Wraiths
the eyeless dead of rage
Wraiths were ghostly creatures of the Greek world, eyeless and emaciated spirits with bladed arms who burrowed beneath the earth. Consumed by the rage in which they died, they attacked any living thing that came near.
Wraiths were ghostly creatures of the Greek world, eyeless and emaciated spirits with bladed arms and waists that trailed off into clouds of black smoke. Consumed by the rage in which they died, they haunted cities, temples, and the Underworld alike, and they crossed the path of Kratos again and again throughout his long wars.
Nature and form#
Wraiths appeared as eyeless, emaciated humans with decaying flesh and bladed arms. They had no legs, their waists terminating instead in clouds of black smoke from which they floated. Each was utterly consumed by the rage in which it had died, and so they attacked any living thing that came near them without reason or mercy. Their most dreaded ability was to burrow beneath the earth, where they could not be harmed, before exploding up from below to strike at the unwary with their blades.
Kinds of Wraith#
Many kinds of Wraith haunted the Greek world. The Wraiths of Athens were the most common, first met among the rooftops and buildings of Athens, their decayed skin clad in pieces of golden armor. The Desert Wraiths, found within Pandora's Temple, were near-identical to those of Athens but slightly stronger. The Wraiths of Asphodel dwelt on the Island of Creation and were among the most resilient of their kind, able to hurl their blade-like arms in a boomerang fashion. The Wraiths of Olympus ranged through Olympus and the Underworld, most likely as servants of the gods, and they wielded curved blades in human-like hands rather than blades for arms.
The Wraiths of Hades were the strongest of the kind, distinguished by their power to summon spirits of themselves to attack, much as their lord drew upon souls. Deadliest of all were the Keres Wraiths, the only female Wraiths, who served as minions of Thanatos. Tougher than other Wraiths, they struck from underground at long range and bled a glowing yellow blood that marked their allegiance to the lord of death, and they were encountered in the ruins of Atlantis and other haunted places. Long after the fall of the Greek gods, Wraiths were counted among the old foes that rose again in distant trials, still bound by the same rage that had first denied them rest.
Frequently asked questions
- What were Wraiths in God of War?
- Wraiths were ghostly beings of the Greek world that appeared as eyeless, emaciated humans with decaying flesh and bladed arms. In place of legs their waists ended in clouds of black smoke on which they floated, and they were utterly consumed by the rage in which they had died.
- How did Wraiths attack?
- Wraiths could burrow beneath the earth, invulnerable while underground, before exploding up to strike with their bladed arms. They attacked any living thing that came near, and some kinds could hurl their blades like boomerangs or summon spirits of themselves.
- What kinds of Wraiths existed?
- Many kinds were known across the Greek world. The common Wraiths of Athens haunted that city, the Wraiths of Asphodel dwelt on the Island of Creation, the Wraiths of Olympus served the gods, and the powerful Wraiths of Hades could summon spirits of themselves. The Keres Wraiths were deadly female spirits in the service of Thanatos.
Sources
- WikiWraiths — God of War Wiki entry
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Related entries
Athens
Athens was the great Greek city of the goddess Athena, a hub of culture and worship. When Ares laid siege to it, Kratos was sent to save the city, a quest that ended with his slaying of Ares and his rise as the new God of War.
Atlantis
Atlantis was the great sea-faring city of Poseidon, home to his mightiest temple and guarded by the monster Scylla. It was where Kratos found his dying mother Callisto, and his battle there sank the ancient city beneath the waves.
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.
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.
Pandora's Temple: The Vault of Pandora's Box
Pandora's Temple was a vast trap-laden temple built upon the back of the wandering Titan Cronos to house Pandora's Box and keep it from the enemies of Olympus. After 2,500 years of failed attempts by countless heroes, Kratos became the only mortal to reach the Box within.
Thanatos
Thanatos was the primordial God of Death, an entity older than the Olympians who ruled the Domain of Death and imprisoned Deimos for years. When Kratos came to free his brother, Thanatos killed Deimos before the Spartan destroyed the God of Death.
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