Mimir’s weirdest tale in God of War Ragnarök is simply Macbeth

Image: SIE Santa Monica Studio/Sony Interactive Entertainment using Polygon

In God of War (2018), the soft reboot of the high-octane activity collection regarding a Greek demigod called Kratos, the writer Mimir amused the lead character and also his young kid Atreus with tales regarding a brand-new and also strange pantheon: that of the Norse gods, sirens, and also various other mythological beings. These godly beings postured a major danger to Kratos and also Atreus, so discovering their tales confirmed beneficial — yet even more significantly, Mimir’s tales created an amusing means to kill time while on a lengthy trip. Have I pointed out that Mimir is an incorporeal head that hangs from Kratos’ belt loophole?

Anyway, Mimir returns for God of War Ragnarök, which implies his tales return, as well. But he’s not simply sticking to Norse folklore as a motivation this moment. At the very least among his stories births a striking similarity to Shakespeare’s Macbeth.

This came as a shock for me, not due to the fact that I don’t believe Macbeth functions as a recommendation factor for the personalities in this game — it completely does, due to the fact that at the end of God of War, Kratos saw a threatening pythonic mural showing Atreus holding a passing away male that looked a little like Kratos. Given just how commonly Kratos and also Atreus discuss revelation in this game, and also just how much supply they specifically position in it, it makes a great deal of feeling for Mimir to inform them regarding a male that ends up being stressed with, and also ultimately reversed by, a prediction that he will certainly come to be king. The male concerned ends up being so affected by this revelation that he presumes regarding devote murder to acquire the crown. In informing this tale, Mimir advises Atreus and also Kratos regarding just how revelations can truly tinker your head, specifically considered that revelations are commonly raging with doubles entendre and also icons that cause misconceptions.

The actual factor this certain Mimir tale is so odd is that it places a real day on Ragnarök. Mimir’s tale births way too much similarity to Macbeth to be a coincidence; he explains the male as a “thane” that listens to the revelation from 3 soothsayers, and more. The play Macbeth was partly influenced by the power of a king of Scotland that shared that name and also ruled from 1040–57 B.C. (although Macbeth’s real-life period as king went a whole lot much better in the real world than it carried out in the play). The play was most likely created in 1606, and also although Mimir’s variation of the tale extra carefully appears like Shakespeare’s play than the real background of the Scottish name, Mimir doesn’t credit scores Shakespeare. Instead, he provides the tale as simply an additional among his tales. (Atreus after that informs Mimir that he should compose these tales down. Is Mimir in fact Shakespeare???)

Image: SIE Santa Monica Studio/Sony Interactive Entertainment using Polygon

So, allow’s discuss amount of time. The very first couple of God of War games occur circa 495 B.C. — means prior to Macbeth. God of War 3 illustrates the devastation of Sparta, which took place in 464 B.C. How much time passed in between that game and also God of War (2018)? We do currently understand Fimbulwinter lasts 3 years, a minimum of, so Ragnarök occurs 3 years after God of War (2018).

I had actually presumed that Ragnarök happened in 536 A.D., due to the fact that there’s a real historic environment disaster that took place at that time in Sweden and also Norway; some academics describe that lengthy and also harsh winter season as a real-life Fimbulwinter. That would certainly make Kratos over 1,000 years of ages, yet given that he’s a demigod, that’s not so uncommon. (Atreus is around 13, incidentally.)

If an apocryphal tale of Macbeth has actually currently started to distribute, however, and also if Mimir takes place to come to be Shakespeare (joking, yet just type of), then that methods Ragnarök occurs a lot later, after 1057, at least. Or maybe it implies that Mimir is pythonic himself, forewarning the story of a rather amazing play that will certainly be created by some person years from currently. And when it comes to whether that person is Mimir, well, Ragnarök doesn’t verify it.

 

Source: Polygon