Hermes: the swift god Kratos crippled
Messenger of the Gods
Hermes taunted Kratos through a long chase across Olympus. The Spartan cornered him, severed his legs at the knee and took the winged boots for himself.
Hermes was the Olympian God of Travelers, Messengers, Thieves, and Speed, a son of Zeus. Famed as the Messenger of Mount Olympus and the swiftest of the Gods, he served his father dutifully even as his arrogance and vanity set him apart from his more powerful half-siblings. He met his end during Kratos's assault on Olympus, cornered after a long chase and stripped of the winged boots that gave him his speed. (God of War III)
Messenger of Olympus#
In the Great War, Hermes fought as a soldier in his father's cause against the Titans, and he was among the gods who saw Zeus forge and wield the Blade of Olympus to banish them to Tartarus. After the victory of the Gods, Hermes served as the chief bearer of messages among the Olympians. (God of War II)
In the 2010 comic series he competed in the Wager of the Gods, the contest in which each god backed a mortal in the search for Ambrosia, putting up the warrior Danaus and boasting of victory, though Danaus ultimately fell to Alrik, the man Hades had chosen. (God of War (2010 comic))
The chase and death#
When Kratos and the Titans assaulted Mount Olympus, Hermes was among the Gods who fought them, leaping from a balcony and running straight down the mountain itself. He was not seen again until Kratos entered the Labyrinth, where Hermes confronted him directly, taunting him over his quest for vengeance and boasting of his own speed before racing up the Chain of Balance with Kratos in pursuit. (God of War III)
Reappearing in the Chamber of the Flame, Hermes again mocked Kratos's slowness and led him on a perilous chase around the outside of the Olympian Citadel. Kratos finally cornered him by launching a boulder from a catapult, chaining himself to it as it smashed into a statue of Athena on which Hermes had perched, bringing both crashing down. Injured and exhausted, unable to flee, Hermes chose to fight, relying on his speed and agility but forced to pause for breath. Upon his defeat he mocked Kratos a final time, declaring that the Spartan would in the end betray only himself. Kratos overpowered him and severed his legs to claim the winged Boots of Hermes. With his death, Hermes's corpse dissolved into a swarm of disease-carrying flies that spread across Olympus, sowing pestilence and killing many of its servants. Long after, in the Norse lands, Kratos told Atreus the tale of the tortoise and the hare, in which the proud, swift hare loses to the steady tortoise, a story that echoes his own race with Hermes. (God of War III; God of War (2018))
Frequently asked questions
- Who is Hermes in God of War?
- Hermes was the Olympian God of Travelers, Messengers, Thieves, and Speed, a son of Zeus. Famed as the Messenger of Mount Olympus and the swiftest of the Gods, he served his father even as his arrogance and vanity set him apart from his more powerful half-siblings.
- What did Hermes do in the Great War?
- Hermes fought the Titans in his father's cause and was there when Zeus forged the Blade of Olympus and used it to banish the Titans to Tartarus. After the Gods won, he served as their messenger.
- How did Kratos catch Hermes?
- After a long chase across Olympus, Kratos cornered Hermes by launching a boulder from a catapult and chaining himself to it. The boulder smashed into a statue of Athena on which Hermes had perched, bringing both crashing down and leaving the god injured and unable to flee.
- How did Hermes die in God of War?
- After cornering and overpowering him, Kratos severed Hermes's legs to claim the winged Boots of Hermes. With his death, Hermes's corpse dissolved into a swarm of disease-carrying flies that spread pestilence across Olympus and killed many of its servants.
- What was the Wager of the Gods that Hermes competed in?
- In the 2010 comic series, the Wager of the Gods was a contest in which each god backed a mortal champion in the search for Ambrosia. Hermes championed the warrior Danaus and boasted of victory, though Danaus ultimately fell to Hades's champion, Alrik.
Gallery
Images via God of War Wiki
Sources
- GameGod of War II, Santa Monica Studio, 2007
- GameGod of War III, Santa Monica Studio, 2010
- GameGod of War (2018), Santa Monica Studio, 2018
- ComicGod of War (2010 comic), Marv Wolfman and Andrea Sorrentino, WildStorm/DC Comics, 2010 to 2011
Spotted a factual error or a primary source we missed? Email a correction. Every flagged claim gets reviewed.
Followed from this entry
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