Summary
As a game focused primarily on telling a heartfelt and moving story,God of War Ragnarokis jam-packed with meaningful dialog and character writing.God of War Ragnarokfeatures tragic characters, godly conflicts, and a host of recontextualized Norse and Greek myths and fables, many of which are framed as parables and told by the game’s protagonists.
Some of these parables get cutscene time, and others are just short anecdotes told during gameplay. However, they all carry wisdom and relevance to the themes and plot ofGod of War Ragnarok. These simple, straightforward stories serve to teach lessons to the protagonists of the game, and to the player as well, and while there are many profound and interesting tales to choose from, some are a bit more poignant than others.
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Mimir’s Witch Story Highlights the Dangers of Prophecies
God of War Ragnarokis all about abandoning the pastand rejecting the power of fate, and as such, there are a number of stories told that center on prophecies and their problematic nature. One such story is told by Mimir when Atreus asks about the specifics of the Ragnarok prophecy. Mimir goes on to relate a story about a coven of witches from his homeland who had goals of destabilizing the government. These witches formulated a prophecy about an influential thane, feeding him tales of his ascension to the highest offices, including a few key details that they knew would turn out to be true, in order to make the prophecy more believable.
What unfolds is one of manyviolentGod of War Ragnarokstories, as the thane falls under the charm of this alluring prophecy, murdering his own king and betraying his kinfolk, leaving many dead in his wake. Eventually, the witches leverage the prophecy to convince the man that he is completely invulnerable, which leads to his death in battle.
This story touches on how prophecy is not as cut-and-dry as those in power claim that they are. In the case of the witches, they did have some degree of precognition, and many of their predictions came true, but they twisted and edited the story to achieve their own ends. This parable also highlights how authority figures can deceive those they consider beneath them–continuing in the trend ofGod of WarRagnaroksubverting of expectationswhen it comes to gods.
Brok’s Lesson About Form and Nature is a Microcosm of the God of War Story
This example may be more of a metaphor than a parable, but it is nonetheless a meaningful and profound storytelling device. When Kratos and Brok ascend Svartfheim to obtain the Draupnir Spear, Brok gives a brief lesson about Dwarven magic. He explains that “Dwarven magic’s all about the intangibles,” describing it as an interplay between the physical and the metaphysical. Putting it simply and eloquently, he says that “The nature of a thing’s more important than the form of a thing.”
This message is reincorporated, both directly and indirectly, throughout the rest of the game, as it is closely connected to thethemes ofGod of War Ragnarok. Specifically, it relates to the idea that the soul of a person, or the person’s intentions, are more important than the role thrust upon them or how they are viewed by society. In the case of Kratos, he is viewed by Odin and other gods as a rabid, bloodthirsty killing machine, but he chooses to reject those notions and become a man characterized by love and compassion. Thus, he eschews the form given to him by his upbringing and those around him and pursues a more peaceful nature, recontextualizing himself as a benevolent god of war.
The mini stories that are told throughoutGod of War Ragnarokare more than just filler. They serve to draw specific attention to the themes and messages of the game and teach important lessons. It’s unclear what thesupporting cast of the nextGod of Wargamewill look like, but hopefully they will offer some sage wisdom as well.
God of War Ragnarokis available now for PS4 and PS5.
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