The soft reboot of Santa Monica Studio’s God of War, regarded by some as the best game in the series, came out in 2018. Those who enjoy a good action-adventure game found this one stupefyingly good. God of War is beloved not only for its incredible gameplay and performance but also for its story.
One aspect that will make a story really work is the characters. The characters in God of War are very well-written, which is why the story works so well. One of these characters is Mimir, the smartest man alive. Mimir is a character fans have instantly fallen in love with. Like all characters in the game, there are things about this character a lot of people may not know.
10 Mimir Is Kratos’ Fourth “Head” Companion
Kratos is not the most gentle character in the history of video games. As crazy as it sounds, having a “head” as a companion in God of War is not even among Kratos’ craziest deeds. In fact, it’s not even the first time he’s done this. Throughout Kratos’ journey, he has had four “head” companions with Mimir being the latest one.
In the past, Kratos has severed and carried the heads of Medusa, Euryale, and Helios. Those heads have served him in combat. Mimir is the only head Kratos has taken upon request.
9 Mimir’s Similarities With Prometheus
Mimir’s backstory and fate are very similar to that of another from the Greek mythos. Mimir’s relationship with the leader of the gods in his pantheon, his eventual capture, and the horrors he suffered in captivity is the same story of Prometheus.
During Prometheus’ captivity, a big eagle eats his liver during the day, and it would regrow at night. This cycle would repeat daily. Mimir also shares a similar fate, but instead of a big eagle, it is Odin himself who torments him daily. Interestingly, Kratos is the one who eventually freed both characters, at both of their requests.
8 “Mimir” Is Not Mimir’s Real Name
During one of Mimir’s storytelling brigades, he says “There comes a time in every man’s life when he changes his name and heads North to make a new start.” This implies that, in this universe, “Mimir” is not Mimir’s real name.
Mimir may have intentionally named himself as such to make himself appear more respectable, as “Mimir” roughly translates to “the wise one” in Norse. Mimir’s real name is unknown.
7 Mimir’s Love For Drinking
According to Mimir’s multitude of stories, it seems he enjoys getting inebriated every so often, if not more than that. A lot of Mimir’s stories involve him getting drunk, which often leads to disastrous and hilarious outcomes.
At one point, Mimir recalls the story of how he fell down a mountain after a drunken stupor. He also recalls almost persuading the giants to put the golden eyes gifted to him on the base of his nipples instead, a suggestion he made because he got drunk. He also states he has never spoken the ancient tongue before while sober.
6 Before He Was Odin’s Advisor
Mimir’s journey was long and interesting way before he made his way to Asgard. Before he became Odin’s advisor, he served as a counselor to various kings and gods. According to him, he was just a bit older than Atreus when he started.
His first master was a faerie king. He served as his errand boy and unofficial jester. It was then and there that the once boisterous Mimir learned the importance of knowledge and information.
5 Why Odin Imprisoned Mimir
Odin, as Mimir denotes, is an extremely paranoid individual. This aspect of Odin was even augmented when he learned of Ragnarok, which sees the end of the gods. Odin knows that the giants of Jotunheim will have a hand in it. This is when Odin’s obsession with the giants began, coupled with their prophetic abilities.
As Odin’s advisor, Mimir rightfully advises Odin that the only way to stop Ragnarok is to foster peace between the nine realms, including Jotunheim. Ever the paranoid god, Odin surmised that Mimir is working with the giants. Odin then saw fit to imprison Mimir.
4 Odin’s Torture
As if Mimir’s imprisonment wasn’t enough, Odin pushed the mold further by personally torturing Mimir himself. Odin is set on his beliefs that Mimir is working with the giants. He binds Mimir on the highest peak in Midgard, across the only working bridge that leads to Jotunheim, as he believes Mimir knows how to open it.
The bridge to Jotunheim requires a special giant rune, and Odin believes Mimir knows what it is. Mimir truthfully does not know what this is, but Odin doesn’t believe him. He continues to torture him every day for 109 winters.
3 The Tree That Binds Mimir Came From Yggdrasil
Odin, as the All-father and the leader of the gods, is one of the most powerful beings in the nine realms. His power was made even more awesome after his marriage with Freya, a powerful Vanir goddess, who taught him Vanir magic.
One of Freya’s powers is her ability to summon the roots of the great tree Yggdrasil. This is one of the abilities Odin managed to pick up. When Odin binds Mimir, he uses the very skill Freya taught him. He binds Mimir using Yggdrasil’s roots, which is why it cannot be cut by any blade.
2 Mimir Isn’t Technically A Norse God
Despite being classified as a Norse God, Mimir isn’t technically Norse. In this universe, Mimir is a Celtic. When Kratos and Atreus arrive at Tyr’s secret vault and Atreus finds a small knife, which Mimir recognizes as a Sgian-dubh. He also comments that it comes from his homeland. A Sgian-dubh is a Celtic traditional knife.
It is very possible that Mimir is a Celtic faerie. This makes sense considering his first master was a faerie king. He most likely attained godhood status while serving under Odin.
1 Mimir And The Huldra Brothers
Kratos and Atreus finally reach the peak of Jotunheim during the final stage of the game. Wanting to respect the father and son’s privacy, Mimir urges them to leave him behind so they can relish the moment. Kratos and Atreus agree and they leave Mimir with Brok and Sindri.
Upon Kratos and Atreus’ return to Midgard, they find Mimir’s head laying on the floor, having left behind by the brothers. According to Mimir, the dwarves took measurements of him, prattled about the weather, and left. It is possible that the brothers are intending to fashion something for Mimir when they took measurements of him, perhaps an artificial body he can use in the sequel.
NEXT: God Of War (PS4): 10 Easter Eggs You Might Have Missed The First Time Through
