Gondul
the beautiful Valkyrie
Gondul was one of the nine Valkyries cursed by Odin into a corrupting physical form. Imprisoned in Muspelheim and reckoned among the mightiest of her sisters, she was freed by Kratos and Atreus and later restored as a Shield Maiden.
Only Sigrun was reckoned a harder fight than Gondul. Odin put her in flesh with the other eight Valkyries and the queen sealed her at the top of Muspelheim, which is where Kratos and Atreus eventually had to go and fight her. (God of War (2018))
Second only to the queen#
The curse gave all nine Valkyries physical bodies that corrupted them toward madness, and Gondul's left her skin an unhealthy pale blue. Her helm was themed after a vulture and her great mechanical wings were red, plated in gold. By repute nobody among the Valkyries could match her but Sigrun herself. When she became too dangerous the queen sealed her at the summit of Muspelheim, where its Trials were held. (God of War (2018))
Fire from above#
Kratos and Atreus climbed Muspelheim to reach her. Gondul opened by pulling meteors down out of the sky, setting the ground alight so the arena drained anyone standing in it, then closed the distance with wing slashes, thrusts, cyclones, a mace and thrown feathers. It was a punishing fight. When it ended her spirit went free and rejoined her sisters. (God of War (2018))
Restored#
Freya brought the Valkyries back with Vanir Seidr magic. Gondul's skin healed and her mechanical wings gave way to organic, birdlike ones. She acknowledged Kratos as her General and fought in the assault on Asgard at Ragnarok. (God of War Ragnarök)
In legend#
By the accounts Mimir gave, Gondul was considered the most beautiful of all the Valkyries, possessed of a silver tongue and sharp wit, and a figure so stunning that she could drive men to madness. For this Odin in time forbade her from entering Midgard, holding that insanity was no welcome thing in Valhalla. (God of War (2018))
Frequently asked questions
- Who is Gondul in God of War?
- Gondul was one of the nine Valkyries cursed by Odin to remain in a corrupting physical form. Imprisoned in Muspelheim, she was widely held to be the most powerful of the Valkyries after Sigrun.
- Why was Gondul imprisoned in Muspelheim?
- Odin's curse gave Gondul a physical body that slowly corrupted her and drove her toward madness, leaving her skin an unhealthy pale blue. When she grew too dangerous, the Valkyrie Queen sealed her away at the summit of Muspelheim.
- How was Gondul freed?
- Kratos and Atreus braved Muspelheim and engaged her corrupted form, one of the most formidable of all the Valkyries. After a punishing fight they defeated her, and her freed spirit reunited with her sisters.
- What happened to Gondul after she was freed?
- After Freya restored the Valkyries with Vanir Seidr magic, Gondul returned as a Shield Maiden, her skin healed and her mechanical wings replaced with organic, birdlike ones. Acknowledging Kratos as her General, she fought beside her sisters in the final assault on Asgard during Ragnarok.
- Why was Gondul called the most beautiful Valkyrie?
- By the accounts Mimir gave, Gondul was considered the most beautiful of all the Valkyries, with a silver tongue and sharp wit, and a beauty so striking she could drive men to madness. For this Odin in time forbade her from entering Midgard, holding that insanity was no welcome thing in Valhalla.
Gallery
Images via God of War Wiki
Sources
- GameGod of War (2018), Santa Monica Studio, 2018
- 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
Atreus (Loki): Kratos's Son and the Truth of His Name
Atreus was the son of Kratos and the Jotunn Faye, born in Midgard and given the hidden name Loki. Across two great journeys he grew from a sickly boy into the prophesied champion of the Giants, the god of mischief whose fate was bound to Ragnarok.
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.
Sigrun: the Valkyrie Queen Kratos freed
Odin's curse drove the Valkyrie Queen mad, so Sigrun imprisoned her eight sisters and then herself. Kratos and Atreus beat her and freed her spirit.
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.
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.
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