Freya - The Scorned Goddess - Part One

Freya deserved better, but so does everyone.

[@chilliicecream5456]

When I saw the over 40 minute runtime and then the ‘Part One’ I screamed with joy

[@vashantiwoodley]

Me too!

[@vorce_eternal9628]

On everything

[@baazizachraf508]

Same reaction in here.

[@militarykid5]

Yes. Same here. So Very Happy

[@sautter09]

Truly spoken!

[@buggytheclown1533]

I love how sassy she was. “I’m still a god, go away.”

[@dbwc1175]

Freya was not only well written, but she was brought to life by masterful performances from Danielle Bissuti. To be able to stand toe to toe to Chris, Sunny, and Jeremy is a tall order, and she is absolutely brilliant in every scene..

[@milosav7314]

Sunny🤣

[@gamer2101]

I agree. Danielle did a fantastic job.

[@alexiavya722]

as someone who has grown up with an extremely overbearing parent (still dealing with that) Freya’s reaction is unbelievably realistic. If my mother could perform the actions Freya could, I wouldn’t doubt this story to play itself. I genuinely can’t comprehend how someone can’t see these reactions as extremely realistic

[@JulianLopez-rt6kp]

For some people, if you don't see it happen in person, if you don't live through it, it can be hard to believe things like that are realistic.

[@littlemisseevee2309]

@@JulianLopez-rt6kp guess I’m lucky, I never saw her reaction as unrealistic and my parents had many issues but I wouldn’t say being overbearing was one, didn’t really know too many who were

[@Iamthegreatestofalltime]

Her actions were actually very realistic.

[@ericbright1742]

How do you even try to reconcile with a parent after that sort of relationship damage? Realizing that they put their own fears over the needs of the child? How do you even know if they're even aware of their mistake?

[@NoirRaven]

Because most of us draw the line at letting our kids kill us.

[@matti.8465]

Freya's introduction is kinda funny, how she immediately gives Kratos orders and he goes "...yeah okay". Reminds me of that flashback with Faye, how she tells Kratos to carry a lot and calls him "good boy" afterwards.

[@bruhmoment1761]

Kratos 100% has a mommy fetish

[@connorkinsman3164]

The fact she calls him Grumbles :')

[@SunsetEnvy]

Kratos is simply a simp

[@TheParadoxGamer1]

@@SunsetEnvyhes a greek they were terrified of the prospect of a goddess of war having any kind of sexual power so much they made her ace. Makes sense.

[@erasalams61]

Grow up kid or u will be forever alone​@@SunsetEnvy

[@mudfishnick9768]

A few things I'd like to add: 8:30 - The invulnerability spell also robbed Baldur of his ability to Smell or Taste anything. With the perpetual sensory deprivation Baldur was stuck living in, it's no wonder that he lost his mind 25:40 - When journeying through Vanaheim to locate the source of Odin's realm-binding curse, Freya says "I know Baldur wasn't perfect, but he was _mine_ ." If you missed it, that was probably because it was immediately before Kratos confided to Freya about the loss of his daughter, Calliope. 31:38 - Funny you should mention that. Earlier in the game, Mimir says that trapping Freya in Midgard was not the only curse Odin inflicted upon her; He also cursed her to be unable to fight, even in self-defense

[@annointedbytalos5673]

They added the invulnerability spell to also take away sensation to be a nail in the coffin to his character, but even if it only made him invulnerable no drawbacks. Imagine being one of the strongest gods of a clan of warriors and conquerors, and everyone knows it's "due to mommy's magic spell" nothing more. It also robs Baldur of any real challenge, "dying is what we aesir live for" well you can't die. I think to control Baldur Odin could definitely insinuate that Baldur is a coward for also not killing his mother. It also doubles as symbolising overprotective parents and wanting to experience dangerous life yourself, when he finally broke free from his mother's protection he was unequipped to deal with real life too, having picked the fight with the most dangerous man(to god's). It's like if a rich kid doesn't have his bodyguard with him or something, no it is not going to go well for you, you are getting beaten if you act like you did before, recklessly.

[@FiendMatadorSlayerOfNoobs]

Baldr's sensory deprivation also went against everything Old Norse culture was about: LIving life to the fullest, doing so with joy and finally dying in glorious battle. Freya did worse than rob Baldr of the joy of living and worse than simply killing him: She robbed him of his very reason to even exist beyond his godly duties. And he couldn't even end his own misery to escape it.

[@mudfishnick9768]

@@FiendMatadorSlayerOfNoobs You're right. The Helheim flashback of Baldur did say that the 3 main things Aesir did for fun (feasting, drinking, and sex) were all but meaningless to him

[@nyblller9785]

If so, how she was able to attack Kratos in the beggining of the "second" game?

[@jacobfredrick2960]

@@nyblller9785 I believe she broke the curse between the events of the first and second game of the Norse series

[@7fallingstars]

When you mentioned how some players were confused of Freya's reaction and how she should have been grateful for her life being saved, it reminded me of a scene from the Incredibles. Mr. Incredible saved a man who tried to unalive himself just for the man to turn around and sue him for it. While Mr. Incredible argued on live television he saved him, the man yelled back "You didn't save my life, you ruined my death". While some players don't get her reaction, I wasn't neither confusing or surprising. People have different reactions when they are saved and it's just part of what makes everyone unique. She was ready to die, she was afraid of losing her son. And Kratos intervention made her face what she dreaded the most. Of course she would get angry at the one who made her face it. Hopefully those who got confused realizes that.

[@Catshapedblobofdarkness]

I always figured that the absolute root cause for her response was, as you said, being forced to accept her actions as unchangeable. From where I see it, for as long as Freya's son was alive, the whole situation was at a complete standstill, and Freya could continue thinking that there *might* be a chance that she could rebuild with Bauldr. That was, of course, never true to begin with. Being exiled and banished to a realm where she could not reach him to come to that conclusion on her own was what I believe made both of their reactions so explosive. Bauldr could never truly live his life, and the longer he lived, the more he suffered until he was long past the point of recovery. Freya never truly got to see the complete gravity of the curse she placed upon him until it was already way too late, but she had spent all that time hiding from that fact. So having it all come crashing down upon her in mere moments was far too much for her to handle, and so she swung the complete opposite direction.

[@concept5631]

​@@Catshapedblobofdarkness The tragedy is that, if given enough time (centuries perhaps) after regaining his sense of feeling, Baldur might've been able to somewhat recover mentally. If Kratos could came back from a similarly deep abyss after causing so much destruction, why couldn't Baldur?

[@casthedemon]

@@concept5631 he also didn't have the benefit of having his own son to be better for. He literally has nothing besides his dad Odin and Thor. He can't even have sex or have kids since no feeling would prevent that. So she literally also took away his ability to have children himself. And still refused to apologize for it.

[@DakkaSolae]

​@@bluesh0es the reason say "unalive" is because some social medias censor posts that include words like suicide or "killing yourself", I have no idea why this has spread to KZbin, where this does not happen

[@theodorebricker7492]

@@bluesh0es Hate is infectious. It feels powerful, it feels right. Freya hates Kratos for taking her son from her, for not allowing her what little bit of atonement letting Baldr kill her would have been. Given her characterization in GoW4, she is absolutely the kind of person to keep a deathgrip on an emotional decision far past the point of reason. Even after all the years of her exile, she hadn't really wrapped her mind around the damage she had done to Baldr by taking away his ability to touch things. She'd had way more than enough time for that to occur to her, but she likely avoided thinking about it. People can be surprisingly good at denying things they don't want to be true to avoid pain. It takes concerted effort to endure pain and change, and often we need to be given a good reason to do so.

[@alucardsantradideus267]

About the Odin fight lasting "too little", he got jumped by Three gods and a very disgruntled Dwarf. Of course he lasted less.

[@thatoneguy1232]

The one thing I wish is that Freya got more hits in lol. I guess she chokes him a bit after phase one and she pulls him down with the fines and kills one of his birds but during that final sequence she gets one kick in. Sure she tags with Atreus I think twice but not the same.

[@TGPDrunknHick]

yeah it's something everyone glosses over. they act like Odin was some weak punk compared to Zeus but, he was combating the god killer Kratos, a Loki coming into his powers and the goddess most skilled with magic after himself and former leader of the Valkyries his own elite force. Zeus got a one on one. Odin puit up a fight against 3 gods and Freya even used an item specifically capable of messing with him.

[@TheStraightestWhitest]

And don't forget that Kratos is WAY more powerful than he was in GOW2-3, and that Freya is confirmed his equal by the digital artbook and his and her own statements in Vanaheim after their fight.

[@somerandomperson5473]

​@DrunknHick he is physically more powerful then he was in gow 3 imagine if he still had his magic and was actually bloodlusted against odin

[@d4n737]

I mean, hell, Three gods is still fine... But the unrivaled power of rock and stone?

[@user-mu8dm4rk7g]

25:47 I think there is one actually. During a boat ride, Freya tells Kratos that Baldur was like Atreus back in the day, wanted to get more attention from his father and seeked comfort in his mother. Also, wanted to travel, if I remember correctly. Almost every time Freya speaks of Baldur, her train of thought ends with her or other characters' words like "but it's Odin". You can see she clearly loved Baldur, especially when he was younger. It was her invulnerability spell, overprotectiveness, Odin's manipulation after all, which drew a wall/hedge between them. In the end, I think Freya loves Baldur, but she doesn't excuse his actions, not forgetting to mention it was Odin who further poisoned him against her. But it would be a mistake if I forgot to mention, that Freya never really cared that Baldur almost killed a 12 y/o kid... So above all else, her son's life > (outweigh) her son's misdeeds and behavior.

[@siubidubi5897]

I don't really remember a straight-up line, but I think she acknowledged that Baldur had flaws and was doing bad things, but, as you said, she thinks it wouldn't be that if not a spell and Odin. In GoW 2018 she was probably unaware of who her son actually had become (her exile) but in Ragnarok it seemed to me that she starts to recognize her son has been doing bad things and Kratos did what he had to. Overall she is a mother who knows that her son wasn't perfect but it doesn't change that she loves him. Probably she is a little excusing his behavior because of what he had gone through, but, as she said, it's highly possible that he could be a 'good god' if these things didn't happen to him. I am probably repeating what you just said xD

[@user-mu8dm4rk7g]

@@siubidubi5897 I think there are comments in this comment section quoting Freya: " I know Baldur wasn't *perfect* , but he was *mine* " which perfectly sums up her entire view of her son. She doesn't justify that he could be an A-hole, admits he could've done bad things, but he was *her son* , she *loved* him, it was *her choice* to sacrifice herself and Kratos took it away from her. So, while Freya isn't obviously a perfect parent, but she definitely treated Baldur like any adequate parent would, in a sense that she *loved* him and *cared* for him (albeit in a extreme way), unlike Odin, who treats his own family as disposable tools, who are better off dead than useless, which by itself is despicable.

[@siubidubi5897]

@@user-mu8dm4rk7g Perfectly said

[@necfreon6259]

12? Atreus looked a lot younger then that 8 or 10 but I guess it’s hard to see that through height cause kratos and most other gods are way taller then the few quote unquote mortals that appear near the beginning of the game

[@yomiolokodana]

I honestly don't feel bad for Freya.

[@thembanitheone]

I do love Freya as a character a lot. One thing that sticks out to me is that at any moment in Baldur's life and during their relationship she could have freed him from his anguish and despair. She knew the weakness of the spell and could have told Baldur as he had every right to know.

[@AirLancer]

That's the issue, the core flaw that led her and Baldur down the path of tragedy. Despite knowing what she did was wrong, it still didn't matter. Ultimately, Freya wanted Baldur to be "safe" at any cost.

[@Doshanko]

18:45 Kratos' saddest and best voice acting bar none. The amount of worry and desperation he sinks into to restore his son

[@KieroQuartz]

I Can't even put into words how much I agree with you, that whole scene especially when he says "I did this to him. Will you help Me?" Still gives me chills to this day

[@fireironthesecond2909]

Freya does mention Baldur in Ragnorok: When she’s turned into an eagle to prevent herself being ripped from Vanaheim she says: “Baldur was far from perfect but HE WAS MINE!” Implying that Baldur was the only thing she felt actual joy and love and wholeness during her later years in Asgard. The only thing she ever felt she owned

[@itsasquid]

That tracks. I always had the feeling that Freya saw him as the only good thing in her life after her marriage to Odin, which leads to why she became so controlling of him. She was terrified of losing the only good thing in her life at that time.... and then she did.

[@orimega9179]

25:47 freya does say she loved him saying something along the lines of he had his flaws but he was mine. this adds to the fact that she lost her home her brother everyone dear to her and she loves him because he is the one person who shares blood with her. there is actually a parallel between the way she acts towards baldur and freyr thats because in many real life relationship mothers will treat their sons like husbands if the husband is absent. likewise she treats baldur like a brother because she had lost him . in every single other parent child relationship in gow and gowr theres an authoritative tone when the parent speaks to the child and a submissive one when the child speaks to the parent but baldur and freya dont have that. theres alot more bargaining and "im just gonna do me" this is reminiscent of a brother sister sibling relationship

[@9N-P8G3S]

Ah, ya beat me to it. Just commented about it 😅

[@felixthescholarlytitan4437]

Something I find a bit sad is that even if Kratos hadn’t stepped in and stopped Baldur from killing his mother, the Norse God was still likely to die there by Kratos anyway. After killing his mother Baldur would have likely turned back to Kratos, just to get killed by the God Killer anyway, making Freya’s death meaningless in the end.

[@munchbox7446]

25:47 I think the biggest thing that you made me realize is that, Freya's love of Baldur is an empty love. She loves the concept of him, the only 'good' thing to come from all of the hatred and pain she's suffered through. She doesn't talk about *him* because it isn't he who she loves, but merely the fact he exists. She developed a sort of stockholm syndrome to Baldur and by extension Odin because Baldur was the only thing distracting her from how miserable she was.

[@jorgebersabe293]

In God of War Ragnarok, after you defeat Gná and take her journal, you can see that Gná has some valid points about Freya, mainly her tendency to play the victim and refuse to own her part on her own misery.

[@my_girl_seraphine5294]

Writing this down

[@Tessio_]

I found your channel randomly and I was impressed by the work you put in. The work you put in, and how you dissect/analyze a character. I hope you achieve your goals, FatBrett.

[@timidb]

They really are some of the best videos on the whole site in this category

[@ReiSilver]

I watched the game through TBSkyens videos and he points out that Fraya is a Goddess of Love and all that that entails. She loves her children, she loves her mortal subjects, she extends her love to those around her like Atreaus and Kratos when they meet. But not just the good sides of love but obsessive love, overprotective love and the fury of having the ones she loves hurt

[@juanp7691]

25:40 well, I don't know if this counts, but after the final boss, I found the place where Baldur's dragon fell and Kratos tells her that Baldur tried to kidnap Atreus. Freya says something like "the things he put you through...". I think she says something else before Kratos says "This was Odin's doing" Other than that, I don't know if she says anything else, but I think that line of dialogue shows that deep down, she knows Baldur was a bad person. Maybe now that Odin's dead and she knows Kratos better, she can see how Baldur wasn't just her baby boy and all that

[@chot11]

Freya does talk about how he was a nice kid in Ragnarok during the side quest to destroy her marriage items and around the time she talks about Odin dropping his mask of lovingness

[@rozohwell]

I know this video is about Freya but it's interesting that you mention that Baldur doesn't have any empathy. Really ties into the themes that he can't feel anything outside of himself

[@eyesofthecervino3366]

Someone: "Ow! Baldur, that hurt!" Baldur: "NOT EVERYTHING'S ABOUT YOU, KAREN!!!"

[@hero303-gameplayindonesia8]

I’d probably lose my empathy as well if I lost all feeling other than sight and hearing

[@synderthmc]

22:44 Maybe tha fact that we don't know how she thinks about baldr is intentional, or maybe just headcanon but hear me out: She doesn't love baldr like a person, he is her emotional anchor after sacrificing so much and severing ties with vanaheim. He is hers, something she can dump all her energy and love to. Losing him is the last sacrifice she is not willing do because then she would have nothing left. She knows what she did was selfish but can't help but hoard his life like a precious ring.

[@adamgrzechnik3809]

You are close or even right that she does not love him especially not as a human being but more like a toy or a dog at best - that realization is why he chooses to kill her and this is why she chooses to kill him when he gets free of her leash/power - spell. Explanation below. I always disliked Freya on some deep level not knowing why. Watching this character study made me realize why. 34;20 - this is why he kills her. She is his mother, abused him and says 2 things together that make him do it: 1. I have paid already for what I've done to you. 2. Kill me if it helps you - He is her victim, yet she positions herself as his savior even in this moment knowing what pain she caused him, she still thinks of herself as morally superior, and harms him again saying: kill me. That is why he does it, in that very moment there is nothing but hate and pain on the deepest level in him born from the fact that she yet again choses to torment him psychologically and indeed is unable to respect him and therefore love him truly, she only knows her selfish pathological all-devouring mother style of "love". Baldur would not do it if she simply said sorry, truly &sincerely apologized, shown shame and pain and any fcking empathy for this abuse and let him go free with at least shadow of respect - that is what he wanted, and she declined him all of that and continued the same behavior and thus abuse she has had already done before. He wanted a moment of his mother choosing his emotions and good over her own. To prove my point - she knows Kratos is not that kind of guy to just watch and he is literally behind Baldur and in front of her. She knew perfectly well what will follow - that was basicly lincesed murder - She, not Odin is the Master Manipulator, she tricked Kratos, and she tricked us. Fck "mothers" like that, they are molesting "fathers" counter-part from hell itself. And btw., no I did not go thru such abuse, I have great mother whom I love and respect greatly, but I saw victims of such manipulative monsters as Freya. She even gave me this vibe, I knew something was really wrong with her, but she is so well written with Odin distraction as "master but really medicore over the top manipulator", that I needed a character study to see true Freya.

[@synderthmc]

@@adamgrzechnik3809 wow, i wouldnt go THAT far, i didn't say she didn't love him at all. Like that's valid but way too far for me and it doesn't really match her actions to me in ragnarok

[@mallk238]

@@adamgrzechnik3809 jeez dude, a bit extreme for the themes that the game is trying to convery don't you think?

[@adamgrzechnik3809]

@@synderthmc I would think so if not thinks listed below like the fact she had necessary knowledge and skills/means to save Baldur's life in this scene. I wrote a little scene-character analysis below based on facts we know with my subjective opinions sprinkled in there. Her actions in Ragnarok are mostly based on anger not grief - I am angry that someone trashed my car maybe with a little sadness but I am first sad/grieving and second angry when beloved family member dies. And Kratos was angry first but it was totally different circumstances&role and even different Kratos in some ways back then. 34;23 - look at Baldur reaction to Freya "kill me if it helps you" - it is pure torment&shock - he is speechless for a moment and just gnarls from pain. He wanted love so desperately and he goes to her showing gentle his love to her as his mother saying "I know I know". What does he mean? Man it got me so deep. She could just say Kratos hold him for a while while I make an escape for us, she might have leave Baldur, I strongly believe she might have even got good with him in time, and make a first step here. Instead she choose murder by tormenting her son to commit suicide by Kratosization - she knew Kratos good enough and she knew prophecy to know that Baldur trying to kill her or killing her = Baldur dead, and do not get me started on why she knew he will try to kill her - they were arguing with potential for hard physical but not killing until she said "kill me if it helps you" baiting him to do it! What fcking monster does it to his own child when that child has fcking sensory overload, mental breakdown, pathological upbringing and psychopathic tendencies in a same exact moment?! To prove me right prophecy speaks of pointless death - death that saves someone life is not pointless! That means her life was never in danger and she knew it - 1. prophecy 2. look at the scene Kratos is already established physically superior to Baldur in combat, he is behind his back, and in front of Freya's eyesight. Freya is shown to have at least basic understanding of prophecies and probably the best understating of Kratos. 36;58 - please show me a moment when Freya's pain is even comparable to Baldur's. He is spechless, shocked, unable to even process it just gnarling - stab a man and he will scream but kill his wife/child and he won't, he will be unable to do so even but he will gnarl acting exactly as Baldur acts here - shocked, confused, unable to believe it is real, dissociated etc. while she is at the level of sorry i broke your car, i do not see much pain in her, actually i do not see any. Maybe i am biased but i really do not see it. When is she showing true pain? She is shown either in this weird state of I went thru lots of bad shit but I am ok or fearfull. For God's sake she shows more love and respect towards Kratos and Arterias than towards Baldur. Everything Freya has done was for herself ! At least Odin is thinking truly that he does it for the greater goal, for truth, for meaning, maybe even meting or having basic grasp/contact with Primus Motor. She is somehow worse than Odin and they are both reprehensible, awful, abusing monsters of a "parents". Odin treats them like tools but at very least when he kills Thor he says "I never wanted this", when he kills him he does no longer torment him like Freya does with Baldur - she literally makes him commit suicide by her torment - he knows just as well as her if not better that Kratos is behind him and what he will do. She abused her son towards the very end and caused his death, she might as well have killed him herself.

[@adamgrzechnik3809]

To sum it up - if she did not say "kill me if it helps you" Baldur would not try to kill her, or even if he did then i would agree that i went too far in my opinion of Freya. Any person especially parent saying that to a any human/especially his child during unimaginable mental breakdown is baiting him/her to do it and is a monster, and law agrees with me - that is why we have at least in my country something called crime under affect and it is mostly used in cases of murder - murder in affect is way less punished or even in extreme cases are not, as person in affect totally looses control even awareness-consciousness with memory (it is like all went dark and i woke up in blood; in strongest of affects it is like sleepwalking - person seems awake but something off about them can be seen) being unable to stop, change their behavior and make any decisions rationally, think about consequences and it has nothing to with their ethics character etc. except for force of stimuli required to cause this state - usually the more self controlled you are, and mentally sound the stronger stimuli is necessary but with strong enough stimuli every person can be brought to this state. It is a state when stimuli are so strong that human brain stops working like human brain instead turns into most primitive form working on pure emotions and instinct e.q. like very hungry wolf - that is also why people dying of hunger can eat anything eatable including committing cannibalism - because their brain is rewired by strongest of impulses. And when looking at this scene Baldur meets the criteria of affect, more he is a perfect storm of traits to get into affect state, and most of us naturally recognize that proneness on subconscious level so we do not aggravate such people to not end up killed. That is why i went that far and i think i am right and that is even writers intentions - scene editing, subtle hints, calling Odin master manipulator - if someone is master manipulator by definition of those two words you would not know that - Freya not Odin meets those criteria.

[@natoriousthehopeful2786]

Seeing Freya get the spotlight in a two part video brings me so much joy, and I'm not just saying that because she's Best Mom. She's a deep layer character with an interesting story arc; I'm really glad that the writers decided not to kill her off

[@adamgrzechnik3809]

Believe me - she is The Worst "mother". Worse even than alcoholics mothers that beat their children. She is such a monster that you would be Baldur which irl means suicide or mental institution, or prison and dead id you were to be lucky already if she was your mother. Reasons why are below. She makes Odin a fcking father of the year, as being her victim you'd wish for anyone to murder you. I always disliked Freya on some deep level not knowing why. Watching this character study made me realize why. 34;20 - this is why he kills her. She is his mother, abused him and says 2 things together that make him do it: 1. I have paid already for what I've done to you. 2. Kill me if it helps you - He is her victim, yet she positions herself as his savior even in this moment knowing what pain she caused him, she still thinks of herself as morally superior, and harms him again saying: kill me. That is why he does it, in that very moment there is nothing but hate and pain on the deepest level in him born from the fact that she yet again choses to torment him psychologically and indeed is unable to respect him and therefore love him truly, she only knows her selfish pathological all-devouring mother style of "love". Baldur would not do it if she simply said sorry, truly &sincerely apologized, shown shame and pain and any fcking empathy for this abuse and let him go free with at least shadow of respect - that is what he wanted, and she declined him all of that and continued the same behavior and thus abuse she has had already done before. He wanted a moment of his mother choosing his emotions and good over her own. To prove my point - she knows Kratos is not that kind of guy to just watch and he is literally behind Baldur and in front of her. She knew perfectly well what will follow - that was basicly lincesed murder - She, not Odin is the Master Manipulator, she tricked Kratos, and she tricked us. Fck "mothers" like that, they are molesting "fathers" counter-part from hell itself. And btw., no I did not go thru such abuse, I have great mother whom I love and respect greatly, but I saw victims of such manipulative monsters as Freya. She even gave me this vibe, I knew something was really wrong with her, but she is so well written with Odin distraction as "master but really medicore over the top manipulator", that I needed a character study to see true Freya.

[@tylercheung1194]

Well, she's not exactly the best mother.....

[@peateargriffin9932]

Calling Freya best mom is, uh… yeah, Baulder

[@ericmiller93]

And she could get it.

[@m8mZ]

@@ericmiller93the most important part

[@altijdmarley3383]

Its like kratos said in ragnarok when atreus says “why cant she let it go?we saved her life” kratos responds “i took her son there is no letting that go” kratos has learned a lot from freya mainly empathy and understanding for other peoples reasons and reactions to things its beautiful story writing freya is one of my favourite characters due to her depths and flaws its just amazing

[@ChrisBear1989]

I never got confused by her response to Baldur's death. It made sense even if Kratos was doing the right thing. Losing your son in front of you brings out very potent emotion in you. Its like 10/10 worst feeling ever as a parent. The bond between mother and son(Even if theirs was damaged) is a no brainer to me. That and well despite someone else doing right thing sometimes people react incorrectly but when you're feeling intense emotions you don't think clearly. Its understandable.

[@Sysyphony]

Man, this man’s videos are so in depth I enjoy them so much. Never stop, dude

[@aldrichunfaithful3589]

something i never really thought about until recently is the fact that right from the beginning when she cast the spell on baldur she knew how it could be broken, not only did she cast it without his consent she lied to his face to convince him it was permanent when she could fix it in an hour, even though he wanted to kill her for it. even after a hundred years of exile knowing her son hates her, no matter how guilty she feels at his suffering and no matter how much she says she was wrong she still refuses to even consider the possibility of breaking the spell. the most disgusting thing about her is when she sees him again she doesn't apologise once, still doesn't reveal the spell can be broken, and just tries to convince him to forgive her coz she still believes she did the right thing and that if she could only persuade him to accept the spell he'll be her son forever. when they have their last confrontation her desperation gets even worse and she tries to salvage the relationship by placating him saying "you have what you want now". right until he dies she so selfishly wants her son that she would rather he spent centuries hating every second of his life than even have the slightest chance of being taken away from her permanently, and after he dies she never acknowledges her mistakes and only lets go of her vengeance because kratos apologised for 'murdering' baldur to stop him from killing her and harming innocent people

[@ajizel13]

In my eyes, freya went from "oh shit...look, it's the boi's new stepmom" To all of a sudden top 3 characters.... super well written...and the fact she's a party member in GOWR...and travels with you???

[@liammitchell2540]

There’s no “moral high ground” for Freya in the first game, the same magic from Odin that stopped her from returning to Vanaheim also prevented her from causing harm to anything in Midgard. It wasn’t a moral superiority, it was essentially pure efficacy, and you see any application of “morals” completely disintegrated the instant she’s actually faced with the weight of her greatest mistake.

[@Jack-Anonymous]

38:51 I think it’s fascinating that Freya’s response to Atreus saying “he saved your life,” (after Baldur has died) is to say “and robbed me of everything.” It’s somewhat poetic, I think, that only after Baldur has died can she understand the agony she put him through. Her action to make Baldur immortal, to “safe his life,” required robbing him of everything that made her life worth it. In some sense, the agony she feels now ,Ay have been mirrored by Baldur.

[@762x69]

This is a pure treat, Freya was my favorite character in the latest duo GOW games :)

[@tony-valentinogaric1051]

That moment when freya cries and replied : He robbed me of everything... while holding Baldur's dead body. Dang the voice actress and the moment pierces my heart every goddamn time...

[@gamer2101]

The voice actress was fantastic. She definitely gave it her all. You can hear her pain.

[@TheGamingHoe]

The way Baldur says "Snow" before dying is so unbelievably tragic it's masterful.

[@scorpiwater]

These are essays of the likes of which you would need to pay to even get a glimpse of it, and you are making an entire catalog of which I have learned a lot from and am very inspired by. Thank you so much

[@thundercrash4775]

There is a set of travel lines in Ragnarok, where Freya does say that when Baldur was a child, he had adored his father, and that she had been his confidante when he was frustrated about not being able to please Odin. I think she also says that there were a lot of similarities between Baldur and Atreus when he was Atreus's age.

[@xgaming2427]

18:51 God damn Christopher Judge did a great job as Kratos in this scene. This is why I think the voice acting in this game is way better than in Ragnarok.

[@Flash-oi1jg]

Something crazy too is the fact that the speech Baldur has to Freya about the time he spent thinking about what he would say is almost equal to the speech Freya had to Odin in GOW Ragnarok, GOW has such insane writing.

[@FeedMeSalt]

The voice acting for Kratos is world class man. Hearing him almost cry for Freya's help with his son. "Woman do you hear me" That line cut my heart apart. "Will you help me" Making these lines sound so painful but so masculine at the same time is incredible. He's literally begging a god for help. One of the best character arcs across a franchise ever.

[@oneofthoseyoutubeusers]

her voice actor did such an amazing job, both in 2018 and in ragnarock that line 'You are just an animal!' god, that shit hurts

[@omnitvz]

Off screen "NOOO" will always crack me up

[@TheKeyblader133]

While I've generally understood the narrative around these themes, even understood Freya's motivations, I honestly think I wasn't seeing the forest for the trees -as i possibly butcher that expression- You have an incredible knack for really dissecting these stories, picking them apart and showing off all their nuances and depth. I honestly don't think I've watched any of your god of war videos specifically without coming away with it with an appreciation for something I'd never considered deeply, even if I saw it. I'm very much looking forward to part 2 of this, but this was a very well written dive into 2018's side of Freya's story.

[@il-memejiz-zghir5783]

About the part where you said we didnt get any lines where Freya says what she thinks about baldur, we do get a small line in Ragnarök where she says, "I know Bladur wasnt perfect but he was mine." This is said when Kratos is helping Freya break the curse, before he goes on to tell Freya about Calliope. Thought this might help. Great vid btw!

[@evgeniptolemy5570]

There is another snippet where Freya and Kratos see the remains of Baldur's dragon. Kratos describes what happened when Baldur kidnapped Atreus and what Kratos had to do to get him back. Freya then remarks something along the lines of "I can't believe the things he (Baldur) did to you..." (Or something along those lines). It's a small detail but I think it speaks to how Freya was becoming more disillusioned about what kind of person Baldur had become.

[@MyKingofdiamonds]

I find it interesting that Freya wants Baldur to forgive her, but she doesn’t actually show any remorse for the things she wants him to forgive her for. It’s just another “sacrifice” she’s making for Baldur.

[@GrimmSpector]

Christopher Judges performance just gets me everytime.

[@tatato1345]

She's my favourite, her entire plot line is a continued tragedy, in the next game she doesn't even get to have her brother, how much loss can one person endure?

[@doncheadlegaming7521]

Freya was my favorite supporting character of the series. Every move, every word she says and hesitation is purposeful and realistic and says so much about her and her feelings.

[@Kenny0136]

Freya's writing and tragedy was the main reason i thought GoW4 was such an absolute masterpiece of a story. I could not describe how worried i was in Rangarok that she would never grow past her hatred for Kratos or worse yet that they would just have her killed off instead of offering her character even more growth. It's crazy to me how (imo) between two games her character gets nearly as much growth and development as Kratos does throughout the entire series.

[@Darthmufin]

Freya does mention Baldur in Ragnorok, i remember one boat talk where she mentions that Baldur was much like Atreus when he was younger, mostly talking about how he adored his father. Thus we can probably infer that she sees some of Baldur in him, and that may have made her want to protect him more than she otherwise would have.

[@Haydn2020]

In Ragnarok, she does acknowledge that Baldur was flawed but she loved him all the same. And there was some dialog saying that when younger Baldur always seemed the approval of his father Odin

[@peterw7263]

When Kratos stepped in and killed Baldor and robbed Freya from her choice to die not only was is what Freya did to Baldor, but also what the Greek Gods did to Kratos. They stole his release from his pain and suffering when he threw himself off the mountain at the end of the first game and they wouldn't permit him to die (at least like that). Which is just another thing that sent Freya over the edge. Kratos stole her release. I just love the writing of the God of War franchise. The circular narrative. Gods killing their parents. What Kratos did to Freya here was actually what the Greek Gods did to him. All the while trying to break the cycle. You'll always be a monster. The cycle ends here ...the changing of ones nature. To be better. Write your own destiny. I love it. Thanks for the awesome video. Can't wait to continue with part 2

[@Avery-jl8gy]

Actually during Ragnarok when they are on a side quest to break Freya's connections to Asgard and more specifically Odin. She asked Mimir if he knew why she left the day she did? To which he replied he had only a hunch. She explained that Odin asked for the secret of the invulnerability spell that she had cast on Baldur. She had said that "Seeing How It Drove Our Son Into Madness, I Refused Him" indicated to me that yes she had known just how damaging that spell really was for Baldur emotionally. This indicates that she also knew how the hatred was already beginning to consume him at that point.

[@sfturbo]

Good job. You have made the 2 games even much more a masterpiece than they are already

[@sayo2409]

This game has some fucking incredible side characters.

[@hammylove821]

I can already tell this is gonna be GOAT. I have already gobbled up your other GOW videos and your stuff is superb. Thank you for the hard work! Have a great week!

[@iagoantonelli1151]

When she says "He robbed me of everything" I interpreted it as her seeing baldur as the only good thing that came from her marriage to Odin, from her having to leave her home, from being trapped in Midgard. He was everything to her.

[@Darkinu2]

Looking forward to part 2. The sheer urgency in Kratos voice when he's begging for Freyas help just sells Judge's performance. Even if you're not a Dad you feel like one in this scene.

[@templebeast1324]

For me her actions are completely logical for a mother, but to extreme. A true mother will do anything for their children.

[@gaelofariandel6747]

19:00 easily one of my top 5 favorite Freya moments. I love her depth, loving nature, sense of respect, the fact that even when she's completely enraged the better parts of her can still reach the surface--but above all: the sass.

[@itswindle1580]

Freya is an exceptionally well written character.

[@elricmon2099]

I'm addicted to your GoW character analysis essays. It just shows how deep and complex the writing and characters are. Keep up the great content, can wait for part 2!

[@ItsameArtic]

Idk why but I kinda feel a dynamic like this irl, a overprotective mother doing something unjust just to protect their kid and not realizing until way later, my brother being the victim of the mother and now he resents her

[@ByteReview]

Please never stop making these vidoes

[@rustyAF]

I love Freya. Her story and performance by Danielle are truly magnificent. Long live the Vanir Goddess 🪴

[@Rayziyun]

Awesome video! Freya is probably my favorite character in these games, And in Ragnarok the conversations between her an Kratos were my favorite story sections. This video does her absolute justice and I can't wait for more.

[@thepump123]

I just realized that at 20:47 Freya said to Kratos "No need to explain. Not to me. Not for that" is the SAME thing Kratos said to Freya in Ragnarok!!! Did anyone else notice??

[@ysgramornorris2452]

My mother needs to watch a let's play of God of War. She has exactly the same mentality as Freya, albeit to a lesser extent. And that has caused me some issues in life, just like Baldur. Albeit to a lesser extent.

[@bli2z4rd]

I really really wished that you would do a video essay about Baldur and his motivations, even though we know so little about him. Just that he's a vengeful violent prick, but one thing really caught my attention while watching this video. The reason why Baldur was so angry through the whole game is because of the protection spell Freya cast on him, the reason why he couldn't feel any pleasure. But the moment he realizes he's vulnerable again, he rejoices briefly and then turns against Kratos almost immediately. I mean, why? I understand he couldn't forgive Freya after all those years but why still hunt Kratos after getting what he truly whished for, to be free from the spell? Was it really just to follow Odin's orders? He doesn't look like the most reliable and loyal soldier... Anyway I really wanted to understand why he was still so mad towards Kratos and Atreus, who he just met, even after getting his magical release.

[@DLxxx]

I think his reasoning is said during the battle itself. He wanted to feel real pain, and the rush of a battle where he actually had something to lose. One of the frequently repeated ideas surrounding the Aesir in these games is that "dying is what we live for." Living a fulfilling life and dying a glorious death are the ultimate goals of their people, so Baldur, simply put, wanted to enjoy himself. Fighting only made him happy in the end.

[@ayezz2811]

To add on to the first reply, baldur is really sick of Kratos at this point anyway. Kratos has been a pain in his ass the whole story and I think that contributes as well as his wish for a real battle

[@Kaijugan]

Hey, will you do a video on Surtur? Because I think he'd be an interesting character to look into because he kinda represents two things that I find kinda cool: 1. A positive representation of what love between two people can be. And 2. An example of a GoW character who actually acts his age.

[@morikules5408]

Ragnarök made GOW my favourite franchise of all time by far, especially the norse sage and i have to say your character essays elevate this even more. For me the analysis of Odin and Sindri were the most impressive, but this was of freya is also 10/10

[@Maethendias]

i love how baldurs death was LITEARLLY an ironic mirroring of how freya was "saving his life" against his will

[@warriorfire8103]

I'm felt pity for Baldur. With a father like Odin and the spell... I don't think people understand how connected we are to our body. Not feeling anything meant he was completely isolated and incapable of sharing the human experience. I don't think it'd have been out of place if they further emphasized or exaggerated how insane her spell made him.

[@ajizel13]

Freya is also the 1 person, I'd say, that had kratos try to fix a mess up... We all know how he destroys things, and just leaves..kills ppl, and just goes about his business... This is the first time, I'd say, he actually had to go and fix a problem he made..

[@noveculent]

Love this double essay on Freya and baldur

[@pro0055]

Can we just take a moment to appreciate the voice acting in this scene? You could hear the fear and desperation in kratos's voice as his son lay sick in his arms

[@seancharran3332]

It’s not often I’m impressed how how articulate, and eloquent a youtuber is able to analyze complicated characters, but this man should be an inspiration to the rest of em. From your music choices, tempo of the video, tone of voice, and your interesting perspectives, the video is damn near educational for ppl trying to emulate an entertaining video essay. I’ve seen a few vids now, and you’ve been consistently reliable in terms of quality. Hope you get a million more subs, keep up the great work.

[@sidkoneswaran9648]

freya also acknowledges what bauldr did to kratos and Atreus when you come across his dragon that kratos brought down in Ragnarök

[@IAmTheOnlyLucas]

Santa Monica Studio's outstanding progress in character writing ability since Kratos' Greece days is embodied in Freya between the two games.

[@289mexican]

This guy deserves so much more praise for his breakdowns and essays. Amazingly put my man!!!!

[@merriichin]

Beautiful!!!! She’s my favorite character, thank you for doing her justice!!!!

[@bobbyperlongo4360]

You’re a master at dissecting these characters layer by layer. It’s really impressive bro.

[@j-the-jolteon8351]

You just made me understand Freya even more as a character. Keep up the great summery videos man! I'm excited see part 2 of this someday

[@Somegoy]

I genuinely think that Balder was turning to thank atreus and Kratos for freeing him from her spell. If she hadn't interfered they may have parted ways and he would've lived. She learned the same lesson that Odin did about trying to change fate

[@Uncle_Tijikun]

Another gem of a video. You captured the essence of Freya wonderfully. Looking forward to part 2

[@NicholasStewart-ww2ze]

Also, some people don't realize why Baldur was like "no no no no no no no" after being smacked by Kratos. It's because he thought Kratos could cause him pain, but he was wrong. He still wanted the fight, because he at least feels joy in fighting.

[@hallwaerd]

I literally just watched your video on Baldur and saw his death scene already… but for some reason in this video it made me burst out crying in the middle of making myself some tuna salad. Freya really is such a well written character, and both her and Baldur’s voice actors gave such phenomenal performances.

[@edgara3213]

Love your videos and your thoughts on the games, pretty concise and well thought out. Keep up the good work dude!

[@annointedbytalos5673]

Her vengeance begins with somewhat the same motivation that Odin says in his breakdown. "What was it all for?" She would shoulder any pain and burden no matter what as long as her son is stil living she couldn't see or understand his pain, but she sacrificed her old and new family plus their respective realms and her freedom. All of that being taken away is some serious sunk cost for her so in her mind it's similar to "why would you do that? What was it all for"?

[@dinodonny2010]

I was waiting for the deep dive into Freya"s arc/character. Fantastic job as always. Can't wait for part two.

[@fingerboxes]

She probably didn't spend enough time with Baldur to get to know him as a person. She just had this idealized image of him as a baby and that's pretty close to all the time with him that she can remember, so to her that's still who he is. The time he's spent apart from her where he's been growing and changing is outside of her knowledge base and therefore outside of her perception of him.

[@kwhite_27]

"He wasn't perfect but he was mine."

[@naamloos1031]

i have an abiity to easily understand a character within my first playthrough or watchthrough of a show, game or movie. to see people agree with what i think makes me smile because it makes me feel like i get at least something right.

[@OrCarmi]

The work, care and dedication you put into these videos, compliment the amazing experience that is this game tremendously. Thank you for doing this

[@josiahstallings359]

This guy makes every character so much better!!!!

[@crisis8425]

Good sir, you are swiftly becoming one of my favourite videogame essayists on this site. Keep up your good work, I look forward to more from you.

[@brandonhaag52]

I absolutely am in love with this series!

[@randomguy3080]

Freya is an amazing character cause she is a strong female character both in the physical sense but also because she is not afraid to be motherly and effeminate, she’s awesome, she’s complex, she’s good and bad she’s…… she more human that most human characters

[@HishamA.N_Comicbroe]

Woah a massive analysis on Freya 😳? I'm hyped.

[@user-mu8dm4rk7g]

Analysis of every inch of her character, alright

[@kurzor0007]

You did miss that Freya acknowledges Baldur's flaws as a person, it was during God of War Ragnarok in Vanaheim: in the conversation where she is annoyed that everyone tries to comfort her and confronts Kratos as to whether HE knows anything about her pain (losing a child), only for him to reveal that he once had a daughter

[@marcosoulo8407]

20 minutes in it sounded like you were wrapping up the video so I got sad and checked the time. Saw that I was only halfway through and I immediately was overcome with joy. And this is just PART ONE!!! THANK YOU!

[@versversa8083]

the most empathic people go the craziest, because they have so much compassion they can’t comprehend how someone could be such a monster in terms of understanding other people’s needs...plus they feel most wronged when life takes a shit on their way of living...that’s why freya and sindri go the craziest transition and it makes complete sense

[@vashantiwoodley]

Bro, your videos have become something I look forward to. Keep up the great work! 💙