Gods

“	The Gods care nothing for them. Men should not pray to monsters.	”
–Kratos to Atreus

Týr, the Norse God of War, journeying across different realms and interacting with other Pantheons.

Gods are ageless beings with magical powers that rule over various parts of the world, and are commonly worshiped by the mortal inhabitants of such lands. There are several, distinct pantheons of Gods, such as the Olympians and Titans who ruled over Greece or the Aesir and Vanir who fought for control over Scandinavia. Every god in a pantheon fills a certain role, such as the "God of War" or the "God of Light", often having a counterpart in other Pantheons. For instance, Týr was the Aesir God of War in the Norse Pantheon, and in the Greek Pantheon, the Olympian God of War was Ares, both of which was later replaced by Kratos after the latter killed him.

According to Kratos, due to his own history with Olympians and Titans alike, Gods care nothing for their worshipers and that worshiping them is nothing but foolish; that men should never pray to monsters. Moreover, when Atreus asked his father on why the Gods cause so much trouble, Kratos answered that it is simply in their nature and that the Gods continue to spread misery. However, Týr is a notable exception to this, as he is shown to greatly care about mortals and prefers pacifism over violence.

The Gods possess agelessness, high durability, and immunity to disease, although they are not beyond destruction. How they can die varies from Pantheon to Pantheon (Greek Gods require godly power or weapons to be killed, while Norse Gods can be killed by mortals and non-divine weaponry). In God of War III, Kratos kills approximately all of the Greek Pantheon in his quest for revenge against his father, Zeus, and thus leaves all of Greece in Chaos by the end of his vengeance.

It has been heavily implied by Mimir that the different Pantheons from other realms are aware of each other's existence, at least among particular members, as Mimir was shown to have prior knowledge of Athena, Zeus, and the rest of the Greek Pantheon, as well as their destruction at the hands of Kratos.

Quick Answers

Who are the counterparts of the 'God of War' in different pantheons?

In various pantheons, the God of War has different counterparts. Týr is recognized as the God of War in the Norse pantheon, while other gods like Odin, Thor, Hodr, and Loki also have war-related attributes. In Greek mythology, Ares was the original God of War, but Kratos succeeded him after his demise.

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What roles do gods play in various parts of the world?

Gods, as depicted in various mythologies, are timeless entities with supernatural abilities, governing different regions of the world. They are typically revered by mortals in their domains. Distinct pantheons exist, including the Olympians and Titans of Greece, and the Aesir and Vanir of Norse mythology. In Egyptian lore, deities like Sun God Ra, hidden God Amun, and Isis, the mother of Goddesses, held supreme positions at different times.

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Who are the Aesir and Vanir and what was their conflict about?

Ancient Nordic pagans revered the Aesir and Vanir as gods representing violent and peaceful aspects of nature, respectively. Their discord, the Aesir-Vanir War, erupted following the Aesir's assault on Gullveig, a Vanir figure. The Vanir, under Freya's leadership, managed to resist the Aesir's military might, leading to a stalemate. The war concluded when both factions, weary of the senseless fighting, reached a peace agreement.

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What is the Greek name for the God of War?

In Greek mythology, the God of War is known as Ares.

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Who is considered the 'God of all Gods' in different mythologies?

Odin holds the title of 'God of all Gods' within Norse mythology, while in Greek mythology, Zeus is recognized with this title. Both are supreme deities in their respective pantheons.

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Confirmed Pantheons within the God of War series

• Greek Gods: featured prominently in God of War, God of War II, God of War: Betrayal, God of War: Chains of Olympus, God of War III, God of War: Ghost of Sparta, and God of War: Ascension. A great part of the Pantheon was wiped out by Kratos. Initially led by Cronos ruling over the Titan Gods from Mount Orthys, until being overthrown by his son Zeus who ruled over the Olympian Gods from Mount Olympus.
• Norse Gods: featured prominently in God of War (2018) and God of War Ragnarök. Split between the warlike Aesir led by the knowledge-hungry Odin and the nature-loving Vanir led by the witch-like Freya.
• Egyptian Gods: mentioned in God of War (2018) and God of War Ragnarök, and featured in God of War: Fallen God. They are half-human, half-animal Gods who, from what Mimir heard, rule with wisdom and humility. According to Mimir, they are many and not as simple to qualify as "good" or "evil". They are featured on a tapestry showing Týr's journeys and the Egyptian symbol of the Eye of Ra is on Týr's missing triptych panel. Only the God Thoth has appeared so far. Egyptian hieroglyphs are also one of the three languages engraved on the Mask of Creation.
• Mayan Gods: alluded to in God of War (2018) and mentioned in God of War Ragnarök. According to Týr's writings, these southern Gods are said to possess unparalleled wisdom and generosity. Their "Ruler of the Heavens" apparently saw fit to gift humanity with advances like writing, farming, the calendar, and sciences. That said, their "God of Death" takes great pleasure in torturing expired souls with fire and water.
• Persian Gods: only mentioned in the official novelization of God of War II, qualified of "false gods" from the point-of-view of the Greeks and Greek Gods. Only one is mentioned, Zahhak, to whom the Cursed Legionnaires pledged loyalty in betrayal of Zeus.

Alluded Pantheons within the God of War series

• Shinto Gods: alluded to in God of War (2018), showing a torii gate, and the kanji for kami on a tapestry showing Týr's journeys, as well as the Japanese symbol of the three-fold tomoe (or mitsudomoe) on Týr's missing triptych panel. Further evidence of their existence is Japanese kanji being one of the three languages on the Mask of Creation.
• Celtic Gods: alluded to in God of War (2018), showing the Celtic symbol of the triskellion on Týr's missing triptych panel.

Trivia

• God of War's animation director Bruno Velazquez once even implied the existence of the Abrahamic God. Cory Barlog would later outright confirmed that Christianity is also another mythology part of the cosmology of the World.
• The Mayan "Ruler of the Heavens" and the "God of Death" mentioned by the stolen treasure journal entry are most likely respectively the Gods Kukulkan or Itzamna, both speculated to have been the king of the gods, and Cizin, the most important god of death.
• In real-life myth, Zahhak is not a god in Zoroastrian (Persian) myth, but actually a demonic king and one of the figures representing evil. It might be that this change is unique to the World of God of War, or the description is deliberately unreliable due to coming through the distorted Greek lens.
• It currently has not been officially stated in the series about the qualities that are required to be a god, but it has been shown that at the very least that Greek Gods possess a form of divine energy that makes them gods, should they be depleted of this energy, they lose their godhood, hence why Kratos became mortal again after he drained all of his godly power into the Blade of Olympus.

Gallery

The Greek gods

The Norse Gods.

Tyr visiting other pantheons