This article contains lore based on real-life sources from Norse mythology as introduced from the God of War Norse era.
| “ | She used to leave me food. She'd say she didn't care about me. But sometimes I'd wake up and I'd see a loaf of bread sitting next to the fire. Baked just the way she always used to. She's not a monster, you know? She's lost. | ” |
–Angrboda to Atreus after breaking the Cauldron | ||
Grýla is an elderly Giantess and is the grandmother of Angrboda. She appears as a minor antagonist in God of War Ragnarök.
Quick Answers
What role does Grýla play in God of War Ragnarök?
How is Grýla related to Angrboda in God of War Ragnarök?
What is Grýla's association with Christmas in Icelandic mythology?
Is Grýla considered a giantess, ogre, or troll in Norse mythology?
How does Grýla's character differ in God of War Ragnarök compared to traditional Norse mythology?
Mythology[]
In Icelandic mythology, Grýla is an ogre, troll, or giantess typically associated with Christmas. She was mentioned as a giantess in the Prose Edda but wasn't associated with Christmas until the 17th century.
In the old poems, Grýla is described as an old beggar woman who went around from towns and villages asking peasant farmers for their disobedient children but could be easily driven away. These poems said that Grýla even lived in a small cabin, but more recent stories describe her dwelling in a cave deep in Iceland's Dimmuborgir lava fields.
In more recent folklore, Grýla can smell disobedient children for miles. Every December, around Christmastime, she leaves her cave to hunt for disobedient children that she takes back to her cave and devours them as her favorite meal, even making a stew from naughty children.
According to legend, Grýla has been married thrice, and lives with her third husband, Leppalúði, her giant black cat, Jólakötturinn, and their thirteen sons, the Yule Lads.
History[]
Backstory[]
Many years prior to the events of Ragnarök, Grýla lived in Jötunheim with her son, her daughter-in-law and her granddaughter, Angrboda. Following her son's refusal to challenge his fate, along with his and his wife's subsequent deaths, she became cold and distant towards her granddaughter, largely leaving her to fend for herself in Ironwood, telling her to never come back to her home. Grýla claimed that she didn't care for Angrboda, but would occasionally leave her a loaf of bread for her to eat. Having become depressed and withdrawn from the world, she would begin using an enchanted cauldron to capture animals and harvest their souls, using them to live vicariously through their memories in a temporary bid to relieve her sorrows.
God of War Ragnarök[]
Confronted[]
Coinciding with Atreus' arrival in Jötunheim, Grýla went out to check her traps for any animals, finding a wolf in one that Atreus and Angrboda were in proximity to. While she was checking her other traps, the two young Giants snuck into her house, intending to put an end to her destructive behavior. After returning home with the wolf she had captured, she prepared to take its soul with her cauldron. Angrboda knocked over a jar to get her grandmother’s attention, allowing Atreus to free the wolf.
After a brief argument with her granddaughter, Grýla took notice of Atreus and grabbed him. Initially surprised to learn that the boy was actually Loki of the prophecy, she quickly became aggressive towards him and Angrboda, wielding her cauldron as a weapon against them. Grýla taunted Atreus throughout the fight regarding his prophesied allegiance to Odin and the loss of his father, angering the young God. Eventually, Grýla was subdued, allowing Atreus and Angrboda to finally destroy the cauldron, much to the Giantess' horror.
After a brief moment, Grýla erupted in anger, saying that she should have thrown Angrboda to the wolves as soon as she was born, before demanding she leave her home, threatening her with a shard of her broken cauldron. As Angrboda turned to leave, Grýla shouted at her granddaughter that she was nothing, and that no one would remember her, not even Atreus, as he’d be too busy mourning his father’s death, before threatening her that if she ever saw her again, Grýla would make her wish she had died alongside her parents.
Following this, Atreus tried to comfort Angrboda, before she stated that Grýla used to leave food for her, despite claiming she didn’t care about her. She argued her grandmother wasn’t a monster, that she was just “broken”. Atreus would write in his journal that he hoped she and Grýla might be able to reconcile in the future.
After Ragnarök[]
Following the defeat of Odin, Kratos, Mimir, and Freya travelled to Jötunheim and met Angrboda at her treehouse. When Kratos inquired if she was the only Giant left in Jötunheim, Angrboda stated that Grýla was with her, and that she was currently helping her forage for supplies. Mimir believed that Grýla must be proud to have a granddaughter like her who helped so many people. Angrboda alluded to her and Grýla's strained relationship, telling them that she might be someday, but she wasn't quite sure at the present time.
Appearance[]
Grýla is depicted as a dark-skinned elderly giant with bowed legs (possibly from her age). Frizzy graying hair, her locs are tied up in a messy bun with a golden hairpiece keeping it together, the piece also comes from behind her ears and slightly down her neck. She has a very strong physique and due to her race she is very tall unlike her granddaughter Angrboda. Grýla is also pictured as being partially blind, her right eye is completely white due to her partial blindness while her left eye is a vibrant hazel. Her temples and jaw are seen to have golden tattoos, these tattoos can also be seen going from her shoulders and down to her wrists. Due to Grýla's age she is covered in very noticeable wrinkles, she has multiple small scars on her hands, arms and her knuckles are ashy.
In terms of Grýla's attire she is seen wearing a worn and slightly torn falu red tunic, she has some sort of animal hide over her tunic and specifically around her neck. Across the left side of her chest is crocheted wool with animal teeth hanging from random threads, just below her chest is fabric wrapped around her body. She also wears a grayish lilac leather belt with a golden buckle and tip with an intricate design, wrapped around her belt once more is fabric with animal remains hanging from random threads. Hanging from the bottom of her belt is sliver metal picks (possibly keys), underneath her belt is more animal hide that stretches down to her right leg. On her right arm just around her wrist is more crocheted wool with a single animal tooth, whereas on her left arm is a bandage that wraps above her wrist and over her hand. Her pants are partially grey and chestnut brown, the right pant leg is mostly gray with random re-done stitching and wrapped in fabric that stretches from her calve down to her ankle whereas her left pant leg is mostly a chestnut brown with fabric wrapped at the calve and stretching down to her ankle, behind her ankles and calves are branches being held by the fabric. In terms of shoes she wears none at all, her feet are bare and dirty, on her left foot she has a bandage on her index toe.
Personality[]
Grýla is a ruthless old Giant and someone that is full of anger, showing no care towards animals and even her granddaughter. But according to Angrboda, her grandmother changed when Angrboda's father, her son, did not want to challenge his fate. As time went on, her fellow kin allowed themselves to be bound by fate, and along with the rampage carried out by Thor against the Giants, Grýla saw her race crumble before her, eventually becoming one of the last Giants left in Jötunheim. To try and suppress her sadness and immense loneliness, Grýla began capturing the souls of animals, and with the use of her magic cauldron, she would take over the minds of animals and live out their lives temporarily. This not only reduced said animals to lifeless husks, but the cauldron also had horrible effects on her, making her vicious and desensitized to the thought of Ragnarök and feeling like there is no use in having a soul. This is seen when she says "You know... you should be thanking me. What good does a soul do to anybody? It's just a vessel for pain," to the wolf she had captured. She shows signs of an elderly woman with dementia, even telling Angrboda that she had forgotten many things but not her.
Despite being Angrboda's grandmother, it seems that she shows little to no care towards her granddaughter even saying, "I should have thrown you to the wolves right after I pulled you out of your mother!" and "You are NOTHING. and NO ONE will ever remember you. Not even Loki!" which leaves Angrboda saddened. But according to Angrboda's memories, despite showing that she does not like or care about her granddaughter, she still left a baked loaf of bread which proves that she did care for her granddaughter before her usage of the cauldron worsened her behavior.
With all this, Grýla doesn't seem to be that bad of a person as she is just hurt and hopeless because she had lost her daughter-in-law, asking Angrboda "Was it your mom's destiny to go so young?" when she was talking about destiny, along with her son not wanting to challenge his fate; couple this with the negative effects that the cauldron has on her. Angrboda ultimately summed up her grandmother as someone who is not a horrible person, just lost herself in grief.
Powers & Abilities[]
Powers[]
- Superhuman Strength: As a giant, she shows incredible strength to the point where she swats Atreus away like a fly.
- Precognition: Because of her giant lineage, they are able to see the future, sometimes in their dreams. This is what led her into becoming an angry, foul-mouthed woman as her son did not want to challenge his fate.
- Cauldron Magic: She possesses a magical cauldron which she uses to hurl purple-colored fire or ash towards her enemies.
- Giant Magic: She is able to cast giant magic which she uses in tandem with her cauldron magic, making for a dangerous combination.
Abilities[]
- Master Hunter: It is shown that she is a great hunter, often using traps to capture animals which she would then whisper away the souls of.
Weapons[]
- Grýla's Cauldron: Grýla possesses a cauldron that contains the souls of the animals she has captured. She whispers their souls away and puts them into her cauldron which she uses to live moments from their lives, Angrboda mentioned "She can live moments from their lives, finally feel free." when Atreus asked "What does she need animal souls for anyway?"
Relationships[]
Angrboda[]
Despite being her granddaughter, she appears to show little to no care about her, even showing intent to hurt her but never actually does. Grýla is full of hatred towards everyone but seems to have a special spot for Angrboda as Grýla said "So many things I've forgotten and you refuse to be one of them!" it is later revealed by Angrboda that Grýla leaves her bread whenever she is sleeping, thus proving that she does love her granddaughter very much, but she's too mentally unstable to completely process her feelings.
Loki[]
Grýla knows Atreus also known as Loki, through prophecy (Likely because her granddaughter Angrboda is a part of them). She refers to Atreus as Loki and calls him "the Champion of the Jötnar" specifically to mock him. She proceeds to provoke Loki whilst they are fighting by mentioning how he is supposed to kill his father and replace him with Odin according to prophecy.
Gallery[]
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3D Model[]
