Why Freya Forgives Kratos: Breaking the Cycle of Revenge
Freya ultimately forgives Kratos for killing her son Baldur because she realizes continuing the cyclical violence that harms them both solves nothing. As a grieving mother, she finds the wisdom and strength to stop the need for vengeance, seeing they must work together now against greater threats.
As an ancient Vanir goddess and sorceress who has lived many lives, Freya intimately understands the bitterness of vengeance. Despite her all-encompassing grief over losing Baldur, she moves to break the cycle plaguing gods, giants and men alike in the bloody tenure of Norse mythology.
The Powerful Instinct to Protect Children
While Kratos and Freya share turbulent histories dotted by betrayal and loss, one fundamental thread binds them – they both fiercely protect their children.
As Sony Santa Monica Studio game director Cory Barlog told GameSpot:
"Seeing my son born was a transformative moment for me. It was this feeling of – it‘s not just about you anymore. There is more potential in the world for different experiences now."
This sentiment echoes loudly through the God of War series as both Kratos and Freya make profound choices to shield their own sons.
| Character | Motivation | Action | Consequence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kratos | Protect Atreus from cycle of patricide | Kills Baldur | Freya‘s unending vengeance |
| Baldur | Break harmful spell from Freya | Tries to kill Freya | Death by Kratos |
| Freya | Protect beloved son Baldur | Casts invulnerability spell | Drives Baldur mad, then loses him to Kratos |
Both parents can keenly understand each other‘s motivations – but both also face wrenching loss from these decisions. It is only Freya now who can break the cycle.
The Cyclical Nature of Violence in Norse Mythos
Throughout the Norse sagas, gruesome vengeance permeates both the gods in Asgard and men in Midgard realms. Cycles of familial violence litter lore and prophecy.
God of War (2018) even begins with Kratos telling Atreus:
"The cycle ends here. We must be better than this."
But destiny and vengeance are hard to escape. One of gaming‘s most emotional moments comes as Kratos takes Atreus to spread Faye‘s ashes. High in the mountains, the graves of hundreds of Jotunn giants surround a temple adorned with prophecies of Ragnarok showing Baldur‘s death by Kratos‘ hand. The inevitability is palpable.
On Reddit, fans widely discuss these tragic cycles seen across God of War‘s Norse era:
"/u/skywhopper: "It‘s cycles all the way down in Norse myth, with betrayal piled on betrayal."
"/u/noimnofood: "I think it was always meant to happen. Kratos wanted to break the cycle but they were all just playing their part blindly."
It is Freya who finally tries to stop this endless wheel of violence by renouncing her retribution on Kratos.
Freya‘s Hard-Earned Redemption
Throughout her long existence, Freya has experienced back-stabbing betrayals from her first husband Od to the maiming her Valkyrie wings suffered at Odin‘s hand. She knows vengeance well – and the bitter fruit it bears.
After searingly renouncing the still living but spell-riddled Baldur for wanting to murder her due to her overreach with magic, Freya then mourns Baldur‘s death with staggering intensity rare for any medium.
Her friend Sindri notes Freya would give her life to get vengeance. But after cataclysmic events across God of War Ragnarök showing the costs of the cyclical wars between parent and child, she realizes:
"I thought Baldur was my greatest gift to this world… and instead, he hated me for what I‘d done. I thought taking your life would make me feel better. But it won‘t… Hurting you only makes us even, not ahead."
In an interview with Variety, Santa Monica Studio head Shannon Studstill confirms:
“Freya realizes she can’t keep repeating this cycle. She needs to find a way to move forward.”
After spurning further retaliation and embracing cautious reconciliation with Kratos, Freya‘s iconic bird-like Valkyrie wings even regrow, symbolizing her hard-earned redemption.
The seeds are thus sown for Freya and Kratos to stand united against fate itself.
An Uncertain Future for Gods & Men
Ragnarök has already brought endless winter and unrest to the nine realms. The prophecied end-days are upon them as Odin and Thor prepare to unleash further chaos.
But with Freya and Kratos now aligned to push back against these threats, there is a glimmer of hope flickering across Midgard and beyond.
Kratos still believes "the only way out of our quandary is forward" as their mythic story continues evolving through morally gray times that mirror our own. With Freya at his side, they now share the immense burden of reshaping the future for gods and men.
Where they take up these tangled threads filled with destiny and loss will unfold in later chapters revealed by Santa Monica Studio.
But Freya‘s moving capacity to renounce hatred means the sickness of ceaseless vengeance need not always win. And that is a profoundly human message whispered through strings of code and fantasy – that forgiveness still retains power, even if so difficult to master.
