Blade of the Gods
the sword-bridge that slew Ares
The Blade of the Gods was a colossal sword forged by the gods, set into the ground outside Athens as a footbridge to a great statue of Athena. Grown to the size of a god, Kratos wrenched it free and used it to kill Ares, claiming the mantle of God of War for himself.
The Blade of the Gods was a colossal sword forged by the gods, set into the ground outside Athens where it served as a footbridge between the Suicide Bluffs and a great statue of Athena in the harbor. Though it was only ever a bridge in ordinary times, it became one of the most consequential weapons in the saga when Kratos, grown to the size of a god, tore it free and used it to slay Ares.
A bridge outside Athens#
The Blade of the Gods was built of metal in the shape of an enormous sword, planted just outside the city of Athens. It connected a giant statue of Athena with the cliffs known as the Suicide Bluffs, and for ordinary purposes it served only as a footbridge. Kratos first crossed it on his way to the Sewers of Athens during his hunt for Ares. The blade appeared dented and weary, worn down by the years that had passed over it.
Why the gods had forged so vast a weapon was never explained. Nothing was recorded of its making or its intended use, and all that could be said for certain was that it had been wrought by the gods themselves, for it carried the power to kill an immortal.
The death of Ares#
The blade found its true purpose in Kratos' final confrontation with Ares. By the power of Pandora's Box Kratos had been enlarged to the gigantic stature of a god, and in the course of the battle his Blades of Chaos were forcefully torn from his body. Stripped of his weapons, Kratos seized the sword-bridge from the ground and wielded it against the God of War. With it he turned the fight, and at the decisive moment he drove the blade home and killed Ares, claiming the mantle of God of War for himself.
The plot of Atropos#
The blade became central to a later scheme against Kratos. When Atropos, one of the Sisters of Fate, brought Kratos back in time to the very battle in which he had killed Ares, she attempted to destroy the blade so that his past self could not use it. Had she succeeded, Kratos would have died in Ares' place, and the Kratos who fought her would have been erased from existence. He defeated Atropos before she could destroy the weapon, and her plot failed. In the years that followed, the blade was seen only in memory, glimpsed in flashback and standing among the shifting visions of Kratos' troubled mind.
Frequently asked questions
- What was the Blade of the Gods?
- The Blade of the Gods was a weapon forged by the gods and hidden in Athens, where it stood as an enormous metal sword serving as a footbridge between the Suicide Bluffs and a giant statue of Athena in the city's harbor.
- How did Kratos use the Blade of the Gods?
- During his final battle with Ares, Kratos had been enlarged to the gigantic size of a god by the power of Pandora's Box, and his Blades of Chaos had been torn from his body. Wielding the sword-bridge as a weapon, he fought back against the God of War and at the last moment used it to kill Ares, making himself the new God of War.
- Did the Sisters of Fate try to destroy the Blade of the Gods?
- Yes. When Atropos brought Kratos back in time to his battle with Ares, she tried to destroy the blade so his past self could not use it, which would have left Kratos to die in Ares' place and erased him from existence. Kratos defeated Atropos before she could destroy it, and her plot failed.
Sources
- WikiBlade of the Gods — God of War Wiki entry
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Related entries
Blades of Chaos
The Blades of Chaos were a pair of fire-imbued chained blades forged in the Underworld for Ares and bound to the arms of Kratos. They became the signature weapons of his Greek era and the symbol of the bloodshed that earned him the name Ghost of Sparta, returning years later in the Norse realms.
Ares
Ares was the first Olympian God of War, the eldest son of Zeus and Hera and the most hated god on Olympus. Coveting his father's throne, he tricked Kratos into killing his own family to forge the perfect weapon, and so set in motion the fall of the Gods before dying at that same Spartan's hand.
Athena
Athena was the Olympian Goddess of Wisdom, patron of Athens and chief ally of Kratos through his quests against Ares. She sacrificed herself to save Zeus, ascended beyond the Gods, and in the end turned against the very Spartan she had guided when she sought the power of Hope for herself.
Athens
Athens was the great Greek city of the goddess Athena, a hub of culture and worship. When Ares laid siege to it, Kratos was sent to save the city, a quest that ended with his slaying of Ares and his rise as the new God of War.
Atropos
Atropos was the eldest and cruelest Sister of Fate, the cutter who ended every life with her razor claws. She dragged Kratos into his own past to undo him, but the Spartan turned her sisters against one another and sealed her within a shattered mirror.
God of War: the divine title
The God of War was a title held by a deity unmatched in battle, wielding peerless combat skill and brutal godly power. It passed from Ares to Kratos in the Greek age, while the Norse realms knew their own God of War in Tyr.
Mentioned in8 entries
Ares
Ares was the first Olympian God of War, the eldest son of Zeus and Hera and the most hated god on Olympus. Coveting his father's throne, he tricked Kratos into killing his own family to forge the perfect weapon, and so set in motion the fall of the Gods before dying at that same Spartan's hand.
Atropos
Atropos was the eldest and cruelest Sister of Fate, the cutter who ended every life with her razor claws. She dragged Kratos into his own past to undo him, but the Spartan turned her sisters against one another and sealed her within a shattered mirror.
Blades of Chaos
The Blades of Chaos were a pair of fire-imbued chained blades forged in the Underworld for Ares and bound to the arms of Kratos. They became the signature weapons of his Greek era and the symbol of the bloodshed that earned him the name Ghost of Sparta, returning years later in the Norse realms.
Immortal: the deathless beings of the realms
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Lahkesis
Lahkesis was the middle Sister of Fate, the measurer who determined the length and course of every life. Loyal to Zeus, she barred Kratos from the Loom of Fate and fought him alongside her sister Atropos before being trapped within a shattered mirror.
Pandora's Box
Pandora's Box was the artifact forged by Hephaestus to contain the Evils born of the Great War. Hidden within the Flame of Olympus and guarded across an age, it granted the power to slay a god to whoever opened it, and held within it one final power: Hope.
Pandora's Box: the vessel of Olympus's evils and the power of Hope
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The Sisters of Fate
The Sisters of Fate were three Primordial sisters who held absolute power over time and the destiny of every mortal, god, and Titan. Loyal to Zeus, they stood between Kratos and the Loom of Fate, until he slew them and seized the power to change his own past.
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