Wildwoods
the hidden forest home of Kratos and Faye
The Wildwoods was the forested region of Midgard where Kratos and Faye made their home, shielded by her marked trees from the Aesir. It was from here that Kratos and Atreus set out on their journey after Faye's death.
The Wildwoods was the forested region of Midgard where Kratos and his wife Faye made their home and raised their son Atreus. It marked the beginning of their time in the Norse realms, the place from which their long journey set out after Faye's death. (God of War (2018))
A home in the forest#
The Wildwoods was the first region of the Norse realms in Kratos's history, the forest where he and Faye built their home. Their house was encompassed by trees Faye had marked, a protection meant to shield her, Kratos, and their son from the Aesir gods, among them Odin, Thor, and Baldur, who would have sought her out as one of the last giants left in Midgard. Aided by the stave Faye created, the family of three lived peacefully in the woods for years. (God of War (2018))
The funeral of Faye#
That peace ended with Faye's untimely death. As she had wished, Kratos cut down the trees marked with her handprint to gather wood for her funeral pyre. With her ashes prepared, Kratos and Atreus set out from the Wildwoods on the journey she and her people had foreseen, a path that would carry them toward Jotunheim and the destiny her kind had foretold for the father and son in the time before Ragnarok. Beyond Faye's cabin the region held the old temple and the path leading toward the mountains, and its reaches were stalked by Draugr, Reavers, and rabid wolves. (God of War (2018))
Frequently asked questions
- What is the Wildwoods in God of War?
- The Wildwoods was the forested region of Midgard where Kratos and his wife Faye made their home and raised their son Atreus. It marked the beginning of their time in the Norse realms and the place from which their journey set out after Faye's death.
- How did the Wildwoods hide Kratos and Faye from the Aesir?
- Their house was encompassed by trees Faye had marked with her handprint, a protection meant to shield the family from the Aesir gods, among them Odin, Thor, and Baldur, who would have sought Faye out as one of the last giants in Midgard. Aided by the stave Faye created, the family lived peacefully in the woods for years.
- Why did Kratos cut down the marked trees in the Wildwoods?
- After Faye's death, Kratos cut down the trees marked with her handprint, as she had wished, to gather wood for her funeral pyre. With her ashes prepared, he and Atreus set out from the Wildwoods on the journey she had foreseen.
- Where did Kratos and Atreus go after leaving the Wildwoods?
- From the Wildwoods, Kratos and Atreus set out on the path Faye and her people had foreseen, one that would carry them toward Jotunheim to scatter her ashes. Beyond Faye's cabin the region held an old temple, a path toward the mountains, and dangers including Draugr, Reavers, and rabid wolves.
Sources
- GameGod of War (2018), Santa Monica Studio, 2018
Spotted a factual error or a primary source we missed? Email a correction. Every flagged claim gets reviewed.
Followed from this entry
Jotunheim: where Tyr hid the last giants
Tyr sealed the giants' homeland away as Odin hunted the Jotnar to extinction. Kratos and Atreus reached it at last to scatter Faye's ashes there.
Midgard: Kratos' home, shaped from Ymir
Odin shaped Midgard from the body of the giant Ymir. Kratos settled there after leaving Greece, and Fimbulwinter later froze the Lake of Nine.
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.
Baldur: the god who could feel nothing
Freya's spell made Baldur invulnerable but stripped every sensation from him, and a century of numbness drove him mad. Kratos killed him beside Thamur's corpse.
Draugr
The Draugr were undead warriors who died in battle yet refused the Valkyries' call to Valhalla, condemned to roam the Nine Realms as raging husks of their former selves. They were among the most common dangers Kratos and Atreus faced in the Norse lands.
Faye: Laufey the Just, mother of Atreus
Faye was the Jotunn Laufey, wife of Kratos and mother of Atreus. Her foresight showed her own death, so she planned the route her ashes would take.
Mentioned in15 entries
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.
Baldur: the god who could feel nothing
Freya's spell made Baldur invulnerable but stripped every sensation from him, and a century of numbness drove him mad. Kratos killed him beside Thamur's corpse.
Blades of Chaos: chained to Kratos' arms
The Blades of Chaos were forged in the Underworld for Ares, who seared their chains onto Kratos' forearms. They burn with the fire of Tartarus.
Faye: Laufey the Just, mother of Atreus
Faye was the Jotunn Laufey, wife of Kratos and mother of Atreus. Her foresight showed her own death, so she planned the route her ashes would take.
God of War (2018) Story Explained: Plot Summary and Ending
The full plot of God of War (2018) in order, from Faye's funeral pyre to the mural in Jotunheim. Kratos and Atreus set out to scatter her ashes, kill Baldur on the way, and learn who Atreus really is.
God of War Timeline: every major event from the Primordials to Valhalla
The full in-universe chronology of God of War, from the war of the Primordials and the fall of the Titans to Kratos's life in Sparta, his war on Olympus, and the end of the Aesir at Ragnarök. The games give almost no calendar years, so events are ordered by story sequence and grouped into eras, with notes wherever the games' own placement is vague.
God of War Weapons List: the Name of Every Weapon Kratos Has Used
Kratos has carried two dozen weapons across two lifetimes, from a Spartan spear to a spear built from a ring that copies itself. This list runs through them in the order he got them, Greek era first, then Norse.
Hildisvini
Hildisvini was a Vanir god, master archer, and advisor to Freya. Exiled to Midgard in the form of a boar, he was first encountered as Freya's wounded companion before later returning to his human shape to join the resistance against Odin.
How Did Kratos End Up in Midgard?
Kratos survived stabbing himself at the end of God of War III, left a ruined Greece behind and wandered until he settled in Midgard, where he married Faye. The games never show the trip itself. Here is what they do show, and what the Fallen God comic adds.
How Did Kratos Meet Faye?
Kratos met Faye in Midgard after he left Greece, and their first meeting was a fight. The games never show it, only the spot where it happened and what grew from it. Here is everything they do tell us about how the two came together.
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.
Kratos' Cabin: the homestead in the Wildwoods
Kratos' Cabin was the home that Faye and Kratos made together in the Wildwoods of Midgard, where their son Atreus was raised. Hidden for years behind a magical grove of marked trees, it endured the coming of Baldur, the sieges of Fimbulwinter, and the visit of Odin and Thor, and it remained the family's anchor through the war that ended the Aesir.
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