Mimir: Intelligence Versus Wisdom

[@bigboop9026]

I think the reason Mimir doesn't seem flawed is because of his 109 winter capture. The amount of time he's had to reflect on his decisions, especially those terrible ones, to truly make him not only the smartest, but the wisest man alive.

[@JohnWilliams-wl9px]

Exactly

[@matti.8465]

Yeah, even if Mimir did terrible things, hasn't he suffered enough?

[@SSJ2Phenom]

Plus he's a damn head. Yea, I'd say he's paid his debt to society.

[@Techhunter_Talon]

@@matti.8465 He does more than allude to the fact that he feels that has suffered enough when he tells Kratos what he had been through... and implying that he doesn't care too much if they aren't able to reanimate his severed head because either way he'd be free from his torment.

[@coletrain41]

@@matti.8465 "Ah, but who is worthy enough to judge" - Mimir I see what you mean though. It certainly is a conundrum with Mimir. On one hand, he suffered terribly for a whole century at the hands of Odin. On the other hand, the the atrocities he had a hand in setting in motion would echo into the present times and simply cant be forgiven so easily. The Gudrun illusion said it the best. He may have felt a measure of guilt, but he didnt truly care until he himself suffered.

[@wesleycolvin7158]

In defense of Mimir's 'perfection', someone told me a while back that 'Wisdom comes from experience, experience comes from making a lot of stupid decisions'. This is often where compassion comes from. The man worked for Odin, basically ruined Freya's life (Mimir, you never told us why Freya spit in your face) with her marriage to Odin (including all the curses he cast on Freya), turned the dwarves into slaves (whom he was trying to help), tried to contain Odin's increasing madness. His greatest mistake may have been growing a conscience while working for Odin. Odin even refers to him as a 'silver tongued little shit'. He's not perfect, he's experienced. He says everything RIGHT, because of everything he learned from what he did WRONG. Many of us know someone exactly like this. They try to set us on the RIGHT path because they've already been on the WRONG path. The only difference in the writing of his character in Ragnarok is that players are seeing Mimir's mistakes first hand. Showing the player what he did wrong rather than just telling them about it. The mistakes he recounts in the first game are backstory, so they're easier to overlook.

[@semipork]

Perfect break down of his character

[@werwolfnate]

Another thing about his portrayal in GOW 2018 is that he wasn't a focus of the story and more a source of information and perspective to the setting to compliment the story of father and son, he functionally lost all agency the moment his head came off. Not going into flaws because your time is better used elsewhere isn't the same as making a character "perfect". Ragnorok is almost exclusively about acknowledging your flaws not merely in service of fixing what is broken (as you often find that to be impossible), but to move past them. Going into Mimirs flaws there makes more sense as that's a theme the whole ensemble has.

[@alexnistor2836]

Another source of wisdom is books, not as good as the first one to some people, but even more helpfull if you understand some things about them. :)

[@kevlar2037]

Experience does not lead to Wisdom. Reflection leads to Wisdom. Experience only counts with what you do with it

[@wesleycolvin7158]

@@kevlar2037 Mimir spent a bit over a century doing exactly that. That's plenty of time to learn from your mistakes and come up with better solutions and advice.

[@Xehanort10]

I like how Mimir is a character who happens to be funny and not just comic relief there to be funny.

[@samuraitadpole5459]

I thought he was comic relief but honestly I always wondered why I liked him

[@anyderrosek5143]

Comedy is a Character's Trait, not its Core

[@geox8485]

@@samuraitadpole5459 I’d say the dwarfs are more comic relief as they’re mostly there just to be silly and goofy with sometimes serious moments whereas Mimir is a more deep character with so much lore tied to the games just with comedic moments.

[@gmalamat1393]

Well said

[@anjaneyasreetrout2444]

@@geox8485 Correction: The dwarves are also very well developed characters who have helped Kratos and Atreus out on multiple occasions. (They are not just there for the sake of humor) Without their help our protagonists wouldn't have made it this far.

[@Laxhoop]

I’ll be honest, not having Mimir in the next game when Kratos inevitably moves to a new mythology is my biggest fear, as of now.

[@robertkovarna8294]

Everyone loves Mimir.

[@zipperman1063]

Yeah, but that seems extremely unlikely. He’s the fourth wall breaking character that gives you spoiler warning in some of the advertisements and narrated the entire GOW4 audiobook. He’s coming with us.

[@Freshwitdaposites18]

I think the likelihood of Kratos not taking Mimir with him wherever he goes next is slim. Kratos reaching the point of calling anyone “brother” is a huge leap. He’s Kratos’ Brother and closest counselor. I think it would be cool to see Mimir out of his element in a new mythological setting would be cool. Seeing him piece stuff together and think on the fly with little prior knowledge would be cool. And Mimir loves adventuring it seems. I do think the next game Kratos will be featured less prevalent though. I think Atreus and Kratos will have an even split of story focus and I hope Atreus will find his own talking companion in the next one

[@jeanfranco8272]

I think the next game would be about Atreus, Angrboda(and Fenrir). But yeah, Kratos, Freya and Mimir will still adventure together(if they would have a game)

[@superfox8519]

@@Freshwitdaposites18 kratos doesn't even call his brother brothe

[@tybailey2105]

I also enjoy this spin on the myth. In the myth, Mimir is a head floating in a well below a tree. Now he’s a head severed from a tree. Brilliant spin on the myths

[@steviesavagegs8791]

In the myth he wasn't a severed head until after he met odin and was killed by the vanir when he was their hostage, then he was revived and carried by odin around his waist just like kratos does in game

[@blutarchmann9070]

I remember in GoW 2018, Mimir tells a story about him leading Odin to a well of wisdom. Except, the well had hallucinogenic shrooms growing around it, so the water was... well Odin still had both his eyes and tried to gouge them out while hallucinating. That's when Odin hired Mimir, but only to not have Mimir against him.

[@tybailey2105]

@@blutarchmann9070 which makes me wonder about Ragnarok (spoilers if you still haven’t played yet)….. when Odin says he lost his eye looking into the rift. Was it a lie or did the writers mess up? But seem possible in my mind

[@VeraVemaVena]

@@tybailey2105 Odin probably meant that it was too bright. I'm willing to bet Odin got so high he couldn't remember gouging it out, so he just thought the rift did it. It probably is just an oversight, but it's a funny little theory.

[@tybailey2105]

@@VeraVemaVena I had thought that too, but I think I’m the first game Mimir mentioned that Odin took his eye as a form of payback, meaning his remembered it all too well. It probably was an oversight from the writer’s end, but I always enjoy some talk about head cannon theories

[@eddsworldlover]

Part of what makes Mimir so good is the way it never sounds like someone reading a script but genuinely an old man telling the kids stories about his youth and giving them advice. Shout out to Alistair Duncan for some of the best VA work I’ve seen in a long time

[@inyourgranmaass3605]

👍👍

[@CUSELİSFAN]

I hope the voice actors made a lot of money from the game. They deserve it. 😉

[@piyo744]

Fun fact: Alastair Duncan also voiced Senator Steven motherfucking Armstrong.

[@theholyketchup6445]

​@@piyo744NANOMACHINES, SON!

[@sentientmustache8360]

@@theholyketchup6445BIFRÖST BOY!

[@armashuvitz]

109 years of torture and Mimir still keeps his cheerful attitude and outlook on life. A real one.

[@spencergeorge4077]

You'd be happy too after being freed from 109 years of torture! That man probably is having the time of his life

[@kevinbissinger]

Almost anybody you see with a high level of humor and joy came from an awful awful past.

[@eragonbromsson1122]

@@kevinbissinger Very true, but no always. An awful past can either make you that or the total opposite. Same with morality. It either make you a very good person or a very bad one.

[@nygeek6471]

Because he knows what he’s done to others

[@marcussabom2696]

Not necessarily, often the smartest people are the funniest, but they're also in the most pain.

[@matti.8465]

I think the reason Kratos goes easy on Mimir when learning of his past is because he understands feeling regret for a horrible thing you can't fix. Mimir clearly felt terrible about it already, no point in holding anything against him. Of course when the whale thing happened Kratos lost his cool for a sec, but understood that what's done is done, and Mimir wants to at least make things better. Kratos isn't a hypocrite.

[@Grz349]

It may also be because he never hid what he was like in the past, he was open about how and why he changed

[@Aazel]

Kratos is also very empathetic and compassionate towards people or beasts who have been tortured, enslaved or captured. It's specially shown in ragnarok, but that feeling is always there

[@socriabbas454]

I'm sorry to break it to you but Kratos is a hypocrite and the biggest one but Kratos knows this very well which is why he hates himself more than he hates the gods.

[@jeanfranco8272]

@@socriabbas454 yeah, sometimes his spartan upbringing plus his humanity contradict each other. That's why GOWR shows how the growth Atreus became his stepping stone for character development as well. "Open your heart to their suffering.". Full circle.

[@MASHo1992]

The issue with the whale is that, unlike the mining rigs, Mimir didn't do it out of good-will. Mimir enslaved the dwarves to save them from an unwinnable war but he also enslaved the whale just to gift Odin a big supply of lantern oil.

[@SnakeMan448]

I like that part where Kratos and Mimir first meet. Mimir introduces himself as the smartest man alive and brags that he can answer Kratos' every question, only for Kratos to immediately stump him by asking why Baulder is hunting him and Atreus. It's still demonstration of Mimir's intelligence, as he openly admits he doesn't know, that he's gaps in his knowledge, but is ready to work it out.

[@k4mpoeng]

bro look dumbfounded back then xD Mimir was like "Ayo whah? Baldur is chasing ur ass?"

[@domthe5260]

“I know that I know not”-some Latin man. Edit: Some Greek man.

[@Nguyenngocquocbao5]

​​@@domthe5260 "The fools think himself to be wise, but a wise man knows himself to be a fool" William Shakespeare.

[@hopelesssituationwarrior6996]

​@@domthe5260i think it was a Greek man

[@domthe5260]

@@hopelesssituationwarrior6996 really? Huh. Sorry. I heard it pronounced by a Slav, so it sounded… odd.

[@BlackOctoberFox]

I think that Mimir being "perfect" in the first game makes narrative sense. Mimir has been trapped in that tree for over 100 years. None can free him, or kill him for fear of Odin's wrath. Then, all of a sudden, along comes a foreign God and his son and having no alternatives, he convinces them to kill him. Which is, ironically, a selfish request considering he knows what the consequences could be for both Kratos and his son.

[@socriabbas454]

It is a selfish request and at the same time it's not. He truly wish to help.both Atreus and Kratos on their journey and at the same time he also wants to be free from being torment. So it's a win-win situation, Kratos frees Mimir and Mimir helps the two getting to their destination as their guide.

[@Yougotcaged102]

I wouldn't call requesting to be killed knowing there is a chance you won't come back "selfish" necessarily. Sure, it was preferable to his current circumstances, but even then "selfish" isn't the word I'd use to describe such a request

[@Lucas-wl4hd]

@@Yougotcaged102 they're saying its selfish because he knows odin might go after them if kratos and atreus frees him.

[@werwolfnate]

@@Lucas-wl4hd Krato's literal first question to him is basically "Why is Odin after us" feels like the ship has sailed for not being on Odins hit list.

[@nickchavez720]

@werwolfnate as soon as he finds out from atreus who Baldur is, he knows he was already being targeted. Not killing Mimir wouldn't change that. But having Odins old adviser on hand would be very useful.

[@xelu8960]

I never felt like Mimir lacked flaw in his first game. When getting to know him through his short stories, the company he kept spoke volumes about his past. Ragnarok just gave us his greatest shame.

[@padenal6069]

Same. You can tell alot about a person by the company they keep. Ragnarok just confirmed everything i had assumed.

[@RickyUzumaki993]

Amen to that

[@yakupo2207]

what was his greatest shame?

[@izeathenoellemain2733]

@@yakupo2207spoiler He captured a giant whale-like creature that he gave to Odin to harvest its fat to make lanterns which was chained in place in svarfieheim which has been their since it was captured

[@KEN117MC]

@@izeathenoellemain2733dont think you gotta spoiler tag it when the video has the scenes you spoiler tagged.

[@jeanfranco8272]

"You're wiser than the first time we've met, brother" "I've had good counsel since then, brother." Solid Sigma Bromance.

[@holliswilliams8426]

in certain cultures the words brother and sister are used very loosely without any ''bromance'' being implied, in Middle Eastern cultures for example

[@jeanfranco8272]

@@holliswilliams8426 oh ok yep. I was just emphasizing how their relationship make each other wiser and better.

[@Dawknesh]

@@holliswilliams8426 figuratively, metaphorically, not literally.

[@user-bv5kx3jb5n]

I was pleasantly surprised when I saw how close mimir and kratos had become, but I guess it makes sense considering they're quite literally attached at the hip most of the time lmao

[@CJ-je4hd]

@@user-bv5kx3jb5n Literally attached at the hip!

[@YayaFeiLong]

24:21 To be fair, Mimir was also trying to "create compromise and peace" when he came up with the deal with the Dwarves. The only options Odin would have allowed for the Dwarves were slavery or extinction, and Mimir believed that the former was the lesser of two evils. It wouldn't be until his own imprisonment that Mimir learned that death might be preferable to enslavement... I don't think that Kratos "let him off easy" either. You offhandedly mentioned that Mimir could have helped the Dwarves resist Odin, but given the might of the Aesir I don't think that could have ended any way other than the Dwarves' extinction, and as their smartest advisor Mimir would have known that. Meanwhile, Kratos is a lot more critical of Mimir during the captured whale sidequest because unlike the deal with the Dwarves, there weren't any good intentions at all on Mimir's part -- he had merely wanted to impress Odin with it.

[@datniggafloppy9822]

Well said

[@Firstsurugi]

Honestly, Mimir knew the story of Hrimthur, a giant who gave everything to ensure that the 9 realms and Surtr stood a chance at Ragnarok. What I'm saying is he could have counseled the dwarves to subvert Odin without open warfare. Sure, a couple of dwarves tried to sabotage the armor the Einherjar wore, but that would have just taught them to be more subtle about things.

[@Tuturial464]

It’s a little way too unfair either way.

[@Yougotcaged102]

Agreed. I don't think it's quite so simple as "he could have helped the Dwarves"

[@thepublicpotato3887]

You can’t really blame him he was given an impossible problem as kratos said enslavement or death and in the end it paid off as Odin reign ended and now the dwarves are free also because of sigrun he wanted to make the nine realms a better place so it was in good intention it was only the lyngbakr that was used to impress Odin

[@Riku_nkmr]

I've always wondered why I was OK listening to Mimir which is one of the most overt example of "telling, not showing", but get bored on long stretches of even visual "classroom exposition" even with fancy visuals. So it was because it felt like listening to a good storyteller irl. Them boat rides feel like you're with them listening along.

[@Fizzbizz]

the boat rides are a genuine joy because Mimir is such a good storyteller

[@holliswilliams8426]

btw Mimir's voice actor does the audio book reading of the GoW novels

[@Satherian]

Imagine the alternative - quiet boat rides with no talking. It would be much more boring and the travel would be seen as, well, travel. Just a waste of time to get from Point A to Point B. With Mimir, travel becomes storytime. You're not only getting from Point A to Point B, but getting interesting fables and lore at the same time. It's like reading a book while in the car!

[@Riku_nkmr]

@@Satherian that's pretty much what I hate open world games in general: the long stretches of *just* travel, when you could be learning about plot or polishing your combat skills instead.

[@redcoldedlava9937]

@@Riku_nkmr the fact that the creators of gow4 realized this flaw and implemented it in an "immersive" "story-based" game. is why i wish i had enough money to buy both game and play it on my own.

[@junkyporpoise4254]

I did really like how genuinely angry Kratos is with Mimir with the Lyngbakr, especially when he says “oil…for lanterns” you can hear the anger in his voice after finding out what an insignificant reason the creature was bound for.

[@thatkidwiththehoodie]

“Head, if I may indulge in hypocrisy this one time… the fuck did you do that for?”

[@JamesWillmus]

Mimir's introduction was perfect. Bold claims, and Kratos shuts him down with one of the few questions Mimir hadn't considered. Right then you knew they would become friends.

[@megabyte01]

It's a perfect introduction for just about any character. It establishes who Mimir is and what his relationship will be with Kratos and Atreus. He is smart and knowledgeable, but not omniscient or arrogant. He knows about their godhood, but that Kratos has been keeping it a secret from his son. He also knows what he wants - freedom to live without torture - and how to make himself truly useful to the people who gan grant him that. Finally, he knows that Kratos needs to tell his son the truth

[@3ftninja132]

Big props to Alastair Duncan. A man who not only voice acted Mimir, but an Elf who Mimir would see as akin to Odin... Shadow of Mordor/War's Celebrimbor.

[@anjaneyasreetrout2444]

He also gave us one of the greatest meme characters in video game history: **Senator Armstrong**

[@Qtoki12]

@@anjaneyasreetrout2444 NANO MACHINE SON

[@Korricat]

Smartest Man Alive imbued with Nanomachines, Son. Odin wouldn't stand a chance

[@3ftninja132]

@@anjaneyasreetrout2444 I didn't believe you at first, HOLY SHIT!!!!

[@blackjack2526]

@@anjaneyasreetrout2444 WHAT THE FUCK, HE WAS ARMSTRONG?!

[@RonTheAnarchist]

Two things. 1) There's an aspect of subtext to Mimir, that wisdom only comes from making mistakes and remembering them. Having over a hundred years to ruminate on your mistakes brings a clarity that nothing else does. Mimir does his best to do right because he's done so much wrong before. He's not so dissimilar from Kratos, in that sense. 2) Speaking as someone who has read Cat's Cradle, "One of my favorite books is Cat's Cradle" is a terrifying statement. It's one of the most nihlistic books I've ever read. It's not bad, it's just...it doesn't make you feel good to read it.

[@fatbrett]

I find all of Vonnegut's work, while cynical, deeply empathetic and caring. Things dont work out, but how much his characters want the world to be better and how much the author makes it clear we all deserve a better world is inspiring.

[@aurabender150]

It's also fine to actually like pieces of media that at their core, make you feel awful after experiencing them. Look at BoJack Horseman.

[@Drekromancer]

@@aurabender150 Good take.

[@maxwolf001]

@@aurabender150 W take Great show, hard to digest story, but definitely good lessons can be learned from it

[@GoldnDusty]

@@fatbrettI find this about Slaughterhouse Five too. It’s bleak, but it’s so clearly and enduringly hopeful. There’s the passage recalling what it was like for men to come back from WW2, fairly early in the book, and I feel like that’s a core philosophy of the work that endures throughout the text.

[@owenleal]

I think the reason that Kratos "lets Mimir off easy" is because a) who is Kratos of all people to judge? Kratos has committed all kinds of attrocities and for much less benevolent reasons. Mimir at least wanted to save the dwarves from extinction. b) there is no admonishment that Kratos could give to Mimir that Mimir hasnt already given to himself. He is wracked with guilt already and hasnt tried to justify any aspect of his actions. So what is there to do except offer him comfort and a chance to make things right?

[@Qardo]

The Dwarves were given a choice. Which boiled down to "Be Slaves or Die". Which Mimir put into flowery language to sound less harsh. Yet, the Dwarves CHOSE to be enslaved. Kratos may know what slavery is like. He too made the choice of being a slave to Gods. He made that choice. Even if he seemed to have no choice. He had a choice. He could have just died. Sparta could have fallen. His family still killed or worse captured. Yet, it was a choice and we all know how that played out. While the Lyngbakr was a whole different matter. The creature did not have a choice. That is something Kratos would not go soft on Mimir for. That was slavery he despises. That is why he was so hard on Mimir and yet, did overall see, Mimir was truly sorry and remorseful for his actions of his past self. He made a stupid petty choice for vanity and fake praise. All at the price of an innocent creature's suffering. That is something Mimir will always have to live with...Undead with....uhm...uh...yeah. He has to let the guilt eat him. Even if he freed the creature. The damage was done. Cannot simply change it.

[@aceblaz5502]

Also one more point the video makes- "couldn't Mimir have helped the Dwarves instead of help Odin? The Vanir and Giants survived." ...No. Calling their state "survival" is a stretch. The Vanir lost so many people in a bloody war with the Aesir that they only had a handful of warriors left in Freyr's "army", and the Giants literally had to entomb themselves by putting their souls in those orbs- essentially burying themselves alive and made Jotunheim a ghost realm. They're both practically endangered species. And even then, they COULD fight. The Dwarves seemingly couldn't, at least not on their level, and Odin was apparently more than happy to go on a full on genocide of them- hell, that was his first choice, *Mimir* talked him into trying "diplomacy" at all. And even if Mimir tried to help them directly- which, what could he even do, the most he has is his silver tongue- it was only a matter of time before he got caught, and let's be honest, Mimir wasn't always the "selfless paragon of virtue" like he is now. He DID do the best he could. It's just honestly sad how he couldn't do more.

[@Vanity0666]

Kratos is literally walking off a world scale genocide multiple times over, a little lying and slavery is not below him

[@kiaraw.1436]

I think the thing I love the most about Mimir is how he presents himself, as the "Smartest man alive." In his first minutes of knowing him, he assures Kratos that he knows everything there is to know, yet when he's asked like an oracle or a magic mirror on the wall why Baldur is coming for them, he just doesn't know. Because he's the smartest MAN alive. He's still just human, his knowledge depends on his own experiences and how he interprets them. Compare that to Heimdall, the god that is basically untouchable for being able to "know" everything about anyone, yet he's a miserable asshole who doesn't even realize how brainwashed he is. It's just my interpretation, but I think Mimir is the smartest man because he knows that no man knows everything, and there's no point in trying to know everything.

[@BitrateBilly]

I think its in his title too: Smartest man, not the most knowledgeable. Things he doesnt know nor understand he will quickly decipher and figure out, hes still really damn useful even when he doesnt have a clue wtf is happening.

[@missingdev0948]

There's no one smarter than him, and no one else in his situation would know either.

[@macgyver42563]

@BitrateBilly Unless it's olives.... or simple jokes.... that turn into heartbreaking punchlines.

[@Iliadic]

well no. Mimir is a "god" of sorts. But he doesn't consider himself more than a man it seems.

[@rdr.erased]

I mean hes a good too, but we know gods are not perfect in this game

[@BasilVasil]

You make a good point about Mimir being perfect, but there are two counter points I want to bring up. First , Mimir has already gone through his character development; he’s earned the right to be perfect because his story ended when he was imprisoned. Second, Mimir’s perfection is countered by the fact he is just a head. He is a perfect soul, but has no way to affect the world himself; he relies on Kratos to do it.

[@danieldevito6380]

Mimir is so great, EVERY time I replay GOW 2018, I won't do even a single side activity until I have him. I B-line it straight towards him, then I start doing other things. I just love having him around.

[@wahm7872]

Easily the goat guide of all game.

[@ChoseDeath]

I'm replaying it currently on GMGOW and I absolutely did the same thing. I WANT Mimir with me, because it just doesn't feel right without him.

[@Achridian]

I think something that wasn’t touched on enough in Mimir’s stories is where they’re placed in the game. They’re not cutscenes nor something you have to hunt down in a menu. He tells them organically as you travel, which is honestly really genius. The game, instead of having to make space to put in that exposition, fills the empty space where you’re otherwise just doing boring movement. Great touch.

[@Shellshock39]

I learned so much about Norse Mythology through Mimir's stories. He's just so captivating to listen to.

[@MASHo1992]

Most stories are twisted to fit the in-game lore so don't take all of them at heart.

[@Yougotcaged102]

@@MASHo1992 Sure, but they do give us an interesting idea on how expansive the real Norse Mythology lore is

[@Memories_in_Chains]

Thank you brother! Many women told me that too! Haha!

[@ntfoperative9432]

Just make sure to take them with a grain of salt, and do your own research. Santa Monica was telling a story first and foremost, the mythology was just the inspiration.

[@dr.edwardrichtofen365]

@@MASHo1992here’s another essay-video on KZbin called “Untangling God of War”. In that video the guy goes into great detail about Norse mythology, how there’s actually very little original source material to go off of because the Vikings rarely/never bothered to document things. He uses the works of scholars (and GoW 2018’s story) to support the claim that Norse Mythology only works because “it is never too late to reinvent the story”, basically, Norse Myth as we know it today might actually not be how it was intended to be told, but it’s the way we know it as thanks to reinterpretation of the stories passed down through the centuries. And that’s exactly what Santa Monica does as well, ironically. They take what we know of Norse myth, and create a universe that is as believable and “authentic” as the source material.

[@luckyowl6432]

For a long time I was sure Mimir was going to be the Big Bad. I don't think that anymore now he's just that favorite uncle most people seem to have 👍

[@SSJ2Phenom]

This!! Exactly this!! My heart would've broken had Mimir been the big bad or Odin in disguise. It would've been a brilliant twist but it would've broken my heart. Just like it's gonna break my heart in the DLC or spin off when we're Atreus (accompanied by Angroboda and Thrud) searching for the Jotnar and Sindri is the main villain. Gonna break my heart indeed to have to put foots in him but what can you do?? 🤷🏾‍♂️🤷🏾‍♂️

[@NoraInu__]

@@SSJ2Phenom well to soothe your heart a bit, the Norse storyline is over. I think Sindri will eventually forgive everyone but he's grieving right now and no matter who you are in times of great stress and emotional turmoil you'll say and do things you don't mean to. Sindri and the others will eventually come to terms even if it takes a couple dozen winters

[@apolloisnotashirt]

@@NoraInu__ not fully over probably, it might still be entangled along with the other pantheons in the next game. If not then sadge, I was hoping to see midgard become a large kingdom worshipping Kratos. Or an adult Atreus.

[@shadows_star]

How could a head be the big bad?

[@luckyowl6432]

@@shadows_star All he needs is a head. He's the smartest man alive, I have no doubt he could have found a way.

[@Ahrpigi]

"There is no making things right. Only better." Life lesson right there.

[@iloveemeralds4622]

mimir in Norse mythology was actually a head. He was a gift hostage to venir and they cut off his head when he didn’t prove satisfactory enough and so Odin revived his head to preserve his wisdom.

[@avo616]

🤓 UHm wELl ackshually 🤓

[@lilricebowl9731]

@@avo616he’s not correcting him he’s just adding the mythological context

[@christiancinnabars1402]

Avo Anyone: *Brings up random mythology trivia* You: "B-brain no work! Grrr! ANGRY!"

[@zafertav7874]

If I remember correctly, Aesir tried to trick Vanir by sending Mimir and Hönir together. It looked like Hönir was giving the advices but it was actually Mimir tells the advices to Hönir. When Vanir uncovers this, they behaded Mimir and sent Mimir’s head to Asgard

[@cthulhu888]

Mimir's sidequests in svartlethiem was some of the best and most memorable moments in the game. When you come back later at the end and find tyr, he says a few lines to mimir that gives him more peace with the whale as he was similarly imprisoned by odin for so long yet even by being freed by kratos was not truly free without sacrifice

[@FatalShotGG]

Lyngbakr

[@General12th]

Lyngbakr

[@DLBBALL]

Lyngbakr 3

[@jcskoog2667]

I think one of the biggest reason why Mimir is so entertaining is that the voice acting done for him is incredible. The tempo of his dialogue along with his wide range of tones and emotions do so much to make him stand out every time he speaks.

[@jstar3382]

Part of what makes Mimir so endearing is the voice actor. Just really good at his job

[@josetomascamposrobledano4618]

Mimir and Kratos seek the same thing. REDEMPTION. That’s why they make the perfect duo.

[@zalitosway8419]

Life is about redemption

[@BountyHunter-ep8jk]

Fun fact: the bard dwarf in the bar is voiced by and physically based off of the games composer Bear Mcreary. Even his name is Bear backwards

[@Weir.721]

You watched the gaming wins video

[@BountyHunter-ep8jk]

@@Weir.721 no I first heard it from some article about God of War Ragnarok Easter Eggs. I have seen his video though.

[@denniscowe3289]

@@Weir.721hoop6822 discovers that people can actually notice things, and doesn’t have to rely on other people to tell them

[@Weir.721]

@@denniscowe3289 no, smartarse. It's just more likely that he did find that out through the video so fuck off

[@denniscowe3289]

@@Weir.721 hoop6822 discovers jokes, doesn’t like them and gets offended. More breaking news at 6

[@marxist-leninist-protagonist]

I love how Mimir is a deconstruction of Kratos's tradition of carrying severed heads.

[@macgyver42563]

@andreluizkruz *cough*Helios*cough*

[@tradingclasses6012]

"Work or Die isn't a choice. I only made it seem so." What an amazingly relevant line to contemporary society.

[@kiratherenegade1561]

Y'know what's better than a smart-ass best mate? A Scottish smart-ass best mate.

[@Weir.721]

SCOTLAAAAAANND FOOOREEEVEEEEER!!!!!!!!!!!

[@MrCat-ck1pz]

I think the voice actor of Mimir did an amazing work, he sounds really enthusiastic and that makes me really invested in everything he says, truly one of the best handling of the lore explaining ever made

[@THEPHARAOH2]

I always love the detail of when mimir speaks to the serpent at 1:04 and at first jormi just looks like "the hell are you talking about"

[@jaccobmarrero6021]

The details in these games are so good. One detail I love is when Mimir's explaining how his bonds can't be broken and Atreus brings out his knife and tries to cut them anyway.

[@J_Squatch]

19:50 The weird instrument mentioned is called a Hurdy Gurdy. It works by spinning a wheel with one hand which rubs across the strings, kinda like a violin or cello. The other hand presses on keys to make the different notes. There are two types of strings: drone strings which don't get pressed by keys and the note keys. Most hurdy-gurdies have multiple drone strings, which give a constant pitch accompaniment to the melody. It is mostly used in Occitan, Aragonese, Cajun French, Asturian, Cantabrian, Galician, Hungarian, and Slavic folk music. It's also called Wheel fiddle, wheel vielle, vielle à roue, zanfona, draailier, ghironda. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurdy-gurdy

[@bareakon]

And the Dwarf playing it is a representation of the composer of the game: Bear McCreary, who uses hurdy gurdies often in his work. His name is even "Bear" backwards.

[@NoDramaAllowed]

Wow​@@bareakon

[@socriabbas454]

It was confirmed by Cory Barlog why Mimir is designed this way. They are aware that they are stepping into a really large mythos and theres no time nor enough resources for them to put all the lore in places. They also thought it would be boring if players just have to traverse the map looking for lores from one place to another so instead they let them have someone else tell it to the players instead. It would be also boring as well to just put the lore in logs since Santa Monica also thought it'll break the immersion if players constantly pausing the game just to read a deep lore.

[@zalitosway8419]

They should do that for the next from soft smh have your fire keeper or whatever tell you what the hell you just picked up so you know what’s going on still love the game though

[@kevinstephenson3531]

@@zalitosway8419from software games are kinda supposed to be vague. Like the same way you have to repeated fight and learn how to beat the bosses you’re supposed to fight to learn anything of the lore.

[@V4Vonnie]

I started listening maybe a couple weeks ago and I'm still in my GOW lore and analysis phase. Love hearing your view as always.

[@garrettkujo26]

The delivery of Atreus when Mimir says they need to cut his head off, always never fails to make me laugh, it's such good acting

[@Dr.Cosmar]

Mimir and Kratos' relationship is truly something special. It genuinely made me happy for him.

[@bulbus7062]

I’d be willing to bet that it wasn’t the first time Mimir had heard Odin’s favorite taunt of Thor, “You’re no fun anymore.”

[@filipvadas7602]

I think the reason Mimir is so likeable, excluding the VA's fantastic performance and equally clever writting, is because Mimir is genuenly trying to be and do better. He was far from a saint and frequently did things purely for his own gain. But even back when he served Odin he had a degree of compassion for others, which ended up being his downfall as Odin used ut to paint it as betrayal; a perfect excuse to punish Mimir for getting one over on him Afterwards tho, he had over a century of torture filled imprisonment to contemplate on the things he could have done differently. Mimir is , to put it plainly, everything Odin presents himself as. He is a font of cunning and knowledge, tempered by age and wisdom.

[@tsuna9774]

Brok and Sindri as I recall have been noted to be exemplary even amongst the dwarves. Not every dwarf is as brilliant as they are

[@BigDexMedia]

If Kratos calls you brother, then you know he has immense respect, love, and dedication to you and you alone.

[@jasonmcleod8914]

32:30 that delivery of it "and I was f***ing excellent at it" is perfect. I burst out laughing the first time, but the sharp balance of pride and resentment can be heard. A part of him as pride in his previous roll and his ability to do it perfectly.. but the resentment is there too. He WAS "f***ing excellent" at it and it lead to all the pain he caused others. So subtle a line, but packed with emotion. 💯

[@SinHurr]

2:35 Nothing has ever been more relatable than immediately pulling *away* from a dock as soon as a new dialogue bit starts running.

[@tristands2372]

23:20 I think that's a good sentiment, but when Mimir made the choice, he was still Odin's advisor, and presumably his friend. At that time his loyalty to Odin would keep him from going behind his back, so he took the choices that Odin gave him, "work or die" and did the best he could to soften them up for the dwarves. He didn't want their extinction, he didn't want their enslavement, and he didn't want to betray his then friend, so he chose the best option he had available

[@bumberquest3031]

I do believe there has been a push for cynicism and hyper-rationality as of today, even outside of the examples you gave. As people grow tired of sugar coating, downplaying relevant issues, and dancing around subject matters, the new role mode of today tend to be the people who are brutally honest and who "Tell it like it is." There is a way to not let our emotions make us irrational while simultaneously preventing our rationale from cutting us off from said emotions. I would like to see more characters like Mimir who are driven by compassion and empathy but are not naive, uneducated, or delusionally idealistic. I know characters who are intelligent and compassionate aren't the most interesting characters, but I think we need less examples of morally bankrupt super geniuses.

[@ach3456]

I'd also argue Mimir is more sincere about "telling it like it is" than his nearly nihilistic contemporaries tend to be. He doesn't sugarcoat his mistakes, he doesn't hide from them with a veneer of cynicism. He regrets them and wants to make them right even when it is patently impossible. To use Rick as a parallel, the series continuously shows how much he hates himself, how he sees his attachment to things as a toxic part of himself and shit, but in the end of the day even Rick has things he sees as going too far, he's just too broken to acknowledge them unless he has to. This is something that I feel should be questioned about excessively cynical hyper-rationality: are things really terrible and/or meaningless or are you unable to think of a solution and therefore afraid you can't give an answer?

[@thatkidwiththehoodie]

I’ve heard that many people who pride themselves on being “brutally honest” seem to value the brutality more than the honesty. “I’m just being honest” has been the excuse for many a shitty thing said. I used to be that guy, so trust me. Honesty without empathy is useless.

[@walterwhite4398]

​@@thatkidwiththehoodie no wonder why I felt they're more aggressive for no reason

[@h3llblaze]

Really interesting video, it's also really interesting that Mimir was Odin's advisor cause in some ways they are pretty similar, they both see the value of knowledge and both are very wise and cunning, the difference is that Mimir ended up having compassion and empathy for others along with guilt over his past mistakes and Odin simply grew more and more in power and just doesn't care about anyone aside himself, they are kinda like two sides of the same coin, Odin is a reflection of what Mimir could've been if he didn't had any feelings whatsoever and only thought logically, that's also why Odin eventually lost, he only used people like pawns, he never had any close connections even with his own children so he had no one to help him on the end, even Thor was done taking orders from him, Mimir bonded with Kratos and Atreus and made them better, his role as an advisor was turned to good instead of evil.

[@Fibbonaccisbane]

The notion that Santa Monica studios cut off Mimir's head just for gameplay is wrong. In the mythology his head hung off of Odin's hip and was often consulted when the All-Father was in need of a secondary opinion. In fact, as far as we know, Mimir is the last person that Odin will talk to before he is killed by Fenrir

[@notyouraveragejoe_]

Dude, I am absolutely loving your dissection and analysis on God of War and its characters.

[@bruno0518]

Mimir makes me rethink the classic saga too. I can't image now games without him. He's the best secondary character in the entire franchise.

[@BlueZangoose_]

I think you forgot a vital interaction to Mimir’s story, and that’s an interaction with Freya where she asks “Do you regret it…” and before she can continue, Mimir says probably. Of course Freya’s talking about becoming a reanimated head but I think Mimir’s immediate reaction of probably is such a deep response, really showing us how much he wishes he could’ve done differently given his time spent in captivity.

[@Christopher_TG]

Of all the side quests in all the video games I've ever played, the story of the lyngbakr will stick with me more than any other. Such a heartbreaking tale of bad decisions, guilt, and consequences. Sometimes the ramifications of your actions are so terrible that nothing you can do will ever make it right. All you can do make things "better than they were" and learn from those mistakes so as to never do it again.

[@rockyroads8802]

I love how Mimir is Puck from the tale of a Midsummer Night's Dream.

[@TheRogueCommand]

I think Mimir is a good example of "I became wise after a lifetime of mistakes to learn from."

[@frankwest5388]

One thing I noticed about Mimir’s introduction is how tense it was at first. Both parties carefully probing each other. It is presented pretty seriously until Mimir drops the “cut of my head” which is when his jokester nature comes to light. You also notice that he clearly has a plan and is selling himself from the start. Offering rare knowledge “every war fought every deal struck” this is what you tell someone when you want to impress them with your value. He also works because in the group dynamic of the stern leader Kratos and the juvenile Arteus, he works as a conversation partner for both and has clear dynamics with both.

[@northernalpine4350]

The best thing i love about mimir's character is that he NEVER felt expository, it actually feels like someone telling you the old tales of the world and how it works! instead of an AI dumping whatever information you may need, mimir FEELS like a person telling you what to do, he FEELS real his exposition doesn't feel flavorless and bland, the way its formated makes it feel like ots from an actual wise old sage giving you advise and knowlage

[@Klucky1Broadcasts]

Fun fact: I’ve been playing Dead Island: Definitive Edition and the person who voices Mimir voices a character in one of the quests later in the game! If you make it to the police station, there is a side quest available later where you can hear Alastair Duncan (Mimir’s voice actor) reacting to part of the mission!

[@lskulski]

I don’t know why, but I love the choice the game made on making Mimir also Robin Goodfellow, aka Puck. It’s such a radically different type of character that it shows how far traveled and how developed Mimir has become since leaving the British isles.

[@mojo_joju]

Mimir reminds me of Brook from One Piece. He’s died once, came back, learned from his mistakes over an eternity of unrelenting torment, and now he’s all the wiser and more meaningful for it. He’s also missing much of his body, but you still love him

[@TheGreatAndMightyGoBo]

I think this is the second video I've watched him yours, and I absolutely love this channel not only is your voice extremely soothing but the information you provide in the outlook on it is extremely interesting and refreshing

[@themedic7933]

As someone who has played hundreds of hours of death stranding and considers it to be one of his favourite games of all time. You are absolutely justified in saying the lore exposition is bad. Because it’s bad, it’s really bad. I’m pretty sure there’s actually half an hour of cutscenes before the actual gameplay starts.

[@TimaeusEXE]

I mean the real Mimir has a similar purpose. In a exchange of individuals to cease the war between the Vanir and Aesir Mimir was sent to the Vanir. I can't remember specifically what happened but the Vanir decapitated Mimir and Odin valuing his wisdom resurrected his head so Odin will still have him and his wisdom around.

[@steviesavagegs8791]

The Vanir sent 2 of their best gods and the Aesir only sent Mimir and a god named Honir, the Vanir thought it disrespectful that they only got 1 powerful god in the exchange for 2 and they for some reason killed the powerful god they received instead of Honir

[@darthplagueis13]

To my knowledge Hönir was sent to the Vanir with recommendations of being a great leader with Mimir coming along as an advisor, so they made Hönir their chief. But the Vanir soon noticed that he basically did nothing out of his own initiative and only ever acted on Mimirs advice. Enraged by the fact that they were sold a puppet as a leader and his advisor as the puppeteer, they beheaded Mimir and sent his head back to Odin. It's not very clear why they choose to behead Mimir when Hönir is clearly the one being useless or what even exactly happened to Hönir from this point onwards (he only shows up much later again, after Ragnarök).

[@Andrei-sm3er]

@@steviesavagegs8791 Who did the Vanir send?

[@igotnopatience1717]

@@Andrei-sm3er freya and freyr

[@Andrei-sm3er]

@@igotnopatience1717 thanks

[@mystermothman3092]

27:10 "Oil. For *lanterns.* " I love how laconically bitter, disgusted, and almost mocking that Kratos sounds here. Such a petty reason to enslave and torture an innocent creature, I could only imagine Odin enjoying such a thing being done.

[@distane8376]

Dude trying to become the VaatiVidya for God of War. I am here for it.

[@samuraitadpole5459]

Honestly it's like a video game lore college, pick your classes

[@msj201]

Vati lore is more similar to destiny and halo lore videos. This channel is more similar to film retrospectives bc it goes into writing, story and characters and not just lore

[@buffoonustroglodytus4688]

Vaati uses the souls series vague lore to create more paletable stories for those who would not bother to piece together the story themselves. This video is a character breakdown and thematic analysis of a story. They are widely different. Honestly I have no idea how someone could sit through this video and conclude «this is just like vaatividya hurr durr.» I get the feeling you didn’t actually listen to a damn thing that was said.

[@coreyjones9183]

Honestly I think Mimir is the VaatiVidya for God of War.

[@distane8376]

@@buffoonustroglodytus4688 relax i just meant "in depth analysis with a smooth sounding voice."

[@tnr2217]

"I'd like to climb a tree again. Certain ships have sailed." I felt that

[@pixelgoat7317]

The sounds of the sped-up Death Stranding cutscenes embodies Death Stranding perfectly

[@the_furry_inside_your_walls639]

The "weird instrument" the dwarf in svartalfheim is playing is the hurdy-gurdy. It's a stringed instrument that produces a droning sound via a crank. Also, that dwarf is the self insert of Bear McCreary, the composer of the soundtracks in GoW 4 and GoW Ragnarök.

[@emIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII]

Looks like a harp and a quitar

[@emIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII]

Guitar*

[@emIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII]

_👍_

[@goopguy548]

You know, Mimir's voice is incrediblely ageless

[@mr.figgles]

This video came to me at a good time, I think. Wisdom has always been a bit of a wispy ideal to me, I never had a solid definition of it. Now I’ve found one. Wisdom is how you manage your intelligence. Wisdom is the ability to observe and judge yourself, when you see your own thoughts and witness your actions. Wisdom and intelligence are two different things, but they are on the same path. Intelligence is thinking about problems, and wisdom is thinking about thinking. If you aren’t good at thinking, you won’t be very good at either.

[@sirsir9665]

I love stories. The way Mamir can tell and captivate a story is great. The actors and script was so well done. Everyone did such a good job. The gameplay, graphics, story. It's like a drunk baby

[@gokubruce24]

Please do a video on Kratos’ growth as a character, a God and a father. For all the epic stuff we’ve gotten, seeing him be so kind to everyone and how unconditional he is towards Atreus is beautiful

[@kjj26k]

Fantastic, I was just thinking how Mimir fills such a weird headspace in me.

[@Frabbiatti]

Nice

[@TheTSense]

I think it is a great help that Mimir tells the stories from his point of view, and not one of the writers playing puppet master

[@MichaelDavis2754]

Mimir's stories are so fascinating that you can listen to them all day

[@webblorin9614]

A good example of an “email” system are the PDFs from Subnautica, the original specifically. You pick up diaries almost, left behind by old researchers. You can sit down and read them or you can press play and listen to it while you go about your business.

[@yuniorreyes.130]

Nah when Kratos called Mimir “brother” a tear dropped from my eye.

[@jjjordan3881]

Liked having Mimir around. Hilarious and clever. I would do the same, stop rowing along to finish a Mimir story.

[@moonbender95]

Mimir becoming a weapon is top tier

[@horriblebadwolf]

Love this god of war videos there very unique and I hope your channel grows way bigger

[@spegynmerbles3993]

That “weird instrument” is a hurdy gurdy, a 9th century string instrument that’s like a violin with a hand crank. I absolutely love the sound, my favorite metal band, cellar darling, uses the hurdy gurdy to give their music an unearthly sound.

[@jurtheorc8117]

First discovered the name of that instrument thanks to musician Guilhem Desq. and the PS2 platformer/herdering puzzle game Herdy Gerdy. Any recommendations for specific songs of Cellar Darling?

[@spegynmerbles3993]

@@jurtheorc8117 death or love are my personal favorites, but the whole album “the spell” is incredible

[@gren8te319]

14:26 for all the comedy mimir dishes throughout the duology it's easy to forget kratos delivired the punchline to one of his first funny moments he ever had

[@themike97_58]

i think one reason mimir works so well as a lore expositor is that he's enjoyable to listen to. he has a well-thought-out style and delivery that makes me want to keep listening. his exposition is often also delivered in what would otherwise be boring downtime like manually travelling between two areas and its framed as a conversation to avoid such things. it feels very natural.

[@markdavidmagat9866]

I love the transition from the wise man who knows all the answers came from a man who learned those answers from making his own mistakes. Like that's who we strive to be! And like Mimir, we aren't prefect at it. When he tried freeing the creature, he let his guilt drive him rather than going straight into wise man mode. That part where he couldn't accept that that animal was broken all over kills me but really emphasis to me that he wants to make things right; desperately needs to make things right, but he can't. He has to live with that. Love the video man!

[@davidcase8635]

"You're not the only one cursed with knowledge." - Thanos from Avengers: Infinity War.

[@tradingclasses6012]

I feel that Mimir is perfect as a character because he cannot act and the story doesn't require him to. If he had a body and thus the ability to act I think he could easily be more complex and well rounded. He's more like hindsight or another pair of eyes on a problem that others are too close to. If he had his own choices to make and actions to perform we would see his heart in conflict. Just cause you know the right thing to do literally and figuratively doesn't mean that you do the right thing. It just means you have that much more to dwell on when you knowingly do the wrong thing. Love your videos! You have such a great breakdown of Mimir.

[@joshrogers6669]

I loved Mimir. I like how he is a constant reminder to kratos that people/gods can change. Mimir wasn't always "the good guy" we see him as now. That said, he tried to bring peace to the realm and the thank you he got was being turned into a tree. Showing Kratos that all choices have consequences, not just bad ones.

[@hoopsonwheels]

I think mimir’s compassion comes from him learning from his past actions he recognizes what he did was horrible and wrong and in ragnarok it’s very telling that he’s dealt with a lot of self hatred.

[@Xzentein]

Hearing Jormungandr speak will always send chills down my spine It's so good

[@brutusmagnuson315]

“There’s no making things right… only better” That’s an amazing quote. Also, “feelings” can help you quantify something when making a moral decision. When you’re “practical” in an unethical way, you have to ask yourself what your goals are.

[@pokemeg7478]

All your God of War analysis videos are amazing!!!! I love your breakdown on Odin and his manipulation it really makes me want breakdowns on Heimdall and Thor they are both such great characters very heavily affected by Odin. There's so much to them!

[@chris5159]

Fun fact: the voice actor for Mimir did an audio book for the reboot, so you can hang from his every word all over again

[@jeangentry6656]

I think Mimir is a great contrast to Odin- both are noted for their knowledge and wisdom, but Mimir, who likely was very similar to Odin when he was young (as Puck) and in the Allfather's service, actually LEARNED from the mistakes he made as he saw the results play out. Even in the "present" of GoW4/Ragnarok, he's deeply shamed by the hurt he caused, whether it be to Freya or to the animal he captured and abused while in Odin's service. He matured and changed over time, while Odin, for all his relentless pursuit of knowledge, didn't grow as a person, and remained a spiteful bully who tore his family apart. One man opened his eyes to the suffering of others while the other remained blind due to his own selfishness, spite, fear, and ambition.

[@eragonawesome]

Mimir is such a great character I actively went out of my way to listen to all his dialog without ever even having played the game

[@ronnie6775]

Yes, I've been waiting for another GOW video. Thank you.

[@muazazizi8993]

14:30 Oh boy, he really struck a nerve right there 😂

[@shadow12k]

Mimir is like a modern day codec call.