Hrimthur's Wall: the rampart of Asgard
Hrimthur's Wall was the colossal rampart that ringed Asgard, raised by the giant Hrimthur after the Aesir left their defences half built. Into it he set a secret flaw, a hidden weakness meant to one day bring the fortress down.
Hrimthur's Wall, the great rampart of Asgard, was the fortification that protected the realm of the Aesir from the threats beyond it, chiefly the giants. It was raised to its full strength by the giant Hrimthur, son of Thamur, and into its stone he set a secret meant to undo it. It was upon this wall that Atreus climbed in his attempt to reach the city of Asgard and find Odin, only to come face to face with the realm's guardian, Heimdall.
The building of the wall#
The Aesir despised hard labour, and so the walls meant to guard their realm were left unfinished and poorly made. After Thor killed the giant Thamur, Thamur's son Hrimthur sought revenge, but his grief brought a hard wisdom with it, and he grew clever and cunning rather than rushing to his own death. Seeing the state of Asgard's defences, he disguised himself as an ordinary man and entered a wager with Odin: he would improve the walls within an impossibly short span of time, taking nothing if he failed, but if he succeeded he asked for a single audience with the Vanir goddess Freya. With the aid of a magic stallion that fetched him stone, Hrimthur completed the work and won the bet, much to Odin's anger.
The hidden flaw#
Odin kept his word and let Hrimthur speak with Freya, and upon meeting her the giant whispered something in her ear. As he left Asgard he found Thor waiting at the gates, sent by Odin to kill him once his true nature as a Jotunn was discovered. According to Freya, Hrimthur had placed a deliberate weakness in the wall, hidden behind Asgard's realm tower, in preparation for Ragnarok, so that the fire giant Surtr might one day exploit it and burn the realm down. Later, however, Freya revealed to Kratos and Atreus that this was not quite so: with Surtr not present at Asgard in the form she had expected, the wall would have to be breached by the attackers themselves.
Frequently asked questions
- What is Hrimthur's Wall in God of War?
- Hrimthur's Wall was the great rampart that protected Asgard from outside threats, chiefly the giants. It was raised by the giant Hrimthur, who improved the Aesir's poorly made defences in exchange for an audience with the goddess Freya.
- Who built the wall of Asgard?
- The wall was completed by Hrimthur, son of the giant Thamur. After Thor killed his father, Hrimthur disguised himself as a man and won a wager with Odin to finish the unfinished walls, asking only for a meeting with Freya as his reward.
- What was the flaw in Hrimthur's Wall?
- Hrimthur secretly built a single weakness into the wall, hidden behind Asgard's realm tower, intended for the time of Ragnarok. According to Freya it was meant for the fire giant Surtr to exploit, though in the end the attackers had to breach the wall themselves.
Sources
- WikiHrimthur's Wall — God of War Wiki entry
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Related entries
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.
The Aesir
The Aesir were one of the two tribes of Norse gods, natives of Asgard known for their war-like nature and their hunger for knowledge. Descended from the slain primordial Ymir and ruled by Odin, they claimed dominion over all creation, waging genocide upon the Jotnar and war upon the Vanir before their fall in Ragnarok.
Atreus
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.
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.
Heimdall
Heimdall was the Norse God of Foresight, the all-seeing watchman of Asgard and bearer of the Gjallarhorn destined to sound at Ragnarok. His unmatched intuition made him untouchable until his arrogance led him to a brutal death at the hands of Kratos.
Hrimthur: the stonemason who doomed Asgard
Hrimthur was a Jotunn stonemason, the son of Thamur, who completed the Great Walls of Jotunheim and then sought vengeance on the Aesir. Disguised as a mortal, he rebuilt the walls of Asgard and hid a weakness within them that would one day open the realm to its destruction.
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