How ancient mythology inspired God of War's Kratos: is he based on a real deity?

Since 2005, players have followed the story of Kratos, rooted in loose inspiration from real mythology, and become immersed in the anti-hero’s violent, vengeful and vicious quests.

Throughout the overarching narrative, Kratos has traversed mythological worlds. At the outset of the first game, 2005’s God of War, he is an adversary of the Greek gods.

In the game’s lore, Kratos was once a devoted servant of Ares, pledging himself to the god of war in exchange for power in battle. However, Ares, seeking to turn Kratos into the ultimate Spartan warrior, manipulated him into unknowingly slaughtering his own wife and daughter.

This act of betrayal fuelled Kratos’ rage and ignited his quest for revenge, leading to his eventual confrontation and killing of Ares. After Ares’ death, Kratos assumes the mantle of the god of war himself, though this only deepens his torment and grief as he seeks to atone for his past – which culminates with Kratos killing Zeus and destroying Mount Olympus.

Since 2018’s God of War (the same title as the first game in the series), Kratos’ trials have pitted him against the Norse gods, culminating in Ragnarök: the end of the Norse world.

But precisely how fine is the line between the developers’ imagination and real-world inspiration? What are Kratos’s origins, and is he a deity from Greek or Norse mythology, an entirely original creation or something in between?

Is Kratos a real god of war in historical mythology?

God of War’s Kratos is not directly based on a specific deity from Greek or Norse mythology, or any other mythology. There is a real Greek deity who coincidentally shares his name, however he is not a god of war.

Kratos is an original character created for the God of War videogames, with his own fictional backstory and adventures, designed as a complex, tragic protagonist whom the narrative focuses on across the series.

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Since 2018’s God of War, which follows Kratos’ journey to Midgard, any inspiration from Greek mythology has become increasingly distant and tenuous, as the focus instead has pivoted to his encounters with the Norse pantheon.

The real Kratos in Greek mythology

While the version of Kratos seen in the God of War franchise is a unique creation, he does share his name with an ancient Greek god: a Titan also called Kratos, who was hailed as the embodiment of physical strength.

While this shared name was an unintentional coincidence on behalf of the game’s creators (described by developer Stig Asmussen as a “happy mistake”), the real Kratos does have some similarities with the character from the games: both are brutal, violent and merciless, possessing an unrivalled strength.

Though, this is where any connection between the real Kratos and his videogame counterpart ends.

Which Greek deity is God of War’s Kratos most similar to?

Heracles is the divine – though flawed – Greek hero with whom Kratos ostensibly has the most in common, rather than his coincidental namesake. Both Kratos and Heracles have deeply tragic backstories tied to themes of rage, madness and redemption.

In Greek mythology, Heracles was one of the most celebrated and powerful heroes, known for his unmatched strength and numerous adventures, including his famed Twelve Labours.

However, his life was marked by sorrow and suffering; he was most notably driven mad by Hera – the queen of the gods – and, in his madness, murdered his wife, Megara, and their children. Overcome with guilt, Heracles sought redemption through the completion of the Twelve Labours, a series of nearly impossible tasks that tested his strength and endurance.

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Like Heracles, Kratos in God of War is also haunted by the death of his family; a murder committed in a fit of madness or manipulation. Kratos and Heracles also both embark on a series of violent trials as they seek to atone for the wrongs of his past, while simultaneously engaging in brutal combat against the gods themselves.

One notable similarity between them is that, like Kratos, Heracles also frees Prometheus, the legendary Titan punished by Zeus for giving fire to humanity.

In God of War II, Kratos encounters Prometheus, chained to a rock and enduring eternal punishment, and sets him free before Prometheus falls into flames and dies. This act mirrors one of Heracles’ lesser-known deeds in mythology.

While their stories diverge in many ways – Heracles ultimately achieves a form of divine apotheosis, becoming a god on Olympus, whereas Kratos’ journey is one of perpetual struggle – the core elements of their myths have many similarities. Both are warriors caught in a cycle of violence, seeking forgiveness for sins born of manipulation, and both possess an immense physical strength that defines their character arcs.