What do God of War: Ragnarök, Berserk, and Elden Ring have in common apart from being fantabulous? They’ve all got an element pulled directly from Norse mythology: fast travel. Needless to say, the latest God of War already holds the Norse narrative as its foundation. And Opie from Sons of Anarchy (Ryan Hurst) nailed it in there as Thor.
Elden Ring‘s Roundtable Hold kind of shares a similar concept as Brok and Sindri’s house in God of War: Ragnarök. The place is found after players encounter a companion, namely Melina, and can be accessed via the fast travel feature.
Like God of War, Berserk Might Share More Inspiration from Norse Mythology
A Reddit user dubbed TheMisterMeaner shares a theory supporting fast travel in Berserk. He writes:
Yggdrasil: Maybe another obvious reference. The world tree towering over Falconia is of course Yggdrasil, the world tree. In Norse Myths Yggdrasils’ roots run to unfathomable depths, into the underworlds and it’s branches spawn across entire heavenly realms. This should of course give hints to how the moon child is able use the branches to cross into elf island.
Other than fast travel, Berserk might have other aspects that have been inspired by Norse mythology. For starters, the term ‘Berserk‘ comes from Berserkers, fierce warriors who fought in a trance-like fury. The Japanese franchise shares this without a shadow of a doubt.
Meanwhile, Guts, or, as the character is popularly known, Black Swordsman, and Odin both miss an eye. Alongside an eye, Guts is missing an arm too.
Elden Ring Too Has Something in Common Here
It is not just the Roundtable Hold; Elden Ring‘s setting and history draw inspiration from Norse mythology, specifically stories from the Old Norse textbook called Prose Edda. Several demigods featured in the game share similarities with the Aesir and Vanir deities. The God-Devouring Serpent is an Elden Ring‘s match to Jormungandr, or the World Serpent, which was also featured in God of War: Ragnarök.
Similarly, the Erdtree featured in the game is equivalent to Yggdrasil, or the World Tree. The Erdtree is a tree in the game towering above the Lands Between, a region where the game’s setting takes place. A downloadable content (DLC) dubbed The Shadow of the Erdtree was speculated to be released in February 2024. Nevertheless, no official announcement has been provided by the developers yet.
Norse mythology is enjoying the best of both worlds, given that games and anime give undivided attention to it. However, how they have chosen to portray characters is contingent upon the plot. The kind of Odin fans saw in the Marvel Cinematic Universe had an exactly opposite character in God of War: Ragnarök.
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