Magic is a supernatural force which has been present throughout the God of War saga, being used by both antagonistic characters and protagonists.
In The Mythology[]
Throughout the saga, magic has been an element present throughout the God of War saga, it is used especially by monsters, spirits and Gods.
In Greek mythology, magic is not widely recognized since most deities tend to focus on elemental powers and elements of life such as emotions and the environment.
In Nordic mythology, magic is a very present force, Seiðr being the type of magic practiced by mortals and deities, with many gods associated with these magical arts.
In God of War[]
Throughout the God of War saga, magic has been an element used most of the time, some allies and monsters possessed unique magical abilities. The Gods of Olympus had control over elemental magic depending on the attributes to which the god is linked. They also possess magic linked with whatever they ruled. Ex. Hades had dominion over souls, Poseidon from the sea and Zeus with the sky and thunder.
The Norse Gods have a much more extensive array of magic than the Greek Gods. Runes possess some form of innate magical properties when written in certain forms, and/or on substances/objects. The Vanir are the most powerful magic users of the Nine Realms whose Seiðr magic can enchant nature, heal, manipulate space and time, even command souls and reanimate the dead among many other powers. The Aesir, like the Olympians, only had some control over elemental magic, though they could learn other types of magic if they wanted. Dwarves have special magic that allows them to manipulate the intangible essence of things and can (with special training) learn how to walk into the Realm-between-Realms. The Elves also possess strong magical abilities, with most of their buildings and structures being made of pure magical light.
Freya reveals that magic is bound to land it originated from. If a land dies, its magic vanishes with it, hence why Kratos is unable to call upon any Olympian magic due to Greece being destroyed by the plagues he caused by slaughtering the Olympian Gods. However, it appears that items, armor, and/or weapons can retain their magic, as the Blades of Chaos retained their fire magic, likely because it was permanently infused into them. Giants also possess unique magic.
Angrboda states that the Vanir gods' magic was originally learned from the Giants. Why Seiðr is called Vanir magic is unknown, however, as it can be learned and isn't restricted to any one group, it's possible the Vanir developed it further than the giants, being the group most connected with nature.
Magic Type List[]
Elemental Magic[]
It is magic which is mainly based on the control of a specific natural element, most of the gods are linked to one, being able to control it perfectly, a clear example is thunder, fire, nature, and the wind.
Some gods which are not linked to that element also show the ability to use it but to a lesser extent of power.
Seiðr Magic[]
Seiðr or Vanir magic is a powerful type magic which is used mainly by humans who, desperate after the events of desolation, turned to the Dark Arts to survive, selling parts of their souls to become more powerful with this magic. Giants originally taught this kind of magic to the Vanir and later the Vanir developed their own style and skills being considered the greatest spellcasters in the Nine Realms.
The majority of humans who practiced this magic became corrupted to the point of transforming into monsters flooded with it, only a few were able to use it without suffering this corruption, with the Vanir gods being known for avoiding this corruption entirely and their magic being considered divine.
There are some monsters which are capable of using Seiðr magic easily, the most prominent being the Nokken.
It is unknown what Vanir magic is corruptive and not. However, the old magic are the strongest forms of it. It can manipulate time, return a soul to a body and reanimate it, and even create an invulnerability spell so strong it was believed nothing could undo it. However, according to Mimir despite Vanir magic being powerful it has confusing rules that make sense only to those that practice it.
Giant Magic[]
The Giants are especially known for their magical abilities, it was said that the Vanir learned magic from them but over time they perfected it, the magic of the Giants focuses especially on the prediction of the future and the manipulation of the soul.
Although there were giants that focused on elemental magic, such as the Ice Giants who had control over ice and snow magic and the Fire Giants who had absolute control over fire and magma.
The giants were able to extract the soul from the bodies and put them in objects or animals, they could also see the memories of that soul and even put them inside corpses, making the soul live in that new body.
Dwarf Magic[]
Dwarves possess a unique type of magic, as they are the only race which can travel through the realms with great ease without the need for the Bifrost or through a door in the world tree.
Dwarves are able to learn other types of magic and combine it by infusing it into the weapons they create.
Rune Magic[]
Rune magic is a very powerful type of magic, unlike other magic. It is more practical and simple to practice and use, since it is enough to paint the rune and whisper its meaning to activate the spell, generally this magic is used just to make defensive spells.
Trivia[]
- Although magic has been present throughout the game saga, very few users, both allies and enemies, have shown how to use it.