Ceryx
the herald of Olympus sent against Kratos
Ceryx was a demigod son of Hermes and a messenger of Olympus. Sent by Zeus to halt Kratos' pursuit of the truth behind the assassination of Argos, he fell to the Ghost of Sparta.
Ceryx was a demigod son of the god Hermes and, like his father, a messenger of Olympus. After watching Kratos rise as the new God of War and lead Sparta in the destruction of Greek city-states, the gods sent Ceryx to halt the Spartan's pursuit of an assassin. Kratos had been framed for the killing of Hera's pet Argos, and his refusal to relent set him against the herald of Zeus.
Herald of Olympus#
Ceryx was the son of Hermes and carried his father's office as a messenger of the gods. The gods grew uneasy as Kratos, the new God of War, drove his Spartan companions to lay waste to Greek city after Greek city. When Kratos was then framed for the killing of Hera's pet Argos, and set out to uncover the assassin behind it, the gods chose Ceryx to persuade the Spartan to abandon the chase.
The confrontation#
Ceryx demanded that Kratos cease his pursuit, but the Spartan refused to listen. The two came to blows. No warrior himself, Ceryx fought by summoning deadly three-headed Cerberi, conjuring a field of thunder around his body, and striking with his staff, and as a god he proved resistant to harm. It was not enough. Kratos broke through his defenses and killed him. In the herald's death Kratos understood that Olympus would never accept him, and that his struggle with the gods had only begun. The killing of Ceryx is also held to be the root of the bitter hatred his father Hermes later bore toward the Ghost of Sparta.
Frequently asked questions
- Who was Ceryx?
- Ceryx was a demigod son of the god Hermes and a messenger of Olympus. The gods sent him to stop Kratos, who had been framed for killing Hera's pet Argos and was pursuing the true assassin.
- How did Ceryx die?
- Kratos refused Ceryx's demand to abandon his pursuit. After a battle in which Ceryx relied on summoned Cerberi, a thunder field, and his staff, Kratos defeated and killed him.
- Why is the death of Ceryx significant?
- Killing Ceryx convinced Kratos that Olympus would never accept him, marking the beginning of his conflict with the gods. It is also said to be why his father Hermes came to hate Kratos so intensely.
Sources
- WikiCeryx — God of War Wiki entry
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Related entries
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.
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.
Hera
Hera was the Olympian Goddess of Marriage and Queen of the Gods, the sister and wife of Zeus and mother of Ares. Embittered by her husband's affairs and her withering garden, she set Hercules against Kratos before the Spartan snapped her neck and the world's flora died with her.
Hermes
Hermes was the Olympian God of Travelers and Messengers, son of Zeus and famed for his unmatched speed. Arrogant and swift, he taunted Kratos through a long chase across Olympus before the Spartan cornered him and severed his legs to claim his winged boots.
Sparta
Sparta was a militaristic city-state of southern Greece and the home of Kratos. Patron city first of Ares and then of Kratos himself, it rose to terror across Greece under his command before Zeus destroyed it in revenge.
Zeus
Zeus was the King of Olympus and ruler of the Greek Pantheon, the youngest son of Cronos who freed his siblings, ended the Great War, and claimed the heavens. Father of Kratos, he became the great antagonist of the Greek age and fell at last to the very son he had tried to destroy.
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