Is Kratos worthy to pick up Thor’s Hammer in God of War Ragnarok? Here are my speculations based on Norse Mythology & GoW Lore.
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.
