Gunnr
the Mistress of War
Gunnr, the Mistress of War, was the Valkyrie who reached every battlefield first to judge the fallen. Cursed by Odin and sealed in Midgard, she was freed by Kratos and Atreus and reborn as a Shield Maiden.
Gunnr, called the Mistress of War, was one of the nine Valkyries cursed by Odin to remain in a corporeal form until madness took her. After being sealed away in Midgard by the Valkyrie Queen, she was freed from her corruption by Kratos and Atreus, and was later reborn by Freya as one of the Shield Maidens. (God of War (2018); God of War Ragnarök)
The Mistress of War#
The games say nothing of where Gunnr came from or how she joined the Valkyries. Mimir remembers her only as the Mistress of War. After any conflict, big or small, she was first on the scene, seeking out the worthy spirits for the journey to Valhalla. It was grim work, but she took great pride in it. Her judgement of the fallen was unmatched and invaluable to Odin, and she was one of his favourites. (God of War (2018))
Curse, freedom, and rebirth#
When the curse fell on the Valkyries, Gunnr was among the nine bound into flesh and sealed away. Her prison lay in a hidden chamber near Thamur's Corpse in Midgard. She wore a golden helmet shaped after a raven, and her corruption had turned her skin a sickly pale blue and given her great mechanical wings of black plated in golden metal. (God of War (2018))
When Kratos, Atreus, and Mimir entered her chamber, she attacked without mercy. Kratos defeated her and tore the wings from her back, which freed her spirit from its corrupted form. Released, she asked the three to free her sisters from their own curses and offered her helm to aid them in the task before her spirit passed on. During Ragnarok she was reborn by Freya in a pure new body, her skin restored and her metallic wings replaced with organic birdlike ones. As a Shield Maiden she acknowledged Kratos as her general and joined the sisters who led Helheim's forces against Asgard. She was among the survivors of the war. (God of War (2018); God of War Ragnarök)
Frequently asked questions
- Who is Gunnr in God of War?
- Gunnr, called the Mistress of War, was one of the nine Valkyries cursed by Odin to remain in a corporeal form until madness took her. Mimir remembers her as the first on the scene after any battle, judging which of the fallen were worthy of Valhalla.
- Why was Gunnr called the Mistress of War?
- After any conflict, big or small, Gunnr would be first to arrive, seeking out the worthy dead for Valhalla. Mimir says she took great pride in the grim work, that her judgement of the fallen was unmatched, and that she was one of Odin's favourites.
- How did Kratos defeat Gunnr?
- When Kratos, Atreus, and Mimir entered her sealed chamber near Thamur's Corpse, Gunnr attacked without mercy. Kratos defeated her and tore the wings from her back, which freed her spirit from its corrupted form.
- What happened to Gunnr after she was freed?
- Before her spirit passed on, she asked Kratos, Atreus, and Mimir to free her sisters and offered her helm to aid them. During Ragnarok she was reborn by Freya as a Shield Maiden, fought in the assault on Asgard, and was among the survivors of the war.
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.
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.
Helheim: the frozen hell even Odin feared
Those who died of age, disease or crime were sent to Helheim, a dark and unyielding cold where no fire burned. Even Odin could not last there long.
Mentioned in4 entries
Eir
Eir was the healer among the Valkyries, gentle and calm where her sisters were fierce. Cursed by Odin and sealed in Midgard, she was freed by Kratos and Atreus and reborn by Freya as a Shield Maiden.
Gna
Gna was the Vanir goddess of swift travel and Freya's former handmaiden, who pledged herself to Odin and rose to become the final Queen of the Valkyries. Loyal to Asgard until death, she fell at last to Freya's blade in Muspelheim.
Rota
Rota was one of the nine Valkyries cursed by Odin and sealed within Helheim. Freed by Kratos and Atreus, she was reborn by Freya as a Shield Maiden and fought in the assault on Asgard during Ragnarok.
The Valkyries
The Valkyries were female warrior-spirits who served Odin by escorting the honored dead to Valhalla. After Freya fell from favor, the All-Father cursed nine of them into maddening corporeal forms, until Kratos and Atreus freed their spirits and Freya reborn them as the Shield Maidens.
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