This article contains lore based on real-life sources from Norse mythology as introduced from the God of War Norse era.
| “ | Queen of the Valkyries, although she does not appear to refer to herself as such. When Freya, the original Queen Valkyrie, lost her wings to Odin, Sigrún grudgingly took the position in her stead. Now she is free to reunite the Valkyries and attempt to stem the tide of the dead flowing into Midgard. | ” |
―Mimir's remarks about Sigrún | ||
Sigrún is the Valkyrie Queen introduced in God of War (2018). She is one of the nine Valkyries who have been cursed into insanity by Odin. Although the incredible amount of power she possesses allowed her to resist much longer than her sisters, she inevitably lost herself as well. She is nevertheless freed by Kratos and Atreus after they engaged and defeated her physical form in a long and difficult battle. Blessing them with her eternal gratitude, her spirit vanished and eventually reunited with her sisters.
Sigrún returns in God of War Ragnarök as a Shield Maiden, having regained a pure physical form thanks to Freya and her Vanir magic. Grateful for having been freed from Odin's curse, acknowledging Kratos as her General and Freya as the Valkyrie Queen, she actively participates together with her freed sisters to the final assault against Asgard during Ragnarök. Her formidable skills in combat undoubtedly helped Kratos and his troops secure their victory over the Asgardians.
Quick Answers
What role does Sigrún play in the God of War Norse era?
What led to Sigrún's transformation into insanity in God of War?
How did Kratos and Atreus free Sigrún from her curse?
What is the significance of Sigrún in Norse mythology?
Who are the other Valkyries mentioned alongside Sigrún in God of War?
Norse Mythology
Sigrún (Old Norse "victory rune"[1]) is a Valkyrie in Norse mythology. Her story is related in Helgakviða Hundingsbana I and Helgakviða Hundingsbana II, in the Poetic Edda.
The two fall in love, and Sigrún tells Helgi that her father Högni has promised her to Höðbroddr, the son of king Granmarr. Helgi invades Granmar's kingdom and slays anyone opposing their relationship. Only Sigrún's brother, Dagr, is left alive on condition that he swears fealty to Helgi.
Dagr is however obliged by honour to avenge his brothers and after having summoned Odin, the god gives him a spear. In a place called Fjoturlund, Dagr kills Helgi and goes back to his sister to tell her of his deed. Sigrún puts Dagr under a powerful curse after which he is obliged to live on carrion in the woods.
Helgi is put in a barrow, but returns from Valhalla one last time so that the two can spend a night together.
Sigrún died early due to grief, but was reborn again as a Valkyrie. In the next life, she was Kára and Helgi was Helgi Haddingjaskati, whose story is related in Hrómundar saga Gripssonar.
Biography
Early Life
Before becoming a Valkyrie, Sigrún was once a princess in the Midgardian kingdom of Fjöturlund where she was born and raised by her father King Högni and his queen. In her youth, a king named Helgi offered his hand to her in marriage. However, King Högni, who knew of Helgi's true nature, refused to let him marry his daughter. Taking this as a slight, Helgi angrily responded by invading Fjöturlund in an attempt to claim Sigrún by force. On the mad king's orders, his soldiers sacked the kingdom and killed anyone who would dare oppose Helgi's supposed union. During the sacking, most of Sigrún's family, including her parents, were killed leaving only her brother Prince Dagr. When he avenged the death of his family by impaling Helgi with his spear, Sigrún, who loved the mad king, and not knowing that he had massacred her family, proceeded to put a curse on Dagr. However, when she finally realized that her lover had killed her family, it was already too late.
Becoming a Valkyrie
Sigrún bitterly regretted on having cursed her own brother, and in attempt to seek redemption, she immediately joined the Valkyries so she may atone for her actions. Before becoming the Valkyrie Queen, Sigrún served under the previous queen, Freya, and like her other sisters she revered her. However, after Freya's marriage with Odin ended bitterly, the All-Father severed Freya's wings and banished her to Midgard. Sigrún was then named the Valkyrie Queen, but without Freya they were without freedom, as Odin saw them as mere servants. The one bright spot in her service was Mimir, Odin's advisor, who she fell in love with during her tenure as a Valkyrie.
Corruption
Ultimately, after becoming displeased with the Valkyries, Odin cursed Sigrún and her sisters of the High Council to remain in physical forms which would corrupt them and drive them into insanity. To compound this, Mimir fell out of favor with Odin and was imprisoned within an enchanted, indestructible tree atop the tallest mountain in Midgard. To protect her sisters and the realms alike, Sigrún imprisoned each councilmember in places where they could cause no harm. Sigrún then came to visit Mimir; he would later note that not only she was in physical form, she was volatile in personality, being prone to fits of aggression. When Mimir tried to talk to her about it, Sigrún wouldn't listen and just bid him goodbye. She then imprisoned herself between the realms to prevent herself from doing harm to others. Thus, without Sigrún and the Valkyries, the dead began to overwhelm the realm of Helheim.
God of War (2018)
Kratos, Atreus, and Mimir battled each of the Valkyries, piecing together what could have happened to them. After defeating eight of the Valkyries and finding their way to the Throne of Eight, they were able to force Sigrún to appear and faced her in a tremendous battle that proved one of their most difficult, with Sigrún's might easily proving a challenge for the former god of war. After a perilous struggle, however, Kratos and Atreus defeated Sigrún and freed her spirit. There she revealed Odin's role in the Valkyries' troubles and thanked them for freeing her and her sisters, reuniting briefly with Mimir. Now free, she disappeared to continue her duty in leading her sisters to bring the worthy dead to Valhalla.
God of War Ragnarök
After being freed by Kratos, Atreus, and Mimir, Sigrún was succeeded by Gná after she and her sisters-in-arms decided to defect the All-Father and go into hiding in Vanaheim. She would later help Freya in regaining her Valkyrie wings, as well as her warrior spirit.
Sigrún is later found again by Freya, and thanks to some Vanir magic, she and her sisters were reincarnated in new physical forms, which prevented them from being corrupted again. The day before the invasion of Asgard, at Tyr's Bridge, she asked to be alone with Mimir in case if she would later die in battle. The next day, Sigrún was present in the Realm Travel Room of the temple when Kratos blew Gjallarhorn in order to access Asgard. During the final battle, she along with her sisters worked to sever the Einherjar's link to Valhalla, so that Odin's army could not revive itself. Later, in the aftermath of Ragnarök, Sigrún was among the survivors in Midgard.
After Kratos and Freya found and defeated Gná, and relayed the news to Sigrún, she asked if they ripped the latter’s wings off, a reference to her fight with Kratos.
God of War Ragnarök: Valhalla
Some time following Ragnarök, Sigrún, Gunnr, Eir and Freya learned that Kratos and Mimir breached Valhalla and suffered its penalty by forcefully entering it. The four then went to confront them. She and her sisters then showed Kratos how to enter properly by telling him to perform the ritual of selection.
In between runs, Kratos and Mimir would ask Sigrún about her and her sisters' well-being and the state of the nine realms which she provided answers for.
Later, after an unsuccessful run, where Kratos and Mimir were about to face certain death, Sigrún broke Valhalla's rules and saved them from falling to their doom, burning her wings in the process and weakening her connection to Valhalla. Mimir and Kratos then thanked her for saving them, with the latter saying he was now in her debt. Mimir expressed concern for Sigrún's weakened state but she assured him she would heal. Sigrún also said that she did not regret breaking Valhalla's rules.
After Kratos accepted Freya's offer to join her council, Sigrún revealed that she was departing the nine realms for a journey of self-discovery. Kratos, Freya, Mimir, Gunnr, and Eir bid farewell to her, with Sigrún promising to return to Mimir once her journey was complete.
Appearance
God of War (2018)
Like all Valkyries, Sigrún's face is never shown and each Valkyrie would wear a very different type of helmet, the helmets would be themed together based upon a different creature. Sigrún was intended to have a mythical edge to her design, this comes in to her golden helmet inspired by a Dragon, these masks are extenuate in all different directions, from various color choices to metalwork designs. The masks emitted regal beauty, while still being creepy in nature with Sigrún being built up to be the most ornate and mysterious of them all. Due to her corruption, her skin is an unhealthy pale blue. But one of the most striking elements of the Valkyries came in the design of their wings. Like the other Valkyries, Sigrún had extremely large mechanical wings, were blood red, and are covered in golden metal plates as armor thus why they are mechanical in the first place. Like her sisters, her design showed her both skilled and refined. With each Valkyrie, hints of their past would be shown off in their armor sets – not looking completely polished and showcasing a long-and-tired past, such as in the torn feather designs on the helmets.
God of War Ragnarök
After Freya resurrected Sigrún and her sisters with Seiðr magic, their skin returned to its original healthy color. Additionally, like all Shield Maidens, her original Valkyrie wings were replaced with more organic-looking birdlike wings.
Personality
Sigrún is a very faithful and honorable person to her family, her Valkyrie sisters and especially to Freya. After Freya divorced Odin and he banished her from Asgard, Sigrún reluctantly agreed to take the mantle of queen and did everything possible to serve Odin honorably but grew to despise the All-Father. After Odin cursed her and her sisters to spite Freya, Sigrún had no choice but to lock them up so that they would not cause any harm, but the curse ended up affecting her and she had no choice but to isolate herself as well. The lockdown and the curse they turned into a being full of anger and thirsty for blood.
After being freed from the curse thank to Kratos and Atreus, Sigrún was immensely grateful, becoming a friend and ally to the two. She later acknowledged Kratos as her general during Ragnarök. Her loyalty to Freya would be proven by helping her regain her Valkyrie wings but also showed reason in trying to convince Freya to move past her rage against Kratos for killing Baldur, knowing he was a valuable ally against Odin because of his fighting prowess. Sigrún also showed a gentle and warm side when it came to her lover Mimir, still loving him despite his situation of being reduced to a severed head.
Powers & Abilities
As the Queen of the Valkyries, Sigrún is an immensely powerful and dangerous warrior, able to battle against Kratos and Atreus for an extended period of time, before she was ultimately overwhelmed and defeated. In the codex, Kratos described her as the most lethal opponent he and Atreus had faced in their prior adventures, implying she is even stronger than Baldur. She is the third most powerful of all the Valkyries, only surpassed by Freya and Gná, the other Valkyrie Queens.
Powers
- Superhuman Strength: As the Queen of the Valkyries, Sigrún holds immense levels of strength that far surpass the other Valkyries, as noted by Mimir. She was even capable of holding her own against Kratos, the Greek God of War for some time before being defeated.
- Superhuman Durability: Sigrún has incredibly high durability, allowing her to survive numerous attacks from Kratos and Atreus before finally going down.
- Valkyrie Wings: Sigrún possesses a pair of metallic bird-like wings which double as weapons thanks to their feathers that can be deployed as slashing weapons and hurled as projectiles. As Shield Maiden, she attained more organic wings which lacked metallic feathers and armor plating yet still provided her great mobility and flight.
- Immortality: As a Valkyrie, Sigrún is immortal. Only a sufficiently powerful weapon or an extremely powerful being can kill her.
- Pyrokinesis: Like Göndul, Sigrún can shoot fire and lava from the sky.
- Cryokinesis: Like Hildr, Sigrún can shoot ice hail projectiles.
- Typhokinesis: Like Geirdriful, Sigrún can generate smoke shockwaves.
- Bifrost Energy Manipulation: Like all Valkyries, Sigrún can manipulate the energy of the Bifröst to travel between realms.
- Curses: Sigrún had placed a foul curse on her brother, even before becoming a Valkyrie.
Abilities
- Master Combatant: Sigrún is exceptionally skilled in battle, allowing her to pose a threat to Kratos, the Greek God of War and former Spartan captain who was capable of taking out the likes of Magni and Baldur. The Ghost of Sparta noted in the Codex that Sigrún was the most lethal opponent that he and Atreus had faced in their prior adventures.
Quotes
| “ | Countless winters, we served the Allfather. But only through his union to the Queen, did we ever taste some measure of freedom. | ” |
―Sigrún to Kratos | ||
Gallery
God of War (2018)
.jpg "Sigrun (2018).jpg (158 KB)")
Valhalla DLC
Photo Mode
Concept Art
Trivia
- Despite being referred to as the Queen of the Valkyries, Sigrún expressed that she only ruled in the absence of the true queen, technically making her a regent rather than a monarch.
- In Norse mythology, specifically in the poem Helgakviða Hundingsbana, Sigrún and Kara are two different reincarnations of the same soul rather than two separate beings.
- Ironically, Kara is the one Valkyrie whose ability Sigrún does not use.
- In God of War, Sigrún fits the "Secret Boss" trope of RPG games in which she is an optional endgame boss that requires several prerequisite accomplishments in order to be accessed (exploring optional areas, fighting a series of optional boss etc.) and is designed to be far more challenging than the main story's final boss.
- If the player sells Sigrún's helmet to Brok and Sindri, it can be seen above the fireplace at their store, held there by a spear.
- Sigrun's helmet is the only Valkyrie helmet from 2018 to be based off a mythological creature; in Sigrún's case, her helmet is modeled after a dragon.
- If the player light up all the Realm Tower braziers after defeating Sigrún, Atreus will express disappointment that they did not accomplish it earlier due to the reward being especially useful against Valkyries.
- Sigrún apparently noted how unpleasant the ordeal of having her wings brutally ripped off and dying from subsequent blood loss after being subjected through it by Kratos in a bid to free her from her cursed form, finding the idea of Gná subjected to the same fate for the latter's betrayal and blind loyalty toward Odin cathartic.
- It is also notable that Gná killed Olrun by ripping her wings off; thus Sigrún's desire to see Gná meet such a fate may also point to a wish for her sister to be avenged in the same way she was killed.
- That said, the manner Kratos defeated Gná was nonetheless similar since it involved the former Ghost of Sparta forcing her to her knees with a punch at the face before holding her wings firmly, though he chose to stop right there and let Freya be the judge.
- It has been confirmed that Mimir and Sigrún aren't in fact dating, however they both acknowledge that they love each other. Calling one-another "Love" throughout the Valhalla DLC. Sigrún even going as far as to say she wants to kiss Mimir.