'God of War' Eitr Imbued: What It Means When the Serpent Says This

God of War is a perfect video game, combining the combat of Dark Souls, the exploration of Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and the fulfilling narrative of The Last of Us. It's also got a ton of hints and nods to Norse mythology hidden throughout the game's flowing story. After you take your boat down the river and head to the Lake of Nine, the game prompts you to throw Kratos' axe into the water below. A giant world serpent (complete with a very stylish beard) known as Jörmungandr, pops up out of the depths and spits your weapon back at you.

God of War' Eitr Imbued: What It Means When The Serpent Says This

In this moment, an on-screen prompt that says "Eitr Imbued" seems to have confused some fans. The world serpent imbues your weapon with a blessing, granting it two runic attacks. Brok and Sindri, the dwarven blacksmiths, also grant your weapons special marks that increase their strength values during pivotal parts of the story. You can check how many buffs your weapon is currently holding by going to the "Resource" tab and looking on the left side.

Eitr in Norse mythology is a type of "primordial ooze" that all life stemmed from. Ymir, the frost giant (and best support in Smite) popped up out of this goo when time began. Jörmungandr's stomach is full of the stuff, which is supposed to be very deadly. It's a powerful and unstable substance so when you hear "Eitr Imbued," all it really means it that some of the magic is now part of Kratos' Leviathan Axe.

Gross. Let's hope Kratos uses the Norse equivalent of Purell in between all of that monster gutting.