Arms of Sparta
the spear and shield of a Spartan general
The Arms of Sparta were the spear and shield Kratos carried as a mortal general before he served Ares. The Last Spartan kept them in his absence and returned them to him during the search for Deimos, after which Kratos gave them to his brother and left them at his grave.
The Arms of Sparta were a spear and shield once carried by Kratos in the days when he was a mortal general of the Spartan army, long before he swore himself to Ares and rose to become a god of war. They returned to his hands during his search for his lost brother Deimos, and at the end of that search he gave them away and left them at his brother's grave. (God of War: Ghost of Sparta)
A general's weapons#
The Arms of Sparta were typical Spartan arms. The spear had a long shaft set with a steel tip tinted red, and a long strip of scarlet and gold cloth wound about it. The shield was a battered piece of bronze and red bearing the Greek lambda, the mark of Lacedaemonia, the land of which Sparta was the governing capital. Kratos had carried them as a mortal general at the head of his army, in the years before he bound himself to Ares and became a god of war. (God of War: Ghost of Sparta)
Return during the search for Deimos#
The Last Spartan kept the spear and shield while Kratos was away, and presented them to him once more after Kratos visited the Temple of Ares in Sparta during his quest to find his brother Deimos. The weapons were suited to single combat: the spear could be hurled at enemies at a distance, while the shield let Kratos charge forward and block at the same time, something none of his earlier weapons in the series had let him do. Toward the end of his search Kratos gave the Arms of Sparta to Deimos for their fight against Thanatos. After Deimos was killed, Kratos left the spear and shield at his brother's grave atop Suicide Bluffs. (God of War: Ghost of Sparta)
Legacy#
Years later in the Norse realms Kratos took up a spear again, the Draupnir Spear, which he came to carry during the events of God of War Ragnarök. In this way the spear of his mortal years found an echo in the arsenal of the god he became. (God of War Ragnarök)
Frequently asked questions
- What are the Arms of Sparta in God of War?
- The Arms of Sparta were a spear and shield carried by Kratos when he was a mortal general of the Spartan army. The spear had a long shaft with a red-tinted steel tip, and the battered bronze and red shield bore the Greek lambda.
- Who kept the Arms of Sparta while Kratos was away?
- The Last Spartan kept the spear and shield safe in Kratos' absence. He presented them to Kratos again after Kratos visited the Temple of Ares in Sparta during his quest to find his brother Deimos.
- How did Kratos use the Arms of Sparta in combat?
- The spear could be hurled at enemies at a distance, while the shield let Kratos charge forward and block at the same time. This was the first time he had been able to advance and defend as one.
- What happened to the Arms of Sparta?
- Toward the end of his search for Deimos, Kratos gave the Arms of Sparta to his brother for their fight against Thanatos. After Deimos was killed, Kratos left the spear and shield at his grave atop Suicide Bluffs.
- Is the spear of the Arms of Sparta connected to the Draupnir Spear?
- Yes, the spear would be succeeded centuries later by the Draupnir Spear, the weapon Kratos came to carry during his Norse journeys.
Gallery
Images via God of War Wiki
Sources
- GameGod of War: Ghost of Sparta, Ready at Dawn, 2010
- GameGod of War Ragnarök, Santa Monica Studio, 2022
Spotted a factual error or a primary source we missed? Email a correction. Every flagged claim gets reviewed.
Followed from this entry
Ares: the god who made Kratos a killer
Ares tricked Kratos into slaughtering his own wife and daughter to bind him as a weapon. Kratos killed him at Athens and took his place as God of War.
Deimos: the brother Kratos failed to save
Ares and Athena seized Deimos as a boy because his birthmark matched the prophecy of the Marked Warrior. Thanatos crushed him at Suicide Bluffs.
Draupnir Spear
The Draupnir Spear was a wind-imbued spear forged for Kratos from the enchanted ring Draupnir, created by the Lady of the Forge and sanctified with a drop of his blood. Built to be the undoing of Heimdall, it could endlessly duplicate itself and command the wind.
Kratos
Kratos was the demigod son of Zeus who rose from a Spartan general to the Greek God of War, destroyed the pantheon of Olympus in a quest for vengeance, and then began again in the Norse realms as a father seeking to leave his bloody past behind.
The Last Spartan
The Last Spartan was a young Spartan commander loyal to Kratos, the only mortal to survive the destruction of Sparta by Zeus. He kept the Arms of Sparta for his absent lord and later died at Kratos's own hand in the Palace of the Fates, neither warrior knowing the other in the dark.
Sparta: Kratos' city, razed by Zeus
Sparta raised Kratos, worshipped Ares, then took Kratos himself as its patron god. Zeus destroyed the city in revenge for the Spartan's defiance.
Mentioned in7 entries
Deimos: the brother Kratos failed to save
Ares and Athena seized Deimos as a boy because his birthmark matched the prophecy of the Marked Warrior. Thanatos crushed him at Suicide Bluffs.
God of War Weapons List: the Name of Every Weapon Kratos Has Used
Kratos has carried two dozen weapons across two lifetimes, from a Spartan spear to a spear built from a ring that copies itself. This list runs through them in the order he got them, Greek era first, then Norse.
God of War: Ghost of Sparta Story Explained
The plot of Ghost of Sparta in order, from Kratos's visions of his mother to the death of his brother Deimos in the Domain of Death. Then the ending explained: the marked warrior prophecy, Athena's apology, and why Kratos leaves at war with Olympus.
Shield: where Kratos got his shield, and the six that came before Ragnarök
Kratos got the Guardian Shield from his departed wife, handed down with the Leviathan Axe. Shields entered the series in Chains of Olympus in 2008 and became swappable gear in God of War Ragnarök.
Spartans
The Spartans were the warrior people of the city of Sparta, a hardened army whose ruthless discipline made them feared across Greece. Under Kratos, their greatest general, they conquered city after city, and they remained loyal to him long after he rose to become the God of War.
The Last Spartan
The Last Spartan was a young Spartan commander loyal to Kratos, the only mortal to survive the destruction of Sparta by Zeus. He kept the Arms of Sparta for his absent lord and later died at Kratos's own hand in the Palace of the Fates, neither warrior knowing the other in the dark.
What Happened to Kratos's Brother?
Kratos's younger brother Deimos was taken from Sparta as a boy by Ares and Athena, held for years in the Domain of Death, and killed by Thanatos soon after Kratos finally freed him. Here is the whole story from Ghost of Sparta, and how it still weighs on Kratos in Ragnarök.
Get new articles in your inbox
No spam. New lore drops, canon conflicts, and deep dives only when they’re worth reading.
Some links on Lore Fortress are affiliate links. If you buy through them we earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.