Throughout the God of War series, Kratos comes across a great number of enemies but very few friends by comparison. Indeed, the former slave war general and right hand man of Ares, the god of war in Greek mythos, has rarely interacted with people or gods who he wasn’t intending on killing or using. His path in God of War was a brutal and destructive one, which resulted in the deaths of his mortal family, his family of gods, and the annihilation of Greece.
In the hit 2018 PS4 game, his experiences across the Nordic realm of gods and monsters led him to turn over a new leaf, mostly because of his son Atreus. Now, one character that he indirectly interacted with was the god Tyr, who ironically holds the same occupation that Kratos did even though they embody polar opposite ideologies. Whereas Kratos, successor to the brutal Ares, was an angry and destructive god of war, Tyr is described in the game as being a god of war who strived for peace.
Kratos also finds out about the history between Tyr and Faye before he showed up in this realm which makes one wonder if Tyr will appear in the sequel to God of War as either friend or foe.
Minor Biography of Tyr
Most accounts of Tyr come from the Romanization of Norse gods (mostly from the Roman equivalent to Tyr -Mars). On a side note, the word Tuesday is derived from this Roman-Nordic alteration and Tyr is directly linked to the day for that reason. Personality-wise, Tyr is described as being an honorable god who made great efforts to secure peaceful resolutions to big issues. Indeed, he was the god of war, law, and justice.
His problem-solving ways are exemplified in the tale he is known most for - the binding of Fenrir. It was a monstrous wolf-like creature that was raised as a pup by the gods, particularly Odin, whose existence could bring about Ragnarok. As Fenrir kept growing, the gods decided to chain him up so that he wouldn’t be able to cause the foretold apocalypse. Fenrir grew suspicious of the chains and demanded one of the gods offer a sign of good faith by placing their hand in his mouth. Ever the problem solver, Tyr volunteered and when Fenrir discovered that his binds were magically sealed and thus inescapable, he bit off Tyr’s hand.
Tyr's Role in God of War
Tyr, like Faye, plays a significant role in God of War even though he isn’t in the game. Kratos and Atreus have to go through Tyr’s vault during the game in order to find the unity stone, which allows them to access the hidden gate of Jotunheim. Tyr came into possession of the stone when he gained the trust of the giants of the realm, who broke off connection to the Lake of Nine, the central hub of the game, after they banished Odin for plotting against them (which he hasn’t stopped doing).
Tyr and Faye, a giant of the realm (and original owner of the Leviathan axe), worked together to sever the path to Jotunheim to block Odin’s access to it. Their connection is just more proof that Kratos will eventually meet his Nordic counterpart.
Will Tyr Be Friend or Foe?
All that is currently known of Tyr’s status in the story of God of War is that he was imprisoned by Odin for his betrayal. In the sequel to God of War, it’s highly likely that Kratos is going to meet Tyr one way or the other. In fact, Kratos and Atreus could even work together to help bust Tyr out of his imprisonment or something similar. If Kratos is eventually going to try and kill Odin just as he did with Zeus, he could certainly use Tyr’s help. Tyr is Odin’s son so Kratos could even give him some pointers on patricide.
Also, Tyr is able to travel in between mythological realms as is evident by the relics in his vault that appear to be from other places like Egypt, Japan, etc., so maybe after Kratos presumably kills all of the Norse gods (whether on purpose or not), Tyr can send him to a different realm entirely. One can also imagine the possibility of Kratos re-emerging as the force of destruction that he was known for, resulting in a rift between him and Tyr.
Maybe after a fight between them, Tyr will send Kratos off to another realm (like in Egypt or Japan) just to get rid of him, thus creating a new path for Kratos to tread. In any case, Tyr has enough of a claim to make an appearance in the sequel to God of War.
A sequel to God of War is rumored to be in development.