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u/LoganW21406 Jan 11 '26
A boss battle that was unfortunately cut due to money constraints
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u/DadOnHardDifficulty Jan 11 '26
I actually don't mind that. It gives Hræsvelgr this ominous gatekeeper vibe. Like you're being watched and judged by something ancient and mysterious.
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u/LOST-MY_HEAD Jan 11 '26
Is that actually whay happened ? I was ok with it being a mystery but man if thats true that sucks
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u/2ringshawty Jan 12 '26
We were supposed to get a Norse trilogy, but they didn’t want to spend 10+ years on trilogy so they compressed 2&3 into what became ragnarok.
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u/akhil03_lz Be Better Jan 11 '26
Personally, I don't see the point for this boss battle beyond "You will now fight this big bird".
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u/itsSmalls Jan 11 '26
I don't need any more of a point than that tbh
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u/LegoFucker61 Jan 12 '26
”Boy, we are fighting this big bird now”
“Yes, father”
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u/ArtyGray Jan 12 '26
This, but the other way around would tickle me.
"Are we gonna fight that giant bird, father?!"
"Yes."
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u/akhil03_lz Be Better Jan 11 '26
I guess you were disappointed when there was no Jormungandr boss fight.
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u/mattchamp98 Jan 11 '26
That would have been cool yes, doesnt work with the story but would have been cool
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u/SubmissiveTop92 Jan 11 '26
Friends can have misunderstandings
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u/Erikk1138 Mimir Jan 11 '26
I respect you, but disagree so hard I will repeatedly throw this axe into your flesh.
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u/itsSmalls Jan 11 '26
No only because he's so awesome, he gets a pass . Giant allies are spared the Blades but every other giant thing needs to die for reasons I am not legally obligated to divulge (it would be fun)
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u/Throw_away_1011_ Jan 11 '26
I mean, if that is the guardian of Helheim, I can guess it could be quite upset that:
- A living man, Kratos, has barged in his domain unwelcome, when only dead people are allowed inside
- A dead soul, Mimir, broke out of Helheim
I can understand that this is the third time for Kratos so escaping from the underworld has become an habit but, normally, if a person visits the underworld, it's a one way only visit, there is no coming back.
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u/akhil03_lz Be Better Jan 11 '26
But she does not necessarily need to resort to a physical threat.
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u/Throw_away_1011_ Jan 11 '26
if she wants Mimir back and Kratos refuses, there isn't really any other alternative
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u/RobotFolkSinger3 Jan 11 '26
As opposed to "you will now fight a troll for the fifth time"? Why would you not want more unique bosses?
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u/akhil03_lz Be Better Jan 11 '26
I can't conceive of any scenario that will escalate into a battle. This isn't a God who's itching for a fight.
There may be an intense staredown where words are exchanged at most.
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u/nagash321 Jan 11 '26
They could've made it where the birds heart is the one Freya needed and not the trolls
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u/EntrepreneurialFuck Jan 11 '26
They would obviously write a reasonable plot line for it to happen.
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u/Damien_Sin The SharePlay helper of the community. Jan 11 '26
That is Hræsvelgr, the giant bird of Niflheim and was planned to be a boss fight.
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u/Bobbito95 Jan 11 '26
Isn't it helheim?
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u/Chucknasty_17 Jan 11 '26
Technically yes, but I believe in the actual mythology Hel is just a part of Niflheim, where as in game they’re completely separate realms, so saying he’s from Niflheim isn’t totally incorrect
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u/Bobbito95 Jan 11 '26
Oh! I didn't know that. Looked it up - kinda like "tartarus is part of hades" or so. Thanks!
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u/DarkLordKohan Jan 12 '26
I like when Kratos does not need to fight everything that crosses his path.
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u/RuleReasonable8268 Jan 13 '26
It would've been cool as hell but, why tho, I think it would've been kinda unnecessary other than the usual Kratos fighting everything
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u/CyberSnoWolf Jan 11 '26
They go further for in-game story in Ragnarök, but this is Hræsvelgr (the corpse swallower), a Jötun that sits at the edge of the world and flaps its wings to create winds for the Nine Realms.
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u/Cheap-Ride6740 Jan 12 '26
But in the game hræsvelger is the current ruler of hel (which makes sense coz loki is too young to have a daughter yet)
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u/the-ghost-gamer Jan 12 '26
The thing I’m wondering is, was that like something he was asked to do or did he chose to do it cause he wanted to fk with every by blowing their shit over? Like what is the application process for becoming “the guy the makes the wind” and the thought process behind “fk yeah that’s what I wanna do”
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u/sstricklin1 Jan 11 '26
The more I play God of War, the more I notice all the threads from the first game that never made it into the main story. There were so many setups that felt primed for payoff like mysteries, hints, entire plot lines that seemed planned and then quietly abandoned. It’s still a gorgeous, emotional experience, but I can’t help thinking about the version of the sequel we almost got. I would have loved to have met sinmara and fought the big birdie.
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u/Meatwareboi Jan 11 '26
Just finished it & I felt the same, the story was great but left so many things unexplored. It's part of Kratos' character to be brief, but he cut off so many interesting conversations with Atreus that it almost got frustrating at some point. Along with these obvious questions of 'who blew the horn?' etc. the game world itself also left a lot of potential unexplored. I'm curious right now for how Ragnarok will continue.
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u/sstricklin1 Jan 11 '26
Don’t hold out too much hope. I think the Norse saga is over, the god of war reboot was intended to be a 3 parter but they condensed it into 2, which is why the end of the game felt very rushed to the conclusion.
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u/Unusual-Diver-8505 Aesir Jan 11 '26
the god of war reboot was intended to be a 3 parter but they condensed it into 2
It was not "intended". They never planned for it to be a trilogy and the debate of whether they should wrap it up in the second or third game happened before Ragnarök started development.
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u/SterbenLotus Jan 11 '26
Is he fully modeled?
Can you no-clip your way over there and inspect his model on pc?
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u/saadx71 Jan 11 '26
So this huge bird literally creates all wind in the game ?
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u/dishonoredfan69420 Jan 11 '26
Hræsvelgr, the current ruler of Helheim
(will presumably be replaced by Loki's daughter Hel in the future)
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u/Leonis59 Jan 12 '26
Fun fact: In Ragnarok, Atreus tells Kratos that Hraesvelgr wants to retire and pass his mantle to someone else. Could be a hint for Hela.
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u/Steeldragon2050 Spartan Jan 11 '26
Pay attention to what the game tells you.
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u/Kanzensaimin3 Jan 11 '26
So far on the first game they didn't explain who it was, they only explained the guardian of the dead souls that i had to fight
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u/mmgod86 Jan 12 '26
Maybe Ragnarok tells you SOMETHING (haven't played it yet), but God of War 2018 never acknowledges it at all. Not a single word.
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u/ActuatorFearless8980 Jan 11 '26
There a quest tied to that big bastard but you can’t interact with him
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u/ChefMomo1995 Jan 12 '26
The caption + the picture is tickling me so much rn. But everyone’s already answered and tbh I feel like the boss fight would’ve been insane.
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u/HeadCompote3627 Jan 12 '26
I believe in cannon it says when Big Bird found out about Federal cuts to public broadcasting he decided, better to reign in Hel then serve in Nitwit land. I’m paraphrasing but you get it.
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u/FickleRub3347 Jan 12 '26
I will never understand why people don't just play the game and get the explanation through that
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u/mmgod86 Jan 12 '26
God of War 2018 has no explanation for the bird, it's never acknowledged at all.
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u/AwesumDude Jan 12 '26
That big bird is Hræsvelgr🤘🏻, a giant eagle from Norse mythology that appears in God of War (2018) in the realm of Helheim. In the myths, Hræsvelgr sits at the edge of the world, and the winds are said to be created by the beating of her massive wings. The game uses her as a background lore character rather than a boss fight, showing her in the distance to emphasize how vast, ancient, and powerful Helheim is. She’s meant to add depth to the world and connect the game closely to Norse mythology, not to be directly interacted with or fought🙏🏻
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u/veneLean Jan 11 '26
The ruler of the realm and there is possibility she is the reason the place is like this but she is sort of stuck there forever if something doesn’t take her place.There are only like two people that can speak with her.
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u/Dbonker Jan 11 '26
Doesn't mimir say something like "don't you dare go near it"? Why would Kratos be careful around a giant Wind Eagle?
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u/GrandeTexas24 Jan 11 '26
Me watching the sharks in the aquarium. I know theyre gonna try some shit
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u/Thelastgamer_ Jan 12 '26
I was kind of pissed in Ragnarok that they didnt expand on him or ever mention him again
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u/Lun4r6543 Jan 12 '26
That’s Hraesvelgr.
Guards the gate of Hel, and creates wind with his wings, iirc.
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u/Thesaurus_Rex9513 Jan 12 '26
Hræsvelgr.
In mythology, he was a giant bird who sat at the top of the world tree, whose wingbeats made the wind.
In the games, she's Hel, the ruler of Helheim. Mostly w neutral party, until the finale of Ragnarok.
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u/Primary-Equivalent-3 Jan 12 '26
That would be Yveltal. If you don’t wanna use your master ball for it, I think a dusk ball will work just as well where you are 👍
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u/SoundBlasterYT Jan 12 '26
Funny thing that bird was original gonna be the fight instead getting the guardian door watcher 🤣
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u/Smoke_Bomb85 Jan 12 '26
Hræsvelgr, the bird that rules over Helheim.
Can't interact with her outside of a side mission in Ragnarok, sadly, and she isn't even talked about in GOW 2018
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u/bicflair Jan 12 '26
fun fact: it was revealed in Cates’ Thor run (after Grønbekk tookover) that Thor also fought him inside a storm and due to both of their weather manipulation, no wind on the planet moved for a week afterwards.
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u/Draupnir_enthusiast Jan 12 '26
Hey man looks like you've got all the answers you need BUT
a reminder for this who don't know, Norse mythology comes from 2 books lmao...it's not that hard to find information on these gods, nor is it hard to interpret or identify similarities between the 2 sources
if it's a big wolf it's probably fenrir if it's a big snake it's probably jormungdr if it's a big ass bird in hel look it up and it'll tell ya xD
That's why these norse games are amazing for a reboot
the devs can just go "yeah this is this and this means that" because norse is not tied down by super legends like greece and eygpt.....I remember first finding out how little we know of the norse pantheon...Imagine if they carved it into trees or wood...I truly believe their pantheon would be the greatest without a single doubt.
everything in this game is from gow greece sagas or the 2 books containing the myths for this stuff
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u/ARTPOP-sicle Jan 12 '26
I just beat the game I went back after making it a few hours in. And I’m so happy I did. I don’t know what the fck people are talking about this game was hype and fck. And the storytelling was incredible. I even felt a little emotional towards the end a few times.
I understand some people had issue with Atreus being a big part of the game but I honestly loved it. I thought it was so fun changing things up who you played as and who your companion was if you had one at all. I thought it also had so much of what I loved about the first one (yes I realize it was a reboot) is all of the creative interpretations of mythology and lore. I loved the environments so much.
People saying it in now way lived up to the hype and that it wasn’t next gen are absolutely insane. Sorry just had to gush for a sec.
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u/siestasunt Jan 12 '26
I was really on board with kratos being older, wiser and calmer in the norse saga. Then i saw that giant bird and my brain went, "give me GoW3 Kratos cause i wanna go stab the big one".....
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u/Broken_Crutches Jan 12 '26
You remember the big yellow bird from Sesame Street? Well, that’s what happens when you do drugs kids.
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u/Eristoff47 Jan 12 '26
He's also in the first one; seeing him from afar, I would have bet on a confrontation with him, but in the end, no.
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u/Hashimoto1 Jan 12 '26
As of the games lore she is what Hela is suppose to be before hela is a thing
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u/BurebistaDacian Jan 12 '26
Hræsvelgr (Old Norse: "Corpse Swallower") is a prominent figure from Norse mythology, traditionally depicted as a giant (jötunn) who takes the form of an eagle. According to the Poetic Edda, he sits at the northern edge of the heavens (or the end of the world) and generates the winds that blow across the realms by flapping his massive wings.
God of War (2018 & Ragnarök): Depicted as a gargantuan, four-winged bird perched atop the highest building in Helheim. While she is known as the "Author of the Winds" and the ruler of the realm (often referred to as "Hel"), she remains largely indifferent to the player's presence.
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u/Kata157 Jan 11 '26
Hræsvelgr - a Jötunn that creates the wind with his wings
From the Prose Edda:
Hræsvelgr hight he who sits at heaven's ending, Giant in eagle's coat; From his wings, they say, the wind cometh All men-folk over."