Proceed at your own risk.God of War Ragnarok is not only a game depicting the end of Odin’s rule over the nine realms, but also depicts the redemption of Kratos and the growth of Atreus. While there were many events that greatly affected Atreus’ final decision to depart on his own quest, visiting Ironwood and meeting Angrboda is arguably the most vital. It is also in Ironwood where Atreus meets Gryla, Angrboda’s grandmother who has been stealing souls, and this is where Atreus learns a crucial skill that would aid him in two key points of God of War Ragnarok.
When players first see Gryla, she has seemingly been driven mad and seeks out souls to capture so that she can feel the joys of freedom. She does so using a special cauldron that Angrboda and Atreus destroy to prevent any other creatures from losing their soul. It is during his mission to save a snake from Gryla that Atreus learns how to transfer a soul, a skill he uses to stop the wolf Garm’s rampage and to defeat Odin at the end of God of War Ragnarok.
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Gryla in Mythology and Folklore
In mythology, Gryla is popularly associated with Christmas, being a giantess that is said to steal disobedient children and eat them. Unlike in God of War Ragnarok, Gryla lives with her husband, Leppaludi, her cat, and her 13 sons, the Yule Lads, all of whom are deeply ingrained in old poems about Christmas in Icelandic folklore. In God of War Ragnarok, however, Gryla only seeks out the souls of living creatures in the hopes that she can use them to once more feel freedom and joy following the death of her son, Angrboda’s father.
The death of Gryla’s son drove her mad, but Angrboda does note that even in that state she still cares for her granddaughter, even dropping off food for her. This leads Angrboda to enlist Atreus’ help in destroying Gryla’s cauldron, which eventually leads to Gryla seemingly disowning her granddaughter and asking for her to leave her and never return. This is the last the player sees of Gryla, and while her role is short-lived, the impact of this mission on the events of God of War Ragnarok is significant.
Why Gryla’s Mission is a Vital Point in God of War Ragnarok
Gryla serves only as a minor antagonist in God of War Ragnarok, yet she inadvertently serves a much bigger purpose in the game. During the Gryla mission, Atreus and Angrboda discover a snake whose soul was recently stolen by Gryla, so Atreus decides to transfer one of the Jotnar souls that he is tasked with protecting into the snake. Angrboda shows him the spell to do so, and once the snake has the new soul, it slithers away, only to return as Jormungandr in the battle at Asgard.
This is also the mission where Atreus realizes that he actually cast a spell to seal Fenrir’s soul into his dagger, which he then places into Garm’s body, finally stopping the wolf’s rampage and giving the player a way out of Asgard at the end of the battle. Atreus also uses the spell to remove Odin’s soul from his body and trap it in one of the orbs. While he was reluctant at destroying it, Sindri shows up and smashes the orb, effectively killing Odin in the process and freeing the nine realms from his rule.
While Gryla is not mentioned a lot following her appearance in Ironwood, her role in God of War Ragnarok is to be the reason that Angrboda teaches Atreus how to transfer a soul, something he does twice after the mission. Gryla’s fight itself is not extremely difficult; instead, it serves as a way of improving the bond that Atreus and Angrboda formed. In a way, Gryla was responsible for Atreus figuring out a way to defeat Odin and could be the reason for his relationship with Angrboda blossoming in a future God of War game.
God of War Ragnarok is available now for PS4 and PS5.
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