After the latest God of War Ragnarok Story Trailer reveal during the State of Play (Sep 2022), we got a glimpse into the promised epic battle of Kratos vs Thor. This is one of the most awaited face-offs since players first met Magni and Modi, in the 2018 game. So the question now arises, is Kratos worthy to pick up or lift Thor’s Mjolnir (Hammer) in God of War Ragnarok?
For many new players, aside from Allfather Odin, Thor is one of the few famous Norse gods everyone is familiar with. Most of this credit goes to MCU’s representation of Thor played by Chris Hemsworth in Avengers & standalone films. But God of War Ragnarok’s version is, according to the words of Mimir, a ‘fat dobber’. And God of War’s Aesir (Norse God tribe to which Thor belongs) is neither monovalent nor merciful, as portrayed in Marvel’s Cinematic Universe. The difference between these two sides of Norse Gods is more than meets the eye. So, here’s my theory, factoring in everything we know about mythological Mjolnir from Poetic Edda & Prose Edda (old Norse poetries), the fictional version in Marvel, and finally, the one shown in the game.
Spoiler Alert: I will be basing my speculations and opinions on the ending of God of War (2018). So if you have not finished the game, please enjoy it and click back from this page now.
Can Kratos Hold Thor’s Hammer in God of War Ragnarok? Is he Worthy?
The short answer to save your time is yes. Kratos will be able to pick up and lift Mjolnir (Thor’s Hammer) in God of War Ragnarok. Mjolnir was forged by the Huldra Brothers, Sindri and Brok. They also forged Kratos’ axe, Leviathan, initially for Laufey (Faye). Faye, Atreus’ mother & Kratos’ second wife, gave the weapon to Kratos before her death in 2018’s God of War. Leviathan Axe was forged to withstand the might of Mjolnir. But just because Kratos can pick up Leviathan, doesn’t make him worthy for Mjolnir. So we will look at more details we know from:
- Norse Mythology
- God of War Lore
Mythology
“Whosoever holds this hammer, if he be worthy, shall possess the power of Thor”
This famous line enchanted by Allfather is actually created by Stan Lee for Marvel comics in the 1960s. As far as I believe, such a concept does not echo anywhere in the 13th century’s Poetic Edda or Prose Edda, from which we have a great deal of information on Mjolnir & Norse Gods. True connoisseurs of Norse or Scandinavian mythology will agree that Mjolnir can be picked up by other beings. Like the giant king Thrym, who stole Mjolnir to marry goddess Freyja. There are arguments regarding if Thrym picked up the weapon alone, or if more than 2 Giants had to lift it. But anyway, Jotnar was able to pick it up and carry it all the way back to their realm.
Also, Marvel’s version of Mjolnir in comics has the enchantment as an inscription carved into the side of the hammer. This is shown as a ‘Norse triangular geometric knot shape’ in the first Thor film (2011). Many replicas of the MCU hammer also spot a runic inscription on the top side. But such an inscription is totally missing from the concept art variations of the hammer for God of War.
God of War Lore
As we know, the devs of the God of War series mostly base their lore on the mythological aspects of Gods, as compared to the mainstream influence of modern popular culture. This was evident through the days of Greek gods in the God of War franchise. The Greek Olympians we love from the games are far different from their Marvel counterparts, who were also introduced through this year’s Thor: Love and Thunder.
So if the devs stick to this same routine, then we will get a version of Mjolnir devoid of the enchantments of MCU. Both GoW Ragnarok & the 2018 game took five years each for development, and the entire basic story draft/lore was ready when they decided to tell the story they wanted. Hence, there is a very low chance the dev may include any drastic changes to the game at this point.
Apart from all this, there was no mention of Mjolnir having such enchantment in the previous game. Mimir, the Smartest Man Alive, spoke quite a lot about Thor & Mjolnir to Kratos. Mimir considers Thor’s hammer mighty enough to kill the biggest Jotnar in a single strike. And yes, it was considered the greatest weapon of Aesir aside from Odin’s main spear Gungnir, but Mimir never mentions it to be incapable to lifted by other beings.
Fun trivia: Odin’s Gungnir in God of War lore is also created by Sindri and Brok. So all the three strongest weapons in-game, are forged by Huldra Brothers.
Should Kratos Be Worthy?
Although I feel like Kratos will be able to pick up and wield Mjolnir, I want it to be otherwise in the game. You see, most of us love Thor as a character mainly through the Marvel movies. And a great part of that was being “worthy”. That’s why that moment in Avengers Endgame, when Captain America was able to wield the power of Thor’s Hammer, was exceptional for us as the audience. God of War Ragnarok has a similar opportunity to evoke a strong emotion from players.
By the end of God of War (2018), Kratos & Atreus reach the highest peak in Jotunheim. So right before the scene where they spread Faye’s ashes, we learn some facts & even some prophecies. This is shown in the temple with murals portraying both Kratos & Atreus. The murals foretold their journey through the realms, and a final one revealed something shocking. The Giants foretold the death of a figure held by Atreus during the days of Ragnarok. This figure can either be Tyr (Norse God of War) or more closely resembles Kratos.
So if Kratos is connected with some kind of sacrifice, and is able to be forgiven for all the sins & pain he bears in his mind, and yes, becoming worthy in the final moments of the game can be a huge surprise and heart-touching. But all this will be revealed very soon on 9th November, once the game is finally out for everyone. With all these ideas in mind, and praying we get to see more of Kratos in the coming years, I hope the lore finds the way to our souls.
That’s all for my speculations and opinions on whether is Kratos worthy to pick up or lift Thor’s Mjolnir (Hammer) in God of War Ragnarok. Once you get your hands on the game, make sure to come back because we will be covering everything related to GoW Ragnarok and more, right here at Gamer Tweak.
