#source: God of War Ragnarok

[smh0217]

*After Ruby learns about what happen to Penny in the pathways*

Ruby: I suppose... this is the part where I forgive you, or I attack you.

Jaune: Have you decided?

Ruby: To be honest... I don't think I can do either. Look.... Everything that's happened between us—

Jaune: No need to explain. Not to me. Not for that.

[bezdddakota]

I always liked those Incorrect Quotes memes so after playing GOW Ragnarok, I really wanted to turn this wonderful moment into a IQ meme because it was sound like something that Olaf would say.

[djtitus921]

C'mon Vaike, get it together!

[stardust948]

[Boiling Rock Ursa AU]

Hakoda: At least you have memories of a flourishing homeland.

Ursa: At least you have memories of a good spouse.

[kitweewoos]

You ever been in love? It's pretty good.

Jay Halstead, probably

[moonah-rose]

Sean: The man who stands before you is as sober as the day he was born!

Arthur: You're still drinking.

Sean: This is goat's milk.

Arthur: It's brown.

Sean: It was an ugly goat!

[sparrow-hawk]

God of War (2018) || God of War: Ragnarök (2022)

[perfectharmonyloveschaos]

I really hope if we get an Atreus spin-off in another mythology/mythologies that we get to see him collect even more parental figures. Like Pokemon. It's a power he can't turn off. And the moment anyone hurts him the villain is scared shitless of the Norse crew arriving to beat the shit out of whoever hurt their boy — only for like a dozen other deities and characters to also turn up to get a turn at protecting their boy.

Kratos goes from being worried about other pantheons invading them post-Ragnarok to questioning how many people is he sharing his son with and why.

[screechthemighty]

Kratos: Tell me you didn’t drag Sindri into this.

Atreus: I did not drag Sindri into this.

[Door knocking sounds.]

Kratos: ...who is that?

Atreus: .......I think you know.......

[smh0217]

*Team RWBY visits Jaune after Salem kills Ren and Nora at his home after it was revealed she was hiding among them, pretending to be a new ally*

Ruby: Jaune, I... I'm so sorry—

Jaune, not looking at Ruby: No! No, I don't want to hear it. You don't know what sorry means.

Weiss: We're not letting Salem get away with this.

Jaune drops what he’s doing and turns to them: Would that be the Salem you invited into my home?!

Blake: We were all fooled.

Jaune: Oh, but some of us were bigger fools than others, aren't we? I gave you everything: my semblance, my friendship, my home, my secrets, my treasures... and you just kept taking!

Jaune, choking up as he looks at Ren and Nora's corpses: And now what have I got? Not even my family!

*Jaune gets a hold of himself*

Jaune: You want "sorry"?

*Jaune holds his arms wide open to show them that he’s still covered in Ren and Nora’s blood from when he tried to save them*

Jaune: THIS is what sorry looks like.

Yang: I— What can we do?

Jaune: We? There is no "we". There's only you four. No matter what the cost. So what you can do... is get the FUCK out of my sight!

*Jaune goes back to what he was originally doing*

Yang, somberly to the team: C’mon, guys. let’s leave him be.

Blake: … Mourn how you wish.

*Team RWBY begin to walk away from Jaune*

Ruby: I… I thought we were his family too…

Weiss: We were.

*Team RWBY leaves*

[something-in-the-seas]

Why I think Sol Invictus might actually be the overarching villain of the next saga (I blame Valhalla for this)

⭐️ Valhalla's release date being two weeks before Christmas and being described by so many as an "early Christmas present." Listen, we have never had anything in God of War released around Christmas before. Ever. And the release dates of these games always tie into mythology in some way: the Greek games releasing in March ties back to Mars, Ragnarok's release date of Wednesday ties back to Wednesday being Odin's day, even Valhalla coming out on a Tuesday is a reference to Tyr.

So, why is Christmas so important than? Well, December 25th, is the date of Dies Natalis Solis Invicti, the Birth of the Unconquerable Sun. It's a commonly held theory that the Early Church appropriated the date to make it easier to integrate Roman converts.

⭐️ Getting back to Christianity... we know it's confirmed in the God of War universe, we know the original ending of the Greek saga was going to be Kratos becoming one of the Three Wisemen. No way in hell are they touching Christianity with a ten foot pole, but that doesn't mean monotheism isn't going to be addressed. Jesus was drawn as Sol Invictus in Ancient Roman art, the depiction of Jesus having a halo came from Helios, Psalm 104:3 describes God as having a chariot...

"Who layeth the beams of his chambers in the waters: who maketh the clouds his chariot: who walketh upon the wings of the wind." -Psalm 104: 3

Kratos isn't suplexing Jesus, but Sol Invictus could be a villain that is the closest we get to a Fallen Christ figure. All the Jesus parallels are right there:

Jesus refers to himself as "the light of the world" and goes on to say "whoever walks with me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life" (John 8:12). Not quite exactly the same thing as Kratos using Helios' head as a flashlight, but Kratos did use him to light his way through the darkness to ultimately beat Zeus. His light also lit up the entire Underworld. Greece cannot survive without him.

In some translations of the Bible, Jesus is described as being raised up from the realm of Hades. Chains of Olympus is heavily, heavily referenced in Valhalla and what is the plot? Raising the sun- Helios- up from the Underworld.

Jesus, particularly his resurrection, was associated with the Phoenix (we'll get into that later).

Later on in the medieval era, Jesus would be described as descending into Hell before rising from the dead, which if the theory that the Roman gods are revived Olympians... where does Kratos take the head of Helios? Tartarus, the equivalent to Hell. In popular culture, Hell is usually always depicted as fire and brimstone, going off of Dante's Inferno and this passage of Revelation describing damned souls being thrown into a lake of fire. What seemingly has rivers of fire? Tartarus in God of War 3.

⭐️ We don't know what Athena's plan is, in fact, we don't know what the hell is going on with Athena at all. All we know is that she changed from wanting to save Olympus to being ready to sacrifice her entire family for the chance to rule on her own in a second. Monotheism. It could be just greed, but that's also so not Athena? I think her being a villain can work: I can believe ascending to a higher plan has changed her and that her priority is her new Ascended Council, but what do they want exactly? They definitely were involved with Odin's mask and the rift, they want Kratos to 'fulfill his destiny,' and then what?

⭐️ We know Rome exists in the God of War universe: the Norns speak Latin. While Athena/Minerva was still an important deity to the Romans (even if Ovid seemed to despise her), a lot of her significance as a god of war/strategy went to Ares/Mars and Bellona. Minerva was primarily a goddess of wisdom and crafts and only became a war goddess later on.

Minerva has an interesting history when it comes to Rome's push towards sun worship. Before Aurelian revived the cult of Sol Invictus, Emperor Elagabalus stripped Jupiter of his position as King of the Gods in order to give the title to the Syrian sun god, Elagabalus (Heliogabalus) instead. The Romans were already pissed, but the cherry on top was Elagabalus moving a statue of Athena/Minerva from the Temple of Vesta to be by Elagabalus' stone in a symbolic marriage that fell through after backlash.

There are theories that Sol Invictus is a combination of Elagabalus and Sol Indiges (the traditional Roman god of the sun), or that Sol Invictus was always Sol Indiges. It's hard to find information because most ancient writers were very, very bias and so much was lost over thousands of years. Anyway, a storyline of Sol Invictus over throwing Jupiter and having a connection to Minerva/Athena has precedence.

⭐️ Finally, there's the most damning piece of evidence... this line right here: "You think I'm afraid of a little fire? Don't threaten me with a good time, Kratos. Maybe I'll be infused with power and achieve my final form."

You know what mythological animal is infused with power and revived by fire? The phoenix. It's canonly seen in God of War 2 and after Kratos stabs himself with the Blade of Olympus in 3, the post credit scene has his blood seeping into a large engraving of a phoenix.

You know what the phoenix is also heavily associated with? The sun. Or, the God of the Sun. In Egyptian mythology, where the Phoenix originates, it's name is the Benu and instead of being an eagle or peacock, it's appearance is that of a heron. It's believed to be the ba (part of the soul) of Ra, but it's also associated with Atum and Osiris. There was significant reverence for the Benu at the Temple of Ra in the Egyptian city of Iunu, its Greek name being Heliopolis, "the City of the Sun." The Greeks took the concept of the Benu and associated their phoenix with Helios such as Herodotus when he first introduced the concept of the phoenix to the Greeks:

"There is another sacred bird, too, whose name is Phoinix (Phoenix). I myself have never seen it, only pictures of it; for the bird seldom comes into Aigyptos (Egypt) : once in five hundred years, as the people of Heliopolis say. It is said that the Phoinix comes when his father dies. If the picture truly shows his size and appearance, his plumage is partly golden and partly red. He is most like an eagle in shape and size. What they say this bird manages to do is incredible to me. Flying from Arabia to the temple of the Helios (the Sun), they say, he conveys his father encased in myrrh and buries him at the temple of Helios [i.e. in the temple of the Egyptian god Ra]. This is how he conveys him: he first molds an egg of myrrh as heavy as he can carry, then tries lifting it, and when he has tried it, he then hollows out the egg and puts his father into it, and plasters over with more myrrh the hollow of the egg into which he has put his father, which is the same in weight with his father lying in it, and he conveys him encased to the temple of the Sun in Aigyptos (Egypt). This is what they say this bird does." - Herodotus, Histories 2. 73 (trans. Godley) (Greek historian C5th B.C.)

Rome also associated itself as being like a Phoenix and had images of them on their coins. The phoenix is immortal, much like how the Romans envisioned their empire, constantly going through a cycle of death and rebirth. Maybe I'm just becoming Charlie Kelly but... idk... I feel like SSM is onto something.

[karazak93]

The huldra brothers after Atreus' growth spurt.

Sindri (gleefully): You're taller! :)

Brok (not so gleefully): How fucking dare you!?

[kratioed]

INCOMING WALL OF TEXT RANT: There will never be a moment when I will understand why some people wanted Sigyn to be included in God of War, considering Santa Monica's clear direction with Atreus and Angrboða for future installments. Sigyn was never suggested nor presented as a character throughout the Norse era; Angrboða, on the other hand, has been referenced once since 2018 in Jörmungandr's shrine, implying her inclusion as a character even before the announcement of Ragnarök came out. Jörmungandr's reveal and mentions of Fenrir and Hel (along with Angrboða's mural) within his shrine from 2018 are obvious from the very beginning.

I also don't understand why Santa Monica's exclusion of Sigyn in God of War: Ragnarök is considered inaccurate; the franchise itself is loosely alluded to from various mythological sources, and they were never traditional nor faithful from those same sources and used creative liberties for storytelling purposes. Literally, the entire Greek Saga was never accurately represented to begin with, and for some reason, Sigyn's exclusion in GOW is where you draw the line? But okay, some accurate depictions from said mythological sources can be alright as long they serve the narrative or contribute significantly to the main story; Angrboða as Atreus' love interest is one of them, and there are many instances that emphasize his relationship with Angrboða. Atreus consistently found himself in the presence of adults throughout his childhood, resulting his rapid maturity at a young age from the grim reality that no child shouldn't deserve, particularly within the universe of GOW. Angrboða is the first individual around his age he ever encountered and offers him a safe haven from the grim reality he has to endure, especially after he learnt of his father's prophetic death. Angrboða's childlike nature and the comforting atmosphere of Ironwood allow Atreus to escape from the darker aspects of GOWverse, the sanctuary where he can finally embrace his own age and behave like any carefree child as he should be, which is one of the main reasons why Kratos trusted Angrboða in the first place; because of her benevolent nature and companionship with Atreus, that's when Kratos knew that his son would be in good hands under Angrboða's care. I seen a few people argued that Sigyn should have been the one to guide Atreus instead of Angrboða, as Angrboða is supposedly Loki's "mistress" with Sigyn as his true wife in the Norse mythos, and one even claimed that Angrboða essentially "stole" Sigyn's place when really…that's not the case?

As far as we know (from storywise perspective), Atreus has a keen interest in his Giant lineage, not only because it's tied to his identity as Loki but also to his mother as a whole. Faye never had the opportunity to teach Atreus about their heritage due to Odin's prejudice towards Giants, she's was also recognized as an sworn enemy as "Laufey The Just" from the Æsir clan (specifically Thor & Odin), not only she had to conceal her identity from Odin but also to ensure the safety of her own family.

Atreus even thought the entire race of Giants had perished from Odin's genocide campaign...that is until he meets Angrboða, the first Giant he ever encounters, who then guides Atreus through understanding their heritage within the hidden sanctuary away from Odin. She also gave Atreus the necessary tools and purpose to restore the kingdom of Jötunheim and gains a deeper understanding of Loki's identity as part of his coming-of-age story. That's what makes Angrboða so important to Atreus' character arc along with why she's an essential addition for Ragnarök. And if we're going by the material sources from Norse Mythology, Angrboða is only mentioned as Loki's mate rather than his mistress. It's possible that Loki loved Angrboða just like he did with Sigyn, so Atreus being Angrboða's love interest is expected and aligns accurately with the material sources depicted in GOW. And what also gets me are those awful speculations regarding the possibility of Thrúd and Sigyn being the same person, and combining the fact that Dude Bros preferred Atreus with Thrúd due to skin color is just exhausting at this point...and from what I have observed; Sigyn is always depicted as a white woman in most media, which strengthens my hope she never appears in future installments at all. It's obvious that Angrboða will probably appear again in the long run due to her recent development and promising potential in the future. Sigyn's inclusion seems unnecessary, and I hope Santa Monica never considers about writing Angrboða off just to pair Atreus with Sigyn for the sake of it. TL;DR: I think Angrboða is a better match for Atreus rather than Sigyn in GOW. I'm sick and tired with certain fans dismissing Angrboða's importance and deeming her unworthy as Atreus' wife, especially when it comes to her race and her erroneous label as Loki's "mistress" solely because Sigyn was Loki's actual wife in Norse Mythology. Anyone who hates Angrboða because of Sigyn are just bitter that their favorite character isn't there to fulfill their Logyn ship with Atreus. Angrboða and Atreus are going to be a thing. Cope and seethe.

[sun-bae]

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to go rest my neck. It’s sore from looking down on you.

Heimdall to literally everyone except Odin.

[nico-drawings]

I wish every person that thinks [insert God Of War Ragnarok character] was written badly or was an outright bad character a version of me holding them by the shoulders and shaking them violently while telling them why they are so fucking wrong.

[samuraixsliced]

...LOOK AT THIS DOG. TIRED OF THIS GAME | God of War Ragnarok - Part 11 [x]