Spoilers for God of War Ragnarok ahead.After years of speculation and anticipation, Santa Monica Studio finally releasedGod of War Ragnarokon PS4 and PS5. For many, the game is a worthy successor to the franchise’s 2018 reboot and does an excellent job of diving further intoKratos and Atreus' relationship. One of the reasons why that dynamic is so impactful is due to the way the studio has placed the idea of fate at its center.
However, Santa Monica Studio’s franchise is no stranger to the idea of escaping destiny. In both chapters of Kratos' life, he has physically fought against the predetermined aspects of his existence. InGod of War Ragnarok, the Norns play an important role akin to the various Greek Oracles of the franchise’s first saga.
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God of War Ragnarok’s Norns
FollowingAtreus’ excursion to Asgardhalfway throughGod of War Ragnarok, Kratos embarks on a quest to gain information about his fate. Having contemplated the events he saw drawn on a mural in Jotunheim at the end of 2018’s game, he believes the Nornir sisters Urd, Verdandi, and Skuld could have answers as the Norse pantheon’s goddesses of fate.
Although Freya explains they have less power than some of the oracles of other mythologies, the Norns are still capable of seeing the past, present, and future. They do this by reading the threads that each person’s life creates. To counteract the attention that this has gained them from the likes of Odin, the Norns make it hard for visitors to find their Well by projecting visions, as well as shaping and teleporting their home. The presence of a Kelpie outside the Norns' home, a creature fromMimir’s native Celtic mythology, suggests they can also read minds.
After having encountered Nornir ChestsinGod of War2018, the Norn sisters make their physical debut inRagnarok. Compared to some of the oracles that Kratos has come across, they don’t appear completely human. While their horns are unique, the conversation that Kratos has with them features riddles like most of his previous brushes with fate. Thanks to their ability to see his future, the sisters take on a mocking tone throughout the scene as well.
Unlike most of the oracles that haveappeared in theGod of Warseries, Kratos’ desire to meet the Norns lacks any vengeful thoughts. His quest for knowledge subsequently informs their stance on him inRagnarok. Even though Kratos departs from their Well without the answers he wanted, the sisters still enter his journal as allies, and their words directly inform his quest to save Atreus from Heimdall. While they don’t deny Kratos’s fate, they also underline that his choices are the part of the equation he needs to focus on.
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Greece’s Human Oracles in God of War
ThroughoutGod of War’s Greek saga, Kratos encountered several characters that carried the title of oracle. Unlike the Norns, most of these were humans with the ability to tap into magic powers. The most prominent was arguably the unmanned Village Oracle that Kratos met before the events of the first game. Having been tricked by Ares into killing his wife and child, the oraclecursed Kratos to carry his family’s asheson his skin. While it’s unclear what fate she suffered, this oracle also coined Kratos’ “Ghost of Sparta” moniker.
After becoming the god of war’s champion, Kratos eventually met another prominent Greek oracle known as Aletheia. As the incumbent Oracle of Delphi, Aletheia was a human with the ability to see the future. Although her precognitive abilities were similar to the Norns’ on paper, it was actually Aletheia’s eyes that held her power. While Kratos was unable to save her from being mutilated for this, she still informed him ofAres’ plot to overthrow Zeus. The fact that her dying words were about Kratos freeing himself from being a part of that fate means she’s still his most overt ally.
The Sisters of Fate
DuringGod of War2Kratos encountered Ancient Greece’s final group of oracles. Unlike the aforementioned humans and Norns, The Sisters of Fate were on a completely different power level. Known as Clotho, Lahkesis, and Atropos, the trio were primordial entities in charge of the destinies of the Titans, Gods, and mortals. Unlike the Norns and their ability to read the threads of life, The Fates were able to also physically change and manipulate them.
AsKratos remarks to FreyainGod of War Ragnarok, The Sisters of Fate could also travel in time along someone’s thread via the Loom of Fate. In his quest to get revenge on Zeus, Kratos traveled to the Island of Creation to utilize the device. Hellbent on preventing the destruction of Greece that they had foreseen, each Fate engaged Kratos in a boss battle. This sets them apart from the other oracles of the series, who are otherwise all passive NPCs.
While it’s never stated in-universe, the timeline oftheGod of Warseriesimplies that The Fates were omnipotent and existed outside of time. This means that the sisters are likely still active within the series, just like their Norse counterparts. Kratos only trapped two of the sisters duringGod of War 2, and it’s heavily implied that the one he killed wasn’t completely finished. Tellingly, at the end of the third main game in the series, each Fate can be heard mocking Kratos for fulfilling the future they had predicted.
God of War Ragnarokis available now on PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5.
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