With the release of God of War Ragnarok it ends the Norse Mythology Saga of Kratos, and ends the mythology itself thus the name. Thousands of players were waiting for the game’s release and when it did it was welcomed with overall great reviews from the people that played it. The game features the story of Kratos after all, a titular character in gaming media and one of the most well known as well. The game is heavily inspired by Norse Mythology but we have to ask how much is it inspire by and how much is it different from the actual stories?
Similarities & Differences Of God Of War Ragnarok Compared To Norse Mythology
God of War Ragnarok in fact ends with the Ragnarok, I know, spoilers. If you don’t want any spoilers then it’s best to click off this article now. For those who finished the game is frantically looking for your God of War related media fix here you go. The similarities and differences between the Norse Mythology and God of War Ragnarok.
Similarities
Garm and Fenrir in the Mythology is often hinted as the same being, a giant badass wolf and we see them both in God of War Ragnarok, yes both. In the game Fenrir dies of a sickness and a piece of his soul goes to Atreus’ knife, which is then used to defeat the massive Hel Hound Garm transfers the soul of Fenrir to it, making both the same being.
Jormungandr in the stories is birthed between Loki and Angrboda, let’s not talk about what else was birthed from Loki for the sake of our sanity. Of course in the game both Loki, which is Atreus, and Angrboda are still young and we don’t want to see any of whatever you’re thinking. Instead they transferred the soul of a giant into a snake which later turned into Jormungandr, so technically the two still made it.
Surtr is the big fire giant with the big fire sword that ends the realm of the Aesir in Ragnarok according to the mythology. The game did end with the fire giant Surtr plunging his giant fire sword at the end which is pretty close to what happened in the stories.
Freyr is killed by Surtr in the story of Ragnarok and this happens too in the game. I’m pretty sure Surtr wasn’t really aiming for Freyr we all get that technically he did kill him. Of course in the game he sacrificed himself to let the other characters leave unlike in the stories where, you know, Kratos isn’t even in the original story.
Draupnir in Norse Mythology is a ring that both Brokkr and Eitiri or Sindri made that is pure gold and has the power to multiply itself. Of course in the game it’s a spear, though the mermaid, which is not really a creature in Norse mythology, made it into a spear. So the ring can multiply itself, she taped it into a spear and now the spear can multiply itself, that’s how magic works!
Differences
Thor dies in Ragnarok, what a surprise. So is the rest of the gods in the mythology. The difference is that in the game Thor isn’t defeated by the world serpent but instead killed by Odin. Speaking of Odin…
In the stories Odin dies in Ragnarok by being eaten by Fenrir, who devours him whole in one big gulp. As much as it would have been funny for that to happen in the game Odin is instead defeated by Kratos, Atreus and Freya. His sould is placed into a marble and was destroyed by Sindri.
Ragnarok is not a character, it’s an event in the stories. The game didn’t end with Kratos shouting “I am the God of War, Ragnarok!” at Ragnarok, although it would have been 10 times better if he did. In the game Ragnarok is a being that Surtr becomes near the end.
The Armies of Hel has been removed from the final battle of the game. In Norse Mythology Loki was supposed to lead the undead warriors of Hel in the final fight of Ragnarok, in the game that doesn’t happen at all. The final battle was still spectacular though!
That’s all the main similarities and differences from the Norse Mythology and God of War Ragnarok. The developers really did well in translating the mythos into something of their own design but still adding references here and there to respect the source material. Many thanks to GamingBolt for showing these similarities and differences, if you want to know more go check their video out here: God of War Ragnarok vs. Norse Mythology – How It’s Similar, How It’s Different – YouTube
ALSO READ: Will The Next God Of War Be Set In Egypt? – Everything We Know
