Book Cover with Sleeve
God of War: Lore and Legends is a hardcover tome published by Dark Horse Comics and released on September 9, 2020. As told to Rick Barba, it is told from Atreus' point of view. It recreates his journal and recounts his and Kratos' journey in God of War (2018) as well as a bestiary, dossiers, and events that take place before and after the game.
Description[]
A hardcover tome that authentically recreates Atreus' journal as seen in God of War, with expanded lore written in collaboration with the God of War writing team!
The hit game is brought to life in a tangible and exciting new way as readers are invited to plumb the lore of God of War through the eyes of Kratos' son, Atreus. This hardcover volume chronicles Atreus and Kratos' journey through the fabled Nine Realms, from the Wildwoods of Midgard to the mountains of Jötunheim and beyond. In addition to the record of their mythic journey, this wondrous collection also includes a bestiary that was assembled during those travels, intimate dossiers of the characters that inhabit the masterfully crafted universe, and much more!
Content[]
Preface[]
"As I reread old entries, I add to them. I'm older, and I know so many new things now. When I do this, I feel Mother's presence."
Atreus pours himself through his journal, word for word, looking at what he saw then, and adding to what he knows now. He remembers his mother showing him how to see with "wide-open eyes" - even familiar things, things he thought he already knew. In some cases, he attaches new pages.
Chapter I - Mother's Lessons[]
Atreus recounts journal entries he wrote before his mother died, remembering how he was only six years old when his mother handed him a leather-bound sheaf of blank pages and told him the first two years of writing would be "practice." By the end, Faye held a ceremony wherein she and Atreus tossed all of his practice pages into the fire pit while Kratos watched. Atreus was excited to be able to begin his "real journal".
Atreus remembered how his father was confused by this ceremony, not understanding its importance. But to Atreus, everything with his mother was an adventure, whether it be picking herbs in the woods or her stories when he was sick with fever. He remembered a prayer his mother taught him, a variation of the one he read at her funeral. After her death, he had a vision of her looking happy, and he wondered whether she knew everything that was to come.
Through his mother's stories, Atreus fantasised about one day meeting all the animals and people in myth- except for the gods. His mother also insisted he learn runes, but Atreus often got sick from getting frustrated. On the other hand, his father didn't seem to want to interact with him at all, despite hunting for them all the time and building their "seriously solid" house. At one point, Atreus was able to carry two buckets of water, which showed he was getting stronger from his illness- but he was also angry because he thought his father considered him weak, like he had to take care of Atreus all the time. Kratos didn't talk to Atreus much, and Atreus noticed this often. But when his parents were talking about weapons- specifically the axe Faye gave Kratos some time before- Kratos looked content and bright.
| “ | I could tell she means everything to him. Way more than me, that's for sure. | ” |
One night, after Atreus and his mother had been talking for hours about hunting, Faye revealed a surprise to him- she had finished the longbow they had been making together. They strung it, then tried it out for the first time the next day. When Kratos noticed the bow, his eyes widened and he complimented the bow, saying it was "very nice" and "remarkable". Though he tried the bow with an arrow, he didn't shoot it, which surprised Atreus. He decided to name it his "Talon Bow", as it resembled a hawk with a killer talon when nocked.
Atreus got frustrated often with his sickness. On one occasion, when he was practising with his bow, he got distracted by the thoughts of a rabbit far away. He described it as "like a voice, but not words". Atreus was startled by this, and felt bad by the rabbit's fear, but he accidentally loosed the arrow, which hit the fence right above his mother. He was so angry at himself, he made himself fall sick and he fainted. When he woke up, he cried to his mother about his sickness, expressing his fear that he could've killed his mother. His father showed amusement at the thought that a mere arrow could kill Faye. His mother gave him some advice about his anger.
| “ | Anger can be dangerous, Atreus. Especially when you wield it against yourself. | ” |
One time, while Atreus was studying runic charms, he spoke one rune and suddenly he gained a sight, describing it as this warm fluid that moved inside of him. He could suddenly sense the thoughts of a vole fifty meters away. When he told his mother about this experience, she grabbed his hand and told him it was special. They talked more about how the vole felt, and also recent developments in Wildwoods, like the wolf packs falling sick and mysterious ravens in the distance.
Atreus covers the events the events of A Call from the Winds in another journal entry, stating that it was important to cover the bad days as well as the good days.
| “ | It was Father. He carried me for a while then dumped me on the ground and told me to walk. Yeah, he was disappointed in me, but that's nothing new. | ” |
Atreus noticed that his mother was acting differently one night. While she was usually animated, this time she seemed withdrawn and sad. Atreus tried to reach out to her using her special ability, and it worked, but she sensed the intrusion. It made her smile, and she told him the story of Ymir as he went to sleep. Soon after, Mother started leaving home for days at a time, while his father stayed at home in her place. Atreus wondered what she was going and what she was doing out there.
Chapter II - The Journey[]
Atreus includes descriptors on locations in Midgard and other realms from Mimir, Brok and Sindri. Freya particularly has a descriptor for Muspelheim.
Chapter III - Fimbulwinter[]
Everything Atreus writes in this chapter takes place after the journey and returned from Jötunheim. After seeing the mural and the truth about his mother, Atreus and Kratos returned to Tyr's Temple, and was met by Mimir who told them a lot more time had passed than they realised. Most of their friends thought that Fimbulwinter had come, albeit extremely early, and Mimir theorised that it was Baldur's death that did something weird to the cycle. Kratos didn't like the idea that they had something to do with it.
When they returned to Wildwoods, Atreus noticed that the snow had fallen so deep in places and the place was overrun by Hel-Walkers. They went out to scout Midgard using the Mystic Gateways, and in some places like the Jotnar marketplace, it was totally deserted except for a few Hel-Reavers. Seeing the mural of Hrungnir, Atreus thought again of Thor.
| “ | Father and I don't ever talk about Thor. But I think it's possible Father hates him as much as I do. | ” |
At some point, Kratos tried to visit Freya, first by using the entrance of vines, but he discovered it was covered once again. He then tried the Witch's Lower Level, but the door was also locked shut. Atreus marveled at Freya's magical power. Before, Mimir explained how people felt a special kind of hate for the ones who kill their children, and that it was possible Freya could come to forgive them, given time. Then he explained that Freya came to visit him after they'd gone to Jotunheim, asking questions about Odin and the Valkyrie Wings that indicated she was going to reclaim her warrior spirit.
They encountered Sindri moving things from his workshop near the Sky Mover. He explained that he and Brok were going to move all their blacksmith stuff to a cave near the lake. When asked why, Sindri described strange new monsters and beasts, and thigh-deep snow. Atreus humourously contemplate his luck that they'd lined his boots with Wulver fur, "or I'd be missing a few toes by now". After returning home, Kratos and Atreus took on different tasks, with Atreus thinking about how great of a fighting duo they are. But even he noticed that something was different with Kratos, and that he wasn't himself.
When Atreus asked Mimir about why Kratos was dispirited, Mimir explained that his father may be the best fighter he'd seen, but this Ragnarok business was to do with fate, and it couldn't be stopped by just fighting. Atreus asks if Mimir thinks Kratos could kill Thor, and he replies, "That, lad, I do not know."
| “ | Your Father is a warrior, lad. Frankly, when enraged, Kratos is the most frightening killer I've ever seen- and that includes some pretty bloodthirsty Aesir brutes, believe me. He fears nothing, not even death. He'll fight anybody or anything, be it god or dragon or the slavering legions of Hel. | ” |
After Atreus kills another of Odin's ravens, he remarks that he can usually hear the thoughts of birds, but Odin's ones are always dead silent, He also add that he "can't wait" to fight another Asgardian god. Atreus also notes how after they came home, Kratos started using his blades more often- with the rise of so many Hel-Walkers, they don't have a choice.
One morning, when Kratos was out hunting, Atreus heard whining from outside. When he went outside with the intent to end the wolves' misery, they surround him in a half-circle and start howling at the sky. Atreus got a strange feeling, and put down the bow. Kratos appeared and scared the wolves off with Leviathan. When asked if he was attacked, Atreus for some reason thinks the thought was funny, and tells what happened to Mimir, saying something about it was familiar.
| “ | Something buzzed in my head. It was weird... It felt like something I knew. I lowered my bow. | ” |
Atreus notices that there are often strange shapes in the edge of the darkness, new foes that slip away whenever they try to come closer. And when they tried to go out to Veithurgard Pass to explore for a while, a huge, freezing cold blizzard swept in from nowhere. They had to camp out in a hall for six days, and when they came out, everything was frozen and covered in snow. Even the Lake of Nine was filled with large chunks of floating ice.
Oftentimes, Atreus thought of his mother being Laufey the Just. He was pleased by the idea of all these powerful gods being afraid of her. He also thought about his father and mother's different approaches when it came to meeting others- his father told him to close his heart to enemies, and his mother told him to keep an open heart. He wondered if Kratos's lesson about them having "no excuses" to not go where they please, was a good lesson after all. His mother was so powerful that she was able to see the whole journey ahead, and he knew her power of prophecy was special.
Atreus also wondered whether it was really in a god's nature to be bloodthirsty and to do evil. He knew that after he found out he was a god, he started to act arrogant and cocky, even to the point of killing Modi. But then his father told him that they could be the gods they chose to be, and that they didn't have to be the same as the gods who came before them. This made him think whether he really could make his own way, or if he was just destined to be bad. Alternatively, Atreus also wondered why his mother decided to name him Loki, as it wasn't a typical Jotun name. Though he figured that was appropriate, as he himself was a mix of god, giant and mortal, and that the name must mean something.
One morning, Atreus woke up abruptly, only to see that Mimir and Kratos were already awake. Something was different about the outside. Not only had the whole Lake of Nine frozen over, but Tyr's Travel Room and all the other realms were locked. Hel-Walkers would attack in groups, only to fall back after a bit, as if they were waiting for some kind of order. Atreus felt confused, like he was lost inside his own world. He wondered whether this Fimbulwinter was as foretold, or if it was something entirely different. He ends the last entry in the journal with a plea for his mother's guidance.
| “ | Outside, I could feel Wildwoods getting ready. All of Midgard, probably. | ” |
Chapter IV - Norse Lore[]
Atreus writes down stories of the Norse gods and the Giants from his mother and Mimir.
My Norse Timeline[]
Atreus puts together a timeline with the help of Mimir, Brok, Sindri, and Kratos. From it, the journey has taken place one year before Atreus poured himself into his journal.
Chapter V - Bestiary[]
Atreus catalogs every monster he and Kratos fought into a five-tier class system.
- Fodder (ex. Wolves)
- Grunt (ex. Dark Elves)
- Brute (ex. Wulvers)
- Monster (ex. Ancients)
- Elite (ex. Valkyries)
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