God Of War: Is Kratos a real god?

The best-selling PlayStation franchise God of War is a game that has been loved by many for its action-packed combat and eye-catching graphics. Thus, its popularity has spread to other forms of entertainment like comic books, a novel, and TV series. At the center of it, all is its iconic protagonist, the god of war – Kratos. He is a symbol of wrath and a man who fights for vengeance. Using his blades of chaos, he seeks retribution from the gods, slaying them in the most brutal ways possible.

Dealing with the main question

Now like the rest of us, you might’ve wondered at some point; did Kratos ever really exist in Greek mythology? or is he just a figment of the game developer’s imagination? It’s finally time to find out, let’s take a deep dive into the lore of this iconic character.

The God of War Kratos: Origin 

  • In-game, Kratos is the human child of the king of the gods, Zeus, and a mortal woman named Callisto. He is raised in Sparta and dreams of being a Spartan warrior.
  • After nearly losing a war to the barbarians from the ‘East’ and in his thirst for more power, he seeks help from the God of War, Ares, offering him his soul and servitude in return. He eventually gets tricked into killing his wife and daughter by Ares himself, due to which he goes rogue and swears to kill the ruthless god of war, earning him his famed moniker, “the ghost of Sparta”.
  • As the cruel fates would have it, he gets betrayed by Zeus later on in the story, making him take up the mission of killing the king of the gods and bringing Olympus down with him.

One major moment in the first game which will further let us conclude the real origin of the god of war Kratos is when he frees the titan Prometheus, from his misery of being tied to a rock for an eternity as a punishment by Zeus.

Kratos in the Greek Mythos:

God of War Kratos
Illustration of the binding of Prometheus by John Flaxman. Kratos and Bia stand on either side holding him down as Hephaestus chains him to the mountainside.
  • In ancient Greek literature, there did exist a minor deity named Kratos, who was the divine personification of strength. He was said to be the son of the nymph, Styx, and the titan Pallas.
  • Styx alongside her children, sided with Zeus against their father Pallas in the Titanomachy, helping him win the great battle. This earned Kratos and his siblings Nike, Bia, and Zelos the titles of the winged guardians of Zeus. 

Unlike his videogame counterpart, Kratos doesn’t have many references in Greek mythological texts. In fact, it’s highly debatable whether he was ever worshipped as a deity at all. The most famous mention of Kratos can be seen in the opening scene of the Athenian tragedy, ‘Prometheus Bound’.

Contrary to the game, Kratos was made to capture Prometheus for stealing fire from Olympus and gifting it to humanity. Therefore, he later tied the titan to a rock where he was devoured by a bird as an order from Zeus.

Conclusion:

Kratos do exist in Greek mythology as well as in the game. In conclusion, both are vehemently different.

  • In the franchise, he is the son of Zeus and wants to kill him to exact revenge, whereas in the myths, he is the child of Styx and the titan Pallas, often ironically portrayed as being deeply devoted and loyal to the king of Olympus.
  • He even threatens the blacksmith god Hephaestus with the wrath of Zeus, making him tie the poor titan Prometheus to a rock at the side of a cliff as punishment for his crime of stealing fire from the gods.
  • However, the only things that both of them have in common are their names and the brutality of their actions. 

Who do you think would emerge victorious if these two were to ever go head to head against each other, the god of war or the embodiment of strength and power?

If you have any questions regarding God of War, feel free to ask in the comments below. For more content, stay with us, here at Spiel Times.  

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