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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.