Ingrid

This article contains lore based on real-life sources from Norse mythology as introduced from the God of War Norse era.

Ingrid is a sentient sword that once belonged to the Vanir god Freyr before it was possessed by the Aesir god Odin. For a short time later, it was then possessed by the half-Jötnar demigod Loki, also known as Atreus before ultimately returning to Freyr during Ragnarök.

Norse Mythology[]

The weapon is never given a name in any surviving texts, only ever referred to simply as the "Sword of Freyr". Freyr is a Norse god associated with sunshine, summer and fair weather, and his sword is depicted as one of the few weapons that is capable of fighting on its own. During Ragnarök, since Freyr gave up the sword to Skírnir for the hand of the giantess Gerðr, he will be defeated and killed by the Jötunn Surtr.

God of War Series[]

Background[]

Freyr had Ingrid forged in his youth and imbued it with its own motives and passion. For centuries, he swore he would only ever set it down in death, or upon meeting the love of his life. During his research on the Vanir, Odin took advantage of his knowledge of this fact by turning into the most beautiful person Freyr has ever seen and asking for Ingrid in return, therefore claiming ownership of the god's weapon "with an embarrassing speed". After claiming the sword, Odin kept Ingrid secured in Asgard by binding the sword with a rope to a pillar in his study room.

God of War: Ragnarök[]

After Atreus fled from Kratos over secretly trying to avert the Jötnar's prophecy of Kratos' death, he traveled to Asgard and eventually met Odin himself. The All-Father later gave Ingrid to Atreus as an act to gain his trust, to which the sword immediately formed a bond with the Champion of the Jötnar. It served as additional help while Atreus worked with Odin to try and acquire the separate pieces of the Mask of Creation.

Shortly after the last piece was found in Niflheim and the Mask fully restored, just as Odin arrived to congratulate Atreus on his work, Sif came with Hrist and Mist to arrest the demigod in reaction to the death of Heimdall at Kratos' hands in Vanaheim. After Odin dismissed her and Sif tried to reason with her husband Thor to stand up to his father, the Thunder God instead turned his hammer Mjölnir on Loki, forcing him to use an escape measure given by Sindri. Just before Thor struck, Ingrid flew out of its scabbard and blocked his attack, allowing Atreus to escape.

Ingrid is not seen again until the beginning of Ragnarök itself when the allied army led by Kratos invades Asgard. Observing the devastating retaliation by the Aesir against the army from Alfheim, Freyr eventually realized that he could feel the presence of his sword and called out to Ingrid, who soon appeared over the great wall of Asgard and returned to its original owner. Ingrid remained with Freyr for the duration of the conflict up to Odin's defeat under the Great Hall. By then, the transformed Surtr, now calling himself "Ragnarök", came to plunge his fiery sword down into Asgard attempting to destroy the realm itself. Freyr was forced to use Ingrid and his power to block the attack to give time for his sister and allies to escape, then shortly after being engulfed in Asgard's destruction. The sword is assumed to be destroyed along with Freyr as a result.

Abilities[]

A signature ability of Ingrid, attributable to its imbued state of sentience, is that the sword was supposedly impossible to steal -- a feature that not even Mjölnir could be claimed to possess -- and must be attained as a willing gift from its previous possessor.

Like both Mjölnir and Leviathan, Ingrid can levitate, move through the air freely, and as an extension is able to be launched and recalled by its wielder. The sword has shown a degree of movement autonomy that is on par, if not surpassing Mjolnir and was even seen able to contend with the latter, repeatedly clashing outright in combat during a bar brawl in Asgard. Whilst in the possession of Atreus, the demigod did not have to personally wield Ingrid as with Kratos' axe or Thor's hammer; the sword would unsheathe itself and fly around, creating its own attacking motions against enemies in the present owner's name, and would sheathe itself back after violence ceded.

In the possession of Freyr, the sword shows off its most impressive uses yet; the Vanir god could use the weapon to attain the ability of flight, and at some point he was able to have the sword spin so fast it practically functioned as a shield that could deflect falling debris; in the Vanir god's hand, the sword's range seem to also magically extend beyond its physical form, as the shield Freyr conjured with it has a radius beyond the sword's own length.

Although less reputable, Ingrid is powerful enough to match Mjölnir step-for-step when both acted automatically without her wielder's direct influence. In his supposed end, Freyr used the sword to hold off Ragnarök's final blow--which consequently destroyed Asgard and shook Yggdrasil to its very roots--just long enough for his sister and allies to escape.

Trivia[]

In the absence of Ingrid, Freyr had to arm himself with a sharpened antler as a knife; he was never shown to fight with the stand-in weapon, but it can be seen in two occasions: when Kratos first met the Vanir at his resistance camp, and when Odin held Atreus hostage at Sindri's house. This is a nod towards several old interpretations of Freyr, who was said to fight with a deer antler.
Though a non-verbal entity with no spoken lines, Ingrid is referred to as a female throughout her in-game appearances.