There are many reasons why the two God of War games on the PS4 and PS5 are so highly regarded among fans and critics. They not only gave new life to the already fan-favorite character of Kratos, but they breathed a depth and narrative into him that was slightly underused in the action-oriented titles of the PS2/PS3. His relationship with his son, his desire to atone for his past, etc., made the titles stand out on their systems. But the music also helped add to the games’ wonder, mystique, and narrative, even if you couldn’t understand them when you heard them.
The game’s composer, Bear McCreary, wrote a blog post about how the game’s themes came to be. That includes the decision for them to sing them not in English but in the vocabulary of Old Norse:
“I recall the decision to use Old Norse text in the score was made early in the process, as far back as 2015, when I first scored the God of War prototype that would lead to the game’s eventual production. The creative team and I felt that having the choir and singers perform in Old Norse was a fitting way to acknowledge the Norse cultural and mythological setting of the story.”
It definitely added weight to the proceedings, and fans were very much amused by what they heard and felt as they listened. It wasn’t easy to make this “transition,” if you will, because there aren’t too many people who can speak the Old Norse language. That’s why Bear and his team had to go and do a different process for translating and recording so that the Icelandic choir they had could record in their homeland and not get tripped up by anything.
Many fans have done their best to translate what the songs of the 2018 and 2022 titles were saying, and Bear admitted they got pretty close. He posted the main theme of the 2018 title to his blog and revealed the lines in both English and Old Norse.
For example, the first line of the main theme reads: “Exiled God, Father’s shame, Mother’s hope, Child in pain.”
It grows more somber from there, highlighting how the wounds of Kratos’ past still haunt him and the rage that still boils within. But there is hope within his son, so long as Kratos doesn’t push him away.
The team noted that these lyrics perfectly highlighted who Kratos was and is, which is part of why the God of War titles are so beloved for their music. Attention to detail.
