Changes: Sindri

Revision as of 12:07, 12 January 2021

Template:Infobox godsSindri is a character in God of War. He is a Dwarf, along with his brother Brok. The pair were responsible for forging Thor’s hammer, Mjölnir, and Kratos' axe, Leviathan, which formerly belonged to Laufey.

Sindri and Brok help Kratos and Atreus during their adventure. In their forge, they can improve the weapons and equipment of the Spartan and his son, as long as they are given the necessary materials.

Norse Mythology

In Norse mythology, Eitri (or Sindri) is a dwarf and the brother of Brokkr.

According to Skáldskaparmál, when Loki had Sif's hair, Freyr's ship Skidbladnir and Odin's spear Gungnir fashioned by the Sons of Ivaldi, he bet his own head with Brokkr that Eitri would not have been able to make items that matched the craftsmanship of those mentioned above.

Eitri began working in his furnace while his brother was working the bellows, but a fly (sometimes thought to be Loki himself) began stinging Brokkr, trying to stop him and spoil the items.

Eitri succeeded in making the golden boar Gullinbursti, the golden ring Draupnir, and the hammer Mjölnir that made his brother win the bet, even if its handle was shorter than it should have been.

In God of War

Before God of War (2018)

Sindri along with his brother Brok, began as relatively unknown blacksmiths, who were eager to make a name for themselves in the world. In order to achieve the fame they desired, Sindri had an idea to forge a weapon for the Aesir Thunder God Thor; a lightning hammer. Both Dwarves set about making the hammer, with Sindri notably outdoing himself in an effort to impress Odin. They later presented the weapon to Thor, who eagerly accepted it, earning them the respect and fame they had wanted across the Nine Realms.

However, after seeing Thor using the hammer to cause destruction and devastation over the course of thirty years, Sindri and Brok suffered a profound sense of guilt. This caused a rift between the two of them, with Brok openly blaming his brother as having been the one to outdo himself with the creation of the hammer in order to impress the King of the Aesir. Sindri however told Brok that they had a duty to restore balance to the realms and asked if his brother was going to join him in fufilling this duty.

Over the next two weeks, the brothers set about forging the Leviathan Axe in an effort to create a rival to Mjolnir. However, on the fifteenth day of forging as the brothers neared the end of their work, a spider crawled up Brok's leg as he was working the forge and bit him on the thigh, as revenge for Brok killing one of its kin earlier by squashing it under his boot.

Sindri rushed to catch his brother as Brok quickly died from the potent venom delivered by the bite. Knowing that the only way to bring his brother back to life was to journey into the realm of Alfheim and stop his brothers from sinking through the Lake of Souls into Helheim, where it would be lost forever, Sindri quickly put Brok's body on a cart and journeyed into the realm of the Elves.

Arriving at the Lake of Souls with his brother in tow, Sindri removed one of his brothers smithing gloves and placed it over his own hand, something he knew was necessary if he was going to stop his brother from permanently passing on, as a Dwarves smithing gloves were sacred. After remarking that Dwarves belonged underground not underwater, Sindri dived into the black water of the Lake of Souls, noticing the submerged souls beginning to dim as the descended deeper into the lake on their final journey to Helheim. Feeling drawn to a pale-blue wisp, Sindri began swimming towards it. However, a hand reached up from the depths below him and grabbed his ankle. Twisting around, Sindri could see hundreds of decayed corpses buried in the sands at the bottom of the lake with their arms flailing in the water, with one of them grasping his ankle in an effort to pull him down to them. Unsheathing a dagger, Sindri quickly slashed as the decayed boney arm gripping at his ankle and kicked the corpse in the face, propelling him forward toward the pale-blue wisp. Reaching out with his gloved hand, Sindri grasped the wisp, which sent out an explosion of blue light, which blasted back the encroaching dead at the bottom of the lake, allowing Sindri to escape to the surface.

After Sindri emerged from the lake he crawled to the shore and began vomiting a thick black liquid from his lungs. The dwarf noted that he felt a cold, itch spread over his body, feeling as if a thousand tiny insects were infesting his skin and the dead were still clawing at him. This caused Sindri to repeatedly scratch deeply into his skin before passing out. Waking some time later, Sindri felt dazed but summoned the energy to crawl over to the cart containing Brok's now sickly ashen blue body. Removing his brothers smithing glove, Sindri placed his hands on Brok's chest and could feel the faint pulse of a slow heart beat. Knowing he had saved his brother, Sindri decided not to tell Brok about what had happened once he eventually woke up, noting that the journey he had taken would be his burden to bear, not his brothers.

However, Sindri was noticeably affected by the events, which was later noticed by Brok after he woke up, as a persistent twitch on his brothers face.

After finally finishing their work on the Leviathan Axe, Sindri and Brok were sought out by Laufey the Just. Knowing her to be the last Guardian of the Jotnar left in Midgard and good person, they gifted her the axe in an effort to restore balance to the realms.

However, despite all of this, the rift between the two brothers regarding their guilt over the destruction caused by Thor with their hammer had not been solved, and eventually the two of them decided they could no longer work together anymore, with each taking half of their original smithing brand and going their separate ways.

Events of God of War (2018)

Sindri is first encountered by Kratos and Atreus at the Foothills of Midgards mountain where he is currently making repairs to a moving platform he calls the Sky Mover. Noticing that Kratos has the Leviathan Axe on his back, Sindri quickly walks over to him asking where he obtained it. After being told it was none of his business Sindri informed the Spartan that the axe was a weapon of his creation and that it was not made for him. Assuming that Kratos had stolen the axe from Laufey, Sindri remarked he would be upset if he did something her, where-upon Atreus came forward, revealing that Laufey was his mother and had gifted the axe to his father before she died.

This news saddened Sindri and he offered his condolences to the pair, remarking that Laufey was good woman and a brave warrior. He then immediately announced he would make improvements to the axe which he believed had been marred by his brothers previous work, revealing that he was Brok's brother, which briefly annoyed Kratos. Quickly assuring the God that his skills were far-superior, Kratos handed over the axe, demanding that Brok's work should be improved upon, not removed. However, Sindri was unwilling to hold the weapon as he noticed it was covered in dried blood, which he found disgusting. However, after seeing that Kratos was not going to bring over to his table for him, the dwarf reluctantly took the axe and carried it over to his workbench.

Sindri is encountered in Alfheim where he is questioned by Atreus on how he managed to get there before they did, to which Sindri simply answered that it was magic.

Sindri later encountered the dragon Hraezlyr within Midgards highest mountain, which tried to eat him. However, he was saved by the timely arrival of Kratos and Atreus, who killed the dragon after a long battle and saved his life. Deciding they deserved a reward, Sindri took out some Braided Mistletoe Arrows from his bag and handed them to Atreus, noting that they were "straighter than Heimdall and perfectly weighted". Upon seeing that Atreus was confused about the arrows, the dwarf decided he'd give them something else on top of them and began rummaging through the magical bag looking for something appropriate while ranting about his brother, which annoyed Kratos who began to walk away. Quickly running in front of the God, SIndri claimed all he needed was a tooth from the deceased dragon, requesting Kratos retrieve one for him. After Kratos chipped a part of a tooth off, he took it to Sindri who blew some magical dust over it and told the God to run the tooth along the string of his sons bow. This granted Atreus the ability to use lightning arrows.

Sindri was later encountered again by Kratos and Atreus as they journeyed to the giant Thamur's corpse. After witnessing the two defeat a group of Draugr and Ogres, Sindri announced his presence atop a ruined building and kicked down a chain so the two could climb up and meet him. Remarking that the fight was impressive, Sindri offered Kratos an apple. Ignoring the gesture, Kratos demanded to know how the dwarf was not seen by the creatures as there is nowhere to hide in the area they were in. Sindri happily explained that Dwarves have the ability to step into the Realm Between Realms, but still have a presence in the realm they are currently in, which renders them essentially invisible to the subconscious mind as it cannot understand what it is seeing, which is why Dwarves never actually have to use any of the weapons they craft. Sindri remarks that the only being this ability does not seem to work on is dragons, which explains how he was unable to defend himself against Hraezlyr. Atreus then remarked that Brok wanted to know if Sindri was eating well enough, which caused the dwarf to ask him if his brother had been drunk when he said that. However, Kratos threw the Leviathan into a wall beside the dwarf startling him. Looking at the weapon, Sindri became annoyed as he could tell the pair had once again let Brok work on the axe. The dwarf then gave the axe another upgrade himself, before Kratos and Atreus went on their way again.

Sindri was later encountered in the ruins of the village after Kratos and Atreus brought the giant hammer down upon the ice, remarking that he thought it was best he moved his shop before Thor's "idiot" sons showed up. After being questioned by Kratos about Magni and Modi, Sindri began to describe their family history, before being cut off by the impatient Spartan who demanded to know about their weaponry and fighting style. The dwarf told him hat Magni was incredibly strong and carried a huge sword that was hardened by cyclonic thunder, but described Modi's weaponry as a cheap knock-off of his fathers hammer and remarked he would sooner lick a rat than shake his hand.

After Atreus is cured of his sickness and learns that he is a God, they encounter Sindri again at the Foothills. As Sindri once again starts to talk negatively about his brother, Atreus becomes annoyed, telling the dwarf to either do something about it or shut up, remarking that he and his father are sick of hearing about little peoples little problems, which noticeably upsets Sindri. Kratos later reprimands Atreus for his unkind words, reminding Atreus that his mother would not have agreed with his approach. Sindri is noticeably sarcastic to the pair whenever they approach one of his shops from that point onwards.

However, despite the unkind approach Atreus took, Sindri recognised the truth in his words and decided to make amends with Brok by later appearing beside his brother when Kratos and his son were requesting him to make a key for Tyr's temple. Amazing his brother by showing him a large chunk of Skap Slag, Sindri announced he had to get his hands dirty in order to retrieve it, making Brok laugh. The two then forged the key that Kratos requested together and proceeded to brand it by combing each half of the brand they took when they originally parted ways, signifying that they had mended their relationship. Atreus apologised to Sindri for his harsh words earlier at the Foothills, to which Sindri replied that he'd already forgiven him for it although Brok states that Atreus told his brother what he needed to hear.

After Kratos and Atreus restored the Jotunheim Tower to the Lake of Nine, they discovered that they needed both of Mimir's eyes in order to travel to the realm, as Tyr had destroyed the travel crystal, which meant that only a being with two Bifrost Crystal eyes from Jotunheim could travel to the realm. Approaching the Dwarves, Atreus asked if either of them knew what happened to Mimir's missing eye. This question caused Sindri to become uncomfortable and he began retching as he recounted the time Odin approached him with the eye in an attempt to commission a container for it. Being unable to finish his tale, Sindri ended up vomiting in a bucket near the temple forge.

Sindri and Brok are later present when Kratos and Atreus finally manage to open the doors to Jotunheim, with Sindri becoming noticeably emotional at the sight. Kratos told the Dwarves to watch Mimir until they returned from their trip into the land of the Giants, tossing the head to Sindri, who quickly chucked the head over to his brother.

After the two Gods returned from Jotuneheim, Sindri and Brok are discussing the snowfall that had begun in their absence, with the latter stating excitedly that it was no ordinary snowfall, to which the former requested he stop saying that as it was making him nervous.

Fimbulwinter

A few years after Baldur's death, Sindri was encountered by Kratos and Atreus in the Foothills again as they made a second trip towards Midgards mountain. The Dwarf told the two that he and Brok had decided to remove all of their workshops and instead consolidate all of their smithing efforts inside a cave near the Lake of Nine, due to the fact that the snowfall was getting worse with each passing day. He warned the two of them that it was now near impossible to get into the mountain as the snow was too deep.

Personality

The near exact opposite to his brother Brok, Sindri is polite, well-meaning and erudite. He treats every piece of craft as an artwork that must be carefully handled, thus he pays close attention to detail and operates with precision.

However, Sindri suffers from severe mysophobia and is extremely squeamish with anything that could be considered unclean, to the point where he even refuses to shake hands with others even while wearing his gloves. He exaggerates getting sick with handling any weapon that was recently used to kill. Even the mention of something repulsive, like Odin's request to make a craft to house Mimir's other eye and the venture into the World Serpent's stomach, caused Sindri to vomit.

Sindri is also more emotional than his brother, being visibly saddened upon learning of Faye's death and expressing visible frustration with his brother. He was also visibly hurt after Atreus mocked his complaints about his brother. Thankfully, Sindri didn't hold a grudge and was able to forgive the boy.

More so than Brok, Sindri also expresses regret for forging Mjölnir for Thor, as the god used it for evils such as genocide against the Jötnar. Such acts led them to create the Leviathan Axe, but also a rift between himself and his brother that eventually evolved into a feud.

Like his brother, Sindri hates the Aesir gods. He vanished from Magni and Modi which he called them as Thor's idiot sons. He considered Modi's weapons to be a "cheap knockoffs" from Thor's hammer.

Powers and Abilities

Brok and Sindri's brand before being split in half

Brok and Sindri's brand after being reunited

Master Inventor: Sindri is a skilled inventor, especially in weaponry, armor and other war items but unlike his brother, Sindri is not entirely focused on weaponry. He can make other kind of things such as the Sky Mover, an "elevator" to the top of the mountain and mistletoe arrows. With the necessary materials, Sindri can make or improve items for Kratos and Atreus. He and his brother, Brok had created Mjölnir, one of the most powerful weapons in Norse mythology and Leviathan, a powerful magical axe with ice magic. Both weapons can go back into the owner's hand if they wanted.

Dwarven Magic: As a Dwarf, Sindri can use magic very effectively. Mostly, he uses his magic to enter The Realms between Realms in order to enter any places in the nine worlds and make himself invisible, thus allowing him to avoid enemies. That explains why Sindri and his shop can appear anywhere in all the realms without getting into any trouble or challenges, but it doesn't seem to work on dragons. Sindri also uses his magic on a dragon's tooth to make it capable of imbuing enchanted lightning to Atreus's Talon bow.

Seiðr Practitioner: Sindri is also well versed in the magics of the Vanir, claiming to have studied in Vanaheim for some time.

Trivia

Despite being dwarves, Brok and Sindri are still referred to as "the Huldra brothers", when the Hulder are an unrelated female species from Scandinavian folklore.
- Atreus brings this up to Mimir at one point, and Mimir implies the reasons behind this are not suitable to tell a young child.
His Greek equivalent is Hephaestus, in term of craftsmanship abilities.
Sindri is quite germaphobic, as exemplified by his remarks of disgust at the blood on Kratos' weapons as well as continuously scrutinizing his brother for blacksmithing with his bare hands.
- In addition, Sindir may possess a form of haphephobia, the fear of being touched, as he reacts with fear when his about to be touched and finds it difficult to touch someone else, such as shaking hands, though most likely out of fear of getting unclean.
- In some of his dialogue, Sindri reveals the origin of his germophobia, stating that he once lived just as unsanitary as any other dwarf. It changed when he met a Vanir witch who, using her magic, discovered the multitude of tiny, unseeable "beasties" (microscopic germs and bacteria) that live on everything, and can make people sick if they get inside of the body. To this end, he states that he now only makes handles out of oak, as the witch told him it would stop the "beasties" from spreading.
  - However, Sindri may not be telling the truth to Kratos and Atreus about the origins of his mysophobia, as according to the Lost Pages of Norse Myth, during the forging of the Leviathan Axe, Sindri had to quickly retrieve Broks soul from Alfheim after he had been killed by a fatal spider-bite, before it passed permanently into Helheim. During this trip, Sindri dived into the Lake of Souls, which contained the mangled and decaying corpses of the dead which briefly managed to grab Sindri in an effort to pull him down to devour him. After escaping the Lake, Sindri is noted to feel a horrible itching all over his body, as if a thousand tiny insects had infested his skin and felt as if the dead were still clutching and pinching at his body. This caused him to repeatedly scratch deeply into his skin and hair, but it did nothing to alleviate the itching he felt. After the trip, Sindri is noted by Brok to have a persistent twitching on his face. This is likely the true origin of his extreme mysophobia and haphephobia, but Sindri chooses not to reveal it in order to keep his brothers death and subsequent trip to Alfheim a secret.
He and his brother were responsible for creating Thor's hammer, Mjölnir. Mimir claims that the two brothers were trying to make a name for themselves, but may have overdone it.
- In addition, Sindri mentioned that after Mjölnir was completed, both brothers found it very difficult to find new inspiration, among other things.
- The creation of Mjolnir was one of Sindri and Brok's greatest regrets due to how Thor used it to kill so many and this was what caused them to blame each other and create the Leviathan Axe for Faye. However, despite their resentment of Thor's use of their hammer, they still couldn't deny the fact that Mjolnir was their greatest work, even if bitterly.
He and his brother shared a brand that they used to mark their work, including marking Kratos' axe. When the two went their separate ways, they split the brand down the middle and each took half. Once reunited, they created a new brand.
Sindri is noticeably taller than his brother.
During the second encounter with Sindri, it is revealed that he possesses a magic bag of sorts that allows him to carry any multitude of items, regardless of its size or nature.
He, along with Brok, also knew of Faye's true nature as a giant as well as Atreus's being half giant, although why they chose not to reveal this information to Kratos and Atreus even when they learned who they were, is unknown.
In the traditional Norse myths, Sindri is alternatively named Eitri.
In an act of irony; Sindri's gift of Mistletoe Arrows were the things that removed Baldur's immortality and caused the beginning of Ragnarok. This is ironic because Sindri's argument against Brok was that their weapons are too dangerous in the wrong hands and that he didn't want to be responsible for another genocide.
Sindri, like his brother, disappear completely whenever Freya is with Kratos and Atreus. Why exactly they hide from her isn't known.