The Eyes of Odin
the spectral ravens that watched the Nine Realms
The Eyes of Odin were spectral ravens dispatched by the Allfather to spy throughout the Nine Realms. Once human children sacrificed to Odin and transformed by his acolyte the Raven Keeper, they were freed by Kratos and returned to the Raven Tree in Niflheim.
The Eyes of Odin were spectral ravens that served the Allfather Odin as his watchers throughout the Nine Realms. Translucent and green rather than the black of ordinary crows, they reported all they saw and heard back to their master. Kratos, aided by Mimir, hunted them down across the realms, and in freeing them uncovered the cruel truth of their origin. (God of War Ragnarök)
Odin's spies#
The Eyes of Odin were scattered throughout the Nine Realms, appearing as ravens of a translucent green color unlike the black of common crows. They served a single purpose: to watch, and to report everything they saw and heard back to Odin. Through them the Allfather extended his sight into every corner of the realms, learning of those who moved against him. Kratos came to regard their removal as the silencing of Odin's spies, and he sought them out wherever his journeys took him. (God of War Ragnarök)
The cruel origin#
The truth of the ravens was darker than their function suggested. The Eyes of Odin had once been human children, sacrificed to Odin by their own parents through hanging. Despite their attempts to flee, they were captured by the Raven Keeper, an eldritch being and a radical acolyte of the Allfather. She transformed the souls of these murdered children into spectral ravens, binding them to serve Odin against their will as his watchers across the realms. (God of War Ragnarök)
When Kratos struck the ravens, he did not destroy them but freed them. Their souls returned to the Raven Tree in Niflheim, where they revealed their origins to Kratos and Mimir in poetic verse. The revelation horrified Mimir and enraged Kratos, who resolved to find and destroy the Raven Keeper for what she had done to the children. (God of War Ragnarök)
The Raven Keeper#
As Kratos freed the last of the ravens, the Raven Keeper appeared and berated him and his allies for liberating the birds from Odin's service, undoing the work she had done for her master. An intense battle followed, and the enraged Kratos destroyed her, troubled that he could do no more for the spirits of the children. Mimir and Freya assured him that in ending the Raven Keeper he had granted the ravens a great mercy, and the freed spirits sang in poetic verse of their relief at being released from her influence. (God of War Ragnarök)
Frequently asked questions
- What were the Eyes of Odin?
- The Eyes of Odin were spectral ravens that served Odin as his watchers throughout the Nine Realms. They appeared as translucent green ravens rather than the black of common crows, and they reported everything they saw and heard back to Odin.
- Where did the Eyes of Odin come from?
- The Eyes of Odin had once been human children, sacrificed to Odin by their own parents through hanging. After being captured by the Raven Keeper, an eldritch acolyte of Odin, their souls were transformed into spectral ravens bound to serve the Allfather against their will.
- Why did Kratos hunt down the Eyes of Odin?
- Kratos, aided by Mimir, sought out the Eyes of Odin to silence Odin's spies across the realms. Striking them did not kill them but freed them, and their souls returned to the Raven Tree in Niflheim.
- Who was the Raven Keeper?
- The Raven Keeper was an eldritch being and a radical acolyte of Odin who transformed the souls of murdered children into the spectral ravens. When Kratos freed the last of the ravens, she appeared and berated him for undoing her work, leading to a battle in which the enraged Kratos destroyed her.
- What happened to the Eyes of Odin after they were freed?
- The freed souls returned to the Raven Tree in Niflheim, where they revealed their origins to Kratos and Mimir in poetic verse. After Kratos destroyed the Raven Keeper, Mimir and Freya assured him he had granted the ravens a great mercy, and the freed spirits sang of their relief at being released.
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
Freya
Freya was the Vanir goddess of love, war, and magic who married Odin to end the Aesir-Vanir War and was cursed to remain in Midgard. Once the Witch of the Woods, she aided Kratos and Atreus, swore vengeance after the death of her son Baldur, and at last turned her wrath on Odin himself.
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.
Mimir
Mimir was a Celtic fae who rose to become Odin's advisor and the ambassador of the Aesir before the All-Father imprisoned him for over a century. Freed and reanimated as a disembodied head by Kratos and Atreus, he became their guide, conscience, and friend across the Nine Realms.
Niflheim: the fog that hid Tyr's prison
Ivaldi's curse turned the mist of Niflheim into a deadly fog around his workshop. Kratos and Freya later found the true Tyr imprisoned there.
Odin
Odin was the King of the Aesir and ruler of the Nine Realms, the All-Father who slew the first giant Ymir to found Asgard. Obsessed with knowledge and terrified of his own prophesied death, he waged war across the realms and orchestrated the events that brought Ragnarok to his doorstep.
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