Gaia

“	I am the Titan Gaia, ever present Mother of Earth. I have watched you become a powerful warrior, and I have been with you through all the events of your life, but I can no longer simply watch. We will help you defeat Zeus.	”
–Gaia meeting Kratos for the first time.

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Gaia is the primordial-Earth goddess, mother of the Titans and the grandmother of the Olympian Gods. She is the narrator of the series, the deuteragonist of God of War II, and the secondary antagonist of God of War III.

Greek Mythology

In Greek mythology, Gaia (Γαîα) was the primal goddess personifying the earth. She was a primordial and chthonic ancient deity and was considered the Mother Goddess of all life. She was born of Chaos, arising as the everlasting foundation of the Gods of Olympus. She created the Titan Ouranos (Roman: Caelus), the starry sky, as her husband and to cover her, the hills, and the fruitless deep of the sea, Pontus. Together they created the elemental Titans, amongst others the world ocean Oceanus, the pre-Olympic sun Hyperion ("The High-One"), Iapetus (father of Prometheus), Rhea, Mnemosyne ("Memory"), Phoebe ("Light") and Tethys (wife and sister of Oceanus, mother of the world rivers). After they were born, Cronos, the wily, youngest, and most terrible of her children, who hated his sire. Other Titan-born creatures came from Gaia such as the Hecatonchires and the dragon Python. Her equivalent in the Roman pantheon was Terra.

In the God of War series

In the God of War series, Gaia is the narrator for all of the games, but has only actually appeared in God of War II and God of War III. She is portrayed as being made of earth, covered head to toe with trees, and portly in shape reminiscent of the Venus of Willendorf, though in Greek Mythology she was essentially the Earth itself. She was banished at the end of the Great War but helped Kratos in his quest for revenge. In return, he rescued her along with the other Titans from the first Great War, and beginning the second Great War with the gods.

Birth and Early Days

In the beginning, there was only darkness-the first deity, Chaos. From Chaos came Nyx, and together they created the world. Wishing to survey their work, they made the Island of Creation, where all life would begin. The first to be born was Gaia, who would become the mother of the earth. Ouranos, personification of the sky, was then created, joining with Gaia and giving birth to the Cyclops, the Hecatonchires, and the Titans.

First Titanomachy

It was prophesized that one day Cronos would also be overthrown by his children, just as he overthrew his own father, and he swallowed them whole after they were born. However, Cronos’ wife, Rhea, could not bear another loss and tricked Cronos into swallowing an Omphalos Stone wrapped in cloth. This baby was named Zeus, and would be raised within Gaia's own body until he came of age and decided to take revenge upon Cronos.

When Zeus became an adult, he freed his brothers and sisters from the belly of Cronos and began a revolt against the Titans, starting the Great War. During this war, Gaia aided the Titans in the battle, and was eventually cast into Tartarus along with her children.

Second Titanomachy

Gaia and Kratos led the Titans in battle as they climbed Mount Olympus, however, the Olympian Gods were not scared and quickly engaged their former enemies again igniting the Second Titanomachy. As titans clashed against the Gods they also encountered the minions of Gods who jumped into the fray and used their abilities to attempt to knock the behemoths off the mountain but this did not deter the Titans nor Kratos who defended them with powers determined to make the Gods pay. Unfortunately the Sea God Poseidon entered the battle and after killing Epimetheus summoned his Hippocampi which began to attack the Titans pulling them to their deaths. One of the monsters latched onto Gaia preventing her from climbing, the titan had told Kratos to free her from the constraints after doing so the two came face to face with the Hippocampi version of Poseidon who using his mighty trident and his minions had delivered many powerful blows to Gaia however, after Kratos defeated the monsters and attacked Posedion head on the god was left immobilized. Taking advantage of this, Gaia punched at her grandson's chest which also launched Kratos in a clear path of the sea god's chest knocking him out of his monster projectile and throwing him on a platform of the mountain where he was brutally killed off personally by Kratos.

Betraying Kratos

“	Listen carefully Kratos, you were a simple pawn nothing more! Zeus is no longer your concern. This is our war ! Not yours!	”
–Gaia betraying Kratos and allowing him to fall to his "death".

After Poseidon's death, Kratos and Gaia continued their travel towards Zeus, but were thwarted by the King of the Gods and a well-aimed lightning bolt, sending Gaia and Kratos plummeting back down. Gripping Mount Olympus for dear life, one of Gaia's hands partially snapped off, barely connected by enormous vines. Kratos attempted to hold onto Gaia's back, but after calling for aid, Gaia refuses. Stating both of them would die if she tried to help, and trivializing Kratos' revenge as being secondary to the Titans', Gaia let Kratos fall, calling him a pawn that had lost its usefulness.

When Kratos reached the city of Olympia, he encountered Gaia again, the titan was astonished to find Kratos still alive remarking the "blood of Cronos" served him well. She was in distress, asking Kratos for his help. Kratos, still enraged about Gaia not having helped him in his hour of need, began to sever the vines connecting Gaia's snapped-off hand. Gaia asked Kratos if she meant anything to him to which Kratos retorted in a show of cruel irony it was in fact Gaia and the Titans who were the pawns, his pawns while telling her the war against Zeus was "his war" not hers. Kratos then destroyed the root of Gaia's hand with the Blade of Olympus, sending Gaia plummeting to her apparent doom at the bottom of Mount Olympus. When Kratos visited Tartarus, he came across Gaia's severed hand and met with Cronos, who stated Gaia was dead, and subsequently attempted to kill Kratos to avenge her.

Gaia's Return

When finally having reached Zeus again, Kratos was shocked to find out Gaia had returned, having replaced her severed hand with one made of twisted tree roots. Declaring she never sought Kratos' death, she now saw no other option due to the damage he had inflicted upon her Earth. Zeus commented she should have chosen the other one, but Gaia simply replied she would destroy them both, crushing the Shrine of Olympus in her hands.

Both father and son fell into Gaia, and found their way back to her heart, where Kratos shattered it's defenses, and drew energy from the Titan, causing her immense pain. After Zeus made his appearance, the battle resumed, until Kratos stabbed Zeus with the Blade of Olympus and ran him through Gaia's heart, she screamed in terrible agony and pain as her heart exploded, killing her as her body collapsed onto Olympus possibly killing all of the remaining survivors while dissolving into dust.

When Kratos awakened from the fall, all that remained of the mighty Titan were large chunks of earth, and some withered trees and branches.

Powers and Abilities

As the Primordial and Titan of the earth, Gaia has absolute control and manipulate over rocks and plants of entire world. She has superhuman strength,stamina,durability and is an Immortal. she also can be considered omniscience since she is narrator of the games.

She also seems to have the power communicate throughout time as she was expecting Kratos during the the first Titanomachy even though it was centuries before Kratos' birth.

Trivia

• Gaia, serving as Narrator in all of the God of War games prior to God of War III, is voiced by actress Linda Hunt. In God of War III, no longer the narrator, she is voiced by Susan Blakeslee. However, in the opening cinematic detailing Kratos' past, Linda Hunt still narrated the prologue. Susan Blakeslee voiced the Oracle of Athens who helped Kratos on how to kill a god.
• Interestingly, Gaia only narrates the story of God of War II up until the point when Kratos first meets her in the Underworld. Beyond that, she does not narrate, but has a similar job by speaking directly to Kratos in the background on numerous occasions throughout the game.
• The last words Gaia said as the narrator, right before rescuing Kratos, were: "Kratos was destined to bring about change so severe that it would shake the very pillars of Mount Olympus. His death was something that I could not allow."
• In God of War II, it is strange to note that Gaia had expected Kratos' sudden arrival in the Titanomachy's end, even though the battle had taken place thousands of years before, in which the Titans were defeated and imprisoned. It could be that, due to the fact that Gaia is, essentially, the earth itself, she would be able to foretell events that transpire(d) in the past, present, and future. Kratos saving the Titans and proceeding to kill the Olympian Gods would also initiate a never ending cycle that would repeat itself.
• It is clearly unknown why Kratos is unaware of Gaia deceptive nature than Athena and Lahkesis, it could most likely be that he hasn't known of her since she was kept in Tartarus or that she was known by the Gods during the Great War as it took place thousands of years before the series.
• When Gaia is rescued at the end of God of War II and brought back to Kratos' time, it is a wonder what happened to the Gaia who is being held in Tartarus, who has been instructing Kratos the whole time. The Gaia whom Kratos rescues also says that she and the Titans are expecting Kratos, even though she is from the ages past, and is not the one who guided him to the Sisters of Fate (all of which happened in the future). Because of Kratos' interference in the timeline, it is likely that the Gaia in Tartarus has been "erased" and "replaced" with the one Kratos brings back to his time.
• Though Gaia is addressed as being one of the Titans in the God of War series, she wasn't considered one in real myth. In real Greek mythology, Gaia was essentially the earth itself. With Ouranus embodying the sky, she then gave birth to the twelve Titans. She in fact was a member of the first generation of deities in the Greek pantheon known as the Protogenoi (Primordials). Other members were Ouranus, Pontus, her sister Nyx and brothers Erebus, and Tartarus to name a few.
• Gaia first sided alongside Kratos in his quest for revenge, only to reveal he was being used as a pawn when finally reaching Zeus. This turn of events did not bode well, and proved her downfall.
• Gaia's deceptive nature and future betrayal is alluded to in God of War II in two instances.
  • When Kratos visits Garden Of Gods, he comes across a statue of Athena telling him to stop his quest and not listen to Gaia by saying, "Gaia speaks nothing but half-truths and falseness".
  • When Kratos finds Lahkesis, she tells Kratos that his journey ends now while he says his destiny is not hers to control Gaia is liar in words "I see Gaia has filled you with her lies".
• She makes a cameo in the new Mortal Kombat game on the Chamber of the Flame stage in which she destroys a section of the wall and you can see her watching the fight.
• Gaia and Athena have similar voices to each other in the first game but they are not voiced by the same actress.
• Gaia is one of the Primordials who participated in the war between them. She is also one of the strongest Primordials, since she survived the war along with Tartarus, Thanatos, Morpheus and perhaps the Sisters of Fate.
• Gaia is the last Primordial to die since most were killed in the war, Thanatos and the Sisters of Fate were killed in God of War: Ghost of Sparta and God of War II, and perhaps Morpheus was killed by its fellow Gods after the events of Chains of Olympus, or either by the Titans in the Second Titanomachy.
• Gaia is also the Primordial who has participated in most wars, since she took part in the battle between the Primordials, the Great War and the Second Great War. She is also the only Primordial to take place in the Great War and the Second Great War.
• It is also odd to notice that most Primordials are astronomical in size but in God of War III we see Gaia is the same size of all Titans, this might be that Primordials are capable of shapeshifting, or she might have just taken the appearance of a titan to help the others defeat Zeus.