Why does the Witch burn Sindri’s green Mistletoe arrows in God of War?

Sometime during Kratos and Atreus’ journey to the top of the mountain to scatter Faye’s ashes, they would end up saving a dwarf by the name of Sindri, the one responsible for creating Thor’s Hammer and Kratos’ Ax. 

So, after you save this guy from the dragon, Hraezlyr, he’ll thank the duo and reward Atreus with some braided mistletoe. Their purpose won’t be made clear just yet, but you’ll end up understanding everything near the end of the game. 

Anyway, for now, you end up putting the thought about those green arrows to the side and continue on in your journey. Sometime after, you end up meeting the Witch of the Woods in an accident of sorts – a boar that was under her protection was shot down by Atreus. 

She might come across as normal character at first. That is, until she does something that might strike you as particularly odd. So, after you visit her again for some aid related to Mimir, she notices Atreus’ Mistletoe arrows, and process to quickly replace them with her own, angrily shoving the green arrows in her fireplace. 

The act might leave you bewildered and confused, especially considering how we’ve not seen the character act this way until now. It’s not until much later in the game when the Mistletoe arrows’ purpose finally becomes clear. 

So, keeping it as spoiler-free as possible, let me tell you what exactly was wrong with those arrows. 

The Mistletoe arrows that Atreus receives from Sindri can destroy The Stranger’s invulnerability, who turns out to be the main antagonist of this game. The Witch, who is directly related to him, knows this and hates the plant itself, which is why she was angered by the arrows and destroyed them. 

Now, obviously, there’s a lot more to it than just that, and I’m gonna take a deep dive into some crucial details, so you might want to prepare yourself for spoilers related to the early and late-game story. 

Why does the Witch get mad about the green arrows? 

Here’s a TL;DR, The Witch is actually Freya who is The Stranger’s (Baldur) mother. Blinded by her love for him, she placed the invulnerability spell on Baldur, with the only way to break it being Mistletoe – that is why she destroyed Atreus’ arrows, to prevent Baldur’s death. 

Now we can freely talk about it in detail. 

Since you’ve already reached the point where the Witch burns those arrows down, you more or less know who she is too, courtesy of Mimir – she is Freya, ex-wife of Odin and the former Queen of the Valkyries. 

Now, you might be wondering, with status her status, what’s she got to do with The Stranger? Well, there’s no better way of putting of it – she’s his mother. Allow me to explain this properly. 

So, eventually, you’ll come to find out that The Stranger is actually Baldur, Freya’s son. It was prophesized that he would die an unnecessary death, which led to Freya finding every possible way of preventing it. 

With her fears getting the better of her, she placed a powerful spell on her son, granting him invulnerability. However, she was unaware that this spell would take away Baldur’s ability to physically feel anything. 

Enraged by what was done to him, he asked his mother to remove the spell, only to be told that it is irremovable. This would end with Baldur vowing to never forgive Freya. 

Here’s the thing though, the spell can be broken easily but Freya lied to Baldur and refuses to do the same, blinded by her love for him – the only way to break Baldur’s spell is through the power of Mistletoe. 

Since the plant was capable of breaking Baldur’s spell, Freya views the plant as something wicked, and seeks to destroy it. So, when she sees Atreus carrying the Mistletoe Arrows from Sindri, she promptly replaced them with her own and threw them into the fire, angrily telling Atreus to never use them again. 

Now, how it turns out for Bladur, Freya, and our favourite father-son duo, you gotta play to find out. But, if you’re still wondering what goes down between these characters, then I’ll explain that too. 

Is Atreus able to obtain more Mistletoe Arrows? 

So, as they were making their way to the top of the mountain after the whole thing with Sindri, Kratos notices something about Atreus. He observed how Atreus’ quiver strap was loose and used a Mistletoe arrow to fasten it. 

This small event may seem inconsequential at first, but it plays a big role in the duo’s last battle with Baldur. So, let’s talk about that real quick.  

As Baldur tries to kill Freya, Kratos intervenes and the whole thing escalates into a fight. However, Baldur gains the upper hand in this part of the fight, leaving Kratos a bit weakened. 

However, before Baldur could land the final hit, Atreus steps in, protecting Kratos. This would be a vain effort, of course, as Baldur punched him straight in the chest. However, something happens the moment he lands his punch. 

The piece of the Mistletoe arrow that was strapped to Atreus’ quiver strap sliced through Baldur’s skin, breaking the spell and his invulnerability. This, in turn, allowed Kratos to finally give the guy a good beating and come out on top. 

With Baldur completely defeated, Kratos lets him go on Freya’s request – she believed that it was still possible to reason with him.  

However, things quickly turn south as Baldur strangled Freya after it became clear to her that it just wasn’t possible for Baldur to come to his senses. The whole thing then finally ends with Kratos having to snap Baldur’s neck and save Freya, killing him in an instant. 

That, my friend, is how a single Mistletoe arrow saved the day. 

About God of War(2018)

Developed by Santa Monica Studios, God of War is a single-player action-adventure game. Unlike the previous installments of the franchise that deals with Greek mythology, this installment is set in Norse lore.

Before dying, Kratos’ second wife’s last wish is for her to be cremated at the highest peak of the nine realms. Therefore, with his son, Atreus, Kratos embarks on a difficult journey teeming with monsters and gods to fulfill his wife’s final request.