This article contains lore based on real-life sources from Norse mythology as introduced from the God of War Norse era.
Odin's Noose is the magical rope/noose the All-Father used to hang himself.
Norse Mythology[]
Odin is a relentless seeker and pursuer of knowledge and would sacrifice anything for it. Envying the powers of the Nornir, the three Goddesses of Fate, he made it his task to find and know the runes, symbols that carry the Norns' intentions. As the runes only appear to those who are deemed worthy, Odin hung himself from one of Yggdrasil's branches and pierced himself with his spear Gungnir. He then looked down into the shadowy waters below. He refused any aid from the other gods, not even a sip of water. While staring downward, he would call out to the runes.
For nine days and nine nights, Odin survived the current state he was in, as he teetered on the precipice that separates the living from the dead. At the end of the ninth night, he finally saw the runes, as they had accepted his sacrifice and shown themselves to him as well as the secrets that lie within them. Absorbing this knowledge into his memories, Odin let out a scream of joy.
In the God of War Series[]
The noose was first used by Odin when he hanged himself from one of the branches of the world tree Yggdrasil before stabbing himself with Gungnir. The All-Father then bled down into the Well of Destiny, or Urn's Well and tried to steal all of the world tree's secrets while roaming the realm of the dead. This caused Yggdrasil to get fed up with him and send him back to the land of the living, which left Odin livid and insane.
God of War Ragnarök[]
While returning from seeing the Norns riding a Kelpie, Kratos and Freya came across Odin's noose, which Freya took for herself. Later during Ragnarök, in which Odin fought against Kratos and Atreus and overpowered them, a powerful binding curse was bestowed upon the noose by Freya, which caused it to magically strangle Odin even without it being hung around his neck, allowing Freya to strangle him in revenge for having been cursed for years.
However, Odin manages to retrieve the noose thanks to Muninn which allows the All-Father to attach the noose to Gungnir, allowing the spear to transform into a whip-like weapon during the final battle.