At the beginning of God of War: Ragnarok, players see Fenrir whimpering before he dies in Atreus arms, and allegedly, the wolf passed away due to old age.
In God of War: Ragnarӧk players can explore ancient Scandinavia while controlling a character in the game, Kratos. This is the ninth instalment of the God of War franchise, and it is based on Norse mythology.
The game serves is the finale of the Norse era of the series and it covers Ragnarӧk, which is an eschatological event.
The game follows the story of Kratos and his growing son, Atreus, as they continue their incredible odyssey throughout the fictitious world. While the duo comes across familiar faces on their quest, they also encounter new allies and enemies.
One of the allies that you will encounter is Fenrir, however, many players wonder why he died.
Who is Fenrir?
According to Norse mythology, Fenrir is one of Loki’s 3 offspring and Angrboda and is destined to wreak death and havoc alongside his siblings.
Bound at birth due to his horrific and vicious nature, Fenrir is foretold to be one of the Ragnarӧk agents. He is destined to be the eater of The Sun and the destroyer of Odin in the devastating event.
Despite being birthed by characters of human form, Fenrir is always depicted as an enormous, terrifying wolf with no self-control.
It took the gods numerous attempts to constrain Fenrir, as they failed to bind him with enchanted chains. However, they succeeded in binding him with the mythically created chain, Gleipnir.
Fenrir makes an appearance in God of War: Ragnarӧk, and any god or man who stands between him and his destiny with Odin will be crushed.
Why did Fenrir die God of War Ragnarok?
In Ragnarӧk, Kratos and Atreus have added new members to their pack, including 3 wolves; Speki, Savanna ,and Fenrir.
For players who are familiar with Norse mythology, Fenrir is notably important in the real-life mythological narrative of the Norse Apocalypse, Ragnarӧk.
Finding out that Fenrir is not only with Kratos and Atreus but is also gravely ill at the beginning of the story definitely caught many God of War players off guard.
At the beginning of the game, Kratos and Atreus are seen riding to a cave using a sled that is pulled by 2 wolves – Speki, and Savanna. Upon their arrival at the cave, a large male wolf makes an appearance. The wolf is whimpering and seems to be limping, struggling to walk.
Atreus cradles Fenrir’s head in his lap and attempts to feed it scraps of meat. The wolf is unable to swallow the meat, and Kratos informs Atreus that the wolf is dying. It is alleged that Fenrir is dying of old age.
In the last stages of Fenrir’s life, players witness Atreus comforting him, while saying a few words in another language until he dies. After his death, players see sparks of light leaving his body, presumably representing the wolf’s soul.
Is Fenrir gone for good?
Later in the game, players witness Atreus attempting to befriend a giant wolf named Garm. However, he is unsuccessful, and he is forced to try to kill the wolf. This, too, turns out to be unsuccessful, as Garm has no soul, and therefore, he cannot die.
In a desperate attempt to defeat the wolf, Atreus stabs it with his knife. Atreus later explains to Kratos that he cast a spell when Fenrir died, and accidentally placed the wolf’s soul in his knife. Fenrir’s soul transfer was successful, as he was fused with Garm.
Although Fenrir died in Ragnarӧk, Atreus was able to bring him back to life in the form of Garm’s body.
Fenrir’s powers and abilities
Since Fenrir is a reborn giant hellhound, he is considered one of the most powerful beings in all the Realms. He has tremendous levels of vast superhuman strength as he is capable of destroying Odin’s war machines with ease.
Fenrir also has immense levels of superhuman durability. After being resurrected into Garm’s body, Fenrir gained the ability to tear rifts in order to travel between realms.
How did Fenrir die in Norse mythology?
Although God of War: Ragnarӧk is based on Norse mythology, it does not follow the mythological story precisely.
During the events of Ragnarӧk, Fenrir got too weak and was killed by god Vidar, who is Odin’s son. Vidar’s power was strong enough to kill Fenrir and therefore, survived Ragnarӧk. He is one of the few gods who entered the new period of the world.