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Omega (God of War 2018)

This article contains lore based on real-life sources from Norse Mythology as introduced from the God of War Norse Era.


Once home to a variety of biomes, Midgard has recently been beset by endless winter. Snowpack exceeds all historical records, water sources are frozen solid, and the sparse wildlife is thin and starving. Surface travel, once primarily by boat, has been replaced by wolf sleds and other forms of winter transport. Please dress for extreme cold (exemptions noted for gods and Jötnar).

–Description of Midgard on the Field Notes

Midgard (Old Norse: Miðgarðr), also known as Ancient Scandinavia, and the Northlands, is one of the Nine Realms of the World Tree and the home of Midgardians. Strategically situated halfway between Asgard—to which the realm is connected via the Bifröst—and Helheim—where most of the mortals end up upon their death—Midgard is the cornerstone of the Norse realms, fundamentally emphasizing the balance between heaven and hel, order and chaos. Created long ago by the All-Father himself out of Ymir's body, Midgard was modeled in such a way as to be able to accomodate the human kind.

The realm quickly became the home of many mythological creatures—most notably Jörmungandr, who battled Thor to a stalemate—and foreign peoples, while a multitude of kingdoms and communities arose all over the realm. Most mortals were fuelled by the desire to end up in Valhalla and as such, war proved to be a leitmotif that ultimately prevented the realm from evolving as much as the other worlds. In an effort to bring peace and prosperity and under the leadership of the Norse God of War, all the races of the Nine Realms built Týr's Temple together on the Lake of Nine, an unprecedented feat of cooperation that further cemented Midgard as the spine of the Norse realms. But following the onslaught of the Aesir upon the Jötnar, Odin denounced the use of the Temple and sealed the path to several realms, which condemned Midgard into stagnation and decline.

One should not be fooled by the breathtaking and wild landscapes, as after centuries of isolation, Midgard progressively became a lawless place where those who weren't strong enough to survive were promised to end up in the depths of Helheim, a fact made worse by the harsh winter conditions. Failing to be properly maintened, most of the infrastructures and monuments that mark out the realm fell into ruin, as the Draugr took over entire areas. Occasionally, the Aesir would show up here and there as they increasingly came to regard Midgard as their personal playground—should a mortal not show enough deference, he would forfeit his life.

Midgard is introduced in God of War (2018) as the main location in game, most notably being the new home of Kratos. Having brought death and destruction upon his homeland, the Ghost of Sparta reached the shores of the Norse realm after a long and perillous journey. There, he eventually met a Giant with whom they gave birth to a boy named Atreus. Following the death of his wife, Kratos and his son embarqued on a perillous journey throughout Midgard to spread the ashes of Laufey at the highest peak of the Nine Realms.

The realm returns in God of War: Ragnarök as a secondary location. Three years have passed since the death of Baldur and the bitter cold brought by Fimbulwinter has devastated Midgard. The realm has become a deadly no man's land where even the strongest folks struggle to survive one more day. Ultimately, it was the intervention of Kratos and Atreus during Ragnarök that prevented the fall of Midgard, and following the destruction of Asgard, the mortal realm would finally thrive again.

Norse Mythology[]

Midgard, also spelled Midgardr (Old Norse: Middle Abode), also called Manna-Heim (“Home of Man”), in Norse mythology, the Middle Earth, the abode of mankind, made from the body of the first created being, the giant Aurgelmir (Ymir). According to legend, the gods killed Aurgelmir, rolled his body into the central void of the universe, and began fashioning the Midgard. Aurgelmir’s flesh became the land, his blood the oceans, his bones the mountains, his teeth the cliffs, his hair the trees, and his brains (blown over the earth) became the clouds. Aurgelmir’s skull was held up by four dwarfs, Nordri, Sudri, Austri, and Vestri (the four points of the compass), and became the dome of the heavens. The sun, moon, and stars were made of scattered sparks that were caught in the skull.

The cosmogonic myth shared with Odin by the seeress in the first poem of the Poetic Edda, the Völuspá (Old Norse: VǫluspáThe Prophecy of the Völva), tells us that the sons of Borr – Odin and his brothers, Vili and Vé – are the ones to fashion this enclosure. Upon killing the first being, Ymir, they split his body into many pieces and thus shape the world. We read in stanza 4 that the sons of Borr lifted up the lands and they shaped the famous Midgard. The sun shone from the south on the stones of a hall, and then the ground was green with leeks. Such details give us a feeling of safety and lushness, which the world of humans was supposed to provide.

We find out exactly how this Middle Earth came into being explicitly from another poem, the Grímnismál (Lay of Grimnir), where Odin, using one of his many names and appearances, engages in a strong monologue filled with mythological lore during his torture at the hands of king Geirröth. In stanza 41, Odin also approaches the topic of how Midgard was shaped. We find out that the happy gods made Midgard out of Ymir's brow for the sons of men. Out of his brain, the mischievous clouds were made. This suggests that we have a strong fence, made by partitioning this giant, that protects humanity, and the name Midgard might refer to the fence itself, rather than the world, although by extension we can think of it as both.

This agrees mostly with Snorri's version in the section of his Edda called Gylfaginning (The Deceiving of King Gylfi), where a legendary Swedish king asks questions about the world of the Æesir, the main family of gods. In chapter 8, when he asks how the earth is arranged, one of the divine beings tells him that the earth is shaped like a disc, and around it lies the deep sea. Along the edge of this sea, they gave lands to the giants to settle, while inside the earth they made a stronghold for people because of the giants' enmity, for which they used Ymir's eyebrows. In other places in Snorri's work, Midgard is referred to more generically, as the dwelling of both humans and gods, as opposed to the land of the giants.

Furthermore, Thor has a strong connection to the world of humans, often being described as the protector of Midgard, which is in harmony with both the Eddic myths and the archaeological evidence pointing out Thor's greater importance for commoners, as his guardian role stands out in comparison to Odin's rather elitist and often deceptive and troublesome nature. The bridge Bilröst, or Bifröst in Snorri's spelling, connects the words of gods and humans, fiery and rainbow-coloured, which will eventually break at Ragnarök.

In the God of War Series[]

A major feature of Midgard is the Lake of Nine, a large traversable lake with a temple located on an island in the center. This temple is said to be the link between all Nine Realms.

Despite being the realm of humans, The Reavers are the only living humans in this area, with most leaving a long time ago. Due to the world serpent’s appearance causing a great flood, evidenced by the structures revealed during the game when the water level lowers, and the rise of the undead in the wake of the Valkyrie's disappearance, all that remains of civilization are ruins, but now Draugr and Hel-Walkers dominate the lands.

Midgard also contains many inhabitant wildlife, including deer, mountain goats (possibly), boars, wolves, bears, squirrels, rats, frogs, lizards, seagulls, ravens, fishes, crabs, and cave trilobites.

Plot[]

God of War (2018)[]

God of War: Ragnarök[]

Quests[]

God of War (2018)[]

Main Story Quests[]

Side Quests[]

  • Second Hand Soul
  • Fafnir's Hoard
  • Deus Ex Malachite
  • Family Business
  • Hail to the King
  • Unfinished Business
  • Hammer Fall
  • The Anatomy of Hope
  • Dead Freight
  • Time Heals All
  • The Flight of Fafnir
  • Otr's Imprisonment
  • The Fire of Reginn

God of War: Ragnarök[]

Main Story Quests[]

Side Quests[]

Locations[]

God of War (2018)[]

  • Wild Woods
  • The River Pass
  • Shores of Nine
  • Lookout Tower
  • Foothills
  • The Mountain
  • Búri's Storeroom
  • Ruins of the Ancient
  • Fafnir's Storeroom
  • Thamur's Corpse
  • Council of Valkyries
  • The Mason's Channel
  • Tyr's Temple
  • Konunsgard
  • Veithurgard

God of War Ragnarök[]

  • Lake of Nine
  • Raider Hideout
  • Raider Stronghold
  • Raider Fort
  • Raider Keep
  • Shores of Nine
  • The Oarsmen
  • The Derelict Outpost
  • Well of Urd
  • The Lost Treasury
  • The Eternal Campfire

Characters & Residents[]

  • Kratos (Greek God of War, also known as the Ghost of Sparta)
  • Atreus (Son of Kratos and Laufey, also known as Loki)
  • Freya (Vanir goddess, also known as the Witch of the Woods)
  • Mimir (Ambassador to the Gods and the Giants, also known as the Smartest Man Alive)
  • Laufey (Giant, Wife of Kratos and last Guardian of the Jötnar)
  • Brok (Dwarf, Blacksmith and brother of Sindri)
  • Sindri (Dwarf, Blacksmith and brother of Brok)
  • Thamur (Giant, also known as the Great Stonemason)
  • Jörmungandr (Giant, also known as the World Serpent)
  • Fafnir (Former Dwarf who turned Dragon)
  • Chaurli (Giant tortoise sheltering Freya's home)
  • Hildisvíni (Freya's friend)

Bestiary & Bosses[]

God of War (2018)[]

Valkyries[]

God of War: Ragnarök[]

Berserkers[]

Trivia[]

  • The rune of Midgard is Jera (ᛃ), which represents the seasons.
  • Due to Midgard being the center of the realms, it does not have a travel door of its own and simply points at the Vanaheim door despite not activating the gem to actually go to the realm. This makes Midgard the only Realm to not have its own door.

Sources[]

Gallery[]

Concept Arts[]

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