Einherjar: Odin's army that never dies
Odin's undead army of the honored dead
Warriors who died an honourable death were raised again in Valhalla. Odin built them into a standing army for Ragnarok, reborn each time they fell.
The Einherjar were the warriors of the Norse realms who had died an honorable death and been raised again to serve Odin. Their home was Valhalla in Asgard, to which they were forever bound, and they had been created by the All-father in preparation for Ragnarök. Marked by their pallid skin and the dark stains across their eyes that came of receiving Odin's blessing, they stood as the standing army of the Aesir and a hostile presence throughout the Nine Realms. (God of War Ragnarök)
Creation and purpose#
To a warrior of Midgard, nothing was more desired than to fall in battle, for such a death promised passage to Valhalla, the hall where the honorable and the wretched alike were gathered. There Odin made his selection, choosing the best of the dead, granting them his blessing, and giving them another chance to die for him. So were the Einherjar made, an army of the slain bound to the will of the All-father and raised to prepare Asgard for the coming of Ragnarök. The design was a cruel one: by instilling enough devotion in a host of bloodthirsty dead, Odin guaranteed himself a near-endless supply of soldiers for his war. (God of War Ragnarök)
An endless army#
The Einherjar served as the military force of Asgard and the Aesir, and they were an antagonistic presence across the Nine Realms. Their power lay not only in their numbers but in their persistence, for whenever one fell in battle it returned to Valhalla to be reborn, allowing the cycle to repeat without end. This rendered them fodder that could be spent and raised again, a host that no defeat could truly diminish. In life each warrior had borne his own chosen weapon, and the Einherjar manifested their arms according to the choices they had made before death, until Odin's later experiments stripped that custom away. (God of War Ragnarök)
Marked by the All-father#
The Einherjar bore the visible signs of what they had become. Their skin was pale and bloodless, and dark marks lay over their eyes as a result of the blessings Odin had given them, while their gaze shone a violet hue. Some wore only scattered pieces of armor across the upper body, while others were clad in full suits with helmets that hid all but their eyes. They could be found drinking and feasting together when not at war, as in the Black Thunder pub, where a brawl once erupted among them, and they were trained in the art of combat by the Valkyries Hrist and Mist within Asgard itself. (God of War Ragnarök)
Fate after Ragnarök#
When Ragnarök came, the Einherjar were thrown against the armies of the other realms, and most of them were destroyed. In the ruins of Asgard, Kratos felled many of those that remained, and freeing them from their eternal servitude to a cruel god felt right to the Spartan. Yet some survived the cataclysm. On the orders of Gná, the surviving Einherjar journeyed to Niflheim to guard a great prison there, the place where Týr had been imprisoned. (God of War Ragnarök)
Frequently asked questions
- What are the Einherjar in God of War?
- The Einherjar were Norse warriors who had died an honorable death and were raised again by Odin in Valhalla. Created to prepare Asgard for Ragnarök, they formed the standing army of the Aesir and were a hostile presence throughout the Nine Realms.
- How did Odin create the Einherjar?
- A warrior of Midgard who fell in battle was promised passage to Valhalla, where the honorable and the wretched alike were sent. From among them Odin selected the best, gave them his blessing, and granted them another chance to die for him, reanimating them as the Einherjar.
- Why can the Einherjar not be permanently killed?
- Whenever an Einherjar fell in battle, it returned to Valhalla to be reborn, allowing the cycle to repeat without end. This gave the Aesir an effectively endless army to fight on their behalf, fodder that could be spent and raised again.
- What happened to the Einherjar after Ragnarök?
- Most of the Einherjar were destroyed by the armies of the other realms during Ragnarök, and Kratos freed many of those he defeated in the ruins of Asgard. Some survived, and on the orders of Gná they went to Niflheim to guard the great prison where Týr had been confined.
Sources
- GameGod of War Ragnarök, Santa Monica Studio, 2022
Spotted a factual error or a primary source we missed? Email a correction. Every flagged claim gets reviewed.
Followed from this entry
Asgard
Asgard was the realm of the Aesir gods, perched in the crown of Yggdrasil and ruled by Odin from the hall of Gladsheim. Behind the great wall of Hrimthur it stood as a fortress against the prophesied doom of Ragnarok, until Kratos breached it and the realm fell.
Gna
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Hrist
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Kratos
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Mist
Mist was one of the last Valkyries loyal to Odin after her sisters were freed. With her sister Hrist she enforced the All-Father's will, and the two died together in battle at the Spark of the World.
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The Aesir-Vanir War was the long and brutal conflict between the two tribes of Norse gods, fought ages before Kratos came to the Northlands. It ended in an uneasy peace sealed by the marriage of Odin and Freya, only for Odin's treachery to reignite it.
Asgard
Asgard was the realm of the Aesir gods, perched in the crown of Yggdrasil and ruled by Odin from the hall of Gladsheim. Behind the great wall of Hrimthur it stood as a fortress against the prophesied doom of Ragnarok, until Kratos breached it and the realm fell.
Birgir
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Byggvir: the Light Elf of Freyr's resistance
Byggvir was a Light Elf of Alfheim who was imprisoned for seeking the forbidden history of his people and fell in love with his fellow captive, the Dark Elf warrior Beyla. The two abandoned the elven war over the Light and joined Freyr's resistance in Vanaheim, where Byggvir fought beside Kratos in the war against Asgard and survived it.
Dark Elves: Alfheim's insectoid Dokkalfar
The Dokkalfar nested in the dark caves of Alfheim and fought the Light Elves for the Light. Their war ran on until the days of Ragnarok ended it.
Dwarves
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Fafnir: the dwarf thief who became a dragon
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Geirdriful
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Gna
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