Soul Eater

The Soul Eaters were a race of corrupted Ancients, golem-like beings of rock and element that devoured the souls of the living. Created by a dwarven scheme that turned against its makers, they trapped their victims forever beyond any afterlife, and Kratos and Atreus faced one in the depths of the mines.

Origin in the mines#

The Soul Eaters were born from a scheme of the dwarven alchemist Andvari, who had attempted to domesticate the Ancients, the primordial golems of rock and element, and put them to use as beasts of burden. For a while the plan seemed to work, but in time these modified Ancients turned on their dwarven masters and devoured their souls. Having no souls of their own, the corrupted golems immolated the souls of others, and so became a danger to every living thing they met. As Atreus understood it, once a being's soul had been consumed by a Soul Eater, it could never enter any afterlife, not even Valhalla nor Hel.

Sought by kings and giants#

Despite, or perhaps because of, the danger they posed, the Soul Eaters were coveted by others. Andvari received a request from his brother Motsognir to deliver one to his kingdom, and another from the primordial Jotunn Surtr to deliver some to his realm of Muspelheim. It was these Soul Eaters, sent away to other realms, that most likely became the more lethal Soul Devourers, reshaped by Motsognir and Surtr to deadlier ends.

Kratos and Atreus at the Volunder Mines#

Kratos and Atreus encountered only a single Soul Eater, at the Volunder Mines, the last place Andvari had dwelt before his own creation turned against him. By defeating it, they recovered the ring that held the soul of Andvari himself, who had sealed his soul within it before his abomination could devour it. Later in their journey the two could come upon the stronger Soul Devourers, and in the days of Ragnarok, when they sought to recruit Surtr for the invasion of Asgard, the fire giant summoned two Soul Eaters alongside several Draugr to drive them off, though the two Ancients were easily defeated.

Powers#

As corrupted Ancients, the Soul Eaters kept much of the power of the primordial golems, being impervious to nearly all forms of harm and able to fire energy beams and projectiles by exposing the hearts at their cores. What set them apart was their dreadful capacity to consume souls: anyone slain by a Soul Eater would never reach the afterlife, but would remain forever trapped as part of the creature that killed them.