Hildr
the Mistress of Battle
Hildr was one of the nine Valkyries cursed by Odin, sealed within the icy maze of Niflheim. Though close to the All-Father, she shared her sisters' curse, and was freed by Kratos and Atreus before Freya reborn her as a Shield Maiden.
Hildr should not have been cursed at all. She was the Valkyrie closest to Odin and the one her sisters liked least, yet she went into the flesh with the eight who had opposed him, and the queen sealed her in the ice maze of Niflheim. Nobody ever explained why. (God of War (2018); God of War Ragnarök)
In the ice maze#
The curse bound all nine into corporeal bodies and the madness followed. When Hildr became too dangerous, the queen Sigrun walled her into a prison deep in the frozen, fog-choked maze of Niflheim. She wore a boar-shaped golden helm; the corruption paled her skin and left her with blue wings plated in gold. She fought at range, throwing shards and chunks of frost, and her scythe sent out freezing blasts that could not be blocked. (God of War (2018))
Freed, and remade#
Kratos and Atreus worked through the maze to her chamber and destroyed the body. Her spirit thanked them and rejoined her sisters. Freya rebuilt her during Ragnarok with Vanir magic, skin restored, organic wings in place of metal, and she fought at Asgard with the other Shield Maidens. (God of War (2018); God of War Ragnarök)
The question of her loyalties#
In legend Hildr was the Mistress of Battle, said by many to be conflict itself given form. She spent most of her time in Midgard, watching discord among the living and at times sowing it herself. Unlike her sisters, with whom she did not get along, Hildr was close to the All-Father, which made her fate a curious one. According to Mimir she was near to Odin and distant from the other Valkyries, yet she did not stand among the three who served him by choice and were spared the curse. Why she ended up cursed alongside the eight Valkyries who opposed Odin is never explained. (God of War (2018); God of War Ragnarök)
Frequently asked questions
- Who is Hildr in God of War?
- Hildr, called the Mistress of Battle, was one of the nine Valkyries cursed by Odin to remain in a corporeal form until madness took her. After she grew too dangerous, the Valkyrie Queen Sigrun sealed her away in Niflheim.
- How was Hildr freed from her curse?
- Kratos and Atreus reached her prison through the Niflheim maze and destroyed her physical form, which freed her trapped spirit. Released from the curse, she gave them her eternal gratitude before her spirit vanished and rejoined her sisters.
- What happened to Hildr after she was freed?
- During Ragnarok, Freya reborn her through Vanir magic in a pure new body, with her skin restored and her metallic wings replaced with more organic, birdlike ones. As a Shield Maiden she joined her freed sisters in the assault on Asgard.
- Why was Hildr's curse considered a mystery?
- Unlike her sisters, with whom she did not get along, Hildr was close to the All-Father, yet she did not stand among the three Valkyries who served Odin by choice and were spared the curse. According to Mimir, why she ended up cursed alongside the eight who opposed Odin was never fully explained.
- What powers did Hildr have in battle?
- Her corruption gave her great mechanical wings of blue plated in golden metal, and she wore a golden helmet shaped after a boar. In battle she commanded ice, loosing shards and chunks of frost from a distance, and could send unblockable freezing blasts from her scythe.
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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