Hey everyone, welcome to Mythology Explained. In today’s video,
we’re going to begin to tell the tale of Kratos. This will be a multi part series.
The Titans had been imprisoned in Tartarus since the great war, and contrary to the prevailing
sentiment, an oracle foretold that a mortal, a marked warrior, not a Titan uprising, would be
the doom of Olympus. The gods mistakenly believed this mortal to be Deimos, Kratos’ brother,
for the slash of a livid red birthmark cut across Deimos’ right eye led the gods to believe he was
the marked warrior. Ares interrupted one of Deimos and Kratos’ training sessions and abducted Deimos.
Kratos tried to help his brother, but he was no match for Ares at that time and got a scar across
his right eye for his trouble. Deimos was dragged down to the underworld,
where he was imprisoned and endlessly tortured by Thanatos, the god of death. To honor his brother,
Kratos needled a red tattoo across his eye that was identical to his brother’s birthmark.
Not much is known of Kratos' adolescence after the traumatic kidnapping of his brother.
He joined the Spartan Army and was a true rising star. His meteoric rise through the ranks made
Kratos the youngest captain in the history of the spartan army. His thirst for blood and his
lust for conquest were insatiable. All fell before him like wheat before the scythe, but eventually,
he bit off more than he could chew. Kratos and his army found themselves pitted against a vast and
indomitable barbarian horde led by a ferocious chieftain, an absolute bear of a man. The
Spartans were overwhelmed and facing destruction. Kratos, beaten to his knees before the barbarian
chieftain, was on the brink of death, but he invoked Ares, offering up his life in exchange
for the god of war destroying his enemies. Ares split the sky and descended to the mortal world.
He bestowed Kratos with the blades of chaos, and their chains fused to his wrists - as good
as the collar that closes around a slave's neck. Forged in the depths of Tartarus, the
Blades of Chaos were weapons befitting a god. They amplified Kratos’ power, and this new found power,
in turn amplified his appetite for war. The barbarian horde was eradicated,
and then Kratos continued his campaign with a level of brutality and savagery yet unseen. Later,
after a series of bloodsoaked victories, Kratos led his men against a village dedicated to Athena.
Ares wanted to make Kratos the perfect warrior by removing the only thing left holding him back,
his family, who were, unbeknownst to Kratos, secretly transported to the temple
in the village he was reducing to body-strewn rubble. Kratos, his mind ensnared by a spell,
burst into the temple and killed all who were inside, including his wife and daughter. After
unwittingly murdering his own family, Kratos’ mind is restored, and the sight of what he had done
ruined him. Instead of irrevocably binding him to Ares, Kratos renounced his Oath and swore
vengeance. He was then cursed by the local oracle, and the ashes of his dead family
were bound to him, turning him pale, which is where the moniker, “Ghost of Sparta” originated.
Though Kratos would eventually enter the service of the gods to atone for
the atrocities he had perpetrated, this transition wasn’t a smooth affair. Yes,
Kratos was victim to the wickedest and most deplorable deception imaginable,
but he was still an oathbreaker and, thus, the Furies pursued him.
It came to light that Ares wanted the perfect warrior to act as his right hand when he mounted
an insurgency to bring down Zeus. Earlier, Ares had tried to sire this accomplice himself
by bedding Alecto, the Queen of the Furies, but the unimpressive result was Orkos, who was
a disappointment and disowned by Ares for being so. Though his father turned his back on Orkos,
the Furies spared him, making him the Oath-keeper. Despite being scorned and
having a heavy burden heaped on him, Orkos was eager to please those he thought cared for him;
but his allegiances changed when he bore witness to the cruelty and injustice Kratos was subjected
to when the Furies bewitched him, tricking him into murdering his own family. Orkos contacted
Kratos and advised him to seek out the Oracle of Delphi, who, with her dying breath, later
instructed Kratos to travel to Delos to acquire the Eyes of Truth, which were her own eyes.
They were gouged out to punish her for attempting to warn Zeus of Ares machinations to supplant him.
Kratos sailed to Delos and obtained the eyes, but the Furies ambushed and captured him. Many
events ensued. Illusions were used to lure Kratos back into Ares’ service, but Kratos resisted and
killed all three Furies, who were, apparently, corrupted by Ares. Although the Furies were dead,
Kratos was still bound to the oath he swore to Ares. Orkos then revealed that the only
way both of them could be free of Ares was by Kratos killing him. Orkos offered up his life,
and Kratos gave him a swift, honorable death. With the bond broken, the nightmares that were
previously suppressed by the bond now tormented Kratos each night, denying his weary mind even a
moment of peace. Finally, Kratos understood that his only path to redemption was through voluntary
service to Olympus. He hoped that if he served long enough the gods would free him from the
nightmares that plagued his mind, especially the memory of him murdering his own family.
And that’s it for NOW- stay tuned for follow-up videos continuing the story
of Kratos. If you enjoy the content please LIKE the video and SUBSCRIBE to the channel.