Mimir: Intelligence Versus Wisdom

I think mimir is inarguably the weirdest and most likable character introduced in all of God of War 4. I think the most fascinating aspect of his character is how he demonstrates the value of tempering Brilliance with compassion now I'll explain what I mean for most of the story of God of War 4 mimir is a talking severed head hanging from kratos's hip telling funny stories making clever quips and providing advice and guidance to Our Heroes both practical advice for how to further their physical journey and also personal advice for how to navigate their emotional Journey foreign [Music] [Music] [Music] his being a severed head is actually really clever game design the writers needed a guide character present basically at all times to explain the world in lore to Kratos and atreus and also to the players but from a gameplay perspective it wasn't practical to have a third character running around with them all the time like would mimir fight during combat sequences would they have to create an entire combat move set for him during dramatic emotional scenes between Kratos and atreus would mimir just awkwardly Shuffle off to the side so their solution cut off his head and have Kratos carry it around for the whole game it's brutal kind of hilarious and really smart anyway in God of War 4 emir's most important role is that of a vehicle for exposition he introduces Kratos anatraeus to the world backstory stories characters in rules of Norse mythology and through them he introduces the player to all that as well he provides the player with a lot of critical information about the lore history and magic of the nine Realms information critical to understanding how all this works and why the world is the way it is tell me where I first in your face well she blames me in large measure for her present circumstances I'm not totally without reason it all goes back to the long war between the ACL and Vania prior to that Wars for the Asia were easily won but the Vanier had proved their equal and exactly devastating damage both sides suffered tremendous losses and for many of us quite frankly war was simply no fun anymore but a rather senseless waste of precious life wouldn't you agree brother precisely enough was enough and at last Odin's most brilliant advisor became determined to find a more enlightened path he set about the broker a peace between the Gods took some convincing But ultimately Odin was persuaded to marry his deadliest enemy a certain vanilla goddess legendary not only for her fertile Beauty but her genius at the very Vanier magic that Odin had long aspired to master Freya married Odin what was in it for her it was a sacrifice to protect our people a selfless Act of love truly she deserves better than she got but of course there's more to that story I think this is a brilliant way to handle Exposition in a video game and to demonstrate just how brilliant and effective it is I'd like to make a comparison to another game a death stranding like God of War 4 death stranding is also set in a world full of very complicated lore and backstory and what basically amounts to Magic and just tons of extra information that needs to be communicated to the player in order for them to fully appreciate the events of the story figuring out a way to communicate all this extra information to a player is always a challenge some games like Bioshock will provide in-universe audio logs that narrate over gameplay so you can learn about the world without interrupting the playing of the game foreign doctor you know looking at it now I didn't realize how much of your face scalpel excuse me scalpel uh doctor she's not booked for a facelift let's just come in here [Applause] Audrey be the chief of surgery now some open world games like Red Dead Redemption will make use of travel time between destinations to have characters chat about what's going on you're going to spend a lot of time riding around the horse regardless so why not use that time to communicate some information to the player so how are things with you and John fine and at about time you let it go now it was here say he ditched us for a goddamn youth I've spoken to him many times he knows he did wrong he just wants to put it behind it I'm sure he does running off on that kid is one thing but there's code he knows that he actually touching you pretty much raised so how does Death stranding solve the problem of how to communicate all this extra information to the player well some of it is communicated through some bizarre but amazing cutscenes and way more of it is communicated through some very very long and drive monologues you may recall me explaining that these incubators connect BBS via the carbon Network to their still mothers back at HQ great babies are quite literally Bridges between this world and the other side their place is not here with us nor with the BTS over there they belong precisely in between with no greater affinity for one world or the other 2018 [Music] thank you I'd never manage without your help check the delivery terminal upstairs for the details when you're ready of course and way too much of it is communicated through this codec where your character receives messages there's like an entire novel's worth of information about the plot and characters that is locked in what are essentially in-game emails I'm probably being a little unfair here I admittedly have not played death stranding since it first released but just for comparison's sake let's listen to one of memer's stories in God of War 4. I'm there why did you work road if you saw one it's my career and if you mean to make your career as a counselor to Kings he can't very well do like Petty Maniacs available possessions are scarce enough my first master was a cruel piece of work as well but I learned through him the enduring power of wit which served me well with Kings and gods alike I couldn't be much older than you when I started a fairly King's Aaron boy an unofficial jester by night my mates and I had the run of the forest Good Fellas they called us never speak to the last get up to all manner of Mischief making fools of the local Mortals but as long as our Lord was kept amused we will spare the consequences oh then one day he was not amused and I saw fit to move on thankfully the ages and Roads traveled since then have done me from that Merry Wanderer into the Paragon of what you see before you today mimir's stories are presented in such a personable and Charming way the character has so much personality and Charisma that the player wants to hear these stories I mean it's not like this is an amazing story he's telling her anything but there were so many times while playing God of War 4 that I actually stopped progressing just so I could hear mimir finish one of his stories and in doing so I was learning about Norse mythology learning about the setting learning about the lore and the history and the characters whenever mimir started telling one of his stories I was genuinely like oh nice Another mimir Story by comparison there was never a time in death stranding when I was like oh great another freaking 10 minute humorless esoteric rambling monologue or oh great another email again I'll admit I'm probably being unfair if you like death stranding and its story and how it told its story you know that's your true don't let anybody take that away from you but by packaging God of War 4's extra information in the vehicle of memir by presenting it with personality and character and Charisma the God of War developers managed to make players want to learn about their games lore it's a really smart writing Beyond being a mere plot device mimir is also a really likable character obviously he's witty funny charismatic and knowledgeable but what makes him so likable is that he's deeply compassionate and empathetic he's always nudging Kratos in atreus towards being better versions of themselves counseling them against rashness and selfishness gently criticizing them when they do wrong gently pushing them towards doing what is right he's a really really nice guy who works really really hard to bring out the best in everyone around him he's the friend you wish you had let's watch this clip of Kratos and mimir's first meeting to see all this in action ah the very topic of conversation a tattooed man traveling with a child boy took their path make sure we're all alone but we just suddenly do as I say he doesn't know where you are I would keep it that way who are you me I'm the greatest ambassador to the gods the Giants and all the creatures of the nine realms I know every corner of these lands every language spoke and every war waged every deal struck they call me mamia smartest man alive and I have the answer to your every question why does the son of Odin hunt us okay there are a few gaps in my knowledge Odin's had me imprisoned here for it 109 months I'm a clever lad I can piece it together promise time nobody there just like I said boy's mother is dead she wanted us to spread her ashes on the highest peak and all around oh then you've come to the wrong place that little brother the highest peak in all that Realms is not here in mid God it's in your night Realm of the Giants no I could not be what she meant take a look [Music] this is the last known bridge to Jon Hyman all the realms see that mountain looks like a Giant's finger sweeping the sky that's highest peak in all that Elms no here can we just take that bridge we have a wife when the Giants destroyed all other Bridges to their realm they locked this one up with a secret Rune if it still exists only a giant would know it and all of them left midgard a long time ago but today the Winds of Fate have kicked up a strange Vortex of coincidence it's only one person alive who can get you and you need to go and luckily for you my schedules wide open we're going to you it's your best and only move from a tactical standpoint it's the one place the man who cannot be killed won't follow you [Music] what do we do yeah yeah first you need to cut off my head wait what Odin made sure that no weapon not even Thor's hammer could feed my body through these bonds but fortunately you don't need my body the trick is we need to find someone who can reanimate my head using the old magic Magic is a witch of the woods she knows the old ways and she'll help she might do what a child but if she fails he will be dead he tortures me you know every day brother wouldn't himself cease to get past my hand believe me there is no end to his creativity every single day this isn't living very well oh I can't watch this mother I guess you can't resonate with me there's something you need no boy the longer you wait to tell them is tuning each other the more damage you do he will resent you and you may lose him forever there is much about me I would not have him know so you value your privacy more than your son I'm going to cut off your head now good enough [Music] here you can see all of mimir's Personality on display he's witty and clever and cracking funny jokes he's providing practical information and guidance on how Kratos and atreus can progress through their adventure and he's already providing emotional guidance to Kratos already trying to nudge him toward doing the right thing which in this case means being honest with his son about his past and his true nature mimir has only known Kratos for like two minutes and he's already trying to push Kratos towards being a better father and he manages to do this without coming off as overbearing or judgmental so yeah Emir is awesome but for all my praise in God of War 4 he's also kind of a boring character because he's just too perfect Kratos in a trays are both very flawed characters they struggle with their flaws they're trying to grow and change and be better and they're often failing often falling down and picking each other up again that's what makes their Journey so narratively compelling that flaws mimir on the other hand comes off as basically perfect he literally calls himself the smartest man in the world and all the other characters appear to take this boast literally because he always seems to know the right thing to do both literally and morally he never says the wrong thing as a guide and role model for Kratos and atreus in a vehicle for exposition he's perfect as a complex and nuanced character ah not so much now I'm not criticizing the writing here you can't expect every single side and supporting character in a story to be as fully fleshed out and complicated as the main cast that's just not how stories work it's totally fine to have a supporting character who is a basically perfect role model if done right and mimir is definitely done very right that can be good writing but in a discussion of mimir's character the two-dimensional nature of that character needs to be mentioned let's move on to God of War Ragnarok and see how mimir's character changes there because there have been some definite improved movements to the writing of his character for most of Ragnarok mimir serves a very similar role to the one he played in God of War 4. he's clever and Charming he provides a lot of guidance both practical and moral by the start of the game he has pretty clearly become kratos's closest friend in confidante someone Kratos trusts someone Kratos listens to it whose counsel he values which is really sweet that's really not something Kratos has ever had in his life before and all the games in the series he's basically been going it alone he's never really had a friend never had someone he could share his burdens or worries with so this is a really gratifying development to see what are you thinking brother I am thinking want things to be the way they were well I'd like to claim a tree again certain ships have sailed betrays will not Sue Restless I care only for your safety I know brother but one thing I'm too tight won't keep him out of danger the lad's determined to make a few mistakes of his own and I hate to say it I think tyr might be one of them I've never seen a man broken so completely makes things fresh expect too much ah perhaps however mimir doesn't come off quite as perfect in the new game when the characters journey to throttle Farm the realm of the dwarves we learn of some unpleasant things mimir has done in the past mimir has always been really really smart but that intelligence was not always tempered by compassion and empathy the way it is in the present in mimir's past we can see what can happen when someone chooses to do things be purely logical and smart way without giving any consideration to compassion I'd like to talk a little bit about the relationship between empathy and rationality here one of my all-time favorite books is Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut in that book there's this scientist named Felix Honaker Felix Honaker is the most brilliant scientist of his day a true genius his inventions change the world the thing is though that Felix Honaker doesn't seem to have any compassion or empathy for anyone he barely even comes off as human he's like Spock or data pure rationality he never gives any thought to how his inventions might affect other people he just invents ultimately one of his inventions destroys the entire world and it's a pretty clear metaphor for the development of nuclear weapons Felix Honaker is an example of a character whose rationality and Brilliance is not tempered by Compassion or empathy mimir in the past is another such example so once upon a time mimir was Odin's advisor it turns out that in that role he did some very bad things while looking for tear the characters meet this dwarf in a Tavern playing this weird instrument as they're about to leave the dwarf says and while you travel through this realm maybe you can clean up the head's mess the mess he's referring to are these magical mining rigs so in the past Odin wanted to control spartaltheim mimir convinced him to establish that control through diplomacy instead of Conquest that diplomacy was the dwarves could work for Odin in these magical mining rigs that mimir helped devise and build or Odin could slaughter them apparently mimir buttered up the language of this deal so it didn't sound so horrific lied to them because what it is is slavery mimir helped Odin enslave the dwarves helped build these mining rigs so the enslaved dwarves would work in the most efficient way possible helped soften the language of the conquest so the dwarves would be less likely to resist even worse these mining rigs are poisoning the land so much so that the dwarves can't grow their own food anymore they have to rely on Odin for food now and that means they can never oppose him never get out from under his tyrannical thumb are you really the one who had those rigs built or didn't wanted the dwarves under his control and well I convinced him he could buy that Allegiance instead of demanding it all right a trade agreement of source the dwarves agree to the deal with Asgard why do they blame you I talked them into their own exploitation they need their choice work or die is not a choice I only made it seem so early these rings come to me I had them built to harvest or for armaments potentially harnessing resources that would otherwise go to the Dwarfs you think shutting these things down will help the dwarves become independent I don't know but I have to try something why would the dwarves agree to work for the Acer in the first place that's the heart of it eh you lied to them I lied to them surprised the dwarfs didn't shut these rigs off themselves why not you tried behind haryan made examples of them they killed the dwarves can you have convinced them not to I need to have survived because of you I am not wrong there brother Odin would have wiped out every last dwarf and Sparkle finder if he couldn't use their skills no one could you speak of your Deeds with shame do you regret not allowing Odin to kill them I don't if the doors didn't like working for Asgard couldn't they just quit who do you want a newly built Fortress poisoned the soil of svato fine unable to grow their own food they had to buy it from Asgard if they stop working they'd be taking food out of their own mouth that's clever and awful it is done if you could call so me got a task done a wee draw part of the Asgardian occupational bucket you must live with your Deeds but do not be troubled by them brother oh and why not you were given an impossible problem do not blame yourself for failing to solve it I'm sure the dwarfs will feel differently this doesn't fix things no but it is a start side note that's the first time Kratos has ever reciprocated by calling mimir brother it's very cute mimir is clearly conflicted about all this but I think Kratos lets him off a bit easy here Kratos is trying to comfort a friend but I'm not sure if I agree with what he says through Brock and sindri we've seen how capable the dwarves can be if mimir had said his genius to helping them resist Odin instead of helping them enslave themselves they might not have been destroyed might not have been enslaved the van air and Giants despite terrible losses have managed to survive Odin's Onslaught I think the dwarves could have too so this is really bad this is a really terrible thing that mimir was a part of ultimately Odin is the one really responsible he's the one in charge and even if mimir wasn't involved Odin still would have conquered and Enslaved the dwarves but still just being a part of this at all not opposing it in any way he could makes my mirror look really bad and this is an interesting moment in the story because this is essentially the first true wrong thing we've ever heard of mimir doing sure he negotiated the failed marriage between Freya and Odin which ended up being a huge disaster for everyone involved but in that case he was at least trying to do the right thing with that marriage he was trying to end a bloody war trying to create compromise and peace I think the choice to reveal something this troubling about mimir's past is a really intentional one by the writers before this side quest mimir was basically perfect after the side quest he feels much more like a flawed nuanced and complicated character which is good writing in the present mimir is a character who is Guided by empathy and because of that he wants to rectify his past mistakes to help in any way he can in pursuit of this they destroy the mining rigs therefore helping the dwarves however some mistakes are permanent some mistakes can not be made right some mistakes cannot be undone as we see in this next side quest mimir commanded one more sin in his past that we need to cover this colossal incredible aquatic Beast is the lingbacher mimir captured and enslaved this creature to impress Odin and so that its oil could be harvested and used to fuel Odin's lamps the oil harvesting process is a violent one where the creature while alive and fully conscious has parts of its body carved away so miners can get to the oil these instructions for mining the lingbacher remind miners to always wear earplugs presumably so they can drown out the creature's cries of pain which is pretty morbid because of mimir this lingbacher was enslaved and tortured for probably hundreds of years mimir does make it clear that he feels really bad about it Kratos seems especially disappointed after this one during the mining rig side quest Kratos tries to comfort mimir about his his mistakes but during this one Kratos does no such thing he and mimir have a very interesting exchange unique among all their interactions through both games Kratos is more critical of mimir here than anywhere else in either game what is this captured it many years ago for Odin yes caught it an imaginative Urban eye-catching way to Earl his favor it worked that is it this creature you enslaved it I but why because I was young and stupid and I didn't know what it was like to be chained in one place for years at a time with nothing to occupy your mind but pain you're angry with me aren't you brother I remember the feeling of a yoke around my neck I will not wish it upon another why enslave the creature and fat was a good source of oil but alden's lanterns oil for lanterns never anger your feelings whatever loathing toward me it's nothing to what I've said to myself you never spoke of this creature ever did that surprise you an old man would be ashamed of the mistakes he's made no I thought I'd hoped the creature would be long inspired by now but apparently the ACF couldn't even be bothered to mass and kill it once it was no longer useful I we could kill it no not when we can save it you would still save this broken creature I know what it is to be imprisoned like this can't just leave it and if it is beyond saving I don't understand there you're free what's going on maybe he needs a little encouragement can you get me closer to its eye for a face-to-face bomber to rectify his mistake mimir guides Kratos and atreus towards freeing the lingbacher however even after destroying its bonds the lingbacher doesn't flee come on your great Labyrinth Beast sure it's not moving why is it not moving it has grown accustomed to its chains no no we can face this we just need to chase it off I'm scared it something that's right only better than they were he likes the wind blowing on its face I can feel it where you provide some comfort that's not enough its wounds both physical and psychological as a result of Decades of torture are too deep this creature even if physically free will never psychologically be free of its time in captivity again its wounds will always be a part of it this is a mistake that mimir cannot undo I want to go back to cat's cradle and Felix hanukker because Felix hanaker was a brilliant character a genius but he never gave any thought to how his inventions would affect people past memere seems to have been the same way creating those mining rigs capturing the lingbacher those were amazing feats something that only a truly brilliant character could have accomplished but mimir didn't give any thought to how the things he did would affect others this is what I mean by Brilliance tempered by compassion mamir in the present is just as smart as he was in the past but now his Brilliance has been tempered by compassion in the present he chooses to do what is Smart while also being Guided by what is compassionate there are these hyperological discompassionate characters they get popular every now and then among certain audiences think of Spock from Star Trek the half human half Vulcan who has chosen to cut off all his human emotions to live a life ruled solely by Logic or Rick from Rick and Morty who is a total genius who doesn't care what anyone else thinks but is also a total [ __ ] who just doesn't care about anyone sometimes people get attached to these kinds of characters they say that's my ideal we would be so much better off if we could just stop letting our feelings affect our decisions if we could just stop caring lit cold facts and logic dictate all our decisions regardless of how it makes anyone feel I think mimir's character is an interesting response to that ideal because mimir is probably as smart as those characters within the world of God of War mimir is the smartest character alive supposedly he is the Spock or rick of his world and yet unlike them in the present his genius is tempered by his compassion we've seen what kinds of decisions he made in the past when he wasn't compassionate where he helped enslave the dwarves or help enslave the lingvacher but in the present he is as brilliant as he is empathetic and that allows him to be not just smart but also wise I still don't get why you ever wanted to work for Odie then I was young enough to still be ambitious magnesium God's most powerful of forces I've come across where they clearly lack of strategy focus and Sage counsel this could I Faithfully provide and so a stranger from a far-off island found himself with Odin's ear trusted as he trusted no one but himself and with that kind of power lady I must confess there are paths yeah but Odin never claimed to be perfect lady only clever and often too clever by heart so what'd you do to get them so Maddie well for a long time my job was to enable Odin when I was [ __ ] excellent at it gradually As I Grew more to care about people in the world my job became to contain him to protect him from himself by serving peace I served his interests as well that's the truth but he saw just his loyalty no longer trusting my motives but not wishing to part with my brain or tongue he burned me to a tree and adopted a new pastime of casual torture well I'm glad we came along to cut off your head I lad lucky break that was [Music]

Channel: FatBrett

Views: 1,385,632

Keywords: God of War, Ragnarok, Story, Explained, Mimir, Character, Analysis, Intelligence, Wisdom, Brilliance, Compassion

Id: _50mU21tPS0

Length: 33min 25sec (2005 seconds)

Published: Fri Dec 23 2022