The Death and Possible Return of God of War‘s Athena

Athena, the iconic Greek Goddess of Wisdom and Warfare, plays a pivotal role across the legendary God of War video game franchise. As an occasional guide and carrier of revelations for the ruthless Spartan warrior Kratos, her presence haunts the series even after her physical death by his blade. Given her sporadic resurfaces and mystical demise, the question remains: is Athena still alive in some form? In this blog, we‘ll analyze Athena‘s mythological roots, her role aiding Kratos, her tragic death, surprising undead returns, and whether fans might expect this goddess to emerge yet again within the series.

The Mythology of Athena

As a passionate gamer and content creator immersed for years in God of War‘s expansive lore, allow me to detail the origins of Athena. Emerging in Greece out of Zeus‘ skull after he swallowed her mother Metis, Athena was revered for her intelligence, reason, strategy and purity. Despite the violence of Greek legends, Athena mostly abhorred direct battle and only occasionally took to spear and shield. Table 1 summarizes key aspects of her mythology:

While a virgin goddess, Athena demonstrated profound care for certain heroes like Odysseus in myth. Her wise counsel, patronage of Athens, and well-planned tactics made her one of the most venerated Greek deities. How would such a strategic goddess adapt to and impact another iconic Greek legend – the savage Ghost of Sparta, Kratos?

Athena‘s Early Role Aiding Kratos

Throughout the first two God of War games, Athena appears sporadically to impart crucial information, warnings, weaponry and confidence to our antihero Kratos. As the sensible Goddess of Wisdom and War, she alone recognizes early on that Kratos could defeat her hated enemy Ares and become a useful new God of War. Her guidance granted early on demonstrates a respect she and Kratos share despite his savage anger and lust for vengeance:

"You must unwind the thread of your past to truly understand your place in the pattern of fate."

Despite helping Kratos dispatch Ares, Athena becomes increasingly concerned by his relentless warpath against the gods. She recognizes the need for vengeance while warning of its perils:

"Your enemies had no honor in life. Do not make the same mistake they did."

So prior to her death, Athena views Kratos as a useful warrior who, if properly controlled, could shift power in Olympus to her benefit. While offering aid, weapons magic, and warnings, her support remains limited by Kratos‘ raging violence against all in Grecian Heaven. Such distrust only widened with Athena‘s demise…

Athena Sacrifices Her Life Protecting Zeus

In his ruthless quest for vengeance, Kratos sought above all else in God of War 2 to kill Zeus so that Olympus may endure no more gods. Despite her disgust with Zeus over many betrayals and lies, Athena makes one final, fatal choice to preserve his reign.

As Kratos raises the powerful Blade of Olympus to strike the Zeus down, Athena appears and leaps in front of his blow, declaring:

"You must quit this path of vengeance!"

Tragically, the sword pierces Athena instead, killing the goddess. Her last godly act preserved Zeus‘ life, and with her death seemingly secured eternal chaos between father and son archenemies. This climatic moment leaves all of Olympus in shock, with only vile Zeus coldly unmoved by her sacrifice.

Why would the strategic goddess trade her life for one so unworthy as Zeus? While her motives remain debatable, perhaps Athena believed only Zeus‘ power could resist Kratos‘ savagery from destroying the world. Or as the goddess who sprang from Zeus‘ skull, she retained some familial love despite his lies. Either way, with Athena‘s death the brief and strained alliance between goddess and vengeful warrior ended forever…

Incredibly Athena Returns as an Undead Spirit

Death rarely proves permanent in myth, and incredibly Athena resurfaces in God of War 3 to continue guiding Kratos. When near death once more against his father Zeus, a glowing, ethereal version of Athena appears to Kratos, proclaiming:

"Avenge us, Kratos!"

How has Athena returned from apparent demise? Likely her selfless sacrifice granted a special immortality of sorts allowing her spirit to linger on Olympus. Her translucent, glowing form implies some kind of unrest or torment, forever haunting the home of the gods. It evokes her namesake – Athena Nike – a revered, winged statue in Athens symbolizing victorious battle. Perhaps only by aiding Kratos still to vanquish her enemies can Athena‘s soul truly rest at last.

Regardless of form, her guidance from beyond Hades proves pivotal…for the Goddess of Wisdom still holds two final revelations to spur Kratos toward his ultimate retribution.

The Goddess Bears Pivotal Revelations Before Final Disappearance

Upon her ghostly return, Athena bears two incredible secrets that illuminate Kratos‘ mind and mission:

1. Zeus IS the living embodiment of Olympus – Destroying Zeus destroys Olympus utterly and completely. The King of Gods and divine home collapse as one.
2. Zeus is Kratos‘ father – The vile god tricked Kratos‘ mother into coupling within a monster‘s guise, spawning his best warrior.

Table 2 summarizes these myth-shattering reveals:

Such truth empowers Kratos to wreak long-sought vengeance, killing father and destroying home in one vengeful blow. Before this final resolution, Athena materializes one last time demanding Kratos relinquish Hope‘s power unto her. But the Ghost of Sparta refuses further manipulation, impaling himself instead to release Hope worldwide. Athena screams in protest and presumably her tormented spirit finally fades into mythic memory.

So by his own blade and defiant will, Kratos seemingly destroys Athena and Olympus both. The Goddess of Wisdom who for so long manipulated events for her benefit guided the vengeful warrior still toward a destiny where no myths or gods would ever control him again. A singular Spartan father and son would author the final chapter instead.

Could Athena Still Return? Theories and Conclusions on Her Fate

Despite aiding in its destruction, it remains possible Athena‘s crafty spirit endures still out in the world or nether realms. Unlike other Greek gods fading to dust, her initial selfless death and subsequent mystical returns leave questions around her ultimate fate. Perhaps she could resurface in future games to haunt, guide or torment her brother-by-bond Kratos again. Their complex relationship built on occasional mutual need suggests her role in his saga remains unfinished.

Of course, Athena has yet to feature in Kratos‘ adventures across the Norse realms. Likely she faded back fully to the ether when Olympus collapsed. But as other figures from his past return in surprising ways, I wouldn‘t fully count Athena out yet either. Until some future installment speaks definitively, her status boils down to one ambiguous take for passionate fans debating her destiny:

"When did a little thing like death ever stop a Greek god?"

So in summary, while the Goddess of War and Wisdom seems deceased for now by Kratos‘ vengeful blades, her fluctuating fortunes through God of War‘s story leave room for possible additional returns. As veteran gamers and myth lovers alike, we can only keep speculating and hoping this brilliant immortal may arise to complicate Kratos‘ saga further. Do you think we‘ve seen the last of her, or could Athena resurface once more in some form? Sound off, fans, on whether you expect Athena‘s spirit still stirs!