This article contains lore based on real-life sources from Norse mythology as introduced from the God of War Norse era.
| “ | Wait... is that Gjallarhorn? Are you Heimdall? | ” |
Gjallarhorn was the mighty horn of Heimdall. It was the battle horn that he was originally destined to use to warn the other Aesir gods of the beginning of Ragnarök. If he would blow into the horn, his breath would also be heard all across the Nine Realms.
Norse Mythology[]
In Norse mythology, Gjallarhorn (Old Norse: [ˈɡjɑlːɑrˌhorn]; "hollering horn" or "the loud sounding horn") is a horn associated with the god Heimdallr and the wise being Mímir. The sound of Heimdallr's horn will herald the beginning of Ragnarök, the sound of which will be heard in all corners of the world. Gjallarhorn is attested in the Poetic Edda, compiled in the 13th century from earlier traditional material, and the Prose Edda, written in the 13th century by Snorri Sturluson.
In the Prose Edda, Gjallarhorn is mentioned three times, all mentions occurring in Gylfaginning.
In chapter 15, the enthroned figure Just-As-High tells the disguised Gangleri about the cosmological tree Yggdrasil. Just-As-High says that one of the three roots of Yggdrasil reaches to the well Mímisbrunnr, which belongs to Mímir, and contains much wisdom and intelligence. Using Gjallarhorn, Heimdallr drinks from the well and thus is himself wise.
In chapter 25 of Gylfaginning, High mentions to Gangleri that Heimdallr is the owner of the "trumpet" Gjallarhorn and that "its blast can be heard in all worlds".
In chapter 51, High foretells the events of Ragnarök. After the enemies of the gods will gather at the plain Vígríðr, Heimdallr will stand and mightily blow into Gjallarhorn. The gods will awake and assemble together at the thing.
In the God of War Series[]
Not much is known about the origins of Gjallarhorn. What is known is that it lets out a very loud and powerful sound when blown. At an unknown point in time, Odin came into the possession of the horn, which he then gave to Heimdall in his aid in protecting the realm of Asgard when Ragnarök comes. Upon the beginning of the apocalyptic war, Heimdall was to blow into the horn to signal the other Aesir and their forces and call them up to fight.
However, the prophecy is turned on its head when the Greek God of War Kratos slays Heimdall in battle prior to the beginning of Ragnarök and takes the horn for himself. When he presents the horn to his son and friends, they were astonished by the fact that the Spartan had managed to get the horn. After Brok was killed by Odin (who disguised himself as Týr), Kratos, who went into a state of aimlessness, gives Gjallarhorn to Freya just before he leaves with Atreus to Midgard.
Much later, Kratos holds on to Gjallarhorn until he and his allies decide to instigate Ragnarök themselves. Gathering at Týr's Temple, he brandishes the horn and sends out a massive, earth-shattering horn blast that echoed across all Nine Realms and ignited all of the nine Realm towers at once, announcing the beginning of the final battle and signalling the armies of Alfheim, Helheim and Vanaheim to go to battle. Gjallarhorn then dissipates, since it had served its purpose.
Trivia[]
- When reaching for Gjallarhorn during the motion capture, Christopher Judge missed the first time by accident. Director Eric Williams kept it in the game as he felt it worked with Kratos's trauma.
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