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Kraken are a giant meat-eating sea monsters that appear in God of War II and God of War Ragnarök.

Mythology[]

The Kraken is less a mythological beast than a legendary animal, probably inspired by sightings of real-life giant squid and octopus by ancient sailors. The Kraken is not a Greek myth, and so the giant cephalopods were probably never sighted by Greek sailors. Kraken legends instead come from farther north, in the Scandinavian areas of Europe. 

The creature's inclusion in God of War II is likely inspired by the 1981 film Clash of the Titans.

In Greek mythology, Queen Cassiopeia boasted that she and her daughter Andromeda were more beautiful than the Nērēides (in most later works called by the Roman form, the Nereids), which invoked the wrath of Poseidon who sent the sea monster Kētŏs (in a far greater number of European works renamed as the Latinised Cetus) to attack Æthiopia. Upon consulting a wise oracle, King Cepheus and Queen Cassiopeia were told to sacrifice Andromeda to the Cetus. They had Andromeda chained to a rock near the ocean so that the Cetus could devour her. After finding Andromeda chained to the rock and learning of her plight, Perseus managed to slay the Cetus when the creature emerged from the ocean to devour her. According to one version, Perseus drove his sword into the Cetus's back. According to another version, he used Medusa's head to turn the sea monster into stone.

In God of War II[]

While depicted mainly as a giant octopus-like creature, in God of War II, the Kraken is a ferocious beast with several tentacles and a vicious appetite. Notably, she only displays four tentacles, two used to support her body by curling around the pillars in the area and two used for battle, which are equipped with a heavy spiked black armor-like exoskeleton. Her head has two large eyes, a massive, fanged mouth, and small spines or gills along its sides. She also has oozing sores on her forehead and two main tentacles, holding on to two giant pillars.

The Kraken appears after Kratos battles and kills the Last Spartan, attacking Kratos by slamming at him with her giant tentacles and by spitting slime from her mouth. Due to her immense size, she was almost strong enough to kill Kratos simply by squeezing him to death. That was until he had a vision of Gaia (impersonating Lysandra), who gave him the Rage of the Titans upgrade at this time, allowing Kratos to free himself from the Kraken's death grasp in the nick of time.

Kratos used the body of his former comrade to aid him with a pressure platform, activating a vent that he used to attack the Kraken's face with the help of Icarus Wings. Enough damage made the beast slam her spiked tentacle into the wall or floor, allowing Kratos to climb up and cut the tentacles from the Kraken's body. After losing two tentacles, she vengefully grabs up the Last Spartan's body and eats it.

In the end, Kratos kills the monster by dislodging her from the platform and impaling her through the mouth with an extendable bridge. Doing this also makes a path for Kratos to reach the Phoenix.

It's unknown what became of the Kraken after time was altered at the end of God of War II, due to his nature, he might have survived the chaos produced in the Oceans due to Poseidon's death in God of War III.

In God of War Ragnarök[]

Kratos identifies Durlin's Pet Dínner as a Kraken hatchling.

Trivia[]

  • The Kraken is the one of the two boss enemies found in the Island of Creation which has no direct relation with the Sisters of Fate, since Theseus is their horsekeeper, and Alrik, Euryale, Perseus, Icarus and The Last Spartan hoped to find them and change their fate. The other one is the Mole Cerberus.
  • The Kraken's origins and purpose remain unknown, as well as what awoke her and why. However, some fans believe that the Kraken was disturbed by the falling statues toppled over by the Phoenix's uprising, and emerged from her location, presumably to find whatever had disturbed her, only to find Kratos and the lifeless body of The Last Spartan. This is based on the fact that the sound of splashing water is heard after the Phoenix toppled both statues. What's more, it's possibly the wound on her head was acquired by the statues falling on it, which would explain why she was so aggressive towards Kratos when she first showed up.
    • It could be a trap, placed by the Sisters of Fate, knowing that by the Phoenix's uprising the falling statues would awaken her.
    • However, the God of War 2 Novelization indicates that Poseidon directly sent the Kraken to try and kill Kratos after a meeting with Iris. How Poseidon came to acquire it is unknown, but given that Tyr often traveled to the Greek realm, it's possible that it may have been a gift between gods.
  • The Kraken's appearance in the game is considered to be based on the creature of the same name from the 1981 film Clash of the Titans.
  • In the original myth, the sea monster that threatened to eat Andromeda was called Ketos (Cetus in Latin). Due to the movie Clash of the Titans, Ketos has been replaced in pop culture by the Kraken. The Kraken's origins are, ironically enough, from Norse mythology.
    • As such, a Kraken appears in God of War: Ragnarök
  • In God of War: Ascension's multiplayer, there is a piece of armor that is based off the design of the Kraken.
  • technically, Kraken is the first creature of the norse mythology that Kratos faces and kill.

Gallery[]

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