She’s a ghost for most of the story. Honestly, it’s wild how much influence a character who is dead before the first frame of the 2018 game has over every single event in the Norse saga. We’re talking about Laufey the Just, better known to Kratos as Faye. To the Greek God of War, she was a wife. To Atreus, she was a mother. But to the Aesir—and specifically to Odin—she was a nightmare that kept him awake in Asgard for centuries.
If you’ve played through the 2018 reboot and God of War Ragnarök, you know the basics. She died, she wanted her ashes scattered on the highest peak in Jotunheim, and she left behind a path of golden handprints. But that’s just the surface level stuff. When you really dig into the lore buried in the shrines and the dialogue from Mimir, you realize that God of War Laufey wasn't just a bystander in history. She was the architect of the entire rebellion against the Aesir.
The Guardian of the Giants
Faye wasn't just another Frost Giant. She was a warrior. A legendary one.
While Kratos was trying to bury his past in the woods of Midgard, Faye was out there actively sabotaging Odin’s plans. She fought Thor to a standstill in the Vanaheim crater—a battle so violent it literally froze a lightning bolt in time and shattered the landscape. You can actually see the remnants of this fight in Ragnarök. It wasn't some minor skirmish. It was two titans of power clashing. The fact that she survived a fight with Mjolnir-wielding Thor tells you everything you need to know about her power level. She was probably the only person in the Nine Realms who could have gone toe-to-toe with Kratos and actually made him sweat.
But she chose a different path.
She saw the future. Or, more accurately, she knew the prophecies of the Jotnar. The giants had the gift of foresight, and Faye used that gift like a weapon. Every single golden handprint you see in the games? Those aren't just gameplay mechanics to show you where to climb. Faye put those there years before her death. She walked the entire path that Kratos and Atreus would eventually take. She knew where they would struggle. She knew where they would need a handhold. She basically "pre-played" the game to ensure her husband and son would reach the end.
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Why She Kept Her Identity Secret
You've probably wondered why she never told Kratos she was a giant. It feels like a pretty big thing to leave out of a marriage. "Hey honey, by the way, I'm from a race of magical beings the local gods are trying to commit genocide against."
She knew Kratos.
She knew his temper and his instinct to protect. If he had known the truth, he might have tried to take the fight to Odin too early. Or worse, he might have fled further away, trying to hide Atreus from a fate that was unavoidable. Faye needed Kratos to become a father before he became a general again. The journey to Jotunheim wasn't just about the ashes; it was a long-form therapy session designed to bond a distant father and a grieving son. Without that bond, Ragnarök would have failed.
Everything was calculated.
The Moral Complexity of Faye
Here is the part that gets a little messy. Was she a loving wife, or was she using Kratos?
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Some fans argue that Faye was a master manipulator. She saw a prophecy where a "Ghost of Sparta" helps bring down Asgard, and she went out and found him. She married him, had a child with him, and set him on a specific path all to fulfill a vision. In the later games, we see Kratos grapple with this. He wonders if their love was real or just a means to an end for her people.
But the secret ending and the murals in Jotunheim suggest something more nuanced. Faye actually defied the other giants. In many versions of the prophecy, Kratos was supposed to die in Atreus' arms. Faye didn't want that. She actively worked to change the outcome. She destroyed murals that depicted Kratos' death because she wanted him to have a different future—one where he wasn't just a killer, but a god who could be loved.
She loved him. It’s that simple, even if it started as part of a grander design.
What Most People Miss About the Leviathan Axe
The axe is the biggest clue to her character. It was forged by Brok and Sindri specifically to rival Mjolnir. It’s an ice-element weapon because it’s meant to counter Thor’s lightning. Faye used it for years to protect the weak in Midgard. When she gave it to Kratos, she wasn't just giving him a tool; she was passing him the mantle of the "Just."
Think about the contrast:
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- Mjolnir: Built for destruction and the ego of a madman.
- Leviathan: Built for protection and passed down through love.
Kratos spent his whole life using weapons that were forced on him or stolen. The Blades of Chaos are literally chained to his flesh. But the Leviathan Axe? That was a gift. It’s the first weapon Kratos uses that represents a legacy of justice rather than a legacy of rage. That’s all Faye’s doing. She changed the way he fought by changing what he fought with.
The Conflict with the Aesir
Odin feared her more than he feared any other giant. Why? Because she was unpredictable. Most giants hid or fled. Faye stayed. She lived right under his nose in Midgard, protected by a stave of trees that kept her hidden from his ravens.
She was essentially the leader of the Jotnar resistance. While the rest of her kind were retreating to Jotunheim to die in peace, she was staying behind to ensure the Aesir would eventually fall. When you talk to the spirits in the Lake of Nine, they speak of her with reverence. She was a hero to the mortals who were being oppressed by the gods.
Actionable Insights for Lore Hunters
If you want to truly understand the depth of God of War Laufey, you have to look past the main cutscenes. The environmental storytelling is where the real meat is.
- Check the Vanaheim Crater: This is where you see the physical proof of her power. The frozen lightning bolt is the "smoking gun" of her fight with Thor.
- Read the Jotunheim Mural (Carefully): The very end of the 2018 game shows Faye’s perspective. Look at the names used. She is referred to as "Laufey the Just."
- Listen to Sindri’s dialogue: The dwarves knew her better than almost anyone. They speak of her with a level of respect they don't even give to Kratos for a long time.
- Revisit the Woods: The yellow trees that Kratos cuts down at the start of the first game? Faye marked those. She knew that by cutting them down, the protection spell would break, forcing Kratos to leave and start the journey. She literally "pushed" him out of the house from beyond the grave.
Faye is the silent protagonist of the Norse era. Kratos and Atreus did the walking, but she built the road. She turned a monster into a man and a boy into a hero, all while keeping the most powerful gods in the universe at bay.
The next time you play, look at those golden handprints differently. They aren't just marks on a wall. They’re a mother’s touch, guiding her family through the dark long after she was gone. She didn't just predict the future; she made it.