Chaurli: the tree-topped tortoise of Freya

Chaurli was the gigantic tortoise who lived above Freya's home in the Sanctuary Grove of Midgard, sheltering the goddess in thanks for her having saved him while she was confined to the forests of that realm, unable to escape the Aesir. A great tree with crimson leaves grew from his shell, and beneath his body Freya had built her dwelling, so that the two lived in quiet symbiosis. Through the long journeys of Kratos and Atreus he was always there in the background, his presence felt even when he was still.

A home upon his back#

Chaurli was a gigantic tortoise crowned by a great tree whose leaves were crimson red. The underside of his body held the house Freya had built, a symbiosis between the two: in return for safety from the dangers of the forest she gave him a place to rest, and her hearth warmed his body through the colder seasons. He came to be known as a tree-topped tortoise, and smaller creatures resembling him were said to dwell in Vanaheim, suggesting he had been brought to Midgard from that realm at some earlier time.

He was first encountered after the disastrous boar hunt that Kratos and Atreus undertook, when their quarry proved to be Freya's friend Hildisvini, a warrior of the Vanir. Carrying the wounded boar to Freya's home, she called out and Chaurli rose from the earth, a sight that filled the young Atreus with awe. Inside, Freya used her knowledge of herbs and Vanir magic to save the warrior's life.

Through the journey#

Throughout their travels Kratos and Atreus returned to Freya's home from time to time, whether for her aid or simply to look in on their friend, and Chaurli was always present in the background. When Mimir asked Kratos to behead him, the two brought the severed head to Freya so that she might reanimate it. Later, desperate to save Atreus, Kratos rushed back to her doorstep, and Freya called Chaurli to rise once more so that Kratos could take a boat home in search of a weapon from his past, while her magic and the tortoise's shelter kept the boy safe from the pursuing Aesir.

Abandonment and return#

During Fimbulwinter, a grief-stricken and vengeful Freya, having lost her son Baldur, abandoned Chaurli and left him to die, his hearth gone cold after years of neglect. After fleeing from his father, Atreus found himself in the Sanctuary Grove and was horrified to discover the tortoise near death. He managed to rekindle the fire, saving Chaurli's life. After Ragnarok, Kratos and Freya travelled to see him, and Freya apologised, offering no excuse for what she had done. Chaurli allowed her back into her former home but told her she would have to earn his trust again. The warrior Birgir soon settled there to retire, a companion Freya welcomed, knowing he would keep Chaurli company.