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Ixion was a character in God of War: Ascension and a prisoner in Hecathonkheires.

Greek Mythology[]

Ixion (in ancient Greek:Ἰξίων, gen.: Ἰξίονος means 'strong native) was king of the Lapiths, the most ancient tribe in Thessaly. He is infamous for being the first mortal to have committed kin-slaying.

When Ixion married Dia, the daughter of his father-in-law Deioneus, he promised to give him a valuable present. However, when his son-in-law was unable to pay the bride price, this caused Deioneus to steal some of Ixion's horses in revenge. As a result this caused Ixion to resent his father-in-law. While he hid this, he invited Deioneus to Larissa for a feast. When Deioneus arrived, Ixion pushed him into a bed of burning wood and coal, which resulted in his death. Defiled by this crime, this drove Ixion mad. Since he had committed something so offensive and having violated the law of hospitality, neighboring princes refused to do a ritual that would cleanse Ixion off his guilt. Due to his crimes, Ixion's reputation got tarnished, and from that day on he was branded an outlaw, in which he was shunned by everyone.

Taking pity on Ixion, the Olympian God Zeus invited him to Mount Olympus. There at the table of the Gods, Ixion became lustful of Hera, Zeus' wife. Having discovered his intentions, Zeus created Nephele, a cloud nymph who bears the shape of Hera. Ixion was then tricked into coupling with her. As a result this resulted in the birth of Imbros, or Centauros, the father of the Centaurs. Since Centauros descended from Ixion, the centaurs were called Ixiondae. Ixion was then evicted from Olympus from a blast of Zeus' thunderbolt. The king of the Olympians then ordered his son, the messenger God Hermes, to tie Ixion to a winged fiery wheel that spins nonstop. From that point on, Ixion remained bound to the solar wheel forever, in which he spins across the heavens. However, in a later myth, when the Thracian bard Orpheus played his lyre in the underworld, the wheel, to which Ixion is bound to, stopped spinning for a while.

God of War: Ascension[]

Although unnamed in the game, he makes a short appearance in God of War: Ascension in the Martyr's Room. His body was chained at the rack in the middle of the room, being stretched out, causing his stomach, wrists, upper arms and legs to be torn up. As Kratos decays the mechanism that hold him in place, he will bounce up. After releasing the corpse from the bear trap, Kratos replaces him with Ixion who remains chained by his wrists. Doing this will result in a box being raised, clearing the road for Kratos. The body that was released from the bear trap has to be used to activate a pressure plate, that activate a second mechanism to uphold the box. This is necessary in order to have a safe passage as without support, Kratos' extra weight on the box will cause Ixion's arms to snap.

God of War III[]

Ixion was a character set to appear in God of War III but was later cut. He was part of a puzzle, which contains a ferrel wheel and water. He was held to the wheel by hands, similar to the Arms of Hades. He was punished by Zeus, and was later killed by Kratos as he succeeded in completing the puzzle. This would have occurred in Tartarus, after the Centaur fight and before opening the Gates of Tisiphone.

Trivia[]

  • The name of the Martyr is revealed by the concept art of James Van Den Bogart.
  • The Martyr's chamber contains a small reference to the original punishment, as a ferrel wheel pulling corpses through a fire.
    • Based on the torment inflicted upon him, it is likely that it was the work of Megaera, who in the God of War Mythos, is the torturer of the flesh.
  • The Water Ferrel Wheel puzzle would have been an ironic twist on the myth if it had made it to the game. as it used water instead of fire.
    • Kratos would have to use the Boots of Hermes in the puzzle to get along a wall made of twisted panels. The necessity of using the Boots of Hermes would have been a direct connection to myth as Hermes was the one who bound Ixion, on the order of Zeus.

Video[]

God of War: Ascension[]

God_of_War_Ascension_Martyr's_Chamber_Puzzle

God of War Ascension Martyr's Chamber Puzzle

Ixion in the Martyr's Chamber

God of War III[]

God_of_War_3_Deleted_Scenes_God_of_War_3_Escenas_Eliminadas

God of War 3 Deleted Scenes God of War 3 Escenas Eliminadas

Ixion Puzzle: 0:49-2:19

Gallery[]

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