God of War: Ragnorok is set to release in 2022, and fans of the franchise have plenty of theories about the direction of the game's story. When the official image of Thor was released there was a lot of discussion on mythological accuracy around the depiction of the character.
The depiction of Thor is actually very accurate to descriptions in the mythology. While historical accuracy in video games is often a topic of debate, the creative liberties developers take are often what make many games memorable. God of War (2018) explores a variety of Norse myths and while some representations are very accurate, others change key details. While some changes from the original myths are unnoticeable, others can cause story conflicts.
6 Loki’s Father
The biggest change God of War introduces is Kratos being the father of Loki. In Norse mythology, Loki’s father is Farbauti according to the Prose Edda. Fans of the God of War franchise, however, are aware that Kratos is the protagonist of the series. This results in players traveling through the realms with Krato’s son, Atreus.
The game constantly drops hints throughout the adventure that eventually reveal that Atreus is actually Loki from the Norse pantheon. This reveal happens at the end of the game when Kratos and Atreus reach Jotunheim and discover the true origin of Atreus’ mother and the role he would eventually play in Ragnorok.
5 Laufey’s History
Though Laufey and Farbauti are the parents of Loki, very little is still known about the two within the official mythology. Laufey is often depicted as being playful and associated with leaves and trees. In the game, Laufey is only mentioned through dialogue, due to her death before the start of the game. This becomes the central reason why Kratos and Atreus begin their journey through the realms.
While she is not present in the game, it gives Laufey a much more extensive and relevant role besides being just the mother of Atreus. In God of War, Laufey is a Frost Giant from Jotunheim that lives as a mortal with Kratos.
Before meeting Kratos, she was known as a great and benevolent warrior. She thwarted many of the Aesir god's plans and even successfully hid from them in Midgard, where she met Kratos. Laufey is also able to see into the future, at least in regards to her death and the journey Kratos and Atreus would need to make. The yellow markings that indicate where players need to climb and interact with the environment are revealed to be left behind by her as well.
4 Jormungandr & The Timeline
If players listen to all of Mimir's tales as well as observe all the different symbols throughout the game, they may realize the timeline is very different from the myths. The revelation that Atreus is actually Loki further complicates the timeline in the game. Players have the option to seek out various shrines for Jormungandr during their adventures. While this sidequest is optional, it provides valuable lore revolving around prominent figures in Norse mythology.
One of these shrines depicts Jormungandr’s life. The first panel of the shrine features Angroboda holding the serpent. Angroboda is the mother of Loki’s children: Fenrir, Jormungandr, and Hel. Angroboda has also been confirmed to appear in the sequel.
The panel in the center depicts Jormungandr surrounding all the temples and may reflect the presence in the game. The final panel depicts events that relate to Ragnorok, where Thor and the serpent have battled against each other. During this battle, Thor hits the serpent so hard that he sends it back in time.
3 Fenrir & The Timeline
Fenrir is mentioned through dialogue and symbols in the game, however, the giant canine plays a large role in Ragnorok. Fenrir is one of Loki and Angroboda’s children in Norse mythology. During one of Mimir’s tales, he mentions how Fenrir is an enemy of the Aesir Gods. After completing the questline to retrieve ingredients from Motsognir's corpse in Konunsgard, Mimir also alludes to how Brok and Sindri crafted an unbreakable chain used to imprison Fenrir.
The game also mentions that Skol, Hati, and Fenrir have already begun chasing the sun and moon, confirming that Fenrir has been imprisoned during the game's timeline for a very long time. This would cause a conflict in the game's timeline compared to the timeline presented in Norse mythology. In addition, Fenrir and his siblings existed long before Atreus has met Angroboda, and discovered his true identity, which could potentially separate these characters' origins from one another.
2 The Bifrost
The Bifrost plays an important part in how Kratos and Atreus can travel between the realms. The game turns the Bifrost into a relic that once imbued with Alfheim's Light can be used to travel. In Norse mythology, the Bifrost is a rainbow bridge between Midgard and Asgard. Heimdall also guards the bridge against the Jotun. The bridge is destroyed during the events of Ragnorok by forces from Muspellheim.
The game only mentions Heimdall once in dialogue, when players receive the mistletoe arrows from Sindri. However, it does not mention his connection with the Bifrost relic that players use. Heimdall in mythology plays a very important role, being that his battle with Loki results in both of their deaths.
1 Baldur
In the 2018 God of War game, Baldur is the main antagonist players will have to face. The game makes several changes regarding his lore. In Norse mythology, Baldr and his mother, Frigg, have a dream prophesying his death. To protect her son, Frigg asks everything in creation to swear an oath to never harm Baldr. The only thing she does not ask to swear this oath is a young mistletoe plant.
In the game, Freya receives a prophecy of his death and places a spell on Baldur. The spell made him invulnerable to all threats, physical or magical. However, it also removes Baldur’s ability to feel anything. This eventually drives him mad, to the point of attempting to kill Freya.
God of War: Ragnarok releases in 2022 on PS4 and PS5.