There are few people God of War‘s Kratos can call a friend. While Kratos is known for his sheer violence, the Greek god of war has noticeably calmed over the years. In the God of War reboot, Kratos has even reached a point in which he can engage in relatively polite conversation with the other characters of Midgard. So why then, in the latest trailer for God of War Ragnarök, do viewers see a bird transform into a woman who attempts to strike him down? That simple sword strike has very weighted reasoning behind it.
[Warning: Spoilers for 2018’s God of War below.]
God of War Ragnarök is the highly anticipated sequel to the 2018 soft reboot of the series. The rebooted series focuses on an older Kratos after the death of his wife, Faye, as he travels Midgard with his son Atreus and raises him alone. The game takes a different approach to the original action-oriented entries with a stronger focus on narrative and character development. God of War Ragnarök will narratively pick up where the previous game ended: with Thor confronting Kratos and Atreus at their home.
Kratos’ priority is to raise his son and protect him as he tries to teach Atreus a different path than his own. Kratos wants Atreus to learn to avoid war, but his actions in God of War 2018 make that increasingly difficult. In an effort to keep his son alive and survive the nine realms, Kratos has had to use his strength and brutal experience along the way, making the Norse gods very angry. The consequences of his actions are evident by the attack of the bird-woman seen in the trailer. Just who is she and what did Kratos do to deserve this attack?
God Of War: Ragnarök’s Bird-Woman Is Freya
God of War 2018 kicks off with a strange tattooed man attacking Kratos at his home. On their journey to spread Faye’s ashes, Kratos and Atreus encounter a handful of friendly characters, including the Witch of the Woods. As the story progresses, players discover that the mysterious tattooed stranger who can heal any wound is in fact the god Baldur; son of Odin, and the best tracker of the realm sent to find the Jötunn Guardian. It is also later revealed that the Witch of the Woods is the banished Vanir goddess, Freya, former wife of Odin and mother of Baldur.
Upon breaking his curse of immortality, a spell beset by Freya to protect him, Kratos kills Baldur to save Freya’s life. She swears vengeance upon him for the death of her son, stating “I will rain down every agony. Every violation imaginable, upon you. I will parade your cold body from every corner of every realm, and feed your soul to the vilest filth in Hel. That is my promise.” Mimir claims she will realize it was for the best in time, but the God of War Ragnarök trailer shows otherwise.
Freya has not forgiven Kratos for the death of Baldur. She is heartbroken and enraged at what Kratos did after she was prepared to die so that Baldur could find happiness. Launching herself at Kratos and striking with her sword as she did was not a calculated attack but rather an act of anger, and she showed no fear going face to face with the god of war. Freya and Thor have been confirmed as the main antagonists of God of War Ragnarök and it’s reasonable to think Thor will pose a physical challenge whereas Freya, Hel-bent on revenge, will use her magic and anger to try and fulfill her promise.
