A sequel to 2018’s God of War is on the way, with the teaser trailer telling fans only that “Ragnarok is coming.” The Norse apocalypse was already heavily hinted at in the most recent game in the series, where it was prophesized by both Mimir and the Jotunheim mural at the end of the game.
The last God of War shifted the setting from Greek mythology to the Midgard of the nine Norse realms. The game brought many characters from the Norse mythos to life in colorful detail, but there are a few more key figures from Norse mythology that many fans would love to see during Ragnarok, some of which have already been heavily hinted at in the game.
Heimdall is the guardian of the Bifrost, the rainbow bridge which leads to Asgard. In some versions of the myth, he has sacrificed one of his ears in order to be able to hear everything across the world, in a similar way to Odin sacrificing one of his eyes to Mimir’s well for a form of omnipotence. Heimdall’s hearing is so sensitive he is said to be able to hear grass grow which could make for a fascinating character and some truly bizarre boss fight mechanics.
Heimdall could be extremely important during the events of Ragnarok. In Norse mythology, Heimdall blows the horn which summons the Aesir to the site of their final great battle. Heimdall and Loki then personally battle it out during the final conflict between the Norse gods and the giants. Loki and Heimdall kill one another, only surviving long enough to see the end – and in some tellings, rebirth – of the world.
Whether God of War tells the story quite the same way or not, Heimdall and his place in the Ragnarok myth will likely have to be dealt with. The Jotunheim mural seems to show the end of Ragnarok taking place with Atreus holding the body of what appears to be Kratos. This could mean Kratos and Atreus interrupt the prophecy, perhaps even saving Atreus’s – AKA Loki’s – life. To do so, this will likely mean defeating Heimdall first.
Skoll and Hati have a huge impact at the start of the Ragnarok myth. These two wolves run through the sky chasing Sol and Mani, the sun and the moon, hoping to finally catch and devour them. However, after the death of Baldur and the 3 years of Fimbulwinter, Skoll and Hati are said to finally get what they wanted.
Skoll and Hati eat the sun and the moon near the start of Ragnarok, well before the deaths of Thor, Odin, and Loki. Naturally, this raises some huge questions for the next game, but losing the sun and moon early on in the events seems very unlikely. Either way God of War will have to figure out how its going to address Skoll and Hati’s early role in the twilight of the gods, if it does at all.
It’s possible that Skoll and Hati won’t eat the sun and the moon literally, but will eat the gods representing the moon, also called Sol and Mani. This is because in the original mythology they were, like Gaia, gods seen as inseparable from the celestial bodies they represented. Gaia represents earth itself, but appeared as a distinct Titan in God of War 2. If God of War’s sequel takes a less literal approach, the game’s story could get around this.
Tyr had a big role to play in the last God of War, though he never appeared in it physically. This one-handed god lost his hand to Fenrir, the wolf that will eat Odin according to the Ragnarok prophecy. Though there are different accounts of Tyr’s parentage in the myths, Tyr is firmly established as the son of Odin in the 2018 game. Despite being the Norse god of war, Tyr was the god who tried to bring peace between the warring Aesir and Vanir clans of the gods.
As a part of this peace-brokering process, Odin was given access to Jotunheim, the realm of the giants. While Tyr promised that Odin would respect the giants, the All-Father took the opportunity to steal the Jotnar’s wisdom, causing his banishment from Jotunheim. In retaliation, Odin unleashed Thor—who appears in God of War‘s secret ending—upon the giants living in Midgard. Wracked with guilt, it was Tyr who helped the Jotunn Faye hide the entrance to Jotunheim to stop Odin from being able to return. It is Faye who would become Kratos’ second wife and the mother of Atreus. Odin would have Tyr imprisoned for his treachery.
Tyr is one of the most exciting characters who will likely make an appearance in the next God of War. He is a god of war himself, and as the son of the patriarch of his pantheon, has many similarities to Kratos. However, while Kratos’ worst decisions were motivated by bloodlust and pride, the decisions which led to Tyr’s imprisonment were motivated by compassion. Tyr is, in a sense, the man Kratos has always failed to be.
Tyr’s connection to Kratos may go even deeper than it initially appears as well. Tyr’s vault contains an urn which shows Kratos wielding the Blades of Exile, perhaps implying that Tyr was able to witness some of the events of the original trilogy. He may be more willing to talk to Atreus about his mother as well, which could reveal the answers to some other questions which arose in the last game.
The God of War Ragnarok sequel is in a strange position. It’s very likely that all of these characters will make an appearance in some sense in the next God of War, as they all have an essential role to play in Ragnarok. The bigger question is not necessarily whether they will be included, but how the game plans to execute their appearances if so, and how they will integrate into Kratos and Atreus’ story if true.
The God of War sequel is planned to release in 2021 for PS5.
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