It has been nearly four years after God of War was released on the PlayStation 4, and there is still much to be discovered about what happened to Kratos' wife, Faye. Whether fans experienced the game for the first time recently on PC, or have replayed God of War more than a dozen times over, there are still plenty of questions and details being discovered in regards to Faye's role. Although Faye is never part of the game as a living character, her presence still influences the entire narrative of God of War.
As the God of War story begins, Kratos is seen chopping down a birch tree with a marking left by Faye in the woods near their home. It's quickly revealed that Faye has already died in God of War, and the birch tree she marked was one she wished to be used for her cremation. Faye's specific tree of choice has a couple of meanings behind it, with the primary reasoning being that it was part of the ward that hid Kratos, Atreus, and Faye from the eyes of Odin. A birch tree also symbolizes rebirth and new beginnings, and as Kratos and Atreus burn the tree to gather Faye's ashes, Faye has orchestrated the first step in what would be a new journey for both her husband and her son in God of War.
The Faye in God of War and Norse Mythology differ from one another tremendously, but in both depictions, Kratos' wife is the mother of Atreus. The end of God of War reveals that the Jotnar had murals in Jotunheim depicting everything that would transpire in God of War, including the death of Faye that would be the catalyst event for Kratos and Atreus traveling to Jotunheim. Unfortunately, Faye's exact cause of death is still shrouded in mystery, but she would continue to play a major role in God of War.
What Happened To Faye Before God Of War
Long before God of War began, even before Kratos had met his wife, Faye was called the Last Guardian of Jotunheim. She was a fierce warrior who showed compassion for those around her, much like the Norse God of War Tyr has been described as throughout the game. In fact, Tyr attempted to broker a peace treaty between Odin and the Jotnar long before God of War began, but the giants saw that Odin was really after their secrets and a way to prevent Ragnarok from occurring.
After the Jotnar prevented Odin from being able to travel to Jotunheim again, Odin commanded Thor to massacre every giant he could find. As the Last Guardian of Jotunheim, Faye set out to rescue as many giants as she could from Thor and his hammer, Mjolnir, along with the help of Tyr. Additionally, having felt responsible for the massacre of the giants by designing Thor's hammer, the God of War Dwarven brothers, Brok and Sindri, crafted the Leviathan Axe for Faye as a way to combat Thor's Mjolnir.
Though Thor's wrath was unmatched, Faye and Tyr were able to rescue as many of the giants as they could before hiding the Jotunheim Realm Tower from Midgard. Jormungandr, one of the few surviving giants in Midgard, aided both Faye and Tyr in their final efforts by keeping Thor at bay before Faye returned to Jotunheim. Faye did not remain in Jotunheim for long, however, as a prophecy had depicted that she was to be with a great warrior from a distant land and give birth to a child who would be able to end the Aesir gods at Ragnarok.
When the Faye first met the God of War, Kratos, in Midgard, the two fought each other intensely. While Kratos has been known to fight those who stand in his way, Faye was actually testing his strength to see if he was the warrior in the Jotnar prophecy. What started as respect for one another's skills as warriors quickly blossomed into love, and the two settled down in Midgard before raising Atreus. Faye continued to follow the prophecy as foretold in Jotunheim, and Kratos had finally put the Blades of Chaos down to move on from his past.
God Of War: What Happened To Faye After She Met Kratos
Unfortunately, there isn't an exact confirmed time for how long Kratos and Faye were together before they had Atreus, but Atreus does share his thoughts about his mother frequently throughout God of War and its novelization. For the majority of her time with the God of War and Atreus, Faye would stay home with Atreus teaching him how to read and write the various language, as well as skills he would need for hunting and tracking. Kratos, in the meantime, would spend long days away from home hunting and learning how to control his rage.
The novelization of God of War depicts some of the more recent memories of Atreus before the game actually begins, particularly where Atreus spent more time with Kratos before Faye passed away. Not knowing where she would go or how long she'd be gone for, Kratos took care of everything around the house as Faye needed, giving her the freedom to set up their adventure unbeknownst to Kratos and Atreus. It was somewhere in this time as well that Faye let the God of War use her Leviathan Axe to train for whatever challenges may lie ahead of him.
As the prophecy was drawing close to its next stage, Faye knew that her time was coming to an end, so her time away from home was spent setting up marking for Kratos and Atreus to follow on their adventure. The final steps of Kratos' and Atreus' journey in Jotunheim reveal that the markings that are seen all through Midgard and other realms were Faye's way of guiding the two on the journey. Although it is still unknown exactly what caused Faye's death, her influence remained strong throughout the game up until the ending of God of War. With so many questions about Faye's life left unanswered, many fans are hopeful that more details will be shed on Kratos' wife in God of War Ragnarok, the next game in the God of War franchise.