Claws of Hades
the soul-stealing chains of the Underworld
The Claws of Hades were chained weapons wielded by Hades, god of the Underworld, who used their magic to tear the souls from his enemies. Kratos stole them in battle, claimed the god's own soul with them, and carried them as a means of ripping and summoning the souls of the dead.
The Claws of Hades were chained weapons once wielded by Hades, the god of the Underworld, who used their magic to draw the very souls from his enemies. During his battle with the god, Kratos stole the Claws and turned them against their master, using them to claim Hades' own soul. They remained in his arsenal thereafter as a weapon that could rip souls from the living and summon the souls of the slain to fight at his side.
The weapon of Hades#
Through both of the Great Wars, Hades fought with the Claws, a set of spiked chains each ending in two hooks that glowed a pale purple. The god was draped in them, and they were charged with his magic. Using the power held within the chains, Hades could pull the soul out of an enemy, as he did when he tore the soul from the Titan Atlas and absorbed it. The chains were lethal at both short and long range, and their purple aura indicated how many souls they had taken, for as they absorbed more their attack power and speed increased. With them Hades could call up legions of the undead and a wide array of undead beasts, and the chains were a powerful part of his arsenal during the Titanomachy, in which he defeated many Titans. When wielded by Hades the Claws were far larger than they later appeared in the hands of Kratos.
Taken by Kratos#
Kratos took the Claws during his battle with Hades and used them to claim the god's soul, ending him. In Kratos' hands the chains let him summon the souls of the undead and rip the souls out of his enemies, those souls then turning to attack the foes around him in a manner that recalled the older power of the Army of Hades. He could call up the souls of beasts he had fought on his quest, with more becoming available to him as the weapon's power grew. The Claws answered to his mind as well as his hands, spinning around him without his moving his arms, and when he dodged with them he used the chains to pull himself forward, the fastest evasion of any weapon he carried. In time, like most of Kratos' weapons save the Blades of Exile and the Blade of Olympus, the Claws of Hades were destroyed by the astral form of Zeus.
Frequently asked questions
- What are the Claws of Hades?
- The Claws of Hades were a set of spiked chains, each ending in two hooks, that glowed with a pale purple light and were imbued with the magic of Hades. They were used to draw the very souls from enemies.
- How did Hades use the Claws of Hades?
- Hades fought with the Claws through both of the Great Wars, drawing out and absorbing the souls of his foes, as he did when he tore the soul from the Titan Atlas. With them he could summon legions of the undead and a host of undead beasts, and he overcame many Titans during the Titanomachy.
- How did Kratos get the Claws of Hades?
- Kratos took the Claws during his battle with Hades and used them to claim the god's own soul, ending him.
- What could Kratos do with the Claws of Hades?
- In Kratos' hands the chains let him rip the souls out of his enemies, those torn souls then turning to attack the foes around him, and summon the souls of beasts he had fought. The Claws answered to his mind as well as his hands, and when he dodged with them he pulled himself forward in the fastest evasion of any weapon he carried.
- What happened to the Claws of Hades?
- Like most of Kratos' weapons, save the Blades of Exile and the Blade of Olympus, the Claws of Hades were destroyed by the astral form of Zeus.
Gallery
Images via God of War Wiki
Sources
- WikiClaws of Hades — God of War Wiki entry
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Related entries
Blade of Olympus
The Blade of Olympus was the sword Zeus forged from the heavens and the earth to banish the Titans to Tartarus and end the Great War. Capable of slaying gods and Titans alike, it later held the godly power of Kratos and became one of the most powerful weapons in the world.
Blades of Exile
The Blades of Exile were a refashioned form of the Blades of Athena, the third and final set of chained blades that Kratos wielded in Greece. Created by the astral form of Athena from his ruined weapons, they carried him through his last war against Olympus.
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Hades was the Olympian God of the Dead and ruler of the Underworld, the eldest son of Cronos and brother of Zeus and Poseidon. He kept the balance of life and death over the Greek world until Kratos turned his own Claws against him and tore out his soul, loosing chaos upon the realm of the dead.
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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Hades
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Nemean Cestus
The Nemean Cestus were a pair of great metal gauntlets shaped as snarling lion heads, said to have come to Hercules after he slew the Nemean Lion. Kratos tore them from his half-brother in battle and used them to shatter both the demigod and the rare stone called Onyx.
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