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Freya Njördsdottir

Freya Njördsdottir The Goddess of Love


Omega (God of War 2018)

This article contains lore based on real-life sources from Norse mythology as introduced from the God of War Norse era.


There's still a part of me that is so... angry. And it'll always be... It'll always be angry. But no. You are not the one who needs to die. I do see that.

–Freya to Kratos, forgiving him for Baldur's death

Freya (Old Norse: Freyja, Nordic: ᚠᚱᛖᛁᚨ), also known as Frigg (Old Norse: Frigga, Nordic: ᚠᚱᛁᚷᚷ), Freya Njördsdottir (Translation: Freya, Daughter of Njörd) and Nað (Nordic: ᚾᚨᛞ), is the Vanir Goddess of Love, Beauty, War, Death, Magic, Childhood and Fertility. She is the daughter of Njörd and Nerthus, the older twin sister of Freyr, the ex-wife of Odin, and the mother of Baldur. She was also the former leader of the Vanir during the Aesir-Vanir War and Queen of the Valkyries before the fallout of her marriage with the All-Father.

Long ago, the powerful Vanir goddess made a name for herself when she successfully helped defend her homeland from the invading armies of Asgard, playing a crucial role in holding the once-unstoppable Aesir to a stalemate and forcing Odin to open peace negotiations. Willing to sacrifice her freedom for the sake of the Nine Realms, Freya ended up wedding the man she hated to seal an uneasy alliance with her former enemies.

However, this honeymoon was not to last. Unable to cope with her husband's growing madness and his ever more despicable actions, Freya attempted to break free from Odin who, in a burst of madness, cursed the Vanir goddess and deprived her from her warrior spirit. Left utterly vulnerable and virtually alone, the now exiled Freya settled in the woods of Midgard where she remains to this very day.

Freya is introduced in God of War (2018) as a supportive character known as the Witch of the Woods. Living reclusively in harmony with nature and forcefully bound to Midgard by Odin's curse, she provides crucial help to Kratos and Atreus, most notably saving the life of the latter. However, their friendship and alliance is broken following Baldur's death at the hands of Kratos, even though the latter did so to save her life. Left distraught and on the brink of madness, she promised to deliver every agony and violation imaginable upon the Spartan.

Freya later returns in God of War Ragnarök as a major antagonist, and later the deuteragonist, having relentlessly tried to get her vengeance for three years. After she managed to regain her warrior spirit, she successfully ambushes Kratos and Atreus under the mask of Vanadís, her Valkyrie form. But still bound to Midgard and seeking to break free from Odin's curse, Freya reluctantly requires the Spartan's help.

As the two of them succeed in freeing Freya for good, the Vanir goddess understands that her interest is to ally herself with Kratos, and finally makes amends with him, even though she admits that a part of her would still be angry at him for killing her son. She then helps the Spartan and his son prepare their assault on Asgard, during which she notably leads the Shield Maidens before battling Odin himself together with Kratos and Atreus.

After defeating Odin and the fall of Asgard along with Atreus' departure on his personal mission, she decided to becoming Kratos' companion on rebuilding the damage to the realms.

Quick Answers

What is the significance of Freya in Norse mythology? toggle section
In Norse mythology, Freya, also identified as Frigg, is a Vanir goddess linked to various aspects including love, fertility, death, war, and magic. Originating from the same root as Frigg, the Aesir goddess of home and family, Freya is the offspring of Njörd and Nerthus, Freyr's older twin sister, and Odin's former wife, mothering Baldur with him. The differentiation between Freya and Frigg is unique to Scandinavian tradition.
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How is Freya related to Odin in the God of War Norse era? toggle section
In the God of War Norse era, Freya and Frigg are the same entity. Freya, a Vanir goddess, is associated with love, death, and magic. She's the daughter of Njörðr and Nerthus, and her husband Óðr may be the origin of Odin, Frigg's spouse. After being cursed by Odin, Freya lives in the Midgard woods, known as the Witch of the Woods, and aids Kratos significantly.
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What are the different names of Freya in Norse mythology? toggle section
Freya, a Vanir goddess in Norse mythology, is also known as Frigg, an Aesir goddess. These names, 'Freya' and 'Frigg', are thought to stem from the Germanic goddess Frijjō. The differentiation between Freya and Frigg is primarily a Scandinavian concept, with 'Freya' not being recognized elsewhere. In the God of War universe, Frigg and Freya represent the same goddess.
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What are the powers and responsibilities of Freya as a Vanir Goddess? toggle section
Freya, a Vanir Goddess, is revered for her immense power, acknowledged as the Queen of the Valkyries, and considered Odin's deadliest enemy. She is on par with Kratos in terms of power. Her abilities include flight and aerial combat with her Valkyrie wings. Despite her age, she appears in her prime due to her immortality. Known as the Goddess of Beauty, her dazzling beauty is as renowned as her prowess in battle. She was instrumental in defending her homeland during the Aesir-Vanir War.
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How does the relationship between Kratos and Freya evolve in God of War? toggle section
In the God of War series, Freya's relationship with Kratos evolves from initial friendship to hostility, and finally reconciliation. This change is triggered by Kratos' killing of Baldur, Freya's son, which incites her hatred and desire for revenge. Despite this, they eventually make amends. Freya's dynamic with Kratos contrasts with his relationship with Athena, marked by his initial skepticism towards Freya, but ultimately protecting her from matricide.
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Norse Mythology[]

In Germanic mythology, Frigg (Old Norse), Frija (Old High German), Freyja (Old Norse), Frea (Langobardic), and Frige (Old English) is a Goddess. In nearly all sources, she is described as the wife of the God Odin. In Old High German and Old Norse sources, she is also connected with the Goddess Fulla. The English weekday name Friday (etymologically Old English "Frīge's day") bears her name.

Frigg is described as a Goddess associated with foreknowledge and wisdom in Norse Mythology, the northernmost branch of Germanic Mythology and most extensively attested. Frigg is the wife of the major God Odin and dwells in the wetland halls of Fensalir, is famous for her foreknowledge, is associated with the goddesses Fulla, Lofn, Hlín, and Gná, and is ambiguously associated with the Earth, otherwise personified as an apparently separate entity Jörð (Old Norse "Earth"). The children of Frigg and Odin include the gleaming God Baldr. Due to significant thematic overlap, scholars have proposed a particular connection to the Goddess Freyja.

After Christianization, mention of Frigg continued to occur in Scandinavian Folklore. In modern times, Frigg has appeared in modern popular culture, has been the subject of Art, and receives modern veneration in Germanic Neopaganism.

Freya's boar Hildisvini was once a man named Ottar who has a close bond with her. Ottar wanted to learn more about his family but he needed a disguise so Freya turned him into a boar named Hildisvini. Together, they went to meet with Hyndla the giant seer to find out about his past.

Freya has a necklace called Brisingamen that the Dwarves made for her. She came across the Dwarves while traveling the Realms and noticed their amazing craftsmanship. Freya had them make a beautiful necklace for her.

The Dwarves would only give her a necklace if she agreed to spend some time with them for a while. When Freya returned to Asgard, words about what Freya did reach Odin's ears which angered the All-Father. The necklace Brisingamen was stolen while Freya was asleep, and when she woke she found it was gone. Freya approached Odin asking him about the necklace. The All-Father would only give Brisingamen back only if she started a war for him.

Odin wanted to start a war with Kings Hogni and Hedin and Freya reluctantly followed Odin's order. Her necklace was returned but it came with a price that she didn't like. As the Goddess of Love, Freya has slept with and loved many men. She slept with the Dwarves to get the necklace Brisingamen. Freya also fell in love with a God known as Odr.

Odr had made the Gods angry on several occasions until one day they had enough and turned him into a Sea Serpent. Despite his appearance, Freya still loved him so Odin had them separated so they couldn't be together. Odr was killed when a ship saw the Giant Serpent. Freya was sad when she learned about his death where she begged for Odin and the other Gods to let him into Valhalla. Even though he didn't die in battle, Odin decided to let him in and became a God. But soon, Odin and the other deities learned that Odr still disliked the Gods and had a problem with following orders so he was cast out of the hall of the Gods. This broke Freya's heart and made her dislike Odin even more. Freya looked for her love in Midgard where he was banished and elsewhere in the Nine Realms but could never find him.

She is also the mother to twin daughters Hnoss and Gersemi. The Goddesses of Sisterhood, Love, Treasure and Value. Their father is Od, believed to be Odin.

In the God of War Series[]

Prior to the Events of God of War[]

Little is known about her childhood, aside from being the daughter of Njörd, as well as the sister of Freyr, what is known is that she seemed to have had a happy youth growing up in a village of Vanaheim. Freya had been a leader of the Vanir gods during the Aesir-Vanir War and eventually agreed to marry Odin in order to bring peace between the two sides. Freya clearly did not enjoy this, due to her own distaste for the Aesir, especially after they unjustly imprisoned, tortured and nearly killed her brother. During that time, she became the Queen of the Valkyries. Also some time during her marriage to Odin, Odin began to learn the ways of Freya's magic and began using it for unjust purposes.

When Hrimthur offered Odin to build Asgard new walls to replace the old ones, he requested to receive only a private audience with Freya should he complete the project within two years in return. When he won the wager, in a rage Odin got half drunk before noon and burst into the couple's bedroom to tell her of the wager, which was not the first time Odin had involved her without consulting her first. Told to get dressed and not knowing what Hrimthur wanted, Freya stashed a dagger in her robe just in case.

The disguised Jötnar smiled at meeting her and whispered something to her with Mimir suspecting that he had embedded some weakness into the walls and passed this knowledge onto Freya, before being double crossed by Odin to be killed by Thor. Freya would later reveal that Hrimthur explained that the Aesir had killed his father Thamur and he needed to know that the Aesir "would burn for it" one day; Freya pointed out that she was technically an Aesir by marriage, but he just gave her a look that said he knew better before continuing. Hrimthur had built in a structural flaw behind the Asgard Realm Tower, and when Ragnarök came, Surtr would know how to take advantage of it. Though he died soon after, Hrimthur was satisfied that the knowledge of his revenge plan was left with Freya.

While she and Odin were acknowledged by Mimir to be genuinely in love for a time, Odin's obsession with Jötunheim, his corruption of the magics she taught him and his never-ending paranoia regarding Ragnarök and the secrets of life and death led to Odin and the Aesir committing unspeakable acts against the giants, notably Thor entering the realm of the giants disguised by Freya's magic and killing every giant within reach once he took back his hammer from Thrym, and Odin ordering Thor to kill every giant he could find in Midgard after being banished from their realm due to deceiving them and trying to uncover their secret prophecies. Freya eventually broke off the marriage after Odin begged her to grant him the same invulnerability curse that she once bestowed upon Baldur, with her refusal incurring Odin's wrath.

Out of fear and feeling deeply betrayed, Odin cursed her to prevent her from ever leaving Midgard in order to stop her making amends to her own kind as many of the Vanir saw her marriage to Odin as a betrayal, and the curse also made it impossible for her to harm any living creature—through either physical or magical means. Additionally, he stripped Freya of her Valkyrie wings and hid them in an unknown location. Some saw this as petty cruelty on Odin's part, for Freya was a warrior in spirit and the curse would force her to do nothing else but live in isolation. He also didn't want her getting credit for anything in Asgard, so any worthy deed she accomplished was attributed to Frigg, which was what he had called her out of affection. To make matters worse, Odin's forces reoccupied Vanaheim after her exile, and many of Freya's followers in Vanaheim, including her brother, labelled her a traitor and harbored deep resentment for her, not just for her marriage to Odin but also for never visiting the realm once in the years that followed, not knowing that Odin's curse prevented her from doing so.

The only thing she cherished from her marriage with Odin was their son Baldur. Though she loved him dearly, a prophecy foretelling his death as an unnecessary one drove her to find a way to prevent it. With her fears controlling her, Freya placed a powerful spell on her son, granting him invulnerability. She hoped that the spell would spare her son from death and herself from the pain of loss. However, her spell left Baldur unable to physically feel anything at all, including taste and other pleasures. Full of fury and resentment, Baldur demanded his mother to remove the spell but she claimed she was unable to and tried to assure him that what she had done was for the better. Baldur was not convinced or moved by her motherly love. He attempted to kill her but couldn't bring himself to do so and instead vowed that he would hate and never forgive her, much to her sorrow. To this day, she remains blind to her son's desire to physically feel again and that her own fears brought about the torment Baldur endures. In fact, she lied to her son that she didn't know how to break the spell when in fact it was mistletoe and thus viewed the plant as wicked and sought to destroy it.

God of War (2018)[]

Freya is implied to have lived a life similar to Kratos, saying she sees a lot of herself in him and by helping him, she hopes to atone for her mistakes.

Under the alias of the Witch of the Woods, Freya first meets Kratos and Atreus in an incident where a boar she was protecting was shot and injured by Atreus. Kratos and Atreus agree to help heal the boar and are taken back to her home. She takes an immediate liking to Atreus and becomes his friend. Kratos, however, is wary of Freya, especially after it is revealed that she is a goddess. When Atreus is outside gathering materials for the healing process, Freya reveals to Kratos that she knows he is a foreign god and warns him that the Aesir will not tolerate his presence in their realms. She continues to express her worries for Atreus and the fact that Kratos keeps him ignorant of his true nature, but Kratos sternly states that it is not her concern.

After the boar is healed, Freya gives thanks to Kratos and Atreus by placing marks on them that will hide them from the Aesir gods. Before they leave, Atreus asks Freya if they will meet again, to which she smiles and kindly responds "as much or as little as you like".

Freya catches up to Kratos and Atreus as they begin scaling the mountain, offering to help them overcome the roadblock in front of the two. She leads them to Týr's Temple, all the while explaining its purpose and how to overcome the obstacles. She shows Kratos how to use the Bifröst and has him set a passage to Alfheim. However, she is unable to follow as the curse Odin placed on her quickly drags her back to Midgard.

Freya is once again encountered when Kratos brings her Mimir's severed head to resurrect, much to her shock. Before she resurrects Mimir, she notices that Atreus is equipped with mistletoe arrows. Knowing that mistletoe is the only thing that can break the invincibility spell placed on her son, she quickly replaces Atreus's arrows with her own and destroys the mistletoe ones in her fireplace. Upon Mimir's revival, it immediately becomes apparent to Kratos that Freya greatly dislikes Mimir, and Mimir accidentally reveals Freya's identity to Kratos and Atreus while apologizing, as he would not have asked to be brought to her had he known she was 'the witch'. This deepens Kratos' distrust of Freya. When Kratos asks why she didn't inform him of her godhood, she quietly points out his hypocrisy. Kratos leaves in anger with Atreus in tow.

However, Kratos is forced to seek Freya's help when Atreus falls ill after a battle with Magni and Modi. Freya is initially reluctant to help Kratos due to his open hatred of gods and only agrees to help when she realizes Atreus's plight. She scolds Kratos for keeping Atreus unaware of his divine heritage, as Atreus's current situation was a result of the conflict between Atreus's divine nature and his belief that he is a simple mortal. She tells Kratos that she needs a rare ingredient from Helheim to cure Atreus and that Kratos would need a non-ice based weapon in order to fight the beasts living in that realm. When Kratos attempts to apologize for his previous reaction to the truth, she says that he is right to distrust the words of gods, and it's something she definitely needs no explanation for, a hint to her past experiences.

After retrieving the ingredient, Kratos brings it to Freya who uses it to create a cure for Atreus. She then tells Kratos that she too has a son whom the runes, on the day of his birth, foretold of his needless death and she swore to do anything to protect him, no matter the sacrifice. She laments her decisions that had led to her son's resentment of her and implores Kratos to avoid making the same mistake and to have faith in his son. At this point, Freya begins to warm up to Kratos, while the Ghost of Sparta hesitantly lets his guard down around her.

After Kratos and Atreus end up in the realm of Helheim after another encounter with Baldur, Kratos and Atreus watch as an illusion plays in front of Baldur. They learn that Freya is Baldur's mother, whom he despises due to the spell she cast on him that took away his ability to physically feel anything. This also reveals that at some unknown point, Freya cursed Mimir to keep him from revealing Baldur's invincibility weakness.

Just before the final encounter with Baldur, Freya appears before a cautious Kratos and Atreus to look for Baldur, claiming that the fields and woods speak his name, leading her to believe that he is in Midgard. She notices that Kratos and Atreus are more distant towards her, but before she could figure out the reason, Baldur appears. Freya is happy to see Baldur and tries to reach out to him and atone for his suffering only to be met with scorn. Baldur attempts to kill Freya but Kratos intervenes and it soon escalates into a fight. When Atreus stood before Kratos to protect him, Baldur punches him square in the chest, inadvertently causing the mistletoe arrow that was tied to Atreus's quiver strap to slice right through his fist which, much to Freya's shock and horror, breaks the invulnerability spell on him.

With Baldur vulnerable, a desperate Freya uses her magic to reanimate the corpse of the frost giant Thamur to try to separate Kratos and Atreus from Baldur, pleading for them to stay out of her affairs. When Kratos retorts that Baldur cannot be reasoned with and means to kill her, she proclaims that she doesn't care and that she will protect him at all costs. Baldur soon reappears and the battle continues. Throughout the brawl, Freya begs them to stop fighting, believing that she can still reason with Baldur. After the battle dies down, she begs Kratos not to hurt Baldur, to which Kratos agrees.

Baldur continues to berate Freya, condemning her for always interfering in his life. Freya admits she was wrong and tries to help Baldur find it in himself to give up his resentment of her, hoping to repair their relationship, but Baldur refuses to forgive her. Freya finally gives up trying to reason with Baldur and decides to let him kill her since it is the one thing that would bring him peace. As Baldur strangles her, she tells him she loves him. However, before Baldur could kill her, Kratos grabs him from behind and quotes his father by telling Baldur "the cycle ends here" before snapping Baldur's neck, finally killing him.

Freya, distraught from her son's needless death, swears vengeance upon Kratos saying he robbed her of everything. Claiming that Kratos is simply an animal filled with cruelty and rage who cannot change, she taunts him about his past that he has yet to reveal to his son. This prompts Kratos to finally divulge some of his violent past to Atreus, including his own act of patricide. She then picks up her son's body and shares a silent look with both Gods before walking away. Kratos and Atreus then leave the area to finish their journey.

According to Mimir, Baldur was the only gift she treasured from her marriage to Odin and she was a good parent who only wished to spare him pain, but her impulsive decision to curse him to accomplish it was "bloody tragic" and "terribly stupid".

After Kratos and Atreus return from Jötunheim, Mimir tells them that more time passed than they thought and in that time, Freya came to visit Mimir within Týr's temple and asked where Odin kept her Valkyrie wings, which were related to the curse her husband had cast upon on her. Mimir told her what little he knew of it, remarking sadly to the pair that the cycle of vengeance is not so easily broken.

God of War Ragnarök[]

The effects of Fimbulwinter weakened some of Odin's curses, allowing Freya to undo some of them such as regaining her ability to fight. However, she was still unable to return to her home realm of Vanaheim for extended periods.

Three years after Kratos killed Baldur, Freya's quest for vengeance continues with little sign of letting up. Kratos and Atreus set up a protection stave so she does not attack them at home, but they inevitably have to venture outside it to hunt for supplies. Freya frequently ambushes them during these trips, ignoring their repeated entreaties to leave them be and that they do not wish her any more harm. To her frustration, Kratos and Atreus always choose to avoid her rather than engage in a direct confrontation. Freya also falsely informs several Raider factions that killing Kratos would end Fimbulwinter, with the reasoning that he caused it, so his death would end it. This led to increasing Raider attacks towards Kratos and Atreus, with the Raiders not knowing this would not end the eternal winter but satiate Freya's thirst for revenge.

After Atreus tracks down Týr, he decides to meet Freya at the Council of Valkyries to convince her to join them in stopping Odin. Freya is none too pleased to see him, first threatening him and then taking away his mistletoe necklace, made from the arrowhead that rendered Baldur powerless. Atreus tells her of Odin's visit, and his own identity of the giant Loki. Even upon learning Týr is alive, Freya refuses to cooperate in any plan that would force her to ally with Kratos, and makes Atreus leave.

At some point during this period, Freya reacquired her Valkyrie wings with the help of Sigrún, ignoring the latter's warning that she should not follow the path of vengeance. When Kratos and Atreus return to their cabin in Midgard, which they had previously abandoned due to the protection stave breaking, Freya ambushes them under the guise of Vanadís, her Valkyrie alter ego. Unaware of her identity, Kratos and Atreus attack her with more determination, until Kratos recognizes her weapon and realizes who he is fighting. Using Kratos' distraction, Freya manages temporarily to gain the upper hand, but before she can exact her revenge, Atreus becomes consumed with rage and transforms into a bear. Kratos knocks Freya out of Atreus' path and calms him down until he transforms back into his human body. Freya, stunned by Kratos referring to her as their "friend" and seeing the care he shows to his own son, suddenly finds herself conflicted over her quest. Forgoing a chance to kill Kratos once and for all, Freya concedes that, for the moment, Kratos may be of more use to her alive than dead.

Seeking to set herself free from Odin's binding magic, Freya, transforming into a Hawk to avoid being sent back to Midgard, travels to her home realm of Vanaheim with Kratos and Brok. There, with Kratos alone, she pushes away his attempts to help her with the pain of losing Baldur and of her fractured relationship with her brother Freyr. Kratos then reveals his past struggles in life to Freya: the kidnapping of his brother Deimos by Ares and Athena, the unintentional slaying of his first wife and daughter Lysandra and Calliope respectively due to Ares' manipulation and the destruction of Olympus. This causes Freya to reconsider her attempts of killing Kratos as he warns her that revenge will bring her no more peace than it did for him, especially as she sees what Odin had done to her home village that is now abandoned and forgotten. Eventually, the pair find the source of Odin's binding magic comprised of World Tree roots, but when she attempts to break through the roots they are immediately attacked by Níðhögg, the guardian of Yggdrasil. During the fight, Kratos keeps the guardian occupied and Freya flies in to rip up the root keeping her from staying in Vanaheim and she turns back to her human form to aid in the fight. Níðhögg is eventually slain and Freya returns to break each World Tree root, freeing herself from Odin's curse. Upon reflecting her experience working with Kratos, she acknowledges that while there is a part of her that is still and always will be angry for her son's death, Freya decides to forgive Kratos as she realizes that despite Baldur's death, it is Odin who needs to die and must pay for what he has done to her and her son. Kratos in turn acknowledges that while he does not regret saving Freya's life, he should have not have robbed her of the choice of life and death with Baldur.

After reconciling with Freyr, Freya joins Kratos in returning to Sindri and Brok's house, where she joins Kratos, Mimir, and Týr in scolding Atreus for thinking of cooperating with Odin. After Atreus runs away to Asgard, Freya and Kratos decide to seek out the Nornir, the Fates of Midgard, to discern how to retrieve Atreus. To face the Nornir, they have to go through trials filled with hallucinations of their past, with Freya having to go through the horrifying ordeal of being confronted by Baldur all over again. Finally reaching the Nornir, they are given the confusing revelation that there is no true prophecy, and that whatever the Nornir predict is not set in stone: they taunt that Baldur suffered a senseless death because of how Freya raised him, rather than because of fate. Upon learning that Heimdall is "fated" to kill Atreus, Kratos ignores their warnings and departs with Freya. Upon returning however, they come across Odin's noose that he used to spend seven days a dead man. Freya takes it with her to use for future use.

After reuniting with Atreus, they learn that he had gone to Helheim and in his ignorance, released Garm, a soulless, giant Wolf with the ability to tear holes in the fabric of the realms and chastises him for it. She stays behind with the others to defend Sindri's house and they learn about the mask he recovered, which Odin is trying to get his hands on. Learning Freyr was captured by the Aesir, Freya joins Kratos and Atreus in rescuing him, though it comes at the cost of Freyr's friend Birgir, who sacrifices himself to stop an attack by dragons. Freya takes an injured Freyr to be healed in the aftermath.

After Kratos is forced to kill Heimdall, making Ragnarök inevitable, Freya and the rest of the group agree that their best option is for Atreus to head to Asgard to finish reassembling the mask. Atreus does so, and upon returning to the refuge gives the mask to Týr, who claims to know a secret path to Asgard. Just as they are preparing to leave, however, Brok calls Týr's claims into question and confronts him over it: to everyone's shock, Týr fatally stabs Brok in anger and reveals himself to really be Odin in disguise, grabbing Atreus as a hostage. Freya tries to angrily confront her former husband, but is forced to break off from the confrontation to try to heal Brok, and Odin tries to escape with the mask but fails due to Kratos's interference. Despite Freya's best efforts, Brok dies in Sindri's arms, leaving the entire group crestfallen at how they were deceived by Odin.

Galvanized by Brok's death, the group reaffirms that they will fight Odin themselves. During their confrontation with Odin, Freya uses her Valkyrie powers to force him to kneel before her, getting revenge for his role in her son's fate and his abuse of her during their marriage. After Atreus destroys the mask and transfers Odin's soul into a stone, he hands it off to Kratos, who in turn offers Freya the chance to destroy it and get her revenge. Freya, having learned from her experiences with Kratos that revenge will not be the cure for her suffering, refuses, only for a vengeful Sindri to destroy it himself, much to the group's shock, if not horror. Surtr soon begins destroying Asgard, and despite Freya's protests, Freyr sacrifices himself to allow her and the others to escape.

In the aftermath, Atreus finds Freya in Midgard, who thanks him for his actions and accepts him as part of her family, giving him back his necklace as a sign of his warrior spirit. After Kratos and Atreus separate, she and Mimir agree to help him in rebuilding the Nine Realms in the aftermath of Ragnarök. From then on, Freya becomes Kratos' traveling companion in much the same way as Atreus. They investigate a prison in Vanaheim where they are shocked to find the real Týr, still alive and oblivious to Odin's deception, death and Asgard's destruction. They also find Birgir alive and help him get back home after saving him from a dragon. They return to Sanctuary Grove, where Freya uneasily apologizes to Chaurli, having neglected him in her quest for revenge: Birgir offers to take care of Chaurli in her stead while she helps Kratos.

Learning that Gná, Odin's replacement for her as Valkyrie Queen, has survived Ragnarök, she and Kratos set out to hunt the dangerous enemy. Finding Gná in Muspelheim plotting revenge, the two battle and eventually subdue her. Freya tries to convince Gná to let go of her vengeance, but the Valkyrie angrily tells her to finish it. With no other options, Freya solemnly beheads Gná. Lastly, Freya is present for Brok's funeral, helping Sindri by using one of her arrows to set his pyre aflame. She and the rest attending the funeral then watch as Sindri vanishes to the Realms between Realms in grief.

Valhalla DLC[]

In the time since Ragnarök, Freya and Kratos move in together, out of convenience for their shared mission to reunite the realms. Her mission at this time is not only to bring stability in the wake of Asgard's destruction, but to share power among all the realms and form a Council comprised of prominent figures so that all realms may prosper. She hopes, once the Aesir-Vanir settlement stabilizes, that Lady Sif and Hildisvíni will join the fledgling Council. She also holds out hope that Durlin will join as well once the Dwarven economy stabilizes, as they have to figure out how to be independent again for the first time in generations. At some point during this time, Freya suggests to Kratos that he become the new God of War for the Nine Realms and join her Council, as he makes the most sense for the office as the general who led the charge to defeat Odin. Kratos, having held the position in Greece and ashamed by how he had abused it at the time he held it which Freya is implied to be aware of, is disturbed by this request and avoids her for several days.

One day, Freya learns Kratos and Mimir have ventured to Valhalla and tracks them down outside the gates with Sigrún and the other Valkyries. She is none too pleased at their actions as she and the Valkyries were not informed, especially since they were ejected from Valhalla after its trials proved too much for Kratos to overcome on his own. Kratos explains he received a letter of invitation that was nailed to his and Freya's door. Freya turns down Kratos' invite to join them, noting she cannot due to having never died. She warns Kratos to be careful, and reminds him of their prior conversation, though she guesses he is not ready to answer.

Freya and the Valkyries take turns waiting outside the gates of Valhalla, meeting Kratos and Mimir whenever they are ejected whether due to being defeated in combat or other reasons. At one point, Kratos is ejected from Valhalla after encountering a recreation of his old seat from Greece and meets Freya and Sigrún. Freya warns him that Valhalla plays by its own rules, and that the threat of dying may seem trivial but is real, wishing the two of them luck. When she learns Sigrún ventured into Valhalla to save them and severely injured herself in the process, violating the rules in the process, Freya confronts them outside the gates after they suffer another defeat, warning them that she needs Sigrún and the two of them alive, both for their cause and as her friends.

Kratos eventually learns Týr was the one who summoned him: Týr knew of Kratos' self-doubts about Freya's offer and brought him to Valhalla to help prepare him to take over his old role and come to terms with his past actions. Freya eventually learns of Týr's scheme and is at first appalled at his actions, but learns from Kratos that whatever is happening is helpful, and ultimately accepts it.

After confronting his past in Valhalla, Kratos meets Freya and the Valkyries at the gates, and tells Freya he is ready to do what she asked of him. She tells him she is pleased to hear that, and hopes he found what he needed in Valhalla.

Appearance[]

God of War (2018)[]

Due to her godhood, Freya's youthful appearance belies her true age. Despite her son Baldur's claims that it had been at least 100 years since the two were last together and the fact that she fought in the Aesir-Vanir war which lasted for centuries, Freya has the appearance of a beautiful young woman. She has long chestnut hair that cascades down her back tied near the end, Freya's Hawk Feathers in her hair hint to some of her hidden magical powers. In addition, she has two long braided locks that fall to her shoulders.

When she was first met by Kratos and Atreus, she wears a light brown dress with animal skins and has faded tattoos on her arms, Freya wears a simple beaded necklace that holds great personal importance for Freya—a gift from her young son in better days, she also wears her Brísingamen, it is more than just a beautiful amber amulet; it contains the name of her son embedded within. The Golden Waistguard of Duty is a remnant from a solemn responsibility Freya once took very seriously. The Silver Band of Remembrance on her left arm is a piece of jewelry that harkens back to her time before being the Witch of the Woods. Much like her necklace, this simple beaded bracelet on her right arm was a gift from her son—a reminder of a happier time long past. Freya's crocheted woolen cape is intricately made and inspired by grand tapestries from her home realm. Towards the end of their journey, she is seen wearing a much more regal outfit; a dark brown leather dress with intricate runic patterns and gold inlaid into the lower part of dress. She also wears a bright orange shirt and her tattoos are no longer faded. Freya is seen exclusively barefoot. She is quite tall, even standing taller than her son, Freya is tall enough that she can see Kratos eye to eye. According to Mimir, her fertile beauty was one of the reasons Odin agreed to marry Freya.

She always carries with her the scabbard of her sword, Thrungva also known as Sparrow's Bite. Her sword has recently acted more as an ornament than a weapon because her ex-husband stole her warriors spirit, making her unable to properly fight.

God of War Ragnarök[]

Freya's appearance has slightly changed since the events of the previous game. In terms of her hair it is like before only more messy, unkempt with more braids. Freya also has smoky kohl around her eyes, leaving the streaks alone, like it's war paint, her now smudged makeup reads like a statement according to Sindri: that the tears of a mother for a lost child are never done falling. After reconciling with Kratos and Atreus, Freya's complexion relaxes to its original look, no longer harboring hatred or grief.

Freya now has black leather under-armor with silver studs underneath her general attire, she also converted Brísingamen from an amulet to a brooch. At her waist there are multiple places with decorative stitching, hemp, wolf fur and tanned dreki hide. Most of these things are being held together with Baldur's Twilight Pendant. Freya carries a rich, walnut-brown embossed leather bag on her hip, her cape is made of crocheted wool, it is noted to be surprisingly warm. On her feet which are still bare as before, she has a multitude of wrappings.

She would later also acquire another sword to carry around next to Thrungva: Mardöll, an Asgardian sword with the power of Bifröst, once presented by Odin as a ceremonial gift upon their now-destroyed marriage.

Personality[]

Initially, Freya is very friendly, hospitable, and at times motherly towards Atreus, taking care of him when his illness had become worse and his father had set out to retrieve a cure. She was also friendly towards Kratos, despite the latter's open distrust of virtually everyone and hatred for gods. It is implied that Freya sees herself in Kratos and that this is why she decided to help him, although she also teases "or maybe I just like you". It is unknown which of these answers is true, but she is shown to care for Atreus, both as a friend and as a mother-figure of sorts. She occasionally scolds Kratos for keeping his past a secret from Atreus, and for distrusting divine beings despite being one himself. However, she understands his distrust due to the past actions of divine beings like the Aesir. She possibly reminded Kratos of Athena, which was why he was reluctant to trust her at first and not open with her as well.

Freya agreed to marry Odin, her most hated enemy, in order to protect her people and end the war. However, the eventual pains that she would later face would yield negative results on her mentality. After the deaths of her many of her people, the disappearance of her brother, the loss of her Valkyries, and the resentment she received from her own people. As well as losing her combative powers and being banished to Midgard for the rest of her life, Freya did whatever she could to protect the only person she had left in her life, her son Baldur. Due to the trauma of her previous losses, Freya became extremely paranoid and overprotective of him. Prophecies foretelling her son's demise drove her to cast a spell on Baldur, rendering him invulnerable to everything except mistletoe (which breaks the spell), but also meant he could never physically feel anything including pleasure for as long as the spell lasted, which only earned her his hatred and resentment. For this reason, Freya panicked when she saw Atreus carrying mistletoe arrows, immediately destroying them and angrily telling Atreus to never go near them again. Freya also secretly bewitched Mimir, who had previously discovered Baldur's weakness, from speaking of it and her connection to Baldur to Kratos and Atreus.

Although Freya hated herself for the pain her curse put on her son and acknowledged that she did it simply so to alleviate her own fear, the possibility of losing the only person she had left was too much for her to bear, and she still selfishly refused to lift the spell, even lying that the spell could not be broken by any means and earnestly tried to destroy all said means to break it. Freya was willing to do anything to protect her son, putting her life on the line to prevent Kratos from hurting him. After Baldur was freed from the curse, and told her that he would never forgive her, Freya offered to let her son kill her to make up for the pain she made him go through. She was perfectly willing to sacrifice herself if it meant Baldur would live, something that Kratos himself understood as a parent. However, despite understanding Freya's selfless action, Kratos couldn't stand by and let the cycle of Gods killing their parents and kin continue because of his own past experience with Zeus, and so is forced to kill Baldur to stop him from killing his mother, causing Freya to become distraught and earning her hatred despite knowing how shameless and murderous her son had become. Believing it was a simple cold-blooded execution, she called him an "animal" and swore vengeance against Kratos for killing Baldur, as despite the fact that she saved his son's life and was the reason they would be able to reach Jötunheim, he took away the only person she had left in her life.

At the start of God of War Ragnarök, Freya has become completely consumed with her quest for revenge against Kratos, ignoring his and Atreus' insistence that they mean her no harm, and relentlessly stalking and attacking them whenever they leave their protection stave. Her frustration is compounded by Kratos' choice to evade her rather than fight her directly. Her desire for revenge even led her to maliciously trick Raiders to go after Kratos with the lie that his demise will end Fimbulwinter. Even when offered the chance to stop Odin by Atreus, she refuses as it would mean forcing her to ally with Kratos. When Kratos and Atreus lose the protection stave, Freya goes so far as to wear her Valkyrie armor to hide her identity, goading the two into an actual battle until Kratos recognizes her sword, Thrungva.

However, despite how much she bitterly hated Kratos and raged over Baldur's death, Freya's heart is not entirely gone. When attacking Kratos and Atreus, Freya focuses almost all of her efforts on killing Kratos, only ever non-fatally pushing or knocking Atreus aside. Notably, when Atreus readies an arrow and threatens to shoot Freya, Freya looks at him and momentarily hesitates, leading to Kratos disarming and overpowering her, showing that she still cared for Atreus as she was unable to bring herself to fatally harm him. Even when she threatens Atreus with death and Kratos was not there, she ends up sparing him, but warns him not to see her again. Ultimately, when Kratos tries to calm Atreus down from mauling Freya in his bear form, Freya suddenly finds herself conflicted, reminded of her own behavior as a parent from watching how Kratos cares for his son, she slowly abandoned her vengeance against Kratos. After reluctantly allying with Kratos to find and remove Odin's binding spell over her, Freya loses much of her drive for revenge as she is reminded of Odin's treatment of her and her people, and learns of Kratos' own quest for vengeance after the loss of his own family at the hands of Ares. Eventually, after they defeat Níðhögg and free her from the binding magic, Kratos asks her what will happen next, taking out his axe in case of a battle, Freya admits that some part of her would be angry at Kratos, she accepts that even if she managed to kill him, it would be useless and that her hatred is reserved for Odin. By the end of Ragnarök, Freya ultimately accepts that vengeance truly would only leave one empty, refraining from killing Odin when Atreus has his soul inside an orb. Due to this acceptance, she tries to convince her former friend Gná to put aside her own desire for revenge against her, only to fail.

With that, Freya regains her friendly and hospitable attitude, although the death of Baldur and impending war with Asgard and Odin certainly hardened her, and she has gained a sarcastic sense of humour.

Relationships[]

Njörd[]

Freya's relationship with her father is unknown as it is not shown at any point in the games. However, in-game dialogue suggests that he was a mostly absent father to both her and Freyr, likely due to his wanderlust nature, which Freya claims Freyr inherited from him.

Nerthus[]

Her relationship with her mother is unknown as it is not shown at any point in the games.

Freyr[]

While never directly stated, it is heavily implied that while Freya loved her brother, she was also extremely frustrated with him long before her marriage to Odin. Side conversations, stories and comments by Freya paint a picture that the carefree Freyr, while well intentioned, was also irresponsible and negligent in his obligations as a leader of the Vanir. She bitterly notes at one point that he often left the hard parts of leadership to his sister. This reached a boiling point when Freyr learned of his sister's impending marriage to Odin and, at her wedding ceremony, he apparently said some very cruel things that broke his sister's heart and drove a significant wedge between them. While his exact words are never known, given that many Vanir felt that Freya's marriage was an act of betrayal, and Freya's comments that he abandoned her when she needed him most, it is likely he berated her for her decision and accused her of betraying their people. This would be exceptionally painful, as Freya had agreed to marriage out of a desire to save her people and sense of responsibility. Meaning Freyr had once again left his sister to bare the brunt of leadership then accosted her for it, at a time when she needed his support more than ever.

Despite this, Freya cared for her brother deeply and never stopped believing in him and reconciled with him despite being cold towards him initially, on Kratos' urging. She also admired his constant efforts to establish peace wherever he went.

When Freyr sacrifices himself to ensure she and the rest of their comrades escape, Freya is both devastated but incredibly proud of her brother for his actions. Both for his sacrifice and stepping up to lead the Vanaheim resistance.

Gná[]

Freya and Gná grew up together in Vanaheim and became best friends with Gná loyally running errands for Freya, the two then fought beside one another during the Aesir-Vanir war which ended with Freya's marriage to Odin. When Freya married Odin and moved to Asgard and became Queen of the Valkyries, Gná followed suit and they were close for a time.

However, after Freya broke off her marriage to Odin, she earned Gná's hatred and resentment as the latter had become extremely loyal and devoted to the All-Father and saw Freya's actions as betrayal, this was compounded by Odin's attack on Vanaheim out of spite leading to Gná accusing Freya of betraying not only her but her own people.

The two would later fight following Gná's survival of Ragnarök and Odin's death. Gná would attempt to avenge Odin's death but was defeated by Freya and Kratos and killed by the former at her insistence as she refused to redeem herself and change.

Hildisvíni[]

Freya and Hildisvíni hold a very close friendship even after Freya left Vanaheim and went to Asgard and ultimately left that place as well after leaving Odin. After Freya was cursed by Odin to remain in Midgard, Hildisvíni who was a counselor to the Vanir was also cursed to remain in his boar form and exiled with her there, with Freya even saving his life with help from Kratos and Atreus, who shot him as part of their hunt.

Odin[]

Freya and Odin were always enemies due to being part of opposing factions the Vanir and Aesir respectively. Freya was particularly angry at the injustice and cruelty brought upon her and her people by Odin, which was made worse when Odin tortured her brother Freyr.

However, they ended up marrying to end the war between the Aesir and Vanir which was for naught, as Odin still inflicted his cruelty on the Vanir even after that. However, despite this and as per her own admission and Mimir's acknowledgment, Freya and Odin were happily married for a time until she finally saw the All-Father for what he was; a cruel, barbaric and heartless man who cared for no one but himself. This hatred had sparked after Odin asked Freya to put the invulnerability spell she put on their son on him which Freya had vehemently refused to do due to seeing what it did to their son. Thus, she incurred the All-Father's wrath as he cursed her to forever remain in Midgard.

Freya would develop a deep hatred for Odin, not just for his evil acts but for his manipulative and deceitful tactics, tactics she fell for and only saw through when it was too late. The opportunity to exact revenge on Odin only came much later, after Odin visited Kratos and Atreus during Fimbulwinter. He would admit that he still loved Freya despite everything, though this was likely a false admission.

Baldur[]

Baldur was born as the only son of Freya and Odin and he was the only thing Freya cherished from her marriage to Odin. Freya loved Baldur greatly and the feeling was mutual for a time, as Baldur would often confide in Freya his insecurities and his feelings of worthlessness when he could not get Odin's approval. Baldur even made and gave Freya several gifts which she kept with her and cherished.

Unfortunately, their relationship would be broken for good after Freya placed the invulnerability spell on Baldur after a prophecy from the Norns stated he would die a needless death. This spell, however, took away Baldur's ability to feel anything and he could not engage in life's pleasures (such as sexual pleasure, feasting, and drinking), much to his sorrow and frustration. Baldur tried to get his mother to lift the spell off of him to no avail as she refused to do so and had the audacity to claim Baldur would thank her for it and lied by not knowing how to break the spell (even though she was aware mistletoe was the one thing that could break it). Since then, Baldur developed an intense hatred toward his mother and decided he would not forgive her. Freya, however, never stopped loving him.

They would later meet again many years later when Freya was helping Kratos and Atreus, whom Baldur was tracking down for Odin and forcefully trying to bring them to Asgard. Baldur would inadvertently be cured by Atreus after the former punches the latter and accidentally impales his fist on a mistletoe arrowhead. Unfortunately, Baldur would meet his end at Kratos' hands after he kills him to prevent him from killing Freya, causing her to angrily swear vengeance on Kratos.

Over the next three years, Freya would relentlessly hunt and attack Kratos and Atreus to get revenge for her son's death until she forgave them after realizing that Odin was the one responsible. While Atreus had fled from Kratos to Asgard in order to alter the prophecy of his father's death, Freya assisted Kratos on visiting the Norns to know what would happen to Atreus in the future. During the journey there, she, Kratos and Mimir are being tested, in which Freya witnesses a hallucination of her past mistakes, including Baldur confronting his own mother about his curse of not being able to feel. Freya also saw herself in this hallucination, her counterpart is named under her Æsir name, Frigg. Instead of Kratos killing the God of Light in this hallucination, Freya witnesses her counterpart putting her son on a chokehold. Frigg addresses that nobody will harm her son but herself, snapping Baldur's neck the same way Kratos had, much to Freya's dismay.

Týr[]

Freya greatly respected Týr and admired the way the God of War inspired love and peace wherever he went unlike his fellow Aesir and Týr also likely respected Freya herself. Freya was shocked to hear of Týr's supposed death at Odin's hands and was shocked again upon seeing that he was alive.

Freya would later learn that Týr was the one behind Kratos' invitation to take part in the challenges set for him at Valhalla to master himself and would be initially appalled but would choose to trust his intuition and intent upon hearing from Kratos himself that it was helping.

Thor[]

Not much is known about Freya's relationship with Thor as they are not shown interacting. However, based on the God of Thunder's notorious reputation as a bloodlusted individual and his brutish and merciless ways towards enemies, there is no doubt that Freya is appalled and disgusted by her former step-son.

Heimdall[]

Much of Freya's relationship with Heimdall is unknown. However, based on their brief hostile meeting in Vanaheim years after Freya left Asgard, it is clear that both of them despised each other, with Heimdall insulting her with the hurtful nickname "Queen Mistletoe” (a reference to the invulnerability curse she put on Baldur, which could be broken by mistletoe). However, based on Freya's insistence on Heimdall's death prior to Kratos' fight with him, it is clear that like many others she was not too fond of the Watchman of the Aesir because of his position as Odin's left-hand and his unpleasant personality, which made him a dangerous individual that needed to be taken out in her eyes.

Sigrún[]

Sigrún served Freya loyally while the latter was the Queen of the Valkyries and continued to revere her and be loyal even after she was removed from the position after leaving Odin. Years later, Sigrún would help Freya regain her warrior spirit and fighting abilities but also warned her of her revenge campaign against Kratos as it was pointless and also because Kratos was not really her enemy and that the Spartan could be used as an ally to stop Odin.

Freya, meanwhile, still respected Sigrún and considered her a great friend for being loyal to her and being by her side. Freya even expressed fear and concern after Sigrún burned herself when she tried to rescue Mímir and Kratos from Valhalla after they failed yet another challenge that would have surely led to their deaths.

Kratos[]

Freya first met Kratos in God of War (2018) when he and Atreus shot Hildisvíni, and would later meet them in several parts of the game, including helping them get to Alfheim and curing Atreus' illness, which formed a permanent alliance. However, Kratos and Freya's friendship fell apart after he killed Baldur, in order to save Freya's life. She swore revenge on him and would later frequently attack him and Atreus during the three years of Fimbulwinter.

During God of War: Ragnarök, she first attacks him while he is out hunting with Atreus, and does it again when she ambushes Kratos at his house. However, she realizes that Kratos is more valuable alive than dead, and so spares him in exchange for a temporary alliance. After she is freed from Odin's curse in Vanaheim and learning more of Kratos' past, she decides that Odin is the one deserving of her vengeance, allying with Kratos once more and becomes a personal companion for him. Despite stating that a part of her will forever be angry at him for killing Baldur, Freya starts being friendly toward Kratos again, often conversing and sharing stories with him during exploration. She also starts seeing him as a confidant, even asking if he would give her advice whenever she needed it. Freya also requests Kratos to lead them in attacking Asgard as their general after starting Ragnarök. After Asgard's destruction, she gladly joins Kratos and Mimir on a journey to help restore the realms. She eventually also offers Kratos a position as God of War at the council she was starting to help lead the nine realms. By the time Kratos enters Valhalla, Freya's duties to the realms meant that she took time away from Kratos' side, and although she doesn't accompany him in Valhalla, Freya warns him to be careful, stating that she doesn't want to lose him both as an ally and a friend.

Atreus[]

Freya first met Atreus in Midgard with Kratos after shooting Hildisvíni. Despite initially being appalled at his actions, she very quickly began to feel sympathy for Atreus after realising that he was a motherless, single child living in Midgard with his father, who he had a distant relationship with at the time. Atreus in many ways also reminded her of Baldur during his youth, and his fragile relationship with Kratos reminded her of how her relationship with Baldur fell apart due to her fears overshadowing what Baldur truly needed.

As a result, Freya was very friendly and motherly towards Atreus, openly chatting with him and educating him on various topics when Atreus was intrigued by things he'd never seen, and happily greeting him when they encountered each other. Even after ignoring Kratos' request for help due to his previous rude exit, Freya immediately helped shelter Atreus and agreed to help Kratos cure him after she found out that Atreus was ill, an act that Kratos swore to never forget, even after Freya swore vengeance on him for killing Baldur.

Despite being consumed by grief and rage during Fimbulwinter and repeatedly trying to kill Kratos, Freya still cared for Atreus, as, when attacking Kratos with Atreus in tow, she focused most of her attacks on Kratos and never tried to fatally injure Atreus, even when Atreus visited her alone wearing the mistletoe necklace that broke her son's curse, Freya spared him, warning him to not come back for his own safety. Later, after breaking Odin's curse and rejoining Kratos as an ally, she showed immediate concern when Kratos mentioned that Odin was alone with Atreus for a brief time, knowing that Atreus' compassionate and naive nature was an easy target for Odin's manipulations. In Sindri's house, she praised Atreus for believing that she could ally with Kratos and amend their conflict at a time it seemed impossible, appreciating his ability to hope for a better future despite everything.

After defeating Odin and bringing down Asgard, Freya warmly embraced Atreus, stating that she saw him as family, and that she was proud of the man he'd become throughout his journey, not only for his skill in battle but his compassionate heart, something his mother would be very proud of.

Mimir[]

With Freya being one of the most powerful Vanir Goddesses and a key figure in their army, and Mimir being Odin's most trusted advisor, they were enemies for most of the Aesir-Vanir war. However, after Mimir convinced Odin and Freya to marry each other in order to broker peace and end the war, Mimir and Freya began living under the same roof in Asgard, likely interacting with each other frequently. Whilst being happily married to Odin for a time and believing that the peace would last, Odin's paranoia and lust for knowledge, as well as the brutal, unforgiving nature of most of the Aesir became too much for Freya to stomach, and she broke off the marriage. In response, Odin stripped her of her Valkyrie spirit and trapped her in Midgard, forcing her to isolate herself for many years. Meanwhile, Odin's forces reoccupied Vanaheim and the realm's inhabitants turned their back on her, labelling her a coward and a traitor for abandoning them.

As a result, Freya developed a strong grudge towards Mimir and blamed him for her grief, as the marriage to Odin was his idea, and not only did it fail to create peace, it made the divide between the Aesir and Vanir even stronger, and forced Freya to live a lonely life in exile for many winters, hated both by her son and her own people. This grudge remained after Mimir was freed from Odin's grasp a hundred winters later, as, upon reviving Mimir at the request of Kratos and Atreus, Freya spat in Mimir's face when he awoke, an action that Mimir didn't blame her for. After nearly killing Kratos and nearly being killed by Atreus, Freya agreed to temporarily ally with Kratos to break her curse in Vanaheim, where she saw the sorry state of her realm and the extent in which Odin's forces decimated its settlements after she was exiled, and she bitterly shut down Mimir's claims that he simply wanted to end the war and stop further bloodshed.

After breaking the curse, Freya decided to ally with Kratos and Mimir against Odin, as the journey reminded her that much of her suffering was Odin's fault, and that both Kratos and Mimir were thrust into making difficult choices and had no desire to cause her grief. When revisiting her old wedding site, Mimir asked for her forgiveness, fully acknowledging his mistakes and how much grief the marriage caused her, and Freya appreciated his kind words, accepting that his desire to end the war was a noble one. Whilst travelling the realms with Kratos, she frequently banters and bickers, albeit light-heartedly, with Mimir, showing that whilst she finds his obnoxious know-it-all attitude annoying, she values his knowledge and his desire to do good. Later, in Valhalla, she expresses concern when Kratos and Mimir make it clear that they intend to complete whatever challenge they were sent for, making it clear that Valhalla is dangerous to anyone if the rules are broken, and that she needs them alive both for the cause and as her friends.

Brok[]

Whilst Brok mentioned that he was present at Freya’s wedding, it’s unclear as to whether Freya and Brok formally spoke to each other. Freya was likely aware of him at some point due to his part in forging Thor’s hammer, which went on to be the most infamous weapon in the nine realms.

During their journey to Vanaheim to break Odin’s curse, Freya initially found Brok very irritating, angrily shutting down his attempts to convince her to make amends with her brother rather than push him away in bitterness, stating that it was none of his concern. However, after breaking her curse and directing her vengeance towards Odin, she becomes much more friendly, allowing Brok to work on her gear and agreeing to let Brok study her Sigil Magic infused in her bow in exchange for Sonic attuned arrows. She also accepts his invitation to stay at Sindri’s house and openly asks how he met Lunda, although she is baffled by Brok’s unusual manners and humour on several occasions. When approaching Brok’s forge, she sometimes greets Brok in a wry but friendly manner. Like Kratos, Freya was deeply saddened by Brok's death, later attending his funeral and personally firing the arrow that cremated his body.

Chaurli[]

Sometime after she left Odin, she came across Chaurli in the Sanctuary Grove, which in exchange for personal care, he became Freya's home. But after Baldur's death, Freya neglected him in order to focus on killing Kratos. This led to Chaurli suffering in Fimbulwinter, and would not be found until Atreus encounters him after running away. When Freya reunites with the turtle, she explains that she had no reason to neglect him and that she's at fault for it, but she can't stay as she has work to do with Kratos, Mimir, and the Shield Maidens. Freya then sent Birgir to become a temporary or maybe permanent caretaker for Chaurli.

Powers & Abilities[]

Powers[]

As the leader of the Vanir along with her brother, Freya is an extremely powerful god and the most powerful of the Vanir. Her power was great enough that even the Valkyries revered her for it, being acknowledged by even the immensely formidable Sigrun as the true Queen of the Valkyries. She was even said by Mimir to be Odin's deadliest enemy. Additionally, it was stated that she seems to be Kratos' equal in every relevant metric[2], and proved to be a tough challenge for the Ghost of Sparta whenever they fought, albeit he was holding back and did not want to kill her in each of those times.

  • Seiðr Mastery: Freya is the most powerful and knowledgeable user of the Seiðr witchcraft practiced by the Vanir Gods. As the leader of the Vanir, Freya is undoubtedly among the most powerful gods of the Nine Realms. Even Kratos was impressed by her magical capabilities, enough so that he called her competent in her craft, even before Mimir revealed her identity as a Vanir goddess. Her magic was even considered by Atreus to be much stronger than Odin's very own. Mimir confirmed this and stated that Odin only managed to curse Freya by taking advantage of her weaknesses. Likewise, Freya's spell of protection was so powerful and complex that not even Odin could lift it, nor could he cast it on himself and when she crafted a binding spell, Odin was unable to overcome her magic directly, falling to his knees and having to use his ravens to disrupt her concentration to break free. While she initially could not engage in active battle using her magic due to Odin's curses, Freya's magical capabilities nevertheless made her highly useful in helping others and she is shown to be able to manipulate others to fight for her. As an example to her power when used at its fullest, she was known to be among the most powerful warriors of the Vanir back when she was still able to use magic in battle, and even managed to forcibly stop Thor from massacring the Giants in Jötunheim and send themselves back to Asgard using her magic, a feat that Mimir once said required the Jötunn kings to cast spells together. In addition, her magic proved powerful enough to block out the strength of the Leviathan Axe, which is equal to Mjölnir in power as two of the strongest weapons in the Nine Realms, preventing Kratos and Atreus from entering her home no matter what, leaving Atreus in awe at just how powerful her magic was despite being affected by Odin's curse.
    • Spell Casting: As the greatest master of the magics of the Vanir, Freya is fully capable of casting a wide variety of seiðr spells without any concentration, requiring simply mere hand gestures, and verbal spells in the ancient Vanir language:
      • Defensive Spells: She can mark someone with a rune to mask their location from their pursuers, even one as competent as Baldur. Mimir revealed during one of his tales that Freya concealed Thor with her magic so he can infiltrate Jötunheim with her, and stated that Freya had warded her forest with magic effective enough to make it one of Odin's blind spots. Freya also had the skill to bolster the magical defenses of the Realm Between Realms in order to keep the Hel-Walkers from invading.
      • Magical Perceptions: Freya upon the initial encounter with Kratos and his son could sense their divine origin. She could even see that Kratos was a god of a foreign realm. She could also hear the forests state her son Baldur was in Midgard.
      • Chlorokinesis: She can manipulate the flora around her for various effects, such as: bending vines to her will, conjuring vines to subdue her opponents, strong enough to constrict even the likes of Kratos, Baldur, and Odin, and creating weapon (such as a bow) out of plants.
      • Purification: She can contain and purify Seiðr poisons generated from scorn poles for indefinite amount of time, as long as her medium is still attached to the scorn poles.
      • Animal Command: Freya can command creatures, such as the gigantic turtle that lives on her home, to move according to her wishes.
      • Legion Summon: Through her magic, Freya can call forth humanoid creatures made of plant matters. They aren't strong on their own, instead overwhelming the opponent with sheer numbers.
      • Divination: Freya, through the use of runes, can divine the future. Using this, she was able to predict that Baldur would die a needless death.
      • Necromancy: Freya possesses the knowledge and the skill needed to reanimate dead bodies into something closely resembling their former self. They even have the capability to use their skills from when they were alive. There are limits to this magic however, as Mimir himself said that he was still a decomposing head and his existence was unpleasant enough that Freya wouldn't want to resurrect Baldur using this magic. It also seemed to be dependent on the condition of the corpse as Freya commented the state of Mimir's head before casting the magic. She can also reanimate someone without recovering their consciousness, essentially making them her puppet.
      • Invulnerability Spell: Her most famous feat of spell-casting, one that made Baldur invulnerable to all threats except for mistletoe, the only item which could break the spell, due to the Vanir magic's fickleness. The invulnerability also gave an unintended side effect which made the target unable to feel anything, from pain to pleasure, which made Baldur consider this spell to be a curse instead of a blessing. Aside from mistletoe, there is still a possibility for one to incapacitate or injure the target, as demonstrated during the fight between Kratos and Baldur, although any wound will be rapidly healed.
      • Healing Spells: Freya is a greatly capable and knowledgeable healer, knowing several spells and ingredients needed for different types of sickness or wound. She even knew how to treat illness from something Mimir claimed to be unheard of. Such as one stemming from a God believing himself to be mortal. Many of her healing arts was used in conjunction with herbs and Seiðr spells.
      • Binding Spell: With an object of the victim, Freya can cast a binding spell which will strangle the person she chooses, the tighter the object, the stronger the hanging of the victim will be.
      • Shapeshifting: Freya was able to shape-shift, as she could transform herself into an eagle searching before a cautious Kratos and Atreus to look for Baldur.
      • Sigil Magic: Freya can utilise Sigil Magic, often using it in the form of charged arrow shots. Using it, she can amplify the elemental effects of attacks landed on her enemies, often causing damaging elemental explosions.
      • Telekinesis: Freya once lifted and kept Atreus's bow in the air for her to place her bowstring (which can contain and channel the light of Alfheim) onto it.
      • Toxokinesis: Freya can use Seiðr poison as a weapon, launching poison as projectiles onto the ground.
      • Electrokinesis: Freya can summon a field of electrically charged fireflies to surround her enemies, causing discharges and an electrically charged explosion on command, with the electricity being chained to multiple enemies.
      • Realm Travel: Freya knows the runes to access different realms, such as Alfheim and Helheim. Through unknown method, she managed to access the realm travel room and interrogate Mimir while Kratos and Atreus were in Jötunheim.
      • Energy Projection: Freya can project bolts of magical energy from her hands or in the form of arrows.
      • Magical Combat: While initially unable to kill or even harm someone due to Odin's Curse, she is said to have been able to use Seiðr spells to fight against others. This is a notable feat as she was among the Vanir that used magic to fight against the Aesir to a standstill in the Aesir-Vanir war.
      • Power Infusion: Freya can infuse her weapons with magic which gives her sword and arrow attacks more force and can allow her to release shock waves when striking the ground with her sword.
  • Valkyrie Wings: With her Valkyrie wings, Freya can fly and maintain combat in the air.
  • Immortality: As a Vanir Goddess, Freya is unaging, as despite being millennia old, she still retains the appearance of a woman in her prime. However, she can be killed by other gods and powerful weapons or beings.
  • Incarnation of Beauty: Being the Goddess of Beauty, Freya radiates a dazzling natural beauty, Mimir admitted that she was as well known for her beauty as for her prowess in battle, Odin was so taken with Freya's beauty that was one of the reasons why he agreed to marry her.
  • Amokinesis: Being the Goddess of Love (like Aphrodite), Freya also has power over love and the feelings linked to it.
  • Superhuman Strength: Freya has displayed tremendous levels of superhuman strength, being capable of pressuring a reluctant Kratos. She was able to give Kratos noticeable effort in breaking free from her holds as well as easily lift and throw Kratos aside by the use of her wings. She was also able to match blows with Gná and use her sword to decapitate her with a single swing to the neck.
  • Superhuman Durability: As the former leader of the Valkyries and among the most powerful of the Vanir Gods who had fought the Aesir dozens of times, Freya must have considerable levels of superhuman durability to be able to survive fighting the Aesir, who were renowned for their extreme raw strength. Despite having spent centuries unable to fight anyone due to Odin's curse, Freya's durability did not seem to have dwindled at all from the lack of combat, as she not only withstood a high fall without any damage, but even Baldur attempting to kill her by gripping her neck without restraint for a decent amount of time, choking her to death, caused her only minor discomfort, still able to declare her love for him, and she survived without any actual injury when Kratos freed her. While trying to kill Kratos, Freya was able to withstand being repeatedly forced aside and knocked down without any injuries, although Kratos wasn't trying to kill her at all.

Abilities[]

  • Master Combatant: As the former Queen of the Valkyries, Freya is an immensely formidable warrior, enough so that Odin opted to take her wings and cursed her to never be able to fight after she abandoned him. Indeed, she comes close to killing a reluctant Kratos numerous times and even manages to temporarily overpower him in their final fight, when he got distracted, to where she even claimed to Kratos that she would've beaten him in this fight had Atreus not turned into a bear, although she freely admitted that Kratos was never taking her seriously on all occasions they fought and that he always held back, she acknowledged Kratos was the most capable warrior she knew of who could lead the invasion on Asgard. Nonetheless, Kratos noted in the Codex that he could imagine no more formidable ally than Freya.
    • Master Hand-to-Hand Combatant: Freya has displayed a remarkable amount of skill in unarmed combat, managing to repeatedly knock down and restrain Kratos.
    • Master Swordswoman: Freya was extremely skilled in swordsmanship. Using her sword, she was capable of nearly overpowering and killing Kratos himself when he was distracted.
    • Master Archer: Freya was also an exceptional archer, using her bow effectively against multiple enemies and even Kratos himself was struck repeatedly by Freya's arrows. She can shoot up to 3 arrows in near-instantaneous speeds. Even with her curse, she still found some use with her bow, creating light bridges by shooting arrows infused with the light of Alfheim.
  • Gifted Intellect: Freya is a highly intelligent goddess. In addition to mastering Seiðr Magic, she is also knowledgeable over many topics and creatures among the Nine Realms. She also had the foresight to bewitch Mimir long ago prevent him from remembering the weakness to Baldur's invulnerability. Freya, while not able to break the curses Odin put on her, was able to find loopholes within them to still make her a noteworthy difficult distraction to the fight between Kratos and Baldur. She was also able to deduce Kratos' identity as the Ghost of Sparta. Freya had a remarkable amount of skill in leadership, as she was able to stalemate Odin's invading forces by commanding Vanaheim against the Aesir, a feat that no one else was ever able to achieve before, including Freyr, who freely acknowledged she far outclassed him in terms of leadership skill. Her leadership expertise and wisdom allowed her to come up with the idea of a council designed to keep the peace through the Nine Realms, with Kratos admitting Freya was an experienced leader and believing she would be able to manage the council without him. However, she admitted that she lacked the experience of leading an invasion, and chose to make Kratos the general of the assault on Asgard.

God of War 2018[]

God of War Ragnarök[]

Portraits[]

Panoramas[]

Concept Art[]

Cosplay Guide[]

Cosplay Guide 2018[]


Trivia[]

  • Her Greek equivalents (in terms of being the Queen of the Gods) are Hera and (in terms of abilities) Aphrodite. As the archetypical Germanic goddess, she encompasses a vast variety of roles and doesn't appear to have a direct Greek functional analogue. In the games, while Hera openly hated Kratos from his birth and wanted him dead due to hating the illegitimate children of Zeus on principle. Freya was friendly and helpful towards Kratos up until he killed Baldur, her son, only after which she started hating him and swearing revenge until she eventually made amends and became friendly again. Freya also has her counterpart with Hades, Ares, Artemis and Athena, since Freya occupies functions equal to them.
    • More importantly, in the story of the God of War series itself, she could be considered an equivalent, or more of an antithesis to Athena; both are important female guiding voices in Kratos' journey, though the dynamic of their relationship with Kratos are far opposites. Kratos was initially cynical of Freya whereas he almost unquestioningly believed Athena; later on, Kratos prevented a Matricide by Freya's son by killing him, whereas previously it was Athena who prevented Patricide by Kratos by sacrificing herself; after Baldur's death, Freya went on a blind quest of vengeance where Kratos' had to avert himself from her to avoid themselves from harming each other, whereas Athena tried to be a voice of reason during Kratos' rock bottom before the events of the second game to which he begrudgingly ignored; lastly, both figures imposed the position of God of War to Kratos, but instead of a hollow boon he had no choice but to assume that ultimately led to self-destructive impulses, Kratos explored Valhalla in contemplation of Freya's offer to finally be at peace with himself and rediscover his self worth, able to sit comfortably at the throne of a God of War as a better person.
  • In recorded Norse mythology, Frigg and Freya are usually two separated goddesses, though they are believed to have the same origin: the Germanic goddess Frijjō. The distinction between the two goddesses is an exclusively Scandinavian phenomenon as "Freya" isn't attested elsewhere, it is simply a title.
    • Frigg (meaning 'Beloved' in Old Norse), wife of Odin, is the Aesir goddess of home and hearth, and family matters.
    • Freya (meaning 'Lady' in Old Norse) is the Vanir goddess of lust, gold, love, fertility, death, war and magic.
    • Both Frigg and Freya are claimed to be the most beautiful of all gods.
    • Freya's husband is named Óðr "divine madness, soul, mind", which may be the origin of Odin, the name of Frigg's husband.
  • In God of War, Freya never appear in the same screen as Brok or Sindri, nor were there any mention or hint that either of the dwarves ever interact with her off-screen. Even during the part where Freya guides Kratos to realm-travel into Alfheim, all dwarven shops on the path are left empty for unknown reason. In God of War Ragnarok, Freya would finally interact with Brok and Sindri shortly after she decided to make a temporary alliance with Kratos to destroy the spell keeping her in Midgard.
  • The boar that Freya claims is her friend is Hildisvíni, a boar within Norse mythology that is said to accompany Freya. This is confirmed when the player enters Freya's house and the boar is still resting, Atreus asks the boar's name, to which she replies "Hildisvíni, he's a good friend of mine". It's revealed in God of War: Ragnarök that Hildisvíni was actually a person and a father figure to Freya.
  • According to the official cosplay guide, her sword is named Sparrow's Bite; the sequel however acknowledge the sword's name as Thrungva.
  • Her necklace, the Brisingamen, has the name of her son Baldur spelled in Runes.
  • According to the cosplay guide, her beaded necklace and bracelet were gifted to her by Baldur when he was young.
  • Freya called Kratos by his name even though he never introduced himself to her. She either knew who he was from the start or she put the pieces together and realised that he is the "Ghost of Sparta" from the legend though she did not know of his tragic past until he revealed it to her. Or, it may have been an oversight by the writers.
  • In Norse Mythology, Freya possesses a magical feathery cloak which gives the user the power of flight. This is referenced in the game when she shape-shifts into an eagle.
  • Her tattoos darken as the story progresses. This may be because of the amount of Vanir magic she uses throughout the story, affecting her body.
  • In the 2018 height chart, it is revealed that Freya is between 6'3 tall.
  • Although Sigrún mentioned that the physical form is not a natural state of the Valkyries and would eventually fracture their sanity, Freya has been in physical form for as long as her appearance in the series and there hasn't been any implication that she has a "natural" spirit form.
    • It could be due to Freya predating the Valkyries and they were simply formed later on to be under her rule, thus the sisters were just different kind of beings with limitations she simply doesn't share.
    • It could also mean that Odin purposely created the Valkyries with that limitation to better control them.
    • It may be that the writers did not remember this as they clarified Valkyries consisted of women from any race who capable enough to become one as of Ragnarök, mortal included, since Sigrún being originally a human princess from Midgard.
    • Or simply this is one of the attributes for which the Valkyries revere their power.
  • Ironically, the foretelling of Baldur's death was a self-fulfilling prophecy, as Freya would purposely cast the invulnerability spell on her son in order to prevent it from coming true, which set in motion the events that eventually led to her son's death.
    • This is the same with the original myths, in which Baldur's prophetic dreams of his own demise cause Frigg to make everything in all the realms swear not to harm her son, which also led to his eventual death.
  • She is the third character to fight alongside Kratos with the first being is Deimos, and the second is Atreus.
    • She is the only non-family member of Kratos to fight alongside with.
  • Much of Freya's journey, especially in Vanaheim, is a potent symbolic and accurate representation of the feelings and struggles of overcoming an abusive spouse.
    • Despite escaping Odin, she still feels trapped by him, even screaming at him to get out of her while pulling the roots that bind her to Midgard apart.
    • She desperately wants to cut all ties to Odin, to forget about what happened so that she can stop feeling angry before eventually accepting that it will always be a part of her, and she must accept that while also moving forward.
  • In Norse mythology, Frigg is the mother of Baldur, Hodur and Hermod, and in others versions is also the mother of Bragi.
  • A Freya 'bot cameos in Astro Bot, labelled "Valkyrie Queen." Its description reads "The Witch of the Woods no more."

References[]

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