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Mythology Guide

by Mykas0

"God of War 2" for Playstation 2, "Mythology Guide"
By Mykas0
version 1.15
26-7-2009


BE SURE TO READ THIS FIRST PART! You can read this faq as long as you
don't change ANY part of it (including this small introduction). Also,
you can print it but only for use at your home, you may NEVER sell 
this stuff or else you will make me really mad and maybe I won't work
anymore! Finally, if you want to use this faq on your site you have to
mail me and ask me for it, I will almost surely grant it to you!



0~. Version History
-----------------------------------------------------------
1~. Introduction
2~. God of War 2
   2.1~. Eagle
   2.2~. Colossus of Rhodes
   2.3~. Sword of Olympus
   2.4~. Zeus
   2.5~. Gaia
   2.6~. Return from Hades
   2.7~. Pegasus
   2.8~. Griffin
   2.9~. Prometheus
   2.10~. Typhon
   2.11~. Lakhesis 
   2.12~. Theseus
   2.13~. Giant Horses
   2.14~. Amulet of Fates
   2.15~. Cyclops
   2.16~. Barbarian King
   2.17~. Golden Fleece
   2.18~. Euryale
   2.19~. Atropos
   2.20~. Perseus
   2.21~. Spear of Destiny
   2.22~. Icarus
   2.23~. Atlas
   2.24~. Boreas
   2.25~. Kraken
   2.26~. Lahkesis and Atropos
   2.27~. Clotho
   2.28~. Son of Zeus?
3~. Frequently Asked Questions
-----------------------------------------------------------
B_END. Special Thanks
END. Contacts



0~. Version History

-> version 1.15 <-
- Added some more information on Theseus.

-> version 1.13 <-
- Added some more information on Atlas.

-> version 1.12 <-
- Added some more information on Icarus.

-> version 1.11 <-
- Added some more information on Prometheus and Pegasus.

-> version 1.1 <-
- Added some more information on Icarus and Daedalus;
-- Added a new section on the "Son of Zeus?" topic.

-> version 1.02 <-
- Corrected some small mistakes in a few myths.

-> version 1.01 <-
- Fixed a few problems in this guide.

-> version 1.0 <-
- Did the entire guide.



1~. Introduction

A couple months ago, when I first had the opportunity to play the first
"God of War", I was astonished at the quality of the storyline that this
game presents players with. Sure, it's not fully based on Greek Mythology,
but introduces the player to a world where gods actively interact with
humans and help them in their tasks.
Following the story of a Spartan warrior called Kratos, a character
created for the game, one who buys this game will be introduced to an
amazing adventure that clearly resembles the ones you can read in most
Greek myths. Sure, the game is way too violent and not suitable for those
younger players (if you're a parent, keep this in mind!), but provided you
(try to...) disregard such point, you'll have an interesting time with
this game.

So, what's this guide all about? Instead of focusing in this game's actual
storyline and becoming a simple plot guide, this guide was written for
those who love Greek Mythology but, for one reason or another won't be
playing the game. I will mention how most mythological elements were used,
following the same order stated in the games and connecting those elements
to the actual myths. Either if you like this mythology or not, the content
which I'll be writing about may turn out being quite interesting for you
to read, as it may give possible hints at what will happen on future
games, apart from unveiling details of the games which most players may
not be fully aware of. BE AWARE THAT THIS GUIDE CONTAINS HEAVY SPOILERS,
making it probably unsuitable for those who don't want their experience to
be spoiled.

Finally, and before advancing to the actual content, I would like to thank
IGN.com for their Strategy Guides, which are quite good. Reading their
documents, I was able to write this guide without constantly checking the
actual games, which would take too much time.

Now, on to what you're waiting for...



2~. God of War 2

While you can still play this game if you don't have the first one, it
will be slightly harder to understand its storyline. This product has a
lot more mythological references than the first one, most of which may go
unnoticed if you're not fully familiar with the actual myths. Most
monsters from the first game reappear in this one, apart from some new
foes and some interesting surprises, which fans of Greek Mythology may
like.



2.1~. Eagle

Even before starting to play, Kratos will be confronted with mythological
figures. The eagle which seems to deprive this hero from his mythical
powers is a symbol usually associated with Zeus. Athena herself was also
associated with a bird, an owl, which seems to have been left out of this
game.



2.2~. Colossus of Rhodes

Although more real than mythical, this huge statue depicting Helios used
to be one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. With his legs open
over the entrance to the harbour of Rhodes, the outside of this statue and
its inside were probably designed in the very same way that is depicted in
this game. Also, the final fate given to the statue (i.e. destroyed by an
earthquake) can relate to the its destruction in this game, where most of
the statue is destroyed in a way that could be consistent to the
destruction caused by such natural causes.



2.3~. Sword of Olympus

That mighty sword, which seems to drain the powers of its user, didn't
existed in Greek Mythology. Its relationship with Zeus and Titanomachy
itself was probably created to prevent a problem in the storyline.
According to the myths, in order to beat the Titans the Olympians were
given weapons built by the Cyclops: Zeus got his famous bolts, Hades
received the incredible invisibility cap and Poseidon acquired his
trident.
Since Poseidon's trident and Zeus' bolt had already appeared in the first
game, they needed some sort of weapon that could substitute them. This
kind of sword was a good choice, since Hades' invisibility cap would be
appearing in this new game, further in the story.
While this weapon does not have a mythological origin, it was added to the
game in a way that seems plausible and fits the actual myth, with its
power actually helping to defeat the Titans, exactly like the original
weapons had done.



2.4~. Zeus

Both the first appearance of the god and all the following ones are quite
consistent with the myth. Initially he just strikes with his sword, but as
you advance further in the game, there will be a time where you'll face
the most powerful of the Olympians in all his power. As you may suppose,
later he will not only strike you with the sword but also use his lighting
bolts against your character, giving even more of a trouble, exactly as
the actual mythological god would have done. Be aware that the strenght of
his bolts is harshly diminished, with these bolts merely hurting your
character, unlike the ones of the myth, which would instantly kill
someone. In physical terms, the god shown in this game is quite consistent
with the depiction made in the myths and Greek icons, which is rather
astonishing.



2.5~. Gaia

First appearing in an unexpected fashion, Gaia's watchful eye and
mysterious appearance was barely seen in Greek Mythology. There, she was a
mere personification of Earth, our planet, during its initial formation.
Later, after helping Zeus to ascend to the throne of the Olympus, she
simply disappeared and was never again reffered in any other myths,
turning into an absent deity that would barely relate to his sons. Such
absence allows many different kinds of interpretation, like the one who is
shown in this game: unhappy with the path that Zeus was taking, this
goddess would help someone to dethrone the monarch, exactly like she had
helped Cronos to castrate Uranus and, later on, helping Zeus himself to
defeat Cronos.
Such repetitive fate, alongside with several other myths, which will be
stated in the next sections of this guide, may give a couple hints on the
path that the series' storyline is taken, leading to some probably
conclusions on what is going to happen next.
There's something that you must be aware of: while in this game Gaia was
a Titan, she wasn't originally one, and therefore she didn't even fight
in the Titanomachy, which prevented her from being punished by Zeus, which
happened to many other old deities. Instead, she was one of the primary
deities of our world, the mother of most Titans, a connection that she
seems to share in this game.



2.6~. Return from Hades

Once more, your character (Kratos) is thrown into the realm of Hades and
has to escape from it. Initially, such small adventure seems to occur in a
simple way, with the character being taken by a shadow-like figure which
could be interpreted as one of Thanatos forms, but the whole sequence of
the main character escaping from the underworld is rather boring and is
probably inspired by the Christian view of hell, with strange hands trying
to pull you back to the place where you belong.
According to the Greek Myths, there were no such demoniac hands in the
underworld, with souls being stopped from escaping by the watchful eye of
the deadly Cerberus or a huge river, which was only possible to cross with
the aid of Charon, the ferryman who was supposed to take souls to the
depths of Hades, never allowing them to come back.



2.7~. Pegasus

In order to accomplish part of his task, Kratos is helped by a winged
horse, Pegasus. Nothing is referred about its provenience, but such
creature is usually given the task of helping heroes. Erroneously
associated with Herakles, with whom he has no common myths, he helped
Bellerophon in all his quests, before disappearing and dying. Zeus later
turned this legendary horse into a constellation that can still be seen in
the sky, but bearing in mind the usage that such figure was given in this
game, it is possible that Pegasus simply came on his own, helping a hero
to complete his task.
Be aware that is also possible that he may have been sent by either Gaia
(in order to help her prot�g�) or Typhon, since the legendary horse would
first take the hero to that Titan's cave, in an odd move which seems to
have been done simply for the hero to acquire a new power, one that Gaia
couldn't directly give him.



2.8~. Griffin

There's not much to say about these creatures, fought when Kratos is
flying on Pegasus' back. They are consistent with the myths, presenting
the body of a lion but also featuring the head and wings of a giant eagle,
with which it attacks his opponents.



2.9~. Prometheus

According to the Greek myth, Prometheus was one of the Titans and the
biggest benefactor of mankind, to which he gave the important gift of
fire, among some others. For such imprudence, he would be punished by
Zeus, who would chain him to some rocks. There, this Titan would have his
liver daily eaten by an eagle, before being fully restored during the
night.
In this game, the depiction of Prometheus may be consistent with the
myths, but it is strange to see that he was merely shown as a human being,
while other Titans (like Gaia or Atlas) were depicted as giantic
creatures, with monster-like bodies.

Unlike what happens in the myths, where the figure called Kratos is one
of the entities in charge of chaining the titan, this game's hero releases
Prometheus from his terrible punishment, also gaining a gift from his
deed. This further presents this Titan as a helpful entity, exactly like
the one from the myths.



2.10~. Typhon

In this game, Typhon is oddly assumed to be a Titan, being imprisioned in
a cave. Originally, he was a fearsome beast who mated with Echidna, odd
relationship from which most of the legendary monsters would be born. Its
depiction is also fully innacurate, since the myths used to show him as an
horrible beast that attacked his opponents with more than 100 snake-like
heads. Eventually, he would be defeated by Zeus and imprisoned below Mount
Etna, where he would cause massive explosion and vulcanic eruptions.
While this beast's fate could be consistent with the one shown in the
game, the cave where he is inserted, alongside with the placement of
Prometheus seems innacurate. It feels like they needed to put someone in
that cave and merely picked a name, forgetting about its legacy or
original features. Sure, getting a bow from the inside of the eye of this
beast could be an hidden mention to the brutality of the monster, but the
way he was depicted is just unfitting.



2.11~. Lakhesis

Shortly after leaving Typhon's domains, your character will find himself
in a place called "Temple of Lakhesis". There weren't any temples in
Ancient Greece where such deity was worshiped. Instead, she was one of the
three Moirae, the Greek personification of Fate, and she was personally in
charge of measuring the size of people's string of life, apart from
setting the fate of each mortal. It is probably due to such feature that
this deity is more important to the storyline than the other two sisters,
since she was the one in charge of setting fates.
It is discussable if she could actually change fates or not, but it is
highly unlikeable. Most Greek myths present Fate as being totally
unavoidable, a reality that controls even the most powerful of gods,
leading everyone to unavoidable paths. Back then, fates were never
changed, mostly because the location of the Moirae's realm was absolutely
unknown, preventing people from venturing into those domains.
Kratos' quest to change his present and future is simply an interesting
storyline, with no relationship with the Greek myths, as you can clearly
understand by the difficulty of entering such domains. Zeus stated more
than once, during the Trojan War, that not even he could change fates, and
if such powerful god couldn't do it, why would a Spartan be able to? From
a mythological sense, it would make no sense whatsoever.



2.12~. Theseus

Generally attacking your character with a spear, the character who bears
this name seems to be a lot more powerful than its mythological
counterpart, who was a mortal hero. It is specially interesting to see
this enemy summoning several Minotaur-like enemies during your battle
against him, since it was the original Thesus who killed the famous Cretan
Minotaur. His title of "keeper of the horses" comes, according to a reader
that mailed me, from the fact that Poseidon, the lord of seas and horses,
was his father, according to some versions of the myths.



2.13~. Giant Horses

While travelling in a strange gihantic structure, you'll probably find it
weird to see such big horses moving the whole place. While an explanation
on their usage is never given, it is probable that their presence (along
with what can be considered as a golden charriot) is a reference to golden
charriot of Helios. According to the myth, this golden charriot was the
one that Helios used to lead the sun across the horizon, every day. As you
may clearly understand, it was designed to support large trips, with
people who use it having an easier time while travelling long distances.
While the path taken by Kratos on board of such structure may have looked
like a short distance, it is probable that he may have travelled a larger
distance, which is important if you think about the large distance that
splits the known world from the (generally unknown) domains where the
Moirae lived.



2.14~. Amulet of Fates

Obviously helpful, this amulet which allows players to slow down time
didn't existed in the Greek myths. Besides, time itself was more
associated with Chronos (don't confuse it with the Titan Cronos!) than
with the Moirae, whose control was the one of fate, not time.



2.15~. Cyclops

A small note on these creatures, which had already appeared in the first
game: unlike before, they are now depicted as vicious creatures that
actually have a single eye. When removed, that eye even works as bonus for
the player, unlocking secret content when you get 20 of those important
eyes.
This monster can now be ridden by enemies, but not by the player himself,
who needs to take the opponents away from this large beasts before killing
them.



2.16~. Barbarian King

It's possible that this boss is based in the people who lived in the upper
part of Asia, the barbarian who would eventually cause the fall of the
Roman Empire. However, in a mythological sense, this enemy boss doesn't
appear to have been based in any known myth.



2.17~. Golden Fleece

In the game, this odd item allows players to reflect beam-like attacks,
returning their power to its very own caster. In a more mythological view,
this item didn't have any sort of special power, at least a known one. It
appears in the myth of Jason and the Argonauts, where their main tasks is
to retrieve this item, who is stuck on top of a tree and guarded by a
fearsome dragon. This object is usually considered nothing more than a
mere object, bearing no special powers and with the only interesting of
being a unique object and, therefore, an interesting curiosity that people
want to possess.



2.18~. Euryale

Like her sister Medusa, Euryale was one of the three Gorgons and possessed
the power of turning those who look at her into stone. Physically, she
looks like a fat Medusa, in the usual incarnation that is nothing more
than a serpent-woman with snakes as hair.
When he think about the myths, Euryale was usually depicted the same way
as her mortal sister, with hair composed by snakes, teeth as large as
boars' tusks, huge claws and golden wings. The original game didn't
followed this depiction for Medusa, exactly as this second title fails to
do it for Euryale, whose head is later used for the same task as Medusa's.
There's also an interesting detail that should be stated, when talking
about Euryale: unlike her sister Medusa, this entity was immortal. It is
obviously discussable if this monster dies after having her head taken out
of her body, but I would believe so, which obviously goes against the myth
of this horrible Gorgon.



2.19~. Atropos

This entity is usually considered to be the oldest of the three Moirae,
the one in charge of cutting the thread of life. In the game, while the
player later faces this enemy in person, her presence is first felt when
he reaches a place called "Courtyard of Atropos". Apart from the name,
such location doesn't seem to have much to do with the actual divinity,
who is only seen later in the game.



2.20~. Perseus

One of the most famous Greek heroes, the figure that Kratos fights in this
game is curiously similar to the one referred in the myths. If you're
paying attention to the game, you can easily notice that he has his three
most famous objects: the invisibility cap of Hades, along with the sword
and shield (already containing the head of the Medusa!) that Athena
previously gave him. In the myths, Medusa's head was only put in the
shield after the end of Perseus' adventures, which slightly allows you to
place the game after the occurence of those stories.
Despite its look, his shield doesn't seem to contain any kind of special
power, making the battle slightly easy. Instead, the battle starts with
this opponent instantly using the legendary power of Hades' cap, which the
player later destroys. As for the shield and the sword, they seem not to
contain any kind of special ability, serving as mere battles devices which
Perseus uses to fight your character.
Be sure to notice the absence of Hermes' sandals, which (according to the
myth) allowed him to fly, or simply walk faster than normal mortals. It is
possible that such item is reserved to a later game.



2.21~. Spear of Destiny

There's no reference in Greek Mythology to such item. However, the most
famous "Spear of Destiny" is the so-called "Holy Lance", a weapon which,
according to some writers, was touched by the blood of Jesus Christ,
making it a legendary weapon, one that is said to inspire all those who
possess it to great conquests. Such premise is obviously interesting if
applied to Kratos and his quest, but the producers seem to have forgotten
about a minor detail: the apogee of Sparta took place long before the
birth of Christ, disproving that this weapon and the one which was
possessed by the roman soldier Longinous are one and the same.



2.22~. Icarus

The reason who moves this character in his quest to find the Moirae isn't
very explicit in the game, but it is possible that it is all a big
misunderstanding, with the producers of the game relying in popular
culture insted of going for the actual myth. In fact, it is hard to
understand if this character is actually Daedalus ("Have you never heard
of Icarus?", i.e. what has become of him) or Icarus himself ("Have you
never heard of Icaurs?", i.e. himself), and after receiving a ton of
e-mails on the subject I thought I should mention it here.
Personally, I think that the character is most likely Daedalus, Icarus'
father, looking for a way to bring his son back. This possibility would go
against the actual myth, where Daedalus dies in a city ruled by a famous
king, where he was having an happy life.
However, since this character never actually identifies himself, this is
nothing more than a mere theory. One can clearly understand that he is
related to the myth stated above, but that's all we can understand by now.
Either if this character is actually supposed to be Icarus or not, his
wings are here depicted as simple instruments that allow the player to
maintain their course while in the air. In fact, the actual wings designed
by Daedalus (and wrongly attributed to Icarus) allowed its bearer to fly
up in the sky, which is a clear function easy to notice in the myth. While
I failed to find any kind of sense in this difference between the game and
the myth, a contributor mailed me an interesting theory: the original
wings were designed for lighter bodies, which could prevent Kratos from
actually using them to fly.



2.23~. Atlas

Not much is known about Atlas' physical depiction, except that he was the
Titan in charge of holding the weight of the sky in his shoulders. Oddly,
a misconception seems to put him holding the Earth, the sky, a task that
he is shown performing in the game. He looks like a huge being, with
rock-like skin and extreme strenght, a feature obviously required to
perform his classical task, and the player even gets to visit the inside
of such massive creature, in one of strangest moments of the game.
Kratos even gets to talk with this titan, who seems to be slightly angry
at the hero, for reasons that are clarified in a PSP game, "God of War:
Chains of Olympus".



2.24~. Boreas

The actual divinity is never seen in-game, but there's a puzzle involving
Boreas (the god of the north wind, usually a cold one) and its hail, which
the hero must place in a statue's mouth in order to continue his
adventure. Be aware that this is a more obscure divinity, one that people
hardly know of, and its inclusion in this game is a possibly hint that the
next game of the series may include minor gods, with the player possibly
fighting them, along with all the major gods of the Olympus.



2.25~. Kraken

There are several Greek myths and old legends that talk about mysterious
octopus-like creatures that inhabit the sea, which sink ships and cause
horror in the hearts of sailors. While no Greek legend leads precisely to
the Kraken, which is a nordic myth, it is possible that this creature was
summoned by Poseidon in order to halt the advance of Kratos, making him
confront such a powerful aquatic creature.
The monster has all the usual characteristics provided to this kind of
beast, including a huge head and enormous tentacles, with which he can
grab people and cause massive damage.



2.26~. Lahkesis and Atropos

While fighting these two divinities, you'll probably notice that their
depiction does not exactly coincide with the Greek one, where they were
much your. Also, such battles make us think about the lack of the third
sister, Clotho, the one who is in charge of creating everyone's thread of
life. Such away status is explained later in the game, with these two
Moirae serving as mere introductions to the last one.
Their battle against the hero and subsequent death may lead us to think
that Kratos is now the person in charge of people's fates, but there is
something that we may think of: while the Moirae were fully aware of
Kratos quest to defeat them and change his fate, they did absolutely
nothing to prevent it from happening. Such lack of interaction may allow
us to understand that these three sisters simply obey to a (possible)
higher divinity, not being allowed to change fates by themselves. They are
simples slaves who perform a task, they are able to change anything at
all, even if it means their own death.



2.27~. Clotho

Unlike her two sisters, who were given a young appearance and cute bodies,
Clotho's depiction is more like the one of the Greeks, where all the
Moirae were shown as old women. Her many arms were probably added to give
more enphasis on the detail that she's the one in charge of creating the
thread that controls everyone's lifes, a role that is too overrated in
this game. She originally ONLY created the thread, had nothing to do with
its content, a task that was given to her sister Lakhesis.



2.28~. Son of Zeus?

At first, I wanted to leave this topic out of this guide, as it may be
potentially spoiler-ish for next games. However, due to popular request,
I chose to go back and add it.
A few moments before the ending of the game, you'll hear references to
Kratos being a son of Zeus. While most people know that Zeus had hundreds
or sons and daughters, this reference, when inserted in the context of
this game's storyline, may be considered as having a rather interesting
meaning.
According to the myths, a son of Zeus who was born from the womb of Metis,
goddess of wisdom, would be able to defeat his own father, claiming the
throne of the Olympus. When Metis got pregnant, Zeus was afraid of the
results and, according to the most famous version of the story, swallowed
this goddess. A few months later, with some help from Hephaestus, Athena
would be born from Zeus' head, fully equipped with her armor and weapons
upon birth. As for the son of Zeus and Metis, the one who was supposed to
dethrone his own father, the myths make no further references.
Now, if you're reading these lines and thinking about the whole deal, you
probably know where this is heading, right? It is quite probable that
Kratos is this son of Zeus and Metis, the one who is supposed to defeat
the king of Olympus. Besides, his relationship with Athena, who tends to
act as his protector, hints at a probable relationship between the two,
which would be consistent with them being brother and sister.
In theory, this would work and it's actually an interesting view on what
could be happening in a future game. However, you should think that not
everything in the game is based in the actual myths, and the producers may
actually follow another storyline, one that is different from what they
are currently hinting.



3~. Frequently Asked Questions

Some questions you may have, after reading this guide.

Q: I just did [insert something here], what should I do next?

A: I haven't got a clue, this isn't a gameplay guide, focusing more in
   the mythology aspect of the storyline.


Q: I would like to know more about [insert something here], can you please
   tell me about it?

A: Well, I guess I may have missed some details, and if that's the case,
   feel free to mail me about it. My e-mail address is stated at the end
   of this guide.


Q: Hey, why isn't this creature mentioned in the guide?

A: There are two chances, either I forgot to include it or it was already
   mentioned in the first guide, the one for the previous game. If a
   creature or enemy hasn't suffered any kind of significative change, I
   haven't included it in this guide, as I would be merely repeating
   myself.

That's all for now...



B_END. Special Thanks

I want to thank the following people:

- Everyone who made this game;

- Everyone who likes my works, it's for those people that I like to work
  in this type of project;

- People who rejected to go out with me these days, this way I stood
  home, played this game and took the time to write this faq;

- IGN.com , for their "Strategy Guides", which helped me writing this very
  same guide;

- Erin K., Voramir D. and Beth for mailing me about several myths;

- Leo S., for correcting some problems I have forgotten about;

- Spencer T., for mailing me an interesting theory on why Kratos couldn't
  fly using Icarus' Wings;

- Jess, for information that I had missed on Atlas;

- Alliester R., for information on Theseus' connection with horses;

- Everyone who mailed me about the Metis' myth;

- Everyone I forgot to credit (if anyone at all...).



End. Contacts

If you want, you may see my web page, just check it at the HTML 
address www.geocities.com/Mykas0/ .
My e-mail is Mykas0 [at] gmail.com , use the following subject or I will
NEVER reply.

Subject: "GOW2M Guide"
For asking anything about this guide, or providing me any information

Thanks for reading and see you in the next version/guide!!!!!