Barbarian Hammer: the weapon of the Barbarian King
The Barbarian Hammer was a massive spiked warhammer wielded by Alrik, king of the Barbarians, with the power to summon Cursed Souls from the Underworld. Kratos took it for his own after crushing Alrik in battle.
The Barbarian Hammer was a massive, spiked warhammer, slow to swing but devastating in its blows, first borne by the king of the Barbarians, named Alrik in the 2010 comic series. It carried the power to summon Cursed Souls from the Underworld, and passed into the hands of Kratos after he brought its master down. (God of War II; God of War (2010 comic))
The weapon of Alrik#
The Barbarian Hammer was a two-handed warhammer of great size, its head spiked and stained with blood. It was a heavy, slow weapon, but one of immense force, able to crush a petrified foe to pieces with a single blow. It first belonged to Alrik, the king of the Barbarians, who wielded it against his enemies in battle. (God of War II)
The hammer was more than a tool of brute strength. It held the power to call forth Cursed Souls from the Underworld, summoning the dead to do its wielder's bidding, from a single spirit to a whole legion loosed upon the enemy at once. (God of War II)
Claimed by Kratos#
Kratos came to possess the Barbarian Hammer after he defeated Alrik in battle, crushing the head of the Barbarian King with the very weapon he had wielded. Taking it for his own, Kratos turned its weight and its summoned souls against his foes. Many of the blows the king had used against him, its sweeping shockwaves and its calling of souls, became Kratos's to command in turn. In this it was alike to the Nemean Cestus he would later take from Hercules, another mighty weapon claimed by crushing the head of its former owner. (God of War II; God of War III)
Frequently asked questions
- What was the Barbarian Hammer in God of War?
- The Barbarian Hammer was a slow but immensely powerful close-range warhammer, a giant spiked weapon originally wielded by Alrik, the king of the Barbarians. Beyond its crushing weight it held the power to summon Cursed Souls from the Underworld.
- How did Kratos get the Barbarian Hammer?
- Kratos took the Barbarian Hammer after defeating its owner, Alrik, in battle and crushing his head. He then wielded the weapon himself, turning its strength and its summoned souls against his enemies.
Sources
- GameGod of War II, Santa Monica Studio, 2007
- GameGod of War III, Santa Monica Studio, 2010
- ComicGod of War (2010 comic), Marv Wolfman and Andrea Sorrentino, WildStorm/DC Comics, 2010 to 2011
Spotted a factual error or a primary source we missed? Email a correction. Every flagged claim gets reviewed.
Followed from this entry
Nemean Cestus
The Nemean Cestus were a pair of great metal gauntlets shaped as snarling lion heads, named for the Nemean Lion that Hercules slew in myth. Kratos tore them from his half-brother in battle and used them to shatter both the demigod and the rare stone called Onyx.
Alrik
Alrik, the Barbarian King, was the leader of the Barbarian horde from the east and one of Kratos' oldest enemies. His assault drove Kratos to pledge his soul to Ares, beginning the Spartan's tragedy, and his hatred outlasted even death.
Hercules
Hercules was a son of Zeus and the mortal Alcmene, a demigod who had completed twelve labors to atone for killing his family. Consumed by jealousy of his half-brother Kratos, he named the killing of the Ghost of Sparta his unofficial thirteenth labor and died for it in the Forum of Olympus.
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.
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Mentioned in4 entries
Alrik
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