Who is Kratos in Greek mythology?
In Greek mythology, Kratos is the personification and god of strength and might. He is the son of the Titan Pallas and the river goddess Styx. According to Hesiod, he and his siblings, Nike (victory), Bia (force), and Zelus (zeal), are in service to Zeus.
What kind of god was Kratos?
Kratos was a powerful god of strength. He was considered entirely loyal to Zeus and the Olympians.
Where did Kratos fall from?
In the video game God of War III, the character Kratos is seen falling from Gaia after killing the sea god Poseidon. He ends up falling into the Underworld.
When was the first time Kratos died?
In the God of War franchise, Kratos first died in his fight against the divine ferryman, Charon.[1]
Why did Zeus kill Kratos?
In the God of War franchise, Zeus kills Kratos because he refuses to submit to him. His death was meant to break the cycle of divine patricide prevalent in Greek mythology and the franchise.[2]
How did Kratos come to be?
The god Kratos came from the union of the river goddess Styx and the Titan Pallas. Hesiod’s Theogony implies that Kratos is the third child born to the couple.[3]
Table of Contents
Origins and Family of Kratos
Kratos is a son of Titans Pallas and Styx. He and his siblings—Nike (victory), Bia (force), and Zelus (zeal)—were born before the Titanomachy. Through his father, Kratos is related to the Titans, the generation of gods who ruled before the Olympians seized power. By his mother, Kratos is related to the great river god Oceanus, the Potamoi, and the Oceanids.
Altogether, Kratos, his parents, and his siblings represented qualities held in high regard by the Olympians. His father, though loyal to the old Titan regime, was famed for his martial skill and honored by Athena.
His mother, known for her fealty, became integral to the swearing of oaths.[4] Meanwhile, Kratos and his three siblings were personifications of their traits and were invaluable to the fledgling Olympian gods when they began their rule.
Kratos’s Role in Greek Mythology
In ancient Greek mythology, Kratos was usually called upon to enforce Zeus’s will. He did this, more often than not, through force and violence. As Zeus’s close confidants, Kratos and his siblings acted as winged enforcers.
While Kratos does not show up in many myths, he certainly had a hand in the binding of Prometheus. Kratos was, after all, one of the many fearsome disciplinarians Zeus would send to punish transgressors. Unfortunately for Prometheus, giving man fire was definitely counted as a transgression against the king of the gods.
The God of Strength: Kratos’s Powers, Symbolism and Representation
Kratos was the Greek embodiment of strength, whether it was physical strength, strength of will, or authoritative might. As the epitome of power, Kratos—and his strong connection to Zeus—reflected ancient Greece’s social perspective on sovereign rule.[5]
Aeschylus’s play, Prometheus Bound, portrays Kratos as aggressive, cruel, and opinionated. He is an agent of Zeus and, while he acknowledges Zeus as being tyrannical, he suggests to Hephaestus that he has every right to be, given his position in the pantheon.
Coincidentally, Kratos can be described as the strong arm of Zeus’s regime, often aided by his forceful sister, Bia. Some of the most famous artworks of Kratos have illustrated Aeschylus’s play and show the god holding down Prometheus.
Myths Involving Kratos
Kratos is most significantly mentioned in two myths: the myth of Prometheus and Aeschylus’s Libation Bearers. Both works emphasize Kratos as the personified spirit of strength and his role as a servant of Zeus.
Kratos and the Binding of Prometheus
Everyone knows Prometheus stole the sacred flame and gave it to man, but not everyone knows that Kratos had a huge hand in his brutal punishment.
In the play Prometheus Bound by Aeschylus, it is Kratos who orchestrates the torture and punishment of Prometheus as excessively violently as possible. With Bia and Hephaestus, Kratos had Prometheus bound to a rock for his liver to get eaten by an eagle for eternity.
Invoking Kratos in the Libation Bearers
Kratos appears in another of Aeschylus’s plays, the Libation Bearers. It was the second play of the Oresteia trilogy, which details the aftermath of the murder of Agamemnon, King of Mycenae, upon his return from the Trojan War.
The character Electra, a daughter of Agamemnon, invokes Kratos; the goddess of justice, Dike; and Zeus. She wants the gods to help her and her brother, Orestes, avenge their father.
Comparison with Modern Interpretations
As a lesser-known god, Kratos doesn’t frequent mythical iterations as often as other popular deities. In fact, the most famous reimagining of Kratos, the God of War franchise, wasn’t even intentional.
According to various interviews with the creators, the character was designed and fleshed out before being named. He just coincidentally shares a name with a Greek god because they wanted his name to mean “strength.”
While the Kratos of God of War has a ton of influence in the mythological narrative and a multitude of stories to share, records of the actual god are infrequent. Kratos the god would have never turned on the Greek pantheon as the character Kratos has.
In the early God of War games, the protagonist Kratos is a Spartan commander. He strikes a deal with the god of war, Ares, and proceeds to commit atrocities in his name. At some point, he is tricked into killing his wife and child (very à la Heracles) and even goes on to complete various labors in an attempt to atone.
Safe to say that Kratos gets incredibly bitter and disillusioned with the gods.
There’s betrayal, drama, and some grisly fights, and soon enough Kratos, dubbed the “Ghost of Sparta,” ends up killing off the Greek pantheon one by one. Zeus was the epic last “boss fight” of the Greek gods (recent games have Kratos fighting the Norse pantheon) as he was attempting to maintain divine order, which Kratos wanted to overthrow as a part of his drive for revenge.
As the personification of strength and power (and a child of Styx), Kratos’s most important appearance in Greek myth was as a servant of Zeus—there is no evidence to suggest that Kratos would have conspired against him.
Wrapping Up the Tale of Kratos’s Strength and Loyalty
Kratos embodies the raw, unyielding power that was essential to the successful rule of the Olympian gods. Though not as widely known as other deities, his role in mythology stresses the importance of strength and force in overcoming challenges.
As the personification of might, Kratos’s legacy endures. His character continues to inspire not only mythological tales but also modern interpretations of law and sovereignty, cementing his place in both ancient stories and contemporary culture. Ultimately, Kratos remains a timeless symbol of power and resilience in the face of adversity.
References
- Turner, Rell, Kieran Loughlin, and Michael Colwander. 2024. “How Many Times Has Kratos Died in God of War?” CBR. https://www.cbr.com/god-of-war-kratos-died-come-back-playstation/.
- “The Cycle of Patricide.” n.d. Fandom. Accessed January 10, 2025. https://godofwar.fandom.com/wiki/The_Cycle_of_Patricide.
- Nagy, Gregory, and J. Banks, trans. 2019. “Hesiod, Theogony.” The Center Hellenic Studies. https://chs.harvard.edu/primary-source/hesiod-theogony-sb/.
- “STYX—Greek River-Goddess & Underworld River of Hatred.” n.d. Theoi Greek Mythology. Accessed January 10, 2025. https://www.theoi.com/Khthonios/PotamosStyx.html.
- Munn, Mark. 2006. “Sovereignty and Divinity in Classical Greek Thought.” In The Mother of the Gods, Athens, and the Tyranny of Asia: A Study of Sovereignty in Ancient Religion, edited by Michael Rose, 12–55. 1st ed. https://doi.org/10.1525/california/9780520243491.003.0002.