For me, the most interesting part of the God of War series is how the developers reimagine classic mythology and characters, twisting the legends we know in clever new ways (usually by making the gods huuuuuge a-holes).
Greek mythology is a lot more well known than Norse mythology, though, so while the previous God of War games have featured stories you’re likely familiar with, the newest game goes into unfamiliar territory.
But much like the Greek pantheon era of games, Sony Santa Monica is doing really interesting things with the gods and legends.
The biggest example of this is in the main villain himself, Baldur, a man who can feel no pain, and really hates his mom. But how does the God of War version compare to the ancient myths? Let’s break it down.
NOTE: There’s some major spoilers for the end of the game here, so if you haven’t finished God of War, I definitely recommend doing so first, it’s too good to ruin for yourself.
Baldur’s Origins
In Norse mythology, Baldur is the son of Odin and Freya and everybody loves him because he’s the sweetest little god ever. He’s so pure and good that light radiates off him. I know, right? Pretty different from the version we meet in the game.
Baldur has a dream one night that he’s gonna die and since dreams in Norse mythology are usually prophecies this bums him the hell out.
So Freya goes around to ask everything in the cosmos to promise not to harm her son. Everyone agrees because Baldur is such a sweetheart that everyone loves him. And thus Baldur becomes an invincible god.
God of War twists this myth in an interesting way. In the game it’s implied that Baldur’s invincibility comes from a spell, rather than a truce with all living things. And this spell has a curse. Sure, Baldur is invincible, but it also means he feels nothing at all. No pain, no pleasure, not even hot or cold.
This total lack of sensation clearly drives him a bit bonkers, and he goes on a quest to find someone strong enough to hurt him. It also causes him to form a deep resentment towards his mother, strong enough that he wants to kill her.
Baldur’s Demise
In mythology Baldur meets an untimely end. Thanks to his invincibility nothing fazes him, so it becomes a game for the gods to chuck weapons at him and watch them bounce off harmlessly.
The trickster god Loki, being the dick that he is, asks Freya about the pact she made with everything. Freya lets slip that she didn’t ask mistletoe, considering it too small and harmless to do any damage.
So Loki gets a spear, sometimes an arrow in certain tellings, and coats the tip with mistletoe. He then tricks Baldur’s own blind brother Hodr into throwing the spear, which breaks through Baldur’s invincibility and kills him right on the spot in front of all the other gods.
WHOOPS.
In the game, it’s also Loki aka Kratos’ son Atreus who undoes Baldur’s protection spell. Early in the game the dwarf Sindri bestows Atreus with mistletoe arrows.
The goddess Freya takes them away, knowing they’re the only thing that can harm her son, but unbeknownst to her, Atreus was using one of the arrows as a clasp for his quiver strap.
During the final confrontation when Baldur attacks Atreus, his hand gets stabbed by the arrow tip, thus breaking the spell and rendering him vulnerable.
It’s Kratos who actually finishes the job though, beating the ever loving hell out of Baldur, and finally snapping his neck to prevent the mad god from killing Freya.
In both mythology and God of War, the death of Baldur is the first sign of the coming Ragnarok, a cosmic event foretold to be the end of the Norse gods.
It’ll be interesting to see how the developers handle this whole Kratos as the personification of Ragnarok thing, and how Loki continues to play a role.
So now you know more about Baldur, and why he had to be the first major god to fall under Kratos’ hands. And with the way the game teases a sequel, Baldur won’t be the only victim of Kratos’ wrath.
Don’t feel too bad for Thor, that dude is a huge jerk, he deserves whatever Kratos is gonna bring his way.