't fly with the use of his hammer, or really fly at all.

02:32In the folktales, he travels using a chariot pulled by two goats, both of which he eats

02:37every night and resurrects the next morning.

02:40You heard that right, Thor can resurrect his goat using his hammer.

02:45What he does to Kratos at the start of God of War Ragnarok makes so much more sense when

02:50you know that.

02:528. Tyr, God of War Ragnarok

03:09It's time to discuss the S-Tyr god Tuesday was named after, the Norse god of war and

03:16justice Tyr.

03:17You might know that in traditional folklore, Tyr sacrificed his hand to bind Fenrir the

03:22Great Devourer, but as we can see, Tyr kept both his hands in God of War.

03:28Their stories are ultimately very different too, as Tyr is never imprisoned in mythology.

03:35Although you've got to admit, he is pretty cool.

03:39Unfortunately, he's one of the least true to myth gods in the game, which is a bit of

03:44a letdown with how intriguing and mysterious he was in God of War 2018.

03:49There was even a popular theory that Kratos WAS Tyr before God of War Ragnarok came out.

04:017. Kronos, God of War

04:05The murderer of Gaia enters my tomb, Kronos!

04:12You don't want to ask this titan where his kids are, they're so cute you could just eat

04:17them up.

04:18We're of course referring to the one and only Kronos.

04:22Tall as a mountain and with the skin of one, it took Kratos a whopping three days to climb

04:28this titan.

04:29But his size is actually a God of War thing.

04:32In the myths, his size is never specified, and he is most typically depicted as an elderly

04:38man with long gray hair.

04:41They're also missing his scythe and a pair of wings.

04:44With that said, they got some things right, such as him consuming his children out of

04:49fear of being overthrown by them.

04:51They also both lead the titans, but that's it for mythological accuracy.

05:036. Hercules, God of War III

05:13You know Zero to Hero, but get ready for Hero to Zero.

05:21Consumed by jealousy due to the Box of Pandora, Hercules let his ego get the better of him

05:26and Kratos had to put a stop to his role.

05:29In mythology, Hercules is the Roman adaptation of Heracles, who was actually Greek.

05:35And outside of being large and strong, the Hercules we see in game doesn't have much

05:40in common with his mythological counterpart.

05:43Lacking all of his mythical weapons or his lion pelt, Hercules in God of War is also

05:49the son of Zeus and a mortal like Kratos.

05:52But this isn't accurate to folklore where his mother is the queen of the gods, Hera.

05:57All in all, it's a pretty poor representation.

06:145. Odin, God of War Ragnarok

06:17You know who I am?

06:23Imagine a super-powered king, but instead of ruling a kingdom of humans, he rules over

06:29the entire universe.

06:32That's basically Odin.

06:33He's the Norse God of War and God of Wisdom, wisdom that he acquired by sacrificing an

06:39eye in the Well of Mimir.

06:41In God of War Ragnarok, Odin is portrayed pretty much as a perfect representation of

06:45his folklore counterpart, except for how evil he is.

06:50In the mythology, he learns that the fate of the gods is to die at Ragnarok, which causes

06:54him to endlessly seek a solution.

06:57That's not to say that he isn't bad at all, he's just less of a comically evil supervillain

07:02in folklore.

07:03It's safe to say they completely nailed Odin.

07:164. Zeus, God of War

07:29Get ready to be shocked and enlightened about this electrifying individual, the leader of

07:35the Greek pantheon himself, Zeus.

07:38More complex and hungrier for power, this version of Zeus' main deviation from mythology

07:43is that he's revealed to be Kratos' father.

07:45This connection is not found in Greek mythology.

07:48While they do share some characteristics and a similar backstory, both having been eaten

07:54by Kronos, God of War's version is a somewhat original take on the character.

07:59After Pandora's box is opened, Zeus' evil tendencies are only amplified.

08:04But surprise surprise, Zeus is actually traditionally a bit of a jerk.

08:10As for Kratos being his son, God of War's portrayal of Zeus is very true to folklore.

08:213. The Goddess of Love, God of War Ragnarok

08:33Have you ever wanted to live inside a giant magical turtle?

08:37That's where we find Vanir goddess Freyja in God of War 2018, and we soon discover that

08:43she's the mother of Baldr as well as Odin's ex-wife.

08:47In the traditional mythos, Baldr's mother is an Aesir known as Frigg, a name Freyja

08:52is called by Odin in God of War Ragnarok.

08:55The game seems to have turned the two into one character, and much like the game, the

09:00Vanir and Aesir were originally at odds with one another.

09:04Although she isn't Frigg, Freyja was the Queen of the Valkyries, and is known for her

09:09use of seetier magic.

09:11Her character arc is a welcome twist to her mythological counterparts.

09:252. Loki, God of War Ragnarok

09:35The giants called me... Loki?

09:40In Norse folklore, Loki is the quintessential trickster god.

09:45It's also the name that Kratos' wife Faye gave to their son, Atreus.

09:49And just like in Norse mythology, Loki gets adopted by the Aesir.

09:54Of course, in the mythos, Loki isn't the son of a Spartan general, but he is the son

10:00of Laufey, or Faye, who is sometimes described as a giantess in traditional folktales.

10:07They share a lot of similarities, but Atreus is overall a better person than the malicious

10:12trickster god we know from mythology.

10:15And what do you know, Loki and Heimdall are actually archenemies in the folklore.

10:21Overall it's a pretty accurate depiction of Loki outside of Santa Monica Studios' own

10:26flavorful twists.

10:30I should be out there, finding out who I am, who Loki is!

10:341. Kratos, God of War

10:37Ares! Destroy my enemies, and my life is yours!

10:44Of course, we couldn't make this video and not talk about Kratos.

10:49Other than having a lot of strength and sharing the same name, Kratos isn't mythologically

10:55accurate at all.

10:56While it's easy to draw a comparison between him and the Kratos we know of in Greek myth,

11:01their shared name is a complete coincidence.

11:04The game director of God of War III, Stig Asmussen, calls it a happy mistake.

11:10The biggest inspiration for Kratos' design is from the mythological character who inspired

11:15none other than his jealous in-game brother, Hercules.

11:19Talk about irony.

11:21The hands of death could not defeat me.

11:24The sisters of fate could not hold me.

11:28And you will not see the end of this day!

11:31So which god in God of War is your favorite?

11:34Can you relate to the fatherly struggles of Kratos?

11:37Or maybe you're just done like Thor?

11:40Did you think they got these characters right?

11:42And why?

11:43Tell us in the comments below.

11:45Did you enjoy this video?

11:47Check out these other clips from Mojo Plays.

11:49And be sure to subscribe and ring the bell to be notified about our latest videos.

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