Santa Monica Studio already had my axe even before it revealed the new trailer for God of War Ragnarok during the PlayStation Showcase. But now it also has my curiosity after showing a character named Angrboda at the end of its first gameplay trailer.
āYouāll get your answer soon enough,ā she says, with a smile. āWell, some of them.ā Thatās all the new trailer gave me, alongside a brief glimpse of her stunning locs. Then, the screen faded to black. Ā
Angrboda, my beloved, Iām impatient and I need answers now. So, Iāve started a lore dive.
First, I looked up what her name means. Angrboda is āthe one who announces misfortune.ā The name Angrboda is derived from the old Norse version of her name, Angrbotha. āAngrā means misfortune and ābothā means to announce, according to Dictionary. This might serve as a mystery mouseketoolfor her role in God of War Ragnarok.
The second thing I discovered is that Angrboda is a frost giant, or a jƶtunn. This lore could tie into the larger story of God of War. Perhaps she managed to flee the Middle Realm and survived Odin wiping out the Jƶtnar race in fear of Ragnarok before the events of the first game? Alongside Kratos, Dad of War, Angrboda might play a vital role in educating Atreus about his frost giant heritage. Remember, he and the World Serpent are the last frost giants in Midgard.
The last thing I discovered during my lore dive about Angrboda is that she is one of Lokiās wives, or more appropriately, he is one of her consorts, according to Northern Paganism. Aside from being an all-around badass warrior of Iron Wood, apparently in her culture multiple marriages are not unorthodox.
We love a polyamourous queen.
She is called the āmother of monstersāā because in Norse myth, she gave birth to Fenrir the wolf, Jƶrmungand the Midgard serpent, and Hel the ruler of the dead. God of War Ragnarok will no doubt take some liberties in portraying Angrboda, just like they have with its other cast of characters. If my lore dive is anything to go off of, Angrboda is going to be a much-welcomed addition to the already stacked characters in the God of War series. Itās not just her intriguing lore, but because she is Black.
I donāt think Iām breaking any new ground in saying that gaming is very white. Even when we do get Black characters, studios donāt always get it right on the first try. Insomniac is in their bag right now with the announcement of Wolverine and Spider-Man 2, but even they didnāt get Miles Morales completely right on the first try. Luckily they eventually realized they gave my man a yee yee ass haircut in the first Spider-Man. I headcanon Miles decided he should stop playing with whatever Great Clips was in Peter Parkerās neighborhood and got a lining and a nice fade at a barbershop offscreen in Miles Morales.
Whenever a game decides to add some seasoning to their cast of characters by adding some Black folks, I eat that shit up. Itās no different with the now norse-infused God of War series. The Gamerās Stacy Henley beat me to the punch in saying this but it bears repeating that Black people didnāt just start existing in the last decade. We have been here. And when games like Hades acknowledge that reality by making mythological figures like Athena Black, we see that and it matters. These characters help affirm that it should never be an option for Black peopleĀ to not exist in the world.
Itās not like she exists in a vacuum, either. Thereās already plenty of fanĀ discoursethat reads protagonist Kratos himself as Black, too. Christopher Judge, a Black man, voices Kratos. The late wrestler Shad Gaspar (also Black), did Kratosā motion capture. Kratos is Black tooā¦just in some major need of some Burt Bees lotion. I donāt make the rules. All of this to say, thereās room for Angrboda in God of War and the cookout. I claim Atreus too, donāt test me.
I havenāt checked online to see if thereās discourse over her inclusion in God of War Ragnarok and honestly, I canāt be bothered. All I know is Laya DeLeon Hayes, the actor who will be bringing Angrboda to life, is a cinnamon roll who will get her flowers from the Black gaming community. Weāll have her back if any caucasity comes her way.
Angrboda, if by my life or death I can protect you, I will. You have my heart.
