Mimir

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“	They call me… Mimir! —smartest man alive, and I have the answer to your every question.	”
–Mimir, introducing himself to Kratos

Mimir is the God of Knowledge and Wisdom and an ally of Kratos and Atreus. He was Odin's advisor and ambassador of the Gods until Odin imprisoned him 109 years ago. He is the tritagonist in God of War.

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 during the Æsir-Vanir War. Afterward, Odin carries around Mímir's head and it recites secret knowledge and counsel to him.

Biography

God of War (2018)

Mimir was imprisoned by Odin under the belief that Mimir collaborated with the Giants in hiding their realm. Before then, Mimir was Odin's primary adviser and ambassador to all the other realms. Unlike the Æsir, Mimir sought to make 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 enacted untold 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.

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 Tyr, Odin confronted Mimir, suspecting that he aided the Giants. As punishment, Odin imprisoned him in Midgard's highest peak, rooted to a tree made indestructible even to Thor's hammer. In addition, Odin, removed his left bejeweled eye and had it hidden. Up until he met Kratos, he was tortured by Odin himself on a daily basis.

Baldur, the son of Odin and Freya, along with his nephews, Magni and Modi, confronts him and attempts to bribe him with freedom in exchange for revealing Kratos and the boy's whereabouts, but Mimir was unable to locate them due to a concealing rune placed on the pair by a witch, and even if he could, Mimir knew that Odin would never release him, no matter what Baldur would say to his father, nor would Odin allow Baldur to kill him. As such, Mimir bitterly stated that they had nothing to offer him and spitefully demanded the trio to leave him.

Almost immediately after the trio left, Kratos and Atreus reveal themselves to him. Mimir introduces himself to the two, and secretly admits to Kratos that he knows Kratos is a god. When Atreus describes their journey to the tallest peak in all the Nine Realms, Mimir states that Atreus is mistaken about choosing Midgard's tallest peak, as the tallest peak in all of the realms is in Jötunheim, the sealed realm of the Giants. With his remaining magical right eye, Mimir projects a view of the tallest peak of Jötunheim to them through the stone pillars behind them, the last known gate to the said realm, and that only he knows how to open it.

In return, Mimir asks Kratos to cut off his head, explaining that after over 100 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 tells Kratos 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.

His lifeless head is brought over to Freya's home, where she reanimates him. It is quickly revealed that the two have a bad relationship, evidently after Freya spat in his face. Mimir also reveals Freya's identity, and in return learns that she never revealed it to Atreus and Kratos, which in turn infuriated Kratos that she kept 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 Æsir 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.

When Atreus falls dangerously ill after unlocking his Spartan Rage for the first time during their battle with the sons of Thor, Mimir accompanies Kratos to Helheim in search for a cure. When Kratos spots 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 asked Mimir about the other side of the bridge, to which he gravely warns 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. In concern for Atreus, Mimir then reasons 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 not to.

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.

When Kratos and Atreus go to Jötunheim, Kratos leaves Mimir behind, at the request of the latter (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 Ragnarok, 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.

Description

When he is first found, Mimir is shown to be embedded within a tree. He has two small horns on his head and a growing, grey 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. 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.

Personality

“	Some people value their privacy. Best not to judge, brother.	”
–Mimir to Kratos

Mimir is well-mannered, kind and possesses a cheery if not sarcastic and witty sense of humor. Even in his beheaded state, Mimir tries to make the most of the situation, finding it better than imprisonment. Mimir often has a wealth of information regarding the deities, monsters, civilizations, the Nine Realms and famous figures of the Norse mythology. Mimir also uses to end most of his phrases with the word "brother", possibly as a form of camaraderie to Kratos and his son Atreus, whom he sometimes calls "little brother".

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's distant attitude towards Atreus could have but respects Kratos's wishes and doesn't inform Atreus himself. He also was the first to notice the dark change in Atreus's behavior once he finally learned of his godly heritage and thus tried to instill the ideals that figures like Tyr 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, helping them find the realm of the giants all the way. 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 to do whatever he wanted but of course, 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 to end the conflict between the Aesir and Vanir Gods.

In contrast to the Aesir Gods, Mimir held Tyr in the highest esteem, believing him to be a great leader who fought for peace, knowledge, and understanding, not for power and control.

Even though he is part of the Norse mythology, Mimir is aware of other mythologies and their pantheons, mentioning in Tyr's vault about the Egyptian gods and of the Greek pantheon in Helheim. With the Greek Gods, 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.

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 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's journey to Jotunheim, and asked to be left behind in Tyr's Temple as this moment was important for Kratos and Atreus, thus 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.

He appears to have a drinking history, having fallen off a mountain in a drunken stupor, and noted to have been at least intoxicated when in the presence of giants, implied when he said he never spoke their language while sober.

Quotes

(Mimir introducing himself to Kratos): "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's revelation of Kratos' true identity): "—Your father was Zeus? I finally understand! I'm dangling from the hip of the bloody Ghost of Sparta!"

Kratos: "Do NOT call me that."

Mimir: "Don't mistake me, brother. From what I heard, the pantheon had it coming. But it's still a bit to take in. I knew you hate gods, but you really can't stay away from them, can you?"

Kratos: "You must say nothing to the boy. He must never know."

Mimir: "Bollocks, brother, respectfully, bollocks. He has to know. He'll never be whole without the truth. Look, I get it. You hate the gods. All gods. It's no accident that includes yourself. And it includes your boy, don't you see that? He feels that! He can't help what he is. He can't begin to help it, because you haven't even told him. It's all connected, man!"

Kratos: "You... will tell him nothing."

Mimir: "Very well."

Powers and Abilities

Being a god, Mimir is stronger than a mortal, but now his body is left in the place Odin imprisoned him. Only his head is reanimated and has to rely on Kratos and others to move and see.

Nigh Omniscience: Being the God of Knowledge and Wisdom, Mimir knows almost everything in the Norse mythology, every deal, war, corner of all Nine Realms, even calling himself the smartest man alive. Mimir can speak and read every language, even dead tongues like Jörmungandr's. His knowledge can reach to other places such as Greece: he knows about Greek Gods and realizes that Kratos is the Ghost of Sparta, the alias he tries to forget. Despite all that, there is something he does not know, such as to why Odin wants Kratos and his son. The only exception is Baldur's weakness: Mimir knows about it (the mistletoe), but Freya makes him unable to remember or forces him to not speak about it to anyone due to her magic, until the final battle when Baldur is stabbed by the mistletoe, Mimir claims that he now remembers.

Magic Eyes: Mimir has magic eyes made of jewels that are capable of revealing secrets in places like Tyr's storeroom and project images. Originally having two eyes, he loses his left eye to Odin, with the Allfather placing it in a Thor's statue which Jormungandur happens to eat, but later in the game, Kratos and his son finds and returns it to him in order to use both eyes as a Travel Crystal to open the gate to Jötunheim.

Trivia

Mimir is the first non-Greek god killed by Kratos and the first non-Greek god who was killed by Kratos under his own request.(the others being Prometheus andOrkos
Despite being a Norse God, Mimir is actually 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. In addition, his notorious Scottish accent further reinforces this.
- As a matter of fact, 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" isn't his original name.
While functioning and conscious, Mimir clarifies that he is reanimated, not resurrected. Thus he is still considered deceased.

Mimir and Helios were the only gods that Kratos decapitated. Also, both of their heads had a use for him.

Mimir's imprisonment and initial death are similar to Prometheus's 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.

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 finds out that Kratos was the son of Zeus which explained a lot to him and soon causing him to exclaim that Kratos is the Ghost of Sparta.

Mimir is the only god who genuinely helps Kratos in his journeys without even trying to use him for some selfish purpose, which would eventually lead to some kind of betrayal as well as the only god who never turned on him due to external circumstances, and even going as far as to call him "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 child.
If Mimir is not with you yet, Atreus will try to explain the story of each shrine, but if Mimir is there he will add to the story, but it seems that whatever Atreus says is the same, only that Mimir adds to it.

His Greek equivalent is Athena and Mnemosyne. He replaced Athena as Kratos' personal ally in wisdom and knowledge from this point onward.
Mimir mentions prior to his own position as councilor 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 Nights Dream. This information is further established by Mimir's characteristic head horns, a common depiction of the Satyr-trickster of Shakespeare's comedy.

Mimir greatly resembles Shennong, a deity in Chinese religion, 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 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, the real reason why the brothers are rivals.
When Atreus mentions of how the Giant race was born, that they had a lot of kids, Mimir says that was an understatement.