Life hasn't been easy for Kratos ever since the original God of War trilogy. He spent three games processing his grief and sorrow in the most destructive and testosterone-fueled manner; now, he also has to be a single parent to the God of Mischief.
Knowing Kratos, he likely would've preferred deicide with no familial attachments, but even that keeps forcing its way into the God of War's arms. Suffice to say, he has no shortage of kin and there's plenty more to learn about Kratos' dysfunctional family tree before God of War: Ragnarok arrives to turn that tree into a mess of branches more imposing than Yggdrasil.
Updated by Jake Fillery on December 6, 2022: Throughout the thrilling, violent, and vengeful God of War series, Kratos has been processing grief and regret into a destructive and bloody conquest against those he sees as his enemies. From the very first God of War title to the latest with God of War: Ragnarok, Kratos’ family has never been easy for the Ghost of Sparta, nor will it get any easier. There’s a long history with Kratos’ family tree. After all, being the secret son of a god, and now the father of the God of Mischief in Norse Mythology can weigh quite a heavy toll. There’s a lot that both fans old and new might not know about Kratos’ family, which can be extremely important footnotes when one delves into God of War: Ragnarok.
16 He's One Of Zeus' Many Illegitimate Children
We have to get this out of the way. Because like many Greek mythology heroes and victims, Kratos' suffering mostly stemmed from the arrogance, apathy, and cruelty of the Olympian gods. First off, he was one of Zeus' many children sired from mortal women.
Zeus, at some point in the fictional classical Greece time period in the God of War trilogy, impregnated Callisto, Kratos' mother. Of course, Zeus never failed to live up to his reputation and became a deadbeat father who was notoriously absent during Kratos' childhood, puberty, and early adulthood.
15 Kratos Was Forced To Kill His Mother
Zeus' horrid fatherly qualities didn't stop at being a deadbeat as he also— presumably, cursed Callisto to turn into a monster if she so much as reveals to Kratos that he's the latter's son. Kratos' mother was freed from this predicament as she neared the end of her life in the Ghost of Sparta PSP game.
Callisto took this opportunity to inform Kratos on her deathbed that he is Zeus' son. She promptly turned into a monster that Kratos had to kill afterward in a rather tragic boss fight. The question of who is Kratos' mother becomes far more tragic when Kratos has to kill her himself. This turn of events reinforced Kratos' hatred for the Geek Gods, and spurs orphanage, as Kratos' parents were killed by his hands.
14 He Had A Wife & Daughter Back In Greece
Long before Atreus/Loki came along, Kratos already had another family during his tenure as a Spartan mortal back in Greece. He had a wife named Lysandra whom he bore a daughter with, named Calliope. That very well-meant Kratos had it good as he was also an esteemed and well-decorated Spartan captain.
Fate reared its ugly head when Kratos was defeated by barbarians and had to strike a deal with Ares (the original God of War and Kratos' half-brother) to survive. Turns out Ares' deal had some nasty fine prints that necessitated post-payment. Ares made Kratos kill his own wife and daughter just because.
13 His Skin Is White Due To A Curse
Ares hoped that having Kratos kill his own wife and child would turn him into a soulless killing machine and perfect inhuman warrior, but this action achieved the opposite effect. Instead, his half-brother resented him and Kratos renounced his loyalty and service to the God of War. The thing is, Kratos could have avoided killing his own family if only he had listened to his village's oracle.
Thus, the oracle cursed Kratos to wear the ashes of all those innocents he killed including his wife and child along with the villagers who were with them. That's why Kratos' skin has always been pallid after that point. Cory Balrog, however, said in an interview that in 2018's God of War, the ashes and whiteness were already starting to fade, implying that the curse is weakening. Combined with the better moisturizers in Midgard, Kratos might well regain his tanned skin in the future, perhaps.
12 Abandoned His Daughter’s Afterlife
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Kratos’ daughter was Calliope, who suffered a great tragedy when Kratos murdered her under the guise and manipulation of Ares. Kratos finally reunited with his daughter when he abandoned mankind and the gods so that he may enter Elysium, and spend the afterlife with his cheery daughter. Sadly, Kratos’ reluctant selflessness must come above the love for his daughter.
Kratos is forced to leave the afterlife, and his daughter, after Persephone revealed that with Kratos powerless, she will use Atlas to essentially destroy the world. Kratos abandons Calliope so that she may live in the afterlife, and not die again in eternal darkness.
11 He Had A Brother
Apart from wives, children, and estranged Olympian half-relatives, Kratos did have a younger brother whom he was raised with during the majority of his childhood. That would be Deimos. The game never really went into detail or even explicitly stated Deimos' parents or lineage, but there's a high chance that he's also part-Olympian.
Because in actual Greek mythology, Deimos was the son of Ares and Aphrodite. It's quite an odd pairing but Deimos' name literally means "terror." This definition carried over to the God of War games where Deimos was connected to an apocalyptic prophecy regarding the fall of Olympus.
10 Zeus Mistook Kratos For His Brother
Zeus feared Deimos because of his birthmark as the aforementioned prophecy foretold of a warrior with a mark would be the downfall of the Olympians. Consequently, Zeus ordered Ares and Athena to kidnap Deimos and imprison him in the Underworld to be tortured by Thanatos, the God of Death.
Little did Zeus know, Kratos marked himself with Deimos' very same birthmark after his brother was abducted to remember him. Therefore, Zeus practically rushed a self-fulfilling prophecy as Kratos consequentially became the "marked warrior" of prophecy that killed most of the Olympians.
9 Watched His Brother Die
Kratos’ brother Deimos is referenced a few times by the Ghost of Sparta in God of War: Ragnarok. Kratos went on a long and dangerous search for his kidnapped and imprisoned younger brother. After saving Deimos, the younger brother resented Kratos for taking so long and failing to rescue him when they were Spartan boys.
Even sadder still is the fact that the two reconciled, and joined in battle. The idea of Kratos and Deimos taking on the Greek Gods together was too good to be true, as Deimos was killed by Thanatos the Death God. Watching Deimos die further spurred Kratos’ decision to kill all gods of Olympus, after killing Thanatos.
8 Doesn’t Know Faye’s Past
There’s much mystery surrounding Kratos’ second wife in God of War: Ragnarok. Faye is the mother of Atreus, and in her death, left behind a son and a husband. Faye is seen for the first time in God of War: Ragnarok through memories. Although her appearance doesn’t give much more about the mysteries of her past in the Nine Realms.
Kratos even tells Atreus that he does not know who Faye was before they met each other, but what is most interesting, is the fact that Faye had an epic fight with Thor, years ago. This fight was in Vanaheim, and further shows how much of a fierce mystery Faye was to Kratos.
7 He Slept With His Great Aunt And His Great Aunt's Daughters
Throughout his journey as the Ghost of Sparta tasked with the Sisyphean goal of exacting revenge on the Olympians, Kratos had a healthy dose of casual relationships with women along the way. These constituted of mini-games yet the most polarizing one was in God of War 3 because it involved Aphrodite who is basically Kratos' great aunt since the former was born from one of the Titans' fluids, making him Zeus' aunt.
The extent of Kratos' incestuous relationship (which isn't rare for an Olympian) doesn't stop with Aphrodite as he also had a tryst with two of her daughters. Those would be the two women on the ship. They look young, but they're actually Kratos' aunts.
6 Killed His Half Siblings
Considering that some new players may ask who is Kratos’ father, the answer that it is none other than Zeus may shock them. As the son of Zeus, there are plenty of siblings in the God of War franchise, and plenty of deaths at Kratos’ hands. Kratos has killed his half-siblings over the games. From Ares to Hercules.
It further shows how complicated Kratos’ family is, as he has managed to not only be tricked into killing his wife and daughter, but he is a willing murderer of his half-siblings. In fairness, it wasn’t Kratos’ fault, as they did try to kill him first.
5 Father Kills Son, Son Kills Father
Zeus has always had a complicated relationship with his children in Greek Mythology. However, perhaps none are more confused and murderous than Zeus’ relationship with Kratos. Using the Blade of Olympus, Zeus stabbed Kratos through the gut, killing him, and sending him to the underworld of Hades. This is how Kratos received the scar across his stomach, seen in the Norse God of War games.
As revenge, God of War 3 sees Kratos take the fight to Olympus, where he causes utter chaos across all of Greece. After an epic battle, Kratos beats his father to death with his bare hands. Kratos’ murder of Zeus continues the cycle of sons killing fathers, even when Zeus tried to prevent it by killing his son first. It’s part of the reason Kratos desires so much to teach Atreus to be better.
4 His Second Wife Is A Frost Giant
Now, on to the Norse God world where Kratos escaped and sought refuge and healing. The man got his second chance when he met and married Faye, or Laufey the Just. Turns out Faye also had a lot of secrets like Kratos as she concealed the fact that she's a Frost Giant from both her husband and their child.
For those who are unfamiliar with Frost Giants, they're a race of beings who reside in Jotunheim. It's a realm in Norse mythology whom Odin fears as he believes that Asgard's downfall would come from the hands of Frost Giants.
3 Loki's Name Was Based On A Greek King
The funny thing about Atreus or Loki in 2018's God of War is that both Faye and Kratos had their own preferred names for the boy. Loki was Faye's and Atreus was Kratos' but it seems they settled on the latter (gotta have that ending plot twist and cliffhanger).
Atreus was a person in Greek mythology and legend and served as the King of Mycenae. His name stands for "fearless." In God of War, there was also an Atreus in Kratos' circle during his Spartan days who was a dear comrade to him. Hence, Kratos commemorated the fallen warrior by naming his son after Atreus.
2 Jörmungandr Is Kratos' Grandchild
Here's where the Norse mythology timeline and trippiness get cranked to 11. Jörmungandr or the World Serpent is supposedly Kratos' grandchild simple because Loki fathered Jörmungandr in Norse mythology. The World Serpent was actually Loki and Angbroda's middle child.
It would seem that Jörmungandr in 2018's God of War came from a future Loki as along with Loki's other monster children, the World Serpent was a proponent of Ragnarök or the end of the world of gods and men in Norse mythology.
1 Loki Will Go. Atreus Remains
Kratos has developed and matured much throughout the years, and with the Norse Mythology of God of War, Kratos has had another child, that of Atreus. The two have had many ups and downs, and Kratos’ reluctance and fear of being a father have been at the forefront. Until God of War: Ragnarok shed further light on the relationship between father and son.
At the end of the game, Atreus decides that to discover who he is, and what his place in the world is after Ragnarok, he must leave his father. The two go their separate ways, but not without love. Atreus takes the lessons of his father, whilst Kratos takes the lessons of his son. As Kratos says before their heartfelt goodbye, “Loki will go. Atreus remains.” It is unknown where God of War 6 will take audiences, or if Atreus is due to his spin-off, but Kratos and his family are far from finished.