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Mimir

Mimir The God of Wisdom


Omega (God of War 2018)

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


Me? I'm the greatest ambassador to the Gods, the Giants, and all the creatures of the Nine Realms. I know every corner of these lands, every language spoken, every war waged, every deal struck. They call me… Mimir! --smartest man alive, and I have the answer to your every question.

–Mimir, introducing himself to Kratos

Mimir (Nordic: ᛗᛁᛗᛁᚱ), formerly known as Puck, is a Celtic fae who became Odin's advisor and the ambassador of the Aesir Gods until Odin imprisoned him for 109 years. After being freed by Kratos and Atreus, he became their ally. He is the tritagonist of God of War (2018) and God of War Ragnarök.

Norse Mythology[]

Mímir, meaning "the rememberer" or "the wise one" in Old Norse, is a figure in Norse Mythology who is renowned for his knowledge and wisdom. He is beheaded by the Vanir Gods during the Æsir-Vanir War. Odin revives the head of Mimir through some magic after the Vanir gift it to Odin. Afterward, Odin carries around Mímir's head and it recites secret knowledge to him. He is the maternal uncle of Odin.

In the God of War Series[]

Background[]

Hailing from a faraway land, Mimir was a faerie king's errand boy and unofficial jester. Frequently, Mimir and other faeries, nicknamed "Goodfellows", would walk amongst mortals to sow mischief and as long as his lord was kept amused, they were spared the consequences. Eventually, Mimir's king grew weary of his antics, forcing him to leave his homeland.

After many years traveling north, Mimir eventually ended up in the Nine Realms, where he first settled down in the Midgardian kingdom of Lejre. He became advisor to its king, Aldis, and vouched for the warrior Hrólf Kraki. Hrólf betrayed Aldis, killing and usurping him, which brought Mimir great guilt and gave him a vendetta against Hrólf and his Berserkers. Mimir approached Odin, king of the Aesir, and provided him with Mímisbrunnr, a supposed mystical well of knowledge, which was actually a well of water laced with enough mystic mushrooms to "make a God see visions". Despite Odin tearing out one of his eyes after imbibing of the hallucinogen, Mimir claimed the Allfather was bestowed with greater sight and was hired as Odin's primary adviser and ambassador to all the other realms. By his own admission, his job was initially to enable Odin. However he took his role as adviser seriously, his goal always being to help Odin be a great king for the good of his people. But after watching Odin over time he began to notice that Odin was an incredibly dangerous, quick to violence and willing to sacrifice anyone and anything not for his kingdom but himself. He became concerned with the well-being of ordinary people and the world in general and sought to contain the Allfather whenever possible. Unlike the Aesir, Mimir sought to establish peace between the realms, as he believed it was the best plan to avert Ragnarök. However, Odin rarely listened to such advice and often led many wars, particularly with the Vanir and the Giants. When the war with the Vanir caused unprecedented devastation and left both sides weary, Mimir suggested a truce: Odin would marry his deadliest enemy, the leader of the Vanir, the Goddess Freya. After much convincing, Odin and Freya agreed to the terms, thus ending the war.

At some point early in his service to the Raven King, Mimir forged an alliance between the dwarves of Svartalfheim and the Aesir of Asgard. This would ultimately work out to the detriment of the miners as Odin would use them for mass production of weapons for his Einherjar, and other mining materials, seeing to it that that the Dwarves mining skills were only used by Asgard. This would also serve to undermine the Dwarves' creative abilities as the Aesir didn't care for elaborate designs and exquisite forging skills. They only wanted as many as they could provide as quickly as possible. This robbing of one of their great passions of life would drive one Dwarf to commit suicide in the Bay. Mimir was also responsible for having mining rigs installed throughout the Bay of Bounty, ensuring production of weapons for Asgard continued to grow while said rigs and other mining operations poisoned the land of Svartalfheim. To be able to feed themselves, the Dwarves relied on the Aesir for food and other necessities, thereby putting the Dwarves squarely under the Allfather's thumb. Around this time, Mimir also captured and enslaved a Lyngbakr in order to impress Odin as the creature's fat proved a great source of oil for Odin's lamps. The creature would be chained up in the Bay of Bounty in Svartalfheim for over a century. All of these actions Mimir would later on come to regret and would attempt for atonement centuries later. Mimir was also present at the rebellion of some dwarves against the Aesir, and helped Odin's adivisor, Heimdall, mark Durlin on his head.

Overtime, Mimir grew to befriend many Giants from Jötunheim to the point where he was bestowed with Bifröst crystals in his eyes. Because Mimir spent so much time traveling through realms, they believed it would be more convenient than a crystal he could lose. To numb the pain of the procedure, Mimir drank sixteen cups of billow maidens' ale. So inebriated, Mimir almost convinced the Giants to put the crystals in his nipples instead, jokingly calling himself, "Mimir of the Bifröst Teats".

However, Mimir's efforts to preserve peace would be stymied by Odin's paranoia, his obsessions with prophecies and allowing his son, Thor, to go on a killing spree on the Giants. Thus, much like with Týr, Odin confronted Mimir, suspecting that he aided the Giants. As punishment, Odin imprisoned him on Midgard's highest peak, bound to a tree made indestructible even to Thor's hammer. As additional punishment, Odin removed the horned god's bejeweled left eye and hid it to keep Mimir from traveling to other realms; Mimir then realized that Odin had never been fooled from the drugged well incident where they first met. Mimir would spend the next century being tortured by Odin himself on a daily basis, causing him to develop an immense hatred for Odin, and eventually making him yearn for death for Odin's torment rendered Mimir's bound existence anything but "living".

God of War (2018)[]

109 winters following his imprisonment, Baldur, along with his nephews, Thor's sons Magni and Modi, confronted him and attempted to bribe him with freedom in exchange for revealing whereabouts of a tattooed man traveling with a child. Despite their promises, Mimir refused to aid them: not only was the bound god unable to locate the pair due to a concealing rune placed on them by a witch, but he also knew that Odin would not allow anyone to either release or harm his former advisor. As such, Mimir bitterly stated that they had nothing to offer him and spitefully demanded Baldur to take his questions, threats and the two "worthless wankers" and leave. Before leaving, Modi promised to be back for Mimir's other eye when no authorities were watching.

Almost immediately after the trio left, a tattooed man and a boy revealed themselves to him; Kratos and his son Atreus. As Kratos sent his son away to check if the Aesir had doubled back, Mimir remarked that Atreus was unaware of his father's true nature as a God. He then proceeded to introduce himself to Kratos. Upon boasting he could answer any questions they ask; he was a bit stumped to answer why Baldur was hunting them, admitting there were a few gaps in his knowledge, but insisted he could figure it out eventually. When Atreus described their journey to the tallest peak in all the Nine Realms, Mimir clarified that Atreus was mistaken about choosing Midgard's tallest peak, as the tallest peak in all of the realms was actually in Jötunheim, the inaccessible realm of the Giants. With his remaining right eye, Mimir projected a magical picture of the tallest peak of Jötunheim through the stone pillars behind them, the last known gate to said realm. He further explains that, among all the living, he is the only one who knows how to gain entrance as only he can talk to the only giant left who knows.

In return for aiding the duo, Mimir asks Kratos to cut off his head and bring it to someone with skill in the Old Magic in order to reanimate him. Kratos warns Mimir of the consequences should they fail, to which Mimir explains that after over 109 years of torture, his current state is not living at all. Kratos agrees to do so but Atreus cannot bear to watch and leaves, and when he does so, Mimir, just in case his death is permanent, tells Kratos that he must reveal his past to Atreus and the longer he waits, the more likely Atreus will grow resentful of him. Kratos then cuts off his head, temporarily killing him. A long length of vine, sliced in the blow, falls alongside the head from the tree; Kratos ties it around Mimir's head and horns so it can be hung from his belt.

It's implied that during his temporary death, Mimir's soul ended up traveling to Helheim. The experience was apparently deeply traumatizing to him as he mentions that he had hoped to never see the dreaded realm again when he and Kratos travel there to save Atreus.

His lifeless head is brought over to the Witch of the Wood's home, where she reanimates him using the Old Magic. It is quickly revealed that the two have a bad relationship, culminating with Mimir's face being spat on by the Witch. Mimir also reveals her identity as the Vanir goddess Freya, and in return learns that she never revealed it to Atreus and Kratos. An infuriated Kratos admonishes her keeping her godhood a secret from them. However, Freya berates Kratos with the irony that he was also keeping his secret from his son and warns Kratos that Odin's wrath will be coming quickly now that he has freed Mimir. Growling, Kratos storms out of Freya's home without thanking her.

Mimir then becomes part of the traveling company of the Spartan and his son, lending his considerable knowledge of the realms, insight on the depraved, violent nature of the Aesir Gods and of the tragedies caused by wars throughout the ages. He also tries to mend the strained relationship between the father and the son.

At some point in their journey, Atreus tried inquiring why Freya spat in Mimir's face, but was overruled by his father, who wanted to know how Baldur was invulnerable. Mimir answered that Baldur was invulnerable to all threats, physical or magical, but his words were dismissed by Kratos, who insists that every God had a weakness. Mimir then denied it and repeated the same words from before, which confused Atreus.

Curious to learn how they came to cross Baldur, Mimir learned that the painless Aesir showed up at their door and started a fight. Kratos mentioned that Baldur claimed to know what he was and suggests that the latter mistook him for another. With nothing but theories to go on, Mimir suggested that Odin sent Baldur after them in hopes of finding a way to Jötunheim.

Arriving back at the Lake of Nine, Mimir had Kratos hold him up to the horn to summon Jörmungandr, who immediately devoured a large stone statue of Thor upon waking up. Speaking to the World Serpent in his native tongue, Mimir got Jörmungandr to recognize him, but mistakenly identified Kratos and Atreus as friends of Odin before hurriedly correcting himself, explaining their intent. Thus, Jörmungandr realigned the bridge and caused the water level in the lake to drop even further.

Mimir explained to the father and son that they required both a special travel rune to carve into the gate at the summit and a magical chisel to activate it. Choosing to go for the latter first, Mimir guided his companions to the corpse of the giant Thamur, where they had a violent confrontation with Magni and Modi, ending with Kratos killing Magni, forcing his half-brother to retreat. Mimir became concerned when Atreus displayed symptoms of a sickness and insisted, they take him to Freya, but the boy dismissed both his and Kratos' concerns. Kratos then broke off a piece of Thamur's chisel.

When the party arrived back at Týr's temple to access his vault, Kratos was ambushed by Modi, who proceeded to torture him. Atreus falls dangerously ill after unlocking his Spartan Rage for the first time before Kratos overpowered Modi and forced him to retreat once more. Kratos then followed Mimir's advice to take the boy to Freya, who told him that Atreus' godly nature is conflicting with his mistaken belief of being a mortal.

Mimir then accompanied Kratos to Helheim in search of a cure. When Kratos spotted the troll Máttugr Helson, Mimir advised him to cause trouble to gain the gatekeeper's attention, as they needed his heart to heal Atreus. After Kratos killed Helson, he had a vision of Zeus and called him father, surprising Mimir. Kratos then questioned Mimir about the other side of the bridge, to which he gravely warned him to never go there under any circumstances.

On the way back to Midgard, Mimir told Kratos that he was surprised Zeus was his father. After piecing together, the relation Kratos had with Athena, Zeus, his fire blades as well as his ash-white skin, Mimir realized that Kratos was none other than the Ghost of Sparta himself. Although Kratos reprimanded him for recalling his title, Mimir stated that he believed Kratos' actions in ending the Greek pantheon were justified. Concerned for Atreus, Mimir then reasoned to Kratos that he would have to reveal the truth of Atreus's true nature soon, but soon dropped the matter when Kratos told him to.

After successfully curing Atreus and as they were leaving Freya's hut, Kratos chose to divulge the truth of his godhood to the boy. As Atreus was intrigued by the revelation that he was a God too, wondering what kind of abilities he possessed, to which Mimir stated that every God is unique.

Returning to Týr's vault, as they descended further into the temple, Mimir explained to his companions how Týr sought to understand the pantheons of other lands. Subsequently, they circumvent the various puzzles and traps Týr placed around the Black Rune. Once they had their prize in hand, it briefly showed Jötunheim in Atreus' hands before they crumbled.

As they made their way back to the summit, Mimir began to share Kratos' concerns for Atreus slowly reveling in his newfound godhood to the point where the boy seemingly executed a defenseless Modi. During the ascent, Mimir warned his companions that he spotted signs of a dragon in the caverns, only to be told that they had already dealt with the dragon.

Just as they reactivated the Jötunheim gate, they were ambushed by Baldur. Mimir desperately tried to bargain with the invulnerable Aesir to leave his companions alone, but Baldur merely kicked him in the face. In the ensuing struggle, the Jötunheim portal was destroyed and Baldur kidnapped Atreus, escaping on a dragon. After a brutal fistfight, Kratos manages to bring the beast down, and chased Baldur to the realm travel room. Baldur has already set a course for Asgard, planning to bring down the wrath of the Aesir on Kratos. Left with no other choice, Kratos used the Bifröst to stop the bridge at Helheim, causing everyone to be violently hurled into the Land of the Dead, on the wrong side of the Bridge of the Damned.

Mimir criticized Kratos for his choice, as they had landed in the worst place in Hel. He then spotted a ship, which he guessed would take them halfway to Týr's Temple. They soon encountered Baldur, who was experiencing a vision of himself and Freya, who is shown to Mimir's companions as none other than his mother, who placed a spell on Baldur that left him unable to feel anything. Once out of earshot, Kratos demanded to know why Mimir never told them the identity of Baldur's mother, to which the head expressed surprise.

Subsequently, they raised the ship to fly them straight to the temple. Amidst attacks by Hel-Walkers, Revenant and Draugr, the ship was about to crash just above the temple. As Kratos was distracted by an illusion of himself killing Zeus, Atreus had him jump right off the falling ship, landing in a previously inaccessible section of the temple, with Mimir commenting they were both insane. Exploring the chamber, Mimir commented they were in Odin's library, where they found the missing panel from the shrine in Týr's vault. Mimir asked to see it himself, in which he observed it depicting Týr traveling through the realms. Suddenly, the panel changed, revealing plans for a key to another part of the temple; Mimir remarked that he would be able to fulfill his promise to take his companions to Jötunheim.

Kratos then questioned Mimir on Baldur's weakness, to which Mimir once again denied he had any, repeating his earlier answer verbatim. The Ghost of Sparta then correctly deduced that Freya had bewitched Mimir to keep him from speaking of what he knows. Mimir was left wondering when Freya had cast her spell.

After assembling the key with the aid of Brok and Sindri and gaining access to the secret room, Kratos got the idea to flip the Realm Travel Room, where they found what Mimir identified as the Unity Stone, which they used in the Realm between Realms by purposely falling off the path, where they find the missing Jötunheim Tower. After bringing the tower back to the Lake of Nine, they soon discovered that the travel crystal for Jötunheim was missing. Atreus reminded that Mimir had a Bifrost crystal for an eye, but the latter insisted he needs both eyes in lieu of a travel crystal. Recalling Brok and Sindri were always nearby whenever Odin came to visit Mimir during his imprisonment, he suggested asking them. When asked, Brok mentioned Odin had him build a secret compartment for the statue of Thor that Jörmungandr had devoured, which was a likely hiding place for Mimir's lost eye.

Summoning the World Serpent via the bridge horn once more, Mimir explained their objective, and Jörmungandr allowed them to enter his belly. After acquiring Mimir's eye and reinserting it into its socket, they were suddenly expelled from the giant's belly onto the icy shores near Thamur's corpse, where they were approached by both Freya and Baldur, the latter being responsible for Jörmungandr's regurgitation. A fight soon broke out as a result of Kratos intervening against Baldur's attempts to murder his mother, during which Baldur was stabbed through the hand by a mistletoe arrowhead that Atreus had used to fasten his quiver strap, resulting in his curse being broken. As Freya reanimates Thamur in an attempt to break up the fight, Mimir realized that the spell Freya had put on him had also lifted, allowing him to confirm that Baldur was indeed vulnerable.

After Kratos kills Baldur, Mimir remarks how they are the "bad guys" now but also defends Kratos' actions by stating that the world would be a better place with Freya and explains to them how she just needed time and soon she would come around.

Atreus then asked why Baldur said they cost him. No longer muzzled by Freya's spell, Mimir theorized that Odin must have convinced Baldur that he'd be free of his curse by following them to Jötunheim which Mimir assumed to be a lie. As for why mistletoe harmed Baldur, Mimir explained that while Vanir magic is powerful, its rules remain slippery and elusive which make sense for anyone who is a witch. He then laments how Freya had the best of intentions to avert Baldur's fate of a pointless death even though he considers it stupid.

When Kratos and Atreus go to Jötunheim, Kratos leaves Mimir behind, at his own request (as he did not want to "ruin the moment" for them) but was left with the dwarves Brok and Sindri to his displeasure. After they return from scattering Faye's ashes, Mimir reveals that they were gone longer than expected and that during their absence, Freya visited him and asked him where Odin had hidden her Valkyrie wings. Mimir gave her what little information he had on them, ending with the statement "The cycle of vengeance is not so easily broken." In addition, and worse, Mimir informs Kratos and Atreus that Baldur's death has caused the start of the three-year-long winter, Fimbulwinter, the precursor to Ragnarök, something that wasn't prophesied to happen for another few hundred years.

Mimir would then join Kratos and Atreus on the journey home, apparently now living with them. During a talk between the Huldra Brothers and Atreus, in which Sindri reveals that he knew Faye's true identity, to which Mimir expresses surprise that the last giant was the son of Laufey the Just herself. Later he told Atreus about what he knew of his mother's heroic actions and praised his lineage.

Upon finding a Valkyrie, Mimir would express great surprise on the Valkyries' state of being imprisoned and warns Kratos and Atreus to be careful as a Valkyrie in physical form is a highly formidable opponent. After winning, Mimir would convince Kratos and Atreus to save the other Valkyries but expresses that he doesn't know what happened to them and feebly avoids Kratos' question of his history with the Valkyries.

Meeting the second Valkyrie will cause Mimir to sarcastically say that he agrees if saving her is by brutally ripping her wings off and after besting and saving her, Mimir will attempt to avoid another question by saying that he did not want to speculate.

However, Kratos sees through it and although Mimir boasts that he is the smartest man alive he, eventually, tells Kratos and Atreus that Sigrún, the Queen of the Valkyries, would have the power to trap the Valkyries and supports this by saying that he saw her the last time when she was corporeal.

Although Kratos wanted to abandon the quest, Atreus and Mimir convinced him that they need to save the Valkyries as they are the ones who keep the dead from overrunning Midgard. Defeating the third Valkyrie will cause Mimir to say that the Valkyries used their meeting chamber to hide from Odin and tells them that they will certainly find something there. After defeating the fourth Valkyrie, Mimir's suspicions of Sigrun being the one behind this are confirmed, much to his distress, and confirms that the last time they met she was more volatile and in physical form and had just come to say goodbye despite his best efforts to talk to her about it.

Resignedly, Mimir says that she will have to be stopped as the Valkyries must be freed. Meeting the fifth Valkyrie will cause Mimir to sarcastically guess that a Valkyrie is trapped and when Atreus confirms it with an equally humorous tone, Mimir will sarcastically question Kratos whether they are going to fight her as there is a trapped spirit there, at which Kratos silences Mimir and says that he will decide the best course of action.

After besting her, Mimir expressed disbelief that Sigrun would do all this just to get back at Odin but nevertheless asked Atreus not to be sorry that they have to stop her as she brought it on herself. However, Mimir, unfortunately, does not know where Sigrun is as she can be anywhere, in any realm. Meeting the sixth Valkyrie will cause Mimir to plead to Kratos when he seemed to contemplate whether to take her on that they cannot just leave her like this, but Kratos tells Mimir to not rush him and upon being prepared he will attack.

After winning, Mimir will attempt to comfort the Valkyrie by saying that he did not want to believe that Sigrun is responsible, but she is and must be stopped. Learning that only if all the eight Valkyrie helmets were to be placed on their meeting chamber would Sigrun appear, Mimir will say that although there are more Valkyries that must be hunted, at least they knew where they can fight Sigrun.

Upon finally saving all eight Valkyries, Mimir will warn Kratos that Sigrun is not to be underestimated as she is much stronger than all the other Valkyries and they may need to prepare before they could face her and win. After finally defeating Sigrun, the two would express joy at each other now having freedom but lament the price of it.

Upon entering Niflheim, Mimir will warn Kratos and Atreus that the cursed mist that surrounds the realm will eventually kill them if they linger. Should Kratos stay for too long, Mimir will begin advising Kratos to retreat from the mist-infected areas as he begins to lose strength.

God of War Ragnarök[]

Three years after the beginning of Fimbulwinter, Mimir continued living with Kratos and Atreus in their home. While waiting for the father and son to return from a hunting trip, he sat on a table reading a book, turning the pages with a spoon in his mouth. Upon Kratos’ return, Mimir notices the Spartan’s “dour expression” and inquired what the problem was. Kratos revealed that Atreus’s beloved wolf, Fenrir, had passed away, much to Mimir’s dismay. When he asked how Atreus was handling the loss, Kratos responds, “Not well”. Shortly afterwards, Mimir bid the Spartan goodnight before Kratos went to sleep. Mimir awoke him hours later, after the former began having a nightmare, informing him that Atreus still hadn’t returned from burying Fenrir. Concerned for his son’s safety, Kratos set out into the woods to search for him, taking Mimir along with him.

Searching around the cabin at first, they go to the training area behind it. Mimir questions why the Spartan thought Atreus would be here in the middle of the night, Kratos admits that he suggested it to him to take his mind off of the grief of losing Fenrir. Determining he hadn’t used the nearby Mystic Gateway, entered the Upper Wildwoods, or gone through the chasm created by Kratos’ battle with Baldur years prior, the two located Atreus’ footprints leading to an opening in the rocks near Speki and Svanna’s pens.

During their search, Mimir inquired about Kratos’ nightmare, asking if it was more flashbacks of his time in Greece, with Kratos responding that it wasn’t, and that he felt his wife, Faye, was trying to tell him something. When Mimir asks if Kratos is talking to ghosts again, possibly referring to Athena, Kratos says he isn’t, but that what he saw was, “more than a memory”. After noticing that the tracks suddenly stopped in a small clearing, a group of Raiders attack Kratos. After dispatching his assailants, Kratos remarks that the Raiders shouldn’t be so close to their home, prompting Mimir to suggest checking on the protection stave nearby. Sure enough, they come across a damaged stave and, upon further investigation, the corpse of a bear, seemingly mauled to death by a larger bear. Mimir and Kratos deduce that the stave was broken during a fight between the animals, and that the surviving bear had possibly gone after Atreus, or that he had followed the bear in an attempt to help it with its injuries, given the boy’s nature.

Mimir also talked with Kratos concerning the mural in Jötunheim depicting the latter’s death, and how he had briefly argued with Atreus, having accused his father of hiding from Odin. Mimir believed it was understandable that the Spartan would want to keep a low profile after having killed three members of the All-Father’s family (Baldur, Magni, and Modi). After clearing out another group of Raiders in a cave, Kratos and Mimir are attacked by the other bear, known as Björn. Kratos briefly fought with Björn until it was revealed that the bear was none other than a transformed Atreus, much to his father’s alarm.

On their way home, Mimir inquires if Atreus has noticed any new abilities he might have, the boy replying he did not. When Kratos asked about the spell he had cast when Fenrir died, Atreus claimed he didn’t know what his father was talking about, with Mimir suggesting it may have just been a trick of Fimbulwinter on Kratos’ eyes. Upon arriving back at their home after repairing the protection stave, Mimir commented on how eventful the night had been, and how it reminded him of their adventures three years ago. When he stated how tired he was, Atreus asked how he could feel tired when he didn’t sleep, the head stating how “there’s other kinds of tired”, and that the boy would understand when he was older. Afterwards, the father and son went to sleep.

The Arrival of Thor[]

When Thor appeared outside the cabin in the early morning, Atreus hid Mimir under Kratos’ bed. After Odin’s arrival, the All-Father tried to make a deal with Kratos to avoid further conflict between them. When Odin brought up his awareness that the Spartan had freed Mimir from his century-long prison and that he was in their home, the fae angrily questioned why they should possibly trust him. After Atreus pulled Mimir out from under Kratos’ bed, he warns the father and son that, “If he tells you snow is white, he’s lying”, causing Odin to mock him, asking if the “Smartest Head Alive” was unable to see past himself.

When Kratos refused Odin’s offer and was launched through the roof by Thor, Odin took Atreus outside to speak with him privately after giving him an Asgardian coin as payment for the damaged roof and inviting the boy to come with him to Asgard, leaving Mimir unable to hear the majority of their conversation. After Odin and Thor’s departure, Atreus and Mimir remained inside the cabin until Kratos’ return, much to the relief of both of them. When Kratos and Atreus left the cabin to investigate the ruins of the temple in the Upper Wildwoods, Kratos grabbed the coin and threw it into the distance, with Mimir telling Odin to “keep the change”.

During their trek, Mimir sarcastically commented on how Fimbulwinter had worn away all the useful magic they had acquired (including the upgrades to the Leviathan Axe and the Blades of Chaos), and that new threats only continued to emerge, commenting that their home is no longer safe after they are attacked by a Stalker. Arriving at the shrine of Sköll and Hati, Atreus opens a hidden door inside of it and goes inside, showing Kratos and Mimir a hidden part of the story that only Giants could access; the two wolves were imprisoned by the Aesir and later rescued by the Jötnar and relocated to Vanaheim, while the moon would be stolen and hidden away. This information confuses Mimir, who wonders if this is meant to be in the past or the future. Atreus tells the fae that it depends on when you’re looking at it, prompting Mimir to tell him, “Spoken like a true Giant”. After exiting the shrine, Atreus shows Mimir and Kratos a series of drawings he had made on a nearby wall, as well as a “marble” that Mimir immediately recognized as being of Jötun craftsmanship. He asks Atreus if he had returned to Jötunheim, but Atreus revealed that he had found it when he was visiting the other shrines in Midgard with Sindri.

On their way back home, Mimir began conversing with Kratos when the latter inquired about the nature of Odin’s offer to Atreus. Mimir tries to reassure the Spartan by reminding him that Atreus had told them what Odin had said, and that he shouldn’t worry about it, though Kratos remained suspicious of what Atreus hadn’t told them. Mimir asks Kratos not to hold his son’s curiosity against him, saying that it goes with being young. Kratos argues that “in [his] youth, we learned obedience”, to which Mimir asks him if that’s what he wants for his son. He tells him that Atreus will eventually walk his own path, and unless he wants to push the boy away, he should be smart and walk alongside him for a while.

Appearance[]

When he is first found, Mimir is shown to be embedded within and partially merged into a tree. He has two small horns on his head with gold on them (one slightly longer than the other) and a long grey beard. The crown of his head is covered in runic tattoos, and his lower lip is tattooed with a pattern, trailing down from the sides of his mouth and ending just above his beard. He is missing one of his glowing, golden eyes. He eventually is decapitated by Kratos and brought back to life, though he still looks the same. While dead, his eye glow fades and reveals his pale-yellow iris. Later, Kratos and Atreus retrieve Mimir's other eye, and put it back in his head, and find that it still works. During battles, Mimir serves as a second pair of eyes for Kratos, normally alarming the Spartan that an enemy is attacking from one of his blind spots. In the God of War (2018) Art book it was mentioned that Mimir's gilded horns and glowing eye were meant to allude to his high stature prior to his imprisonment, as well as his magical ability; his long beard was meant to portray the length of his captivity; and his eye missing to demonstrate the torture he underwent while trapped inside the tree.

Mimir appears to be an old man with many wrinkles, his has noticeable lateral canthal lines near the corners of his eyes as well. As for the rest of his head, Mimir adorns beautiful gold patterns magically etched into his horns when he went into Odin’s service, his golden bifrost eyes, gifted to him from the Giants, is one of his most notable features. Three years after Baldur's death, Mimir's appearance is largely the same, apart from his beard now being braided, with a few gold, gilded beard beads/rings woven into them. His head is covered in a multitude of runes, most from his service to Odin, the rope tied around his head is an Asgardian weave—enchanted for durability. Lastly, Mimir's severed neck stump has over time turned to a dark, blackish color. From Mimir's own comment he has revealed that when he still had a body, he had hooves.

Personality[]

Some people value their privacy. Best not to judge, brother.

–Mimir to Kratos

Mimir is well-mannered, kind and possesses a cheery and witty, though occasionally sarcastic, sense of humor. Even in his beheaded state, Mimir tries to make the most of the situation, finding it better than imprisonment and as such he tries to be helpful in any way he can. Mimir has a wealth of information regarding the deities, monsters, civilizations, the Nine Realms and famous figures of the Nine Realms, which he will eagerly share with Atreus whenever prompted.

Mimir is a master of diplomacy, though some like Freya, Hildisvíni and even some of the Aesir would state otherwise. Regardless, a testament to his skills is shown in his interactions with Kratos; from the get go Mimir is able to converse with Kratos without making him annoyed or angry at times, a difficult feat even his son struggles to accomplish. He is shown to know when to speak up, when to be silent, when to challenge Kratos's viewpoint and when to let things go.

Being a part of the traveling company of Kratos and his son, Mimir becomes something of a balancing force between them, teaching Atreus to use his abilities for good and often advising Kratos to be more open about the truth of his past. To that end, Mimir demonstrates that he is emotionally sensitive and insightful to the potential impact that Kratos' distant attitude towards Atreus could have but respects Kratos' wishes and doesn't inform Atreus himself. He also was the first to notice the dark change in Atreus' behavior once he finally learned of his godly heritage and thus tried to instill the ideals that figures like Týr stood for, using one's powers with wisdom and for good. When this shift in behavior began to fracture the already tense bond between Atreus and Kratos, Mimir did his best to address the issue carefully.

Quickly, Mimir proved to be a loyal ally and friend to Kratos and his son, addressing the former as "Brother" and the latter as either "little brother" or "lad", and eagerly helping them find the realm of the giants. Mimir also expressed great concern and worry for Atreus when he began to grow ill after the battles with Magni and Modi. He even begged Baldur to stop attacking Kratos and Atreus, offering himself in their stead, though his pleas fell on deaf ears.

Despite his bright personality, Mimir possesses a great deal of anger and resentment towards the Aesir Gods, Odin and Thor in particular. He finds a great majority of them to be hedonistic, paranoid, arrogant, warmongering and the ones to blame for the tragedies the Nine Realms have endured. Before his imprisonment, Mimir did his best to try to bring and make peace between the Realms wherever he could, such as advising Odin to marry Freya in order to end the conflict between the Aesir and Vanir Gods. The one exception is Týr, whom Mimir held in the highest esteem, believing him to be a great leader who fought for peace, knowledge, and understanding, not for power and control.

Over the course of travelling with Kratos and Atreus, it becomes increasingly clear that Mimir is deeply remorseful about his time working for the Aesir. Initially, it seemed that he merely blamed himself for never managing to do any actual lasting peace when he was Odin's advisor. One of the examples was when he openly professed that he deserved Freya's anger and showed remorse for what his convincing Freya to marry Odin caused her. He also apologized to Sigrun for being so helpless to save her and the Valkyries, and regrets inadvertently causing the death of Starkaðr, having told Odin that if the giants ever had an army, Starkaðr might have been their general.

Over time, however, it becomes more and more apparent that he was not simply a bystander, but in fact a willing participant in Odin's plans. At the beginning of his career as Odin's advisor, Mimir admits that he considered it his duty to enable the Allfather, something he confesses to having been "fucking excellent" at. According to Mimir, he was "young enough to be ambitious" at the time and, enamored by the "perks" that came with serving the Aesir, eagerly worked to aid Odin's plans, being instrumental in, among other things, the exploitation of Svartalfheim and the capture and enslaving of the Lyngbakr. These actions earned him the contempt of those harmed by the Aesir, with Hildisvini describing him as a "Half-blind, piss-drunk, oversexed liar" and "more of a pig than [Hildisvini] ever was.

Later, during their quest to the Well of Urd, a spectral visage of Sigrun denounced Mimir as always taking the side of powerful gods, accusing him of plotting Odin's wars and standing idly by while innocents like Gróa or Skaði suffered at the hands of the Allfather, never caring until Odin eventually turned on him. Faced with these accusations, Mimir despairingly admitted it all to be true, though how much of this was really true and how much was Mimir's guilt is unclear.

Perhaps because of this, Mimir has proven himself to be quite humble, an oddity for a God, as while he takes pride in being the Smartest Man Alive, he openly admits when there are "gaps" in his knowledge or when dealing with something he has never seen before. He has also shown great respect to Kratos and Atreus' journey to Jötunheim and asked to be left behind in Týr's Temple as this moment was important for Kratos and Atreus, and he didn't want to ruin the moment. The Spartan and his son would come to be fond of Mimir, in that they took him home with them once their journey was over.

Mimir also has a drinking history, having fallen off a mountain in a drunken stupor and suffered severe enough wounds that Eir had to heal him, which he was visibly ashamed of, and was noted to have been at least intoxicated when in the presence of giants, implied when he said he never spoke their language while sober.

Mimir is also aware of other pantheons, mentioning in Týr's vault about the Egyptian gods and of the Greek pantheon in Helheim. With the Olympians, he also knows of their demise, which he claimed was deserved. However, he did not know who had dismantled the pantheon until he accompanied Kratos, whom he later learned was Zeus' son and recognized him as the Ghost of Sparta.

Even before becoming Odin's advisor, Mimir was aware of the Aesir gods and, recognising their lack of focus, strategy and sage counsel, offered his services. Over time, however, as his conscience overcame his ambition, he began to view the Aesir, with the exception of Týr, with a great dislike and hatred. This only intensified following his imprisonment by Odin, and he openly describes Thor with insults like "fat dobber", "sweaty bawbag" and "thunder lummox", calls Heimdall a "vicious, spiteful little shit" and considers Magni and Modi to be the biggest pair of twits in Asgard.

However, he is also fully aware of the power of the Aesir and the danger they pose, describing Thor as the "biggest, butchering bastard in all nine realms" admitting that while Magni and Modi are a pair of fools, they're still formidable when fighting together, rare though that may be, and making it clear that, despite his paranoia, arrogance and apparent madness, Odin himself is also ruthless, deceitful and "almost as clever as he thinks", as well as having a seemingly endless capacity and creativity when it comes to cruelty.

Powers & Abilities[]

Being a Fae and an Aesir God, Mimir is stronger than any mortal, but his body is still bound in the place Odin imprisoned him. Only his head is reanimated, and he therefore has to rely on Kratos and others to move and see.

  • Genius-level intellect: As the self-proclaimed "Smartest Man Alive", Mimir is extremely intelligent and knows almost everything in the Nine Realms: he claims to be aware of every deal, war, and corner of all the Realms. Mimir can also speak and read many languages, even dead tongues like Jörmungandr's. It was hinted that he is somehow capable of esoterically learning and keeping track of new knowledge, in addition to perfectly retaining already acquired information, in spite of Mimir's imprisonment that Baldur visited him with his nephews at their Aesir uncle's heels, believing he was their best chance of finding the "tattooed man". And despite literally facing the other way as he hangs from Kratos' hip, Mimir seems actively aware of what happens before the Spartan without the disembodied head actually facing such. Mimir is also well aware of other cultures and pantheons, able to recognize that Kratos is divine and not from any of the Nine Realms. He is accomplished at deductive reasoning: by piecing together several context clues, he was able to discern that Kratos is the Ghost of Sparta, as well as the demigod son of Zeus. Freya herself would infer that releasing Mimir from his imprisonment was bound to incur Odin's fury upon the liberator, plainly indicating that the King of all Aesir still sees Mimir's erudition as an invaluable resource that he wants at no one else's disposal but his own such that he would permit neither Mimir's release nor demise. Despite all that, he openly admits that even his knowledge has limits, such as to why Odin wants Kratos and his son. The biggest exception is Baldur's weakness: Mimir knew about it (the mistletoe), but Freya bewitched him to keep others from learning it. As a result, until the spell was broken, Mimir would suffer short-term memory loss whenever the subject arose. In addition to his immense wealth of knowledge and experience begetting him as Odin’s former advisor, he also was greatly talented in strategy and tactics which he saw that despite the Aesir being extremely powerful lacked in this regard. Mimir also has a working knowledge of magic, it’s rules and substances. He knew enough to explain Vanir magic as powerful but slippery and elusive in regard to its rules. He also knew to use a well laced with magic mushrooms powerful enough to give a God as powerful as Odin hallucinogenic visions.
  • Reanimated Immortality: Mimir has lived for an extremely long time, even before his imprisonment at the hands of Odin. Before his decapitation by Kratos, he spent approximately 109 winters imprisoned on the top of the Mountain in Midgard, apparently having aged very little in that time. After having his head cut off by Kratos’ Leviathan Axe and later revived by Freya, he is able to survive situations which would normally be lethal, such as drowning, with no ill effects. However, when Atreus suggests Freya could bring Baldur back the same way she did Mimir, he admits he isn’t truly alive but reanimated.
  • Magic Eyes: Mimir has magic eyes made of Bifröst crystal that allowed him to travel between realms, though one was removed by Odin after his imprisonment, partly to prevent Mimir from travelling, and partly as revenge for tricking him when they first met. However, Mimir is still capable of revealing secrets in places like Týr's storeroom and projecting images using his remaining eye. Towards the end of the game, Kratos and Atreus retrieves Mimir's missing eye, which enables them to travel to Jötunheim.
  • Superhuman Durability: Mimir, being a god, possesses a stronger body structure than regular mortals. This is implied as he was able to survive a fall from a mountain while being drunk (to his embarrassment), although he was seriously injured and had to be tended to by the Valkyrie healer Eir. Even after being revived as a head, he still retained his superhuman durability. He was able to take a full-blown kick to the face from the Aesir Baldur without being damaged.

Gallery[]

Concept Art[]

Cosplay Guide[]

Trivia[]

  • Mimir is Celtic. While in Tyr's secret room, Atreus finds a Sgian-dubh, a Celtic knife. Mimir then says that the knife comes from his homeland and that he had one similar to that. In addition, his notorious Scottish accent further reinforces this.
    • Mimir mentions that "there comes a time in every man's life when he changes his name and heads North to make a new start", implying that "Mimir" is not his original name.
    • Mimir mentions prior to his own position as a counsellor to Odin, he served under the figure of a faerie king; at a time when he was little older than Atreus. His statement that he was a jester of sorts and got up to all trouble with the "local mortals" resembles the figure of Puck from Shakespeare's a Midsummer Night's Dream. This information is further established by Mimir's characteristic head horns, a common depiction of the Satyr-trickster of Shakespeare's comedy, as well as referring to himself as a "merry wanderer", a reference to his "I am a merry wanderer in the night" soliloquy from the play. This could mean that Mimir wasn't even originally a God, but a faerie.
    • During the meeting with the Norns, Urd refers to him as "Puck". When traveling through Helheim, a vision of Sigrún torments Mimir by claiming that he did not help "Titania", queen of the faeries. This further cements his former identity as Puck from Shakespeare's "A Midsommar Night's Dream".
    • He's apparently familiar with the tale of Macbeth, along with Nimue, the Lady of the Lake, from the Arthurian Legends.
  • While functioning and fully conscious, Mimir clarifies that he is reanimated, not resurrected. Therefore, he is still considered to be deceased. Due to this, he no longer sleeps, but still feels what resembles fatigue at times.
  • Mimir is the fourth head Kratos has carried through his journeys, following Medusa, Euryale and Helios. Of all the heads Kratos has carried around, Mimir was the only one to request it, was done without any trouble, and would still be technically alive afterwards.
  • Mimir's imprisonment and initial death are similar to Prometheus' situation, as both were imprisoned by the ruling god of their land for a supposed crime, and both were mercy-killed.
  • Mimir was stated to be a very close friend, if not a lover to the Valkyrie Queen Sigrun. Their interactions throughout the games show deep respect and affection for one another.
  • Mimir is one of the few individuals who know and can speak the language of the Giants. Thus, he is one of the few who can speak with the World Serpent. However, after speaking to the Serpent for the first time, he states that he has never spoken the ancient tongue sober before.
  • Mimir figured out Kratos was Greek due to him saying Athena's name. Later on, Mimir discovers that Kratos was the son of Zeus, and realizes that Kratos is in fact the legendary Ghost of Sparta.
  • Mimir is the only god who genuinely seeks to help Kratos in his journeys without any attempt to manipulate him for some selfish purpose (though Orkos was the first person who genuinely wanted to help Kratos even though he was not a God), as well as the only god who never turned on him due to external circumstances, even going as far as to call him and his son "brother". Ares, Athena, and the Olympians, on the other hand, merely used him as a killing vessel for their own personal gain while Hephaestus and Freya are initially helpful until they turn against Kratos due to incidents relating to their respective child.
  • Mimir is Kratos' second genuine friend after Orkos.
  • Before Mimir has joined the party, Atreus will try to explain the story of each discoverable shrine and rune stone. After Mimir joins, he will not only provide the same information that Atreus provides but will also elaborate with a further level of knowledge.
  • His Greek equivalent is Athena and Mnemosyne. He replaced Athena as Kratos' personal ally in wisdom and knowledge from this point onward.
  • Mimir greatly resembles Shennong, a deity in Chinese religion as well as a mythical sage ruler of prehistoric China.
  • When the Giants gave Mimir his gold eyes, he drank alcohol to sooth the pain. While drunk, he almost convinced them to put the golden eyes on the base of his nipples.
  • Mimir mentions that before his imprisonment, he got very drunk once and fell off a mountain. His wounds were then healed by the Valkyrie Eir. He admits that falling off that mountain was not one of his proudest moments.
  • Mimir mentions that when Thor was trapped under the stone giant and everyone was speaking to each other, he witnessed Thor's sons, Magni and Modi, lift the giant off, but because of Magni being blonder he was given most of the credit, which was the real reason why the brothers are rivals. Mimir was the only one present to witness the truth.
  • Despite being the Smartest Man Alive and initially good at deducing, Mimir is incapable of lying, as Kratos easily saw through all of Mimir's lies and attempts to avoid having to tell what he knew of the Valkyries. It is revealed in the God of War (2018) Artbook on page 192, Odin had previously enchanted Mimir's tongue and mind, so he can never tell a lie. Odin did this so he could force Mimir to give him council while he was imprisoned in the tree.
  • While Mimir is very colorful in his insults towards Thor, Magni and Modi or Heimdall, and can be heard gleefully mocking Baldur for his inability to feel during their meeting at the peak, he doesn't use similar insults towards Odin, with his only active insult towards the Allfather being as "a small, covetous tyrant". However, during the final battle against Odin during Ragnarök, Mimir at one point refers to him as "All-Fucker", in honour of Brok.
  • As with other aspects of this universe concerning Norse mythology, Mimir's background isn't exactly what the legends state. For example, the legend of Mimir having Odin give him his eye in return for greater wisdom is based on a lie Mimir told Odin. Humorously, Odin's act in removing his eye was actually the result of a psychedelic experience he underwent after drinking the water which Mimir himself drugged.
  • Interestingly, elements of Mimir's imprisonment is similar to that of Brynhildr, due to both being imprisoned on top of a mountain with a dragon living there.
  • In the original Norse Mythology, Mimir is actually Odin's uncle as he is the brother of Bestla, Odin's mother.
  • During the events of Ragnarök, it is revealed that Mimir has taken to writing down his stories, though he admits it's a slow process because his jaw tends to get sore, on account of him having to hold the pen in his mouth to write.
  • It has been confirmed that Mimir and Sigrún aren't in fact dating, however they both acknowledge that they love each other. Calling one-another "Love" throughout the Valhalla DLC. Sigrún even going so far as to say she want's to kiss Mimir.
  • Mimir accompanies Kratos as part of a skin in the PlayStation version of Fortnite.
  • Mimir's bifrost eyes can be used as lasers.
    • This implies Heimdall and Týr could also use their eyes as lasers.
  • Mimir had a few faerie folk friends when he was known as Robin of the goodfellows. Their names were Cobweb, Mustardseed, Peaseblossom and Moth.
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