Odin has been an intriguing character since the God of War’s Norse saga began. Initially, we only hear about his evil nature and his crazy obsession with control over his surroundings from Mimir, the wisest man in all the nine realms.
Now, with Ragnarok’s launch, we finally get to see the Allfather himself in flesh and bones and experience his sly personality in action. Odin has been interested in Atreus since he first met him. He later gained his trust by giving him shelter in Asgard and assigning him the mammoth task of finding all the pieces of a mystic mask that can provide them with access to infinite knowledge/truth.
But all this faith and build-up between the two leads to nothing, as both Atreus and Odin do not trust each other and plan to betray the other person from the very beginning.
Odin eventually betrays Atreus by killing Brok in order to get his hands on the mystic mask once Atreus collects all its pieces scattered throughout the nine realms.
It turns out that the Tyr, whom Kratos and Atreus freed from the prison in Svathelheim, was Odin in disguise all along. Earlier, he denied all of Atreus’ requests to lead an army to Asgard and fight against Odin.
But, later, ‘Tyr’s’ sudden interest and urge to be the general against Odin’s army makes Brok suspicious, and when he pokes ‘Tyr’ out for his sudden shift in behavior, enraged Odin or ‘Tyr’ blows his cover by stabbing Brok right in the chest.
Long story short, Odin always knew about Atreus’ plan to bring Ragnarok; thus, he turned the table on him when he found the right timing.
Amidst all this chaos, it is easy to forget about the mystic tools involved in the story, i.e., the mystic mask and the rift, so what are they all about?
What is the rift Odin is researching in God of War: Ragnarok?
The green rift that Odin is researching is the portal to “infinite knowledge and truth,” according to Atreus and Odin, that can answer all questions and help change destinies.
Odin reveals to Atreus that he lost one eye while trying to peek into the rift. He then shows a mystic mask that shares the same energy as the rift, which can help them look into the mysterious rift.
Unfortunately, the mask is broken, and its several pieces are scattered throughout the realms, so Odin tasks Atreus to find all its pieces and make it a whole.
What is the mask for in God of War: Ragnarok?
According to Odin, the mystic green mask can be used to peek safely into the rift that contains answers to all the questions in the universe.
Atreus, also interested in knowing all the world’s truth, agrees with Odin’s offer and ventures into different realms with Thor to find all the mask’s pieces.
However, when Atreus asks Mimir about the mask, he comically discredits all of Odin’s theory about the rift and the mask, stating it all to be a sham that Odin made up to satisfy his obsession for infinite knowledge.
Unfortunately, the game never expands on what the rift and the mask are all about. Hopefully, the future God of War games will elaborate on the same, no matter what universe/mythology they take place in.
About God of War Ragnarok
God of War Ragnarok is an action-adventure game developed by Santa Monica Studio and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment. It was released on November 9, 2022, for PS4 and PS5.
Ragnarok is the ninth installment in the God of War series, chronologically, and the sequel to 2018’s God of War. Loosely based on Norse mythology, the game is set in ancient Norway and features series protagonists Kratos and his young son Atreus. The events of the game are expected to initiate Ragnarok – a series of events that, according to Norse lore, bring about the end of days and the death of the Norse gods.
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