Greek Gods

"The gods do not forget those who come to their aid." - Athena

Greek Mythology

The Gods in Greek mythology were the supreme rulers of the universe, who lived on the summit of Mount Olympus. There were 12 ruling gods: Zeus, Hera, Poseidon, Hestia, Demeter, Athena, Ares, Artemis, Apollo, Hermes, Hephaestus, and Aphrodite.

In the God of War Series

Birth and Prophecy

In the beginning, there was darkness. From this darkness the Island of Creation was made, and the Titans were born. Reigning over the Titans, the mighty Cronos was declared by the Sisters of Fate that one day he would be overthrown by his own children. In an attempt to gain their favor, Cronos gifted the Sisters with the Steeds of Time. Although they accepted the gift, they refused to change his fate. Trying to prevent the inevitable, Cronos devoured his children born of Rhea one by one. When the time came that the last of his children, Zeus, was to be swallowed, Rhea could not bear another such loss. She devised a plan to have Zeus taken to a place far away from the watchful eyes of his cruel father. Calling upon the eagle, Rhea kissed her son goodbye and he was taken to be watched over by Gaia. Rhea wrapped a stone in cloth and Cronos swallowed it, foolishly believing it to be the child.

Great War

Under the care of Gaia, Zeus was raised to desire to free his brothers and bring the downfall of the Titans. When he came of age, he journeyed back to the Island of Creation and forced Cronos to regurgitate his siblings. Fully grown, these new gods became known as the Olympians, and started a war against the Titans. Gaia’s acts of compassion would haunt the Titans for the rest of their lives.

Prometheus and Helios betrayed the Titans and joined the Olympians. Atlas led the Titans into a furious battle, completely destroying the landscape of the mortal world. Hades and Poseidon managed to bring Atlas to his knees and steal his soul, but this would not stop the Titans from continuing their efforts to eliminate the Olympians. Zeus created a weapon called the Blade of Olympus, which was used to banish the Titans to the darkest pits of the Underworld – Tartarus.

Aftermath

The Titans were tortured brutally over and over again as a permanent reminder of what they had done. Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades split the world into three. Zeus was given domain over the heavens and was ultimately the ruler of the gods; Poseidon was given domain over all forms of water, controlling the seas and winds; Hades was given domain over the Underworld, the darkest realm of the world where the souls of the dead would journey. Prometheus, caring for the mortals, gave them the fires of Mount Olympus. It was because of this disloyalty towards Zeus that Prometheus was made a mortal himself and would be forced to endure great suffering by having an eagle consume him everyday.

Pandora’s Temple

The gods appeared before the architect Pathos Verdes III to build a structure which would house the most powerful weapon a mortal could wield – Pandora's Box. After building the temple, Cronos was forced to uphold it on his back and wander the Desert of Lost Souls for all time. When called upon, he would have to allow warriors to climb upon him and journey through the temple. The winds of the desert may have ripped the very flesh from his bones over a long period of time. Pathos Verdes III grew more and more insane as he built the many traps and puzzles within the temple, eventually murdering his family and committing suicide.

The Birth of a Beast

Zeus, the father of Olympus, was famous for his erotic escapades with other women. He was married to Hera, the queen of Olympus, who bore him the god of war Ares. After a prophecy foretold that the children of Metis would overthrow Olympus, Zeus swallowed her whole. She had already been gifted with a child, who was born from the head of Zeus. This child came to be known as the goddess Athena.

In Sparta, Zeus, together with a mortal woman, became the father of the warrior known as Kratos, the Ghost of Sparta. The woman was forbidden by Zeus to speak his name to the child.

The Rise of Kratos

Kratos had become a powerful commander with the Spartan army, leading a band of a mere 50 troops. In time this number grew to the thousands, and Kratos eventually became the most feared general throughout all of Greece. His wife had been the only one who could stand up against his tyranny and brutality.

On a dark night, the Spartan army faced their greatest enemy yet – the Barbarians of the east. They too, numbered in the thousands and were led by a ruthless king whose only goal was to put an end to the career of the famed Kratos. The Barbarians were nearly successful in their attempt to destroy the entire army, and even Kratos was met face to face with the Barbarian King. Facing the fact that his life would end in a short matter of time, Kratos called upon Ares to destroy his enemies in an exchange for his life.

The sky split apart, and the god of war descended. Ares granted Kratos the Blades of Chaos, weapons that would be chained to his arms as a permanent reminder of whom he served. The Barbarians were completely annihilated. Using his new weapons, Kratos decapitated the Barbarian King, ending the battle for good.

Deception

With his Spartan companions, Kratos served Ares’ will and slaughtered countless Greeks in his name. Feeling Kratos could become far stronger by eliminating any weaknesses, Ares decieved his servant into burning down the village Kratos’ wife and child lived in. Blinded by bloodlust, Kratos was warned by the Village Oracle that if he were to enter a forbidden temple within the village, he would be haunted for the rest of his life. Ignoring her plea, Kratos entered the temple and killed everyone inside, including his wife and child.

Ares appeared before Kratos, claiming that with nothing in his way, he would become death itself. Kratos ignored Ares’ arrogance and learned that he was tricked by the very god who once saved his life. The Village Oracle gathered the ashes of Kratos’ loved ones and attached them to his skin, permanently reminding him of the greatest sin he committed. His goal now was to serve Olympus and redeem himself, and in the future take his revenge upon Ares.

Servitude to the Gods

For 10 years Kratos served Olympus in hopes of gaining their forgiveness and releasing him from his torment of his past. Helios was plucked from the sky by the freed Atlas, who used the power of the sun to destroy the Pillar of the World. It was because of Persephone that Atlas was released from his torture, for she wanted nothing more than to be free of her miserable existence. Kratos saved the world by leaving his daughter in Elysium and destroying Persephone, who told him that he would never be free from his nightmares. He then enchained Atlas to uphold the world on his shoulders, where the mighty Titan claimed the two would meet again.

Poseidon had been angered by the chaos and destruction left behind by the Hydra. As Kratos journeyed through the Aegean Sea, he noticed a massive shipwreck caused by the creature. He was called upon by Poseidon to rid the waters of the Hydra, granting him the ability of Poseidon's Rage, an attack that would create a devastating blow on the creature.

Ares’ jealousy towards Athena grew ever so strong, and he called upon the creatures of the Underworld to invade Athens. Zeus had forbidden the gods from waging war on each other and so Athena looked to Kratos for help. With her guidance, Kratos was given Medusa's Gaze from Aphrodite, Zeus' Fury from Zeus, the Blade of Artemis from Artemis, and the Army of Hades from Hades. Kratos retrieved Pandora’s Box and used its power to become powerful enough to face Ares. Using the Blade of the Gods, Kratos managed to kill Ares and take his place as the god of war. Although he was forgiven of his sins, Kratos could not escape the nightmares of his past.

Betrayal and Uprising

As the new god of war, Kratos was far more ruthless than Ares. Thinking of the gods as pathetic and weak, he looked to Sparta. Guiding the Spartan army, Greece was practically conquered. Upset by this very fact, the gods became annoyed with Kratos’ defiance and Zeus became enraged. Athena tried to prevent Kratos from further destroying anymore cities, warning him that the wrath of Olympus had been growing. Ignoring her, Kratos helped his Spartan comrades take over the city of Rhodes.

Kratos was gifted with the Blade of Olympus by Zeus and told to take down the Colossus of Rhodes. Draining all of his godly power into the blade, Kratos was rendered a mortal. Zeus revealed himself to have orchestrated the fight between the Colossus and Kratos, betraying him and killing him using the blade.

The Truth Revealed

While in the Underworld, Kratos was faced by Gaia, who told him that the Titans would help overthrow Zeus, only if he were to journey to the Island of Creation and defeat the Sisters of Fate. Kratos escaped, and rose once again bent on revenge against Zeus.

Zeus had gone to the Sisters earlier because of his paranoia involving Kratos’ brutality. The Sisters told Zeus that Kratos was the son destined to overthrow him but that Zeus would be the victor in the end.

Believing Kratos was dead, Zeus proceeded to destroy Sparta. Thinking that it was all over, he returned to his throne on Mount Olympus. Kratos learned of Sparta’s fate by the Last Spartan, becoming enraged and continuing his journey to kill Zeus.

Battle with the Fates

The murals within the Hall of the Fates had depictions of the Great War. In one of the murals, the Olympians and the Titans had been engaging in battle. In the second mural, a lone man stood amidst the destruction left behind. In the thired mural, three men were walking towards a star in the sky.

After killing the Sisters, Kratos went back in time to when he was betrayed by Zeus. The Ghost of Sparta plunged himself at the king of the gods, and a great battle ensued. Arriving upon the Summit of Sacrifice, Kratos fought with ferocity.

Intervention

Using the Blade of Olympus, Kratos stabbed Zeus multiple times before being stopped by Athena. Protecting her father, she flung herself in front of Kratos and was stabbed instead. Zeus fled to Olympus while Kratos spoke with Athena. She revealed that he was Zeus’ son and that a vicious cycle of revenge had been passed down by his bloodline. After she died, Kratos used the power of time to journey back to the final moments of the Great War.

Second Great War

Zeus called upon the gods to discuss the events that had been occurring. He claimed that he would wipe out the plague created by Kratos and that the gods must unite if they are to have any chance of doing so. Olympus began to shake, and the gods looked to the edge of the mountain. The Titans, being led by Kratos, crawled towards the Olympians in hopes of destroying them for good. The end had begun…

Gods in the God of War Series

These are all the gods and goddesses who appear and/or are mentioned in the God of War series:

• Amphitrite, a sea goddess and consort of Poseidon
• Aphrodite, goddess of love, sex, and beauty
• Ares, god of war and bloodlust
• Artemis, goddess of forests and hills, child birth/virginity/fertility, and the hunt
• Athena, goddess of strategic warfare and heroic endeavour
• Ceryx, a son of Hermes and messenger of the gods
• Hades, god of the Underworld and ruler of the dead
• Hermes, messenger of the gods
• Kratos, the new god of war
• Morpheus, god of dreams
• Poseidon, god of the seas and earthquakes
• Triton, a son of Poseidon and Amphitrite, and messenger of the deep
• Zeus, god of the sky and ruler of Olympus