“ | Here to collect on something, pal? Think, uh, parading a severed head around on your hip is gonna scare me into somehow approving Estrid's accretion proposal, eh? | ” |
–Durlin meeting Kratos |
Durlin is a dwarf and an official in Svartalfheim. He was also a former rebel leader, who, alongside Laufey, led a failed coup against the Aesir, in which he was severely punished by Heimdall. He has a pet Kraken named Dínner.
Description[]
A minor official of the Dwarven city, Niðavellir. At one time, an ally of Faye's in an effort to resist Odin. Now, he numbs his failures in drink. Yet it appears he has aided us with a map to Týr's location. Also, his sea-creature, Dínner, gave Atreus an unusual stone.
Norse Mythology[]
In Norse mythology, Durinn (Old Norse: [ˈdurenː]; or Durin) is a dwarf according to stanza 10 of the poem Völuspá from the Poetic Edda, and repeated in Gylfaginning from the Prose Edda. He was the second created after the first and foremost dwarf Mótsognir.
He is also attested in Hervarar saga, where he forged the magic sword Tyrfing with the help of the dwarf Dvalin. In variant texts of the saga Durinn is known as Dulinn.
God of War: Ragnarök[]
Durlin was once a rebel leader. Forging an alliance with Laufey the Just, he tried to lead a coup with the dwarves in an attempt to resist the Aesir. During that time, he created a forge hammer that became a symbol of the Dwarven Resistance. Unfortunately, however, the rebellion turned out to be a failure as the Aesir was able to put it down. Durlin had his head burned by Odin's son, Heimdall, as punishment while Laufey fought Thor then escaped. The Aesir then confiscated Durlin's hammer and hid it underneath a giant stone statue, where it remained hidden for centuries. In the coming years, Durlin would bitterly drink over his failures.
When Kratos and Atreus meet Durlin for the first time, he at first thinks they are there to intimidate or threaten him, but learns that Faye married Kratos some time after her escape. Durlin is likewise surprised and devastated to learn of her death, but quickly covers it up, giving them a map to Tyr's location in Svartalfheim and Dinner giving Atreus an Alfheim seed under the guise of fining them for violating his safety rules.
Kratos had this to say in the codex: "A minor official of the Dwarven city, Niðavellir. At one time, an ally of Faye's in an effort to resist Odin. Now, he numbs his failures in drink. Yet it appears he has aided us with a map to Týr's location. Also, his sea-creature, Dínner, gave Atreus an unusual stone."
While traveling to Niðavellir you also encounter a runic message written by Durlin himself titled "Unsafe Roads". When reading the runes it can be seen to say "Careful traveler- This road leads to Niðavellir, sure but so too does it lead to dangers beyond mention. If you really give a damn about your own safety, you will find an alternate route to the city of iron. Should you succeed, find me, so I can spread the word of whichever route you took that didn't end with you getting your skin peeled off your body by something hungry and pissed off. -Durlin"
Appearance[]
Durlin is stout in stature though he appears to be more stubby in comparison with the other dwarves we see in the game. Durlin notably has an injury on the right side of his skull inflicted on him by Heimdall during his failed rebellion with Laufey. He has amber eyes, olive colored skin and visible lateral canthal lines near the corners of his eyes along with noticeable smile lines and wrinkles on his forehead. Durlin has graying receding hair hair that was likely brown or black. It appears to be slightly long in the back and mostly unkempt.
Gallery[]
Concept Arts[]
Trivia[]
- Durlin held a failed rebellion against the Aesir with Laufey.
- Durlin was personally punished by Heimdall who is the cause of his head wound.
- Sindri said Durlin was "Sorta a cousin of theirs". This implies Brok and Sindri are personally close with Durlin.
- In a tweet from Santa Monica Studios, a squidopus, which is the species of Dínner, is a combination/hybrid of a squid and an octopus. [1]
- While not confirmed, some fans theorized that Durlin is another imposter of Odin from the chapter 2: The Quest for Tyr in Svartalfheim given them a map and allowing them ventured to Jarnsmida Pitmines, while later on, when Odin's teleport with Atreus to Svartalfheim and conversing to official, Durlin questioned to Odin whom the kid is, it's likely Durlin never met to Atreus from the beginning but not confirmed. It is equally possible that Durlin was lying to Odin, and has some way to hide his thoughts from Heimdall.