Pillar of the World
the column that holds up Greece
The Pillar of the World was a great column in the Underworld that held up the Greek world and kept it from collapse. Partly broken in the battle between Kratos and Persephone, it became the eternal burden of the Titan Atlas.
The Pillar of the World was a colossal column set in the Underworld, which held up the whole of the Greek world and kept it from collapsing into ruin. It rested in the Elysium Fields, the paradise of the good and pure souls, with the Island of Creation standing directly above it. Partly destroyed in the battle between Kratos and Persephone, it became the burden of the Titan Atlas, who was condemned to stand upon it and bear all of Greece upon his shoulders.
The column beneath the world#
The Pillar of the World stood within the Underworld, in the Elysium Fields where the souls of the good and pure dwelt apart from the rest of the dead. Upon it rested the weight of the entire Greek world, and were it to fall, all the mortal and divine realms above would collapse with it. Directly above the pillar lay the Island of Creation, so that the column ran like a spine through the center of the Earth.
The scheme of Persephone#
The goddess Persephone devised a scheme to destroy the pillar with the aid of the Titan Atlas, which would have caused the whole of the Greek world to revert into Chaos and ended all life, mortal and god alike, Mount Olympus among them. Kratos set out to stop her, and the summit of the pillar became the ground of their final battle. There, with the Gauntlet of Zeus, he chained Atlas to the column itself, and when the fight was done he struck down Persephone. With the goddess destroyed, Atlas was condemned to stand forever upon the pillar and hold the entire world upon his shoulders.
After the battle#
Long afterward, when Kratos took the Icarus Wings in the Great Chasm and fell from the heights, he came down directly upon Atlas, who still bore the world at his post upon the pillar. The Pillar of the World was depicted again as a carving upon the Gates of Tisiphone, a puzzle that Kratos had to solve to open the way to the Pit of Tartarus and reach the fallen Titan Cronos.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the Pillar of the World in God of War?
- The Pillar of the World was a colossal column set in the Underworld that held up the whole of the Greek world and kept it from collapsing into ruin. It rested in the Elysium Fields, with the Island of Creation standing directly above it.
- What was Persephone's scheme involving the Pillar of the World?
- Persephone devised a scheme to destroy the pillar with the aid of the Titan Atlas, which would have caused the whole of the Greek world to revert into Chaos and ended all life, mortal and god alike, including Mount Olympus.
- How did Kratos stop Persephone at the pillar?
- Kratos set out to stop her, and the summit of the pillar became the ground of their final battle. Using the Gauntlet of Zeus he chained Atlas to the column, then struck down Persephone.
- Why is Atlas condemned to stand upon the Pillar of the World?
- With Persephone destroyed, Atlas was condemned to stand forever upon the pillar and hold the entire world upon his shoulders. Long afterward, when Kratos fell from the Great Chasm, he came down directly upon Atlas, who still bore the world at his post.
- Where else does the Pillar of the World appear?
- The pillar was depicted again as a carving upon the Gates of Tisiphone. This carving was a puzzle Kratos had to solve to open the way to the Pit of Tartarus and reach the fallen Titan Cronos.
Gallery
Images via God of War Wiki
Sources
- WikiPillar of the World — God of War Wiki entry
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Related entries
The Elysium Fields
The Elysium Fields were the part of the Underworld where the souls of the good and pure dwelt, a paradise that held the Pillar of the World. There Kratos was reunited with his daughter Calliope, and there he was forced to give her up again to stop Persephone.
Mount Olympus
Mount Olympus was the sacred home of the Olympian gods and the center of all Greece, ruled by Zeus from a golden palace. It rose from the Underworld after the first Titanomachy and was destroyed by Kratos in his war of vengeance against the gods.
Tartarus
Tartarus was the primordial abyss born of Chaos and the deepest part of the Underworld, a prison where the Titans were bound after the first Titanomachy. Kratos descended into it twice, escaping its depths and later slaying Cronos within it.
The Underworld
The Underworld was the realm of the dead in Greece, a hellish landscape below the living world where the River Styx carried mortal souls to their rest. It was ruled by Hades until his death, and Kratos descended into it many times across his Greek campaigns.
Atlas
Atlas was the four-armed General of the Titans, strongest of his kind, who hurled mountains in the great war. Condemned by Kratos to bear the world atop the Pillar of the World, he later aided the same Spartan against Zeus.
Cronos
Cronos was the Titan of Time and Harvest, last and mightiest of the Titans born to Gaia and Ouranos. He overthrew his own father, was overthrown by his son Zeus, and was condemned to bear Pandora's Temple before dying at the hands of Kratos.
Mentioned in8 entries
Atlas
Atlas was the four-armed General of the Titans, strongest of his kind, who hurled mountains in the great war. Condemned by Kratos to bear the world atop the Pillar of the World, he later aided the same Spartan against Zeus.
Calliope
Calliope was the beloved daughter of Kratos and Lysandra, a gentle and innocent child of Sparta. Killed by her father during a frenzy contrived by Ares, she found rest in the Elysium Fields, only for Kratos to be forced to abandon her there to save the world.
Gauntlet of Zeus
The Gauntlet of Zeus was a colossal gauntlet forged by Hephaestus and used by Zeus to chain the Titans in the depths of Tartarus. Recovered by Kratos from the Temple of Zeus, it became the weapon with which he slew Persephone.
Hades
Hades was the Olympian God of the Dead and ruler of the Underworld, the eldest son of Cronos and brother of Zeus and Poseidon. He kept the balance of life and death over the Greek world until Kratos turned his own Claws against him and tore out his soul, loosing chaos upon the realm of the dead.
Helios
Helios was the God of the Sun and Guardian of Oaths, second only to the greatest Olympians in might. Once saved by Kratos from the Titan Atlas, he later fell to the same Spartan, who tore off his head and used it as a lantern through Olympus.
Persephone
Persephone was the Goddess of Spring and Queen of the Underworld, embittered by a marriage she never wanted. She conspired to destroy the world and herself with it, freeing Atlas to shatter the Pillar of the World before Kratos struck her down.
The Elysium Fields
The Elysium Fields were the part of the Underworld where the souls of the good and pure dwelt, a paradise that held the Pillar of the World. There Kratos was reunited with his daughter Calliope, and there he was forced to give her up again to stop Persephone.
The Underworld
The Underworld was the realm of the dead in Greece, a hellish landscape below the living world where the River Styx carried mortal souls to their rest. It was ruled by Hades until his death, and Kratos descended into it many times across his Greek campaigns.
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