Characters / God of War Series: Mimir

God of War characters index
Protagonists: Kratos | Atreus
Greek Era: Gods (Zeus) | Titans | Mythology's Heroes | Other Beings | Normal Humans | Characters from Comics
Norse Era: Gods (Odin | Thor | Mimir | Baldur | Heimdall | Freya) | Jotnar | Other Characters (Sindri and Brok) | Monsters

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Mimir

Voiced by: Alastair Duncan (English), Yohei Tadano (Japanese)^{additional VAs}Milton Levi (Brazilian Portuguese), Boris Shuvalov (Russian)

"Freedom comes at a price, milady."

^{Click here to see his full-bodied appearance}

"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 spoken, every war waged, every deal struck. They call me...Mimir! —smartest man alive. And I know the answer to your every question."

Mimir is a former Aesir, known for his knowledge and wisdom as the "Smartest Man Alive", and an ally of Kratos and Atreus. He was Odin's advisor and the ambassador of the Aesir Gods until Odin imprisoned him following Mimir's refusal to carry out the All-Father's plans any longer.

Trapped within a tree at the highest peak of Midgard, Mimir had his head cut off by Kratos, only to be revived, and now continuously aids Kratos and Atreus on their journey; giving commentary and explaining lore while serving as the Norse Saga's tritagonist.

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A-E

• Accent Adaptation: Mimir speaks with a prominent Scottish accent, with matching slang and dialect. Since Scotland has a history with the Vikings, it's not hard to justify it as part of historical accuracy. The post-credits reveals that Mimir isn't actually from the Norse region or a Jotunn like in the myths, he's said to be a fairy from A Midsummer Night's Dream. In Ragnarök, Verdandi outright calls him "Robin of the Goodfellows" while Urd calls him "Puck," confirming his identity.
• Accomplice by Inaction: In a brutal demonstration by the Norns, Mimir's greatest sin was that he never helped the people who suffered under their leaders, specifically using Mimir's fondness for women against him by saying he never spoke up or intervened when Odin targetted Freya, Groa, Skadi, or when Oberon targetted Titania. The Norns said that Mimir selfishly served Odin and did everything to appease him until Odin betrayed him as well.
• Adaptational Context Change: In the myths, Mimir was beheaded by the Vanir after being sent to Vanaheim alongside Hoenir in an exchange of hostages after the Aesir-Vanir War - when they suspected that the Aesir had cheated in the exchange due to Hoenir not being a decisive leader without Mimir's advising, the Vanir decapitated the latter and sent his head to Odin, who then used magic to reanimate him. In the franchise, Mimir was imprisoned and tortured by Odin and had his head revived by Freya instead after he asked Kratos to cut it off, both so he could help him and Atreus in their journey and so he'd be free from his torment.
• Adaptational Nationality: The Mimir of Norse Mythology was a Jotunn and certainly native to the Nine Realms. Here, he's from Scotland, apparently, but explains himself as a Goodfellow pulled directly out of A Midsummer Night's Dream.
• Adaptation Species Change: He is a Jotunn in the myths, while in the game he is a fairy from Scottish folklore.
• Adaptation Relationship Overhaul: Mythologically, Mimir's Odin's uncle and a steadfast ally to the Aesir. Here, he was the one who sought the Aesir out to make a name for himself, but came to despise Odin and a good number of other Norse gods.
• Affectionate Nickname: He refers to people he likes as "brother." Likewise, Atreus is "little brother."
• Agent Peacock: He has a high opinion of himself and speaks of his travels in a very grandiose manner, but he's an essential ally and has earned the title of "Smartest man alive".
• Alcohol-Induced Idiocy: He likes to have a drink and states that he embarrassed himself in front of the Valkyries when he accidentally fell off a mountain while drunk. Causing Eir to heal him after presumably rescuing him.
  • There's also that one time when he nearly convinced the giants to turn his nipples into Bifrosts, also while drunk. Funnily enough, the only reason he was so drunk was because he was trying to anesthetize himself in preparation for the Bifrosts to be put into his eyes.
• Amazon Chaser: Mimir had a past relationship with Sigrun, the Queen of the Valkyries, and has a very high opinion of her and her extraordinary strength and willpower.
• And I Must Scream: He's introduced partially fused with a tree and is tortured daily by Odin. By the time Kratos and Atreus meet him, he's desperate enough that he'd rather take a vague chance that his decapitated head could be revived (and fully considers death to be a welcome release) from being bound to his prison.
  Mimir: This... this isn't living.
• And This Is for...: Calls Odin "All-Fucker" in the final battle against him in tribute to Brok.
• Animal Motifs: With goats; his horns give the impression of a goat, and some characters call him "old goat" at times. And tying to his identity as Puck, classic depictions of the character often portray Puck as a satyr with the horns and legs of a goat.
• Arbitrary Skepticism: Mimir often points out the senselessness of his situation to Atreus. While investigating Mótsognir's kingdom, this interaction takes place.
  Atreus: How are Brok and Sindri supposed to build with... whatever they are?
  Mimir: Don't count the Dwarves out, lad. They're right pricks, but they're resourceful. They once made an unbreakable chain out of little more than a cat's footstep and bird spit!
  Atreus: That doesn't even make sense!
  Mimir: Well, that's the legend. If you wanted sense, you shouldn't be talking to a severed head!
• Arch-Enemy:
  • Odin. Once close allies and friends, Odin turned on Mimir when he learned Mimir had been deceiving him, magically bound him to a tree, and tortured him for over 100 years. While Odin tries polite diplomacy with Kratos and Atreus in the beginning of Ragnarök, he speaks with undisguised contempt once he reveals to the two he knows Mimir's with them, contempt Mimir gladly reciprocates.
  • A close second are the Berserkers. Mimir's enmity with the ghostly warriors is especially personal because the only reason Hrolf was in a position to usurp Lejre's throne was because Mimir put in a word for him with King Aldis. As soon as Kratos finds Skofnung's hilt, Mimir urges him to take out the Berserker Souls as quickly as he can and has a spiteful quip whenever Kratos kills one of the spirits.
• Artistic License – Biology: Not that a living, decapitated head was ever gonna be realistic, but how Mimir can produce sound without any lungs is a mystery, although it probably boils down to "Freya's magic".
• The Atoner: In Ragnarök, Mimir gives Kratos several favors involving undoing damage done by Mimir while he was on Odin's side. These included dismantling several mining rigs, designed to exploit the Dwarves for cheap labor, and freeing Lyngbakr, a creature imprisoned to be harvested for its oils.
• Back from the Dead: Mimir dies temporarily since Kratos decapitates him, but his head is revived thanks to the old magic of the Vanir. However, if you return to Freya's house after killing her son Baldur in the end, Mimir will explain that while the magic of the Vanir reanimated his head, he's still quite dead. He will never be what he once was. He uses this to assure Atreus that Freya won't try to bring back Baldur — she would not want to see Baldur diminished like Mimir.
• Badass Boast: Upon meeting Kratos for the first time, Mimir gives a very lengthy and impressive list of credentials to prove he's the smartest man alive. Though he then dials back upon being confronted with a question he can't answer.
  Mimir: "I have the answer to your every question."
  Kratos: "Why does the son of Odin hunt us?"
  Mimir (his confidence sapped away): "...Okay, there are a few gaps in my knowledge."
• The Bard: His character type is akin to a skald. Skalds were poetic members of a group associated with Viking tradition and were highly revered for their stories since individual Vikings desired their glory to be remembered through tale and song.
• Best Friend: By the time of Ragnarök, it's he and Kratos as this, strangely enough.
• Best Friend Manual: Throughout the Norse saga, Mimir has learned how to deal with Kratos's gruff personality and to communicate with him better. They go from Kratos not even calling him by his real name in his first appearance to being trusted companions in the second.
• Beware the Nice Ones: In Ragnarök, Atreus dodges Kratos' questions of whether or not Atreus went to Asgard to see Odin. Mimir, usually the more level-headed of the trio, actually raises his voice and joins in reprimanding Atreus for keeping secrets, pointing out that Atreus is talking incredibly disrespectfully and he's being naive for even remotely considering going to Asgard. It genuinely comes across as an uncle giving his nephew a talking-to.
  Atreus: Since when do you ever take [Kratos] side?
  Mimir: Since he became the one making sense!
  • He also gets quite fed up with the imposter Tyr's reclutance to fight and shutting himself away in his room, to the point of calling him "useless sod".
• Bound and Gagged: When Kratos meets him, he's been entangled in a tree for 109 years.
• Broken Record: It's the fact he always responds to questions about Baldur's weakness with "Baldur is blessed with invulnerability to all threats, physical or magical." that clues Kratos in to the fact that something's wrong, rather than Mimir simply not knowing.
• Brutal Honesty: While he usually tries to be nice about his advice, when the time comes, he's not shy about telling people truths they really didn't want to hear, such as telling Kratos that his hatred of gods and trying to keep knowledge of his godhood from Atreus is for all intents and purposes the same thing as outright hating Atreus, since it's not like Atreus chose to be born a god.
• Bunny-Ears Lawyer: For his eccentricities and rather light-hearted attitude, Mimir really does live up to the title of smartest man in all the realms. Odin decided to bind Mimir to a tree instead of killing him because Mimir was just that much of an asset to maintaining his power.
• Can't Hold His Liquor: Two incidents:
  • Mimir got his golden eyes after a painful process with the Giants replacing his eyes or enchanting them. Prior to the process, Mimir drank a lot of alcohol to sedate himself but instead got so drunk that he nearly convinced them to put the spell on his nipples instead.
  • Mimir was also at a gathering with the Valkyries and drank too much alcohol. He embarrassed himself when he fell off the mountain and had to be rescued by one of the Valkyries.
• Cloudcuckoolander: Mimir, in comparison to Kratos, is much more jovial and eccentric. Kratos sometimes has to reign him in from speaking too much.

  Magni: The Sons of Thor are willing to destroy you.
  Mímir: The Sons of Thor are welcome to try!
  Kratos: HEAD!
  Mímir: Sorry. Overstepped, yeah?

• Composite Character: Post-credit dialogue hints that, alongside being the Norse god Mimir, he's also Robin Goodfellow. Ragnarök confirms this, and also suggests that he is, or will become, the bard himself! His backstory of being trapped in a tree by Odin also has similarities with how Merlin was, in some versions, trapped in an oak tree by Nimue in Arthurian Legend, as Mimir is also a Celtic adviser of a king.
• Cool Uncle: Mimir acts as a secondary parental figure in Atreus's life, and clearly thinks highly of him; Atreus reciprocates. Mimir is much more emotional, social, and heartfelt than Kratos is, and isn't above scolding Atreus if he's done something wrong.
• Cool Old Guy: He's visibly older than even Kratos, with a graying beard and wrinkled face to boot. And with that age comes hundreds of generations of knowledge and experience that lend to his vast intellect.
• The Confidant: Since the three-year gap between God of War and Ragnarök, Mimir has become this to Kratos, who confides in him about Atreus growing up and the oncoming apocalypse. Interestingly, Mimir not only listens, but often tries to give advice or full-on admits he shares Kratos's sentiments but doesn't know how to deal with it.
• The Conscience: He tries to be a moral guide for both Kratos and Atreus, telling Kratos to trust his son more, and rein in Atreus's ego when he learns of his godly heritage.
• Dark and Troubled Past: It plays into his I Hate Past Me tendencies, but Mimir realized that his time serving Odin and the actions he committed under his name were for Odin's selfish gain and Mimir just trying to curry favor with him. It's also implied that his time serving under Oberon wasn't exactly stellar either.
• Deadpan Snarker: Whenever Kratos or others say something at Mimir's expense, he usually responds with casual sarcasm. He's also this towards the Huldra brothers a lot of the time, particularly at Brok.
  Brok: Just be warned [Durlin's] not the friendly sort of Dwarf-folk you're used to. He's cranky as all get-out, and he talk funny too.
  Mimir: Sounds like a true study in contrast.
• Defiant Captive: While Mimir was bound in branches, he eventually lost all care and concern for his safety. His introduction has him telling off Baldur of all people.
  Mimir: Your father won't let me go, Baldur, and he won't let you kill me. You have nothing to offer me. So take your questions, take your threats, take these two worthless wankers, and piss off!
• Deuteragonist: He serves as the third most featured character in the Norse Saga helping out with Kratos and Atreus.
• Did You Just Scam Cthulhu?: How Mimir ended up in Odin's service. As a presentable "gift" to Odin to show how useful he would be as a counselor, Mimir presented Odin with something he knew he coveted: a mystic well of knowledge. By well of knowledge, Mimir meant a well laced with enough magic mushrooms to even make a god see freaky visions. Odin nearly tore out both of his eyes and was convinced that it was part of a sacrifice and that Mimir was worth keeping. However, Odin later caught on the trick and inflicted punishment on him, hence Mimir's missing eye.
• Dies Differently in Adaptation: Sort of, as in both the original myths and in the adaptation he is decapitated and brought back to life, but under different circumstances. In the myths, he's killed by the Vanir and resurrected by Odin so he can provide wisdom for him. In the game, Mimir was able to end the war through an arranged marriage between Odin and Freya. After Mimir started taking his duties much more seriously, Odin bound him to a tree and tortured him for "109 winters" under the assumption that Mimir was conspiring against him. When Kratos and Atreus came along, he offered his services in return for his own death and resurrection.
• Dude, Where's My Respect?: After telling Kratos the story of Queen Titania's humiliation. in Valhalla, Mimir admits to Kratos that truthfully it was the perceived lack of appreciation that led him to quit Oberon's court rather than moral objection to the fairy kings petty actions. Confessing, to his shame, that he likely would've been complicit in many more misdeeds had Oberon better appeased his pride.
• Establishing Character Moment: Mimir is introduced as Kratos and Atreus are ascending the highest mountain in Midgar, the latter two eavesdropping as Mimir is being interrogated by Aesir. Mimir staunchly holds his composure and tells the three gods flaunting at him to piss off, showcasing his defiance and his despising Odin and the latter's kin. Then upon greeting Kratos and Atreus for the first time, that animosity vanishes and he shows himself to be a good-mannered and compassionate man, as well as demonstrating his chops as the smartest man of the Nine Realms by directing the two to their next goal.
• Everyone Has Standards: Upon realizing Kratos is the Ghost of Sparta, Mimir cconcedes he's heard of Kratos and what he did to Zeus and his pantheon. But he's also heard what they did to Kratos — and agrees that the Olympians had it coming.
• Eye Beams: The "Huldra Brothers Project #9" artifact allows Kratos to weaponize Mimir by pulling him out and causing him to fire off a beam of Bifrost from his eyes. As the description for it notes, it's fairly uncomfortable for him.
• Eye Scream: Odin had torn out Mimir's left eye to prevent him from using the Bifrost. Retrieving the eye is part of a quest. Found inside Jörmungandr's belly.

F-N

• Face Death with Dignity: He's pretty blasé about Kratos chopping his head off when they first meet. Justified given that Mimir's been held captive and tortured for a century and Kratos has just come along agreeing to a strategy that could revive him anyway.
• Facial Markings: Mimir has tattoos of runes on his scalp.
• The Fair Folk: He's specifically a Robin Goodfellow, the same kind of mischievous forest fairy as Puck from A Midsummer Night's Dream. For all we know, maybe he is Puck. Ragnarök confirms this to be the case when the Norns refer to him by name as Puck, and their vision of Sigrun shames him for, among other things, humiliating and degrading Titania with his magic to amuse Oberon.
• Family of Choice: Affectionately refers to Kratos as "brother" (which Kratos eventually reciprocates, no less), and Atreus as "little brother".
• Fire-Forged Friends: Him and Kratos develop this relationship through their first adventure together, starting off with a tense alliance before gradually learning to respect each other; though Kratos would never admit to such.
• Foil: Just by watching the two interact, you can see that Mimir, at least on the surface, is everything Kratos isn't; friendly, jovial, well-learned, and not at all a fighter. For what they have in common though: both are older men haunted by heinous acts they've committed in the past and struggle to forgive themselves. While Kratos prefers to keep that stuff hidden from others, Mimir continues to act like his usual cheery self even with all that self-loathing eating at him.
• Forgiven, but Not Forgotten: In Ragnarök, while he manages to reconcile and make amends with Freya, it doesn't stop her from taking digs at him as a former lackey of Odin, up to expressing disappointment that he didn't feel pain when Kratos severed his head.
• Freudian Trio: Forms one with Kratos and Atreus, becoming The Ego to Kratos' Superego and Atreus' Id.
• The Friend Nobody Likes: Downplayed, but he has shades of this, stemming from his know-it-all attitude and his time serving Odin. In the 2018 game, only Atreus and Sigrun seem fond of him. Kratos finds him annoying, he and Brok have feuded over some unspecified incident, Freya holds him responsible for her marriage to Odin (which he indeed masterminded), and Sindri is disgusted by his being a decapitated head. By Ragnarök his situation's improved somewhat, though we encounter more people he's alienated. Kratos now considers him a close friend and a brother, Atreus considers him a second father while Brok seems to have upgraded to Vitriolic Best Buds, Freyr hates him for having been Odin's advisor and the whole Freya marriage thing, the Dwarves hate him for negotiating their enslavement to Asgard and creating machines that have been stripping resources from their realm and polluting the earth and air making them unable to grow food. Mimir does get a chance to mend and make amends, reconciling with Freya and swearing to serve her, advising Freyr on strategy, and having Kratos destroy his creations in Svartalfheim.
• Good Counterpart: To Athena. Even though both of them serve as a guide for Kratos and are gods of wisdom, Mimir remains a good friend to Kratos and Atreus while Athena only cared about herself, using Kratos as a pawn for power and control.
• Handy Mouth: As he has no hands, Mimir has to turn the pages of a book using a spoon held in his mouth when he reads.
• The Heart: He's more emotional and social towards Atreus than Kratos. Through the story, Kratos doesn't do much to quell Atreus' ego when he discovers his godhood, Mimir is the one who educates Atreus on his powers brought by his godhood and uses Tyr as an example of a good god to Atreus.
• Heel–Face Turn: Mimir was never truly a villain, but he did some very awful things while serving under Odin and served as his prime enabler until he learned the weight of his words and the amount of pain it caused everyone, as well as getting bound to a tree for over a hundred years. He spends his time with Kratos doing his best to repent for his past actions, though is aware that some things can't be forgiven.
• Heel Realization: He learned the extent of his actions after realizing how selfish and obsessive Odin was, and how just simple offhand comments led to others suffering.
• Heroic BSoD: Goes through a minor one after he witnesses Kratos killing Heimdall. Mimir tries to get Kratos to stop, but after the deed is done, Mimir is at a loss for words before simply dropping the subject.
  Mimir: Kratos...that was...I don't know if we're breaking fate, or fate's breaking us.
• Heterosexual Life-Partners: As of Ragnarök, he and Kratos serve as this.
• Hey, You!: Mimir gets this treatment from Kratos, who exclusively calls him "Head". This is dropped in Ragnarök, where Kratos not only addresses him by name but also calls him "brother" as well.
• Hidden Depths:
  • He's a very comical character once he becomes a permanent member of the party after being decapitated and revived. But he has displayed a serious attitude. After Kratos sees an illusion of Zeus, he explicitly tells him to not go further into Helheim in a very serious tone.
  • One boat conversation implies that he considers PaRappa the Rapper to be "history's greatest musician".
• Honorary Uncle: Even though they aren't technically related, due to his tendency to call Kratos "brother", Mimir is usually nicer to Atreus than Kratos tends to be.
• Horned Humanoid: Mimir sports small bull horns on his forehead, a nod to classical depictions of Robin Goodfellow.
• Humanity Is Infectious: While telling stories in the boat, Mimir admits to causing mischief for humans as well as being an enabler for Odin, but he grew to admire humans and started to protect humanity from Odin by being his adviser.
• I Hate Past Me: He admits his guilt for indirectly ruining Freya's life by arranging the marriage between her and Odin in an attempt to broker peace between the Aesir and the Vanir. However, Odin manipulated the marriage and ruined any or all chances of long-term peace between the realms. He also blames himself for the death of the giant Starkadr, which was caused when Mimir made a passing comment on how, if the Jotunn were ever to have a standing army, Starkadr would be their general.
• Human Notepad: Mimir has a collection of several runes tattooed across his head as a symbol of his status as the "smartest man alive".
• The "I Love You" Stigma: In Valhalla, Mimir reveals that he and Sigrun have hit a rough patch after Sigrun admitted she was smitten with him and wanted to kiss him. Mimir, taken aback by the sudden honesty, told her he didn't think he was good enough for her and the two have been embarrassed to talk to each other at length.
• Interspecies Romance: He was in a relationship with Sigrun, Queen of the Valkyrie. He's a Celtic fairy and she's a valkyrie of human origin.
• It's All My Fault: He fully blames himself for Odin's marriage to Freya and the war against the Giants, feeling that he could have done more to rein in Odin and regretting much of the advice he gave him.
• I Want My Beloved to Be Happy: When Sigrun expresses a desire to sail the realms alone at the end of Valhalla, Mimir is initially reluctant towards the idea, but over their travels decides that she needs to walk her own path with or without him. That said, for her part, Sigrun expresses a desire to return to him eventually, so the flame yet remains.
• Like a Son to Me: Mimir makes up for Kratos's shortcomings in fatherhood and does his best to help Atreus out whenever possible, such as educating him on stories, or if the situation calls, reprimanding him like a father would.
• Losing Your Head: To be free from his prison, Mimir asks Kratos to chop his head off. Of course, he'll die, but he also asks Kratos to make sure his head is revived afterwards. He spends the remainder of the Norse era strapped to Kratos' belt.
• Magical Eye: Mimir was gifted special sight by the Giants, who put Bifrost crystals in his eyes. They glow with a yellow light and can activate special portals and hidden secrets.
• Mirth to Power: He was Odin's advisor and has a good sense of humour. Mimir, unfortunately, caused the death of Starkaðr the Mighty when he jokingly stated: "If the Giants ever had anything so organised as an army, Starkaðr would have been their general". Odin took him at his words and soon plotted to kill Starkaðr to prevent this from happening. He even states he was an unofficial jester to a previous faerie king.
• Mr. Exposition: Mimir has a lot of things to say about the lore of the land and gods. Frustratingly, he's forgotten pieces of information that would actually be useful to Kratos. Such as how to defeat Baldur.
• Mushroom Samba: He did this to Odin in order to become his advisor by spiking a well with enough mystic mushrooms to make even a god see visions and claimed it was a well of infinite knowledge. After drinking the water, Odin saw something that made him try to tear out his own eyes. Mimir stopped him and claimed that the eye he tore out was a "sacrifice" required for the "knowledge". Mimir was sure he never caught on, but the day he tore out his left eye, Mimir realized Odin knew he had been tricked.
• My Greatest Failure:
  • The Svartalfheim Favors in Ragnarök reveal two separate injustices Mimir committed, as an emissary of Odin, that have since made him a detested figure in Niðavellir. At no point does he ever attempt to defend his actions, and it's clear they bring him shame.
    • At Odin's demand, he convinced the dwarves to install mining rigs across the realm, the rigs churned out countless weapons without craft or skill, polluted the soil and air so that the dwarves had to buy food from Asgard, and got workers killed in their reckless construction. As Kratos reasons, though Mimir was indeed complicit, he shouldn't blame himself, as Odin had forced he and the dwarves both into a no-win scenario — obey and suffer, or refuse and die.
    • To curry Odin's favor, Mimir captured the Lyngbakr, an island-sized whale, and chained it in the bay; its blubber was harvested for lantern oil while it was still alive, and the creature was so massive that it never died. Mimir, knowing now how terrible it is to be imprisoned, shoulders all the responsibility and guilt, and wants to make whatever small amends he can to the beast. In the end, even though its chains are broken, it's become so accustomed to captivity to be unable to swim away. Atreus claims that it at least is grateful for being allowed to rise and feel the wind on its face again, but it's cold comfort to Mimir.
    Kratos: [in utter contempt] Oil... for lanterns.
    Mimir: [sadly] Whatever anger you're feeling... whatever loathing toward me... it's nothing to what I've said to myself.
  • Once upon a time, Mimir was an advisor for Aldis, king of the peaceful kingdom of Lejre. One day, a Midgardian warrior requested court with Aldis, and Mimir encouraged the king to meet the warrior. The warrior, Hrolf Kraki, along with twelve of his goons, murdered Aldis, stole his throne, and drove Lejre to ruin. Mimir's regret sends Kratos on a mission to kill Hrolf and his Berserker warriors' malevolent spirits once and for all.
• Nature Spirit: He's not actually a native Norse god! He was some kind of mischievous Celtic forest sprite in his youth and served a succession of different masters further and further north until he finally ended up under Odin. This may or may not reflect the origin of the god in a historical context, depending on which Germanic mythology reconstructionist you're talking to. He refers to his kind as "Goodfellows" aka "Robin Goodfellow", the same kind of fairy Puck from A Midsummer Night's Dream is. This implies that the previous king he served was Oberon, King of the Faerie. The Norns confirm that he is indeed the very same Puck.
• The Needless: It's repeatedly implied that in his undead-beheaded condition, he doesn't require any food, water or oxygen like even a normal god would. To his surprise, he can't even drown when stuck underwater for up to a minute; he's also disappointed he can't swallow food anymore and reminisces about his favorite foods in one conversation.
• Nice Guy: For a guy that endured a century of torture, Mimir is surprisingly good-natured and friendly. The sole exception would be when it comes to his mortal enemy Odin, and by extant the Aesir loyal to him.
• No Good Deed Goes Unpunished: Mimir was Odin's adviser and made countless attempts to steer him away from genocide and make peace with the Vanir and the giants. Odin instead believes that Mimir was a traitor and decided to torture him for all of eternity.
• Non-Action Guy: Considering he spends most of his time as a dismembered head, he doesn't provide any direct combat aid for Kratos and Atreus, instead warning of incoming attacks and noting weaknesses in enemies. The only way he can directly help in combat is if the player purchase a relic Brok and Sindri make in Ragnarök which makes him able to shoot rays of Bifrost from his magical eyes against enemies, much to his discomfort.
• Noodle Incident: Whatever happened between him and Brok. All we know is that it ended badly, and they both blame the other.
• Not So Omniscient After All:
  • When Kratos asks him why the sons of Odin are hunting him, he admits that being imprisoned in a tree for 109 years had left some gaps in his knowledge, though he insists that he'll figure it out given some time. Since the one hunting him is Baldur, he likely literally can't piece it together because of Freya's curse.
  • Played more for laughs in Ragnarok, during a conversation in which they're discussing what pre-Fimbulwinter foods they miss...
  Mimir: The hell's an olive?

O-Z

• Oblivious Guilt Slinging: While relaying the tale of Skadi, the goddess of skiing, and how she was manipulated by Odin into killing her own father, Mimir mentions that there is nothing as detestable as someone who kills their parent. This is before he learns that Kratos is the Ghost of Sparta, who killed his father, Zeus.
• Once per Episode: Like Medusa, Euryale, and Helios before him, Mimir fulfills the God of War series quota of turning a severed head into an equippable item. Thankfully for Mimir, Kratos is far more even-keeled by the time they meet, and thus his decapitation is both refreshingly non-violent and even comes with a free resurrection so he can become a veritable Mr. Exposition for the world and its inhabitants.
• Only Sane Man: Despite his eccentricities and spending the last 109 years being melded to a tree and tortured, he's the character with the least amount of baggage in the story, and the baggage he does have doesn't interfere with his goals. He's also very good at catching when other people are about to make stupid decisions. Whenever his advice is ignored, it's usually to the listener's detriment.
• O.O.C. Is Serious Business:
  • He slowly drops his usual jovial demeanor and becomes noticeably angry when recalling Odin's murder of Ymir, to the point that he promptly ends the story once Atreus points it out.
    Mimir: From Ymir's torn flesh, Odin would fashion the realm of Midgard for his own. Called himself Allfather, as if he were the creator, and not the creator's destroyer. A small, covetous tyrant.
  • When he enters Helheim with Kratos to save Atreus, he becomes completely serious and doesn't joke around, telling Kratos they should leave as soon as possible.
  • When Atreus later gets them all stranded in the depths Helheim, Mimir doesn't let him off easy and is resisting the urge to scream at him.
  • He, along with everyone in the room, chastise Atreus for even entertaining going to Asgard to visit Odin. Atreus even called him out for siding with Kratos, but Mimir even said that Kratos knows better in this case. He even said that he, Freya and Tyr are proof enough that Odin is not to be trusted. Considering Mimir has never raised his voice towards Atreus before, this scene really has the latter taken aback.
  • After Atreus admits he released Garm in Helheim, Mimir scolds Atreus for his mistake and angrily says that freeing Garm is a "fuck-up of not insignificant proportions!".
  • He shocks Odin in the final battle by calling him "All-Fucker" in tribute to Brok.
• Opposites Attract: Mimir is jovial, light-hearted, and a rather easy man to befriend. Kratos is quiet, abrasive, gruff, and isn't good with expressing his emotions, but the two respect and care for the other despite their differences.
• Parental Substitute: Kratos isn't a bad father, he's just having difficulty building an emotional connection with Atreus. Mimir fills the gap by telling Atreus stories about the gods, giants, and Ragnarök. In Ragnarök Atreus admits that Mimir is like a second father to him.
• Photographic Memory: He still retains his memories and encyclopedic knowledge after 109 years of torture.
• Platonic Co-Parenting: Mimir makes up for Kratos's shortcomings in parenting such as his emotional repression and helps teach Atreus things that Kratos cannot. Atreus even later admits that Mimir is like a second father to him.
• Plucky Comic Relief: Although not without his serious moments, Mimir (along with the dwarven brothers) usually provides the more lighthearted commentary throughout Kratos and son's adventures.
• Retired Monster: Drawing parallels to Kratos, Mimir was once Odin's right-hand man and advisor; he aided Odin's tyranny over the Nine Realms, the true extent of which isn't revealed until Ragnarök. When he stopped being useful, he got a taste of his own medicine when Odin tied him to a tree and started making a hobby of torturing him every day, leading to his Heel–Face Turn and being The Atoner.
• Revenant Zombie: Being reanimated as a head makes him technically undead, but he retains his considerable mental faculties. Interestingly, the spell that brings him back to life also seems to undo any decomposition that Mimir’s head suffered during the interval between his death and resurrection. However, it is treated as not "true" life; in the postgame, Atreus asks why Freya doesn't just revive Baldur the way she revived Mimir, he states that he isn't really alive anymore and that Freya wouldn't be able to handle seeing her son "alive" in the same manner as Mimir.
• Sad Clown: Mimir isn't exactly as cheery as he lets on. Before meeting Kratos he was systematically tortured by Odin for roughly 109 years and had to live with the guilt of ruining Freya's life and causing the deaths of the giants; it's revealed he did even more horrible things while as Odin's advisor. He was willing to die to escape his situation even if he didn't intend to stay dead and as soon as he's resurrected, he's providing comic relief to Atreus and Kratos.
• Sadly Mythcharacterized: Mimir in the mythology was a Jotunn (usually Odin's uncle) who presided over a well of wisdom from which he allowed Odin to drink from in return for his eye, and who was later murdered by the Vanir and reanimated by the Allfather to continue to provide him with advice. Here, he's some kind of Gaelic spirit (implied to be a Robin Goodfellow) who was The Prankster and pranked Odin by filling his "supposed" well of knowledge with hallucinogens, and Odin tortured him for over a hundred years after he found out.
  • The revelation that he is in fact Puck adds an unusual element to this. While the general figure is drawn from folklore, A Midsummer Night's Dream is much more specifically set in, of all places, Greece - Athens, in fact. So far from Greece being a distant, far off land of which he's mostly heard in rumour and dead legends, it'd be understandable for him to be familiar enough to know what an olive is. Valhalla clarifies that King Oberon had the whole faerie troupe follow him to Athens to observe the wedding of "some duke or other" and a conquered warrior queen, and got the idea for A Midsummer Night's mischief afterward.
• Save the Villain: A variation. As Kratos is beating and choking the life out of Heimdall, Mimir tries to plead with Kratos to restrain himself and this isn't who Kratos is.
  Mimir (to Kratos): Brother! Brother! This isn't who you want to be!
• Saying Too Much: He blames himself for Starkadr's death, telling himself that he should have kept his thoughts to himself.
• Scatterbrained Senior: Mimir looks positively elderly, and has quite a few psychic issues, due in no small part because of Odin's daily tortures, his age, and the Geas that have been put on him. Moreover, it's implied that he Came Back Wrong after spending some time as a decapitated head.
• Secret-Keeper: He knows about Kratos' past and keeps it a secret from Atreus (at Kratos' insistence, natch). He was also forced into being one by Freya because he figured out Baldur's weakness to mistletoe.
• Shipper on Deck: In Valhalla, Mimir suggests that Kratos and Freya have feelings for each other and thinks they'd make a good couple, though Kratos is less certain.
• Sitcom Arch-Nemesis: The dwarves, Brok and Sindri, have some vague beef with him that's played for humor. though it lessens as time goes on.
• The Smart Guy: He is the Norse God of knowledge; he has encyclopedic knowledge of the even the most minute details of the Nine Realms and beyond, and can answers many of Kratos' questions regarding the setting, but he admits there are gaps in his knowledge. He didn't know for example that Thor had a daughter in his absence or that there are surviving giants still out there.
• Star-Crossed Lovers: With Sigrun, a Valkyrie who went insane trying to contain her sisters' madness while Odin has bound him to a tree near the portal to Jötunheimr. They meet one last time after the player Mercy Kills her before passing on to Valhalla. They can reunite in Ragnarök and get to spend a night together before the final battle.
• Stealth Insult: When Atreus starts adopting a more Tautological Templar attitude after he learns he is a god, Mimir tells him he's "sounding more like your da by the moment".
• Stepford Snarker: There are moments throughout the game where Mimir sounds thoroughly sick of Kratos's rude attitude towards him, but limits himself to moments of snark to prevent further conflict and because, for all intents and purposes, he's completely at Kratos's mercy.
• The Storyteller: When Mimir isn't talking about Norse lore or answering questions. He tells stories to Kratos and Atreus relating to figures of the Norse pantheon.
• Supernatural Gold Eyes: His eyes are a special prosthetic made from Bifrost crystals and glow a vibrant yellow.
• Take Me Instead: When Baldur attacks for the second time, Mimir tries to save Kratos and Atreus by offering himself in their stead. Naturally, Baldur isn't interested.
• Tempting Fate: Before the fight against Magni and Modi he says "we'll get a piece of the chisel before they even notice". Cue Magni literally dropping in, riding a troll and breaking its neck before casting it aside like it were a pebble.
• Token Good Teammate: He used to serve the Aesir dutifully without much thought, but since has become the most steadfast ally Kratos and Atreus have encountered.
• Tongue-Tied: He has trouble mentioning anything about Baldur due to a curse Freya put on him. Whenever Baldur's invulnerability is mentioned, Mimir can only respond with "Baldur is blessed with invulnerability to all threats, physical or magical", and whenever he tries to mention anything about Baldur and Freya's relationship, he goes silent and completely forgets about it. It only seems to wear off after Baldur's invulnerability is broken.
• Too Clever by Half: He admits to it during one of many conversations on the boat. Mimir has been Odin's advisor for many years and even got the job by secretly drugging Odin with a "Mystic Well of Knowledge". Mimir only started learning the actual weight of his words when he caused the death of Starkaðr the mighty. When Mimir was bound to a tree, Odin tore out his eye to reveal that he was never fooled by the Mystic Well scam.
• Tranquil Fury: After explicitly warning Kratos not to cross the Helheim bridge, Atreus gets them stranded after foiling the plan to trap Baldur in Hel. Thanks to Atreus, he, Kratos, and Mimir are beyond that bridge of Helheim and might have been stuck there forever if there wasn't a boat available. Mimir doesn't defend or justify Atreus's decision and his tone of voice to Atreus during the entire journey to the boat can only be described as suppressed anger, which comes out as determination to get out of Hel.
• True Companions: To Kratos and Atreus by Ragnarök, as Atreus considers him a second father in earnest and Kratos outright admits in a journal entry that he sees Mimir as not only a friend but an actual brother-in-arms to him and seeks his consul frequently compared to their Vitriolic Best Buds of the last game when it comes to raising Atreus and his own personal feelings from time to time.
• Two Aliases, One Character: Mimir may discuss his past with Kratos and Atreus at some point during their travels, at which point he will reveal that he once served a king and that he used to be known as a Goodfellow. It's heavily implied that Mimir used to be Robin Goodfellow, AKA Puck, and from this, it's probable that he accrued a great many other names throughout his travels across realms. Ragnarök confirms his real name is indeed Puck, the very same that served Oberon.
• Unreliable Narrator: Ragnarök reveals that some of the information Mimir provided Kratos and Atreus in the first game is either outdated, inaccurate, or is true From a Certain Point of View. Smart as he may be, Mimir isn't omniscient and some of his stories, particularly about the Aesir, are coming from a biased perspective. His perspective on Thor, that he's a sociopathic brute prone to random acts of violence, is shown to actually be a role that Odin forced upon him; left to his own devices, Thor is a decent Aesir whose flaws mostly stem from being a Shell-Shocked Veteran from all the genocide that Odin forced him to do. His opinion of Odin, on the other hand, is spot on.
• Unrelated in the Adaptation: He's Odin's maternal uncle in the myths, but in the games, he's an unrelated deity from outside the Nordic lands.
• Villainous Friendship: Before Odin punished him under the belief that he was a traitor, Mimir was described by Odin as his "partner in crime" and was his advisor on how to trick others into subservience or target enemies of high priority.
• Violent Glaswegian: He speaks with a Scottish accent, uses Scottish dialect and gets a little too excited during the fight against Magni and Modi.
• Vitriolic Best Buds: He and Kratos snipe at each other throughout the game, yet there's little malice, if any at all. Kratos and Atreus even take him back with them to their home at the end of the game. And Ragnarök shows that they've developed a close friendship in the timeskip between the two games.
• We Used to Be Friends: Mimir was Odin's advisor and was (seemingly) regarded as a family friend before his imprisonment, where their relationship developed into being outright vitriolic and spiteful. This is also implied with Magni and Modi when Mimir tells the story of how the brothers freed Thor from hrungnir's corpse. Mimir's tone of voice changes from his usual resentful tone to one of fondness, implying that he was fond of Magni and Modi at one point until they grew into the hateful pair that threatened to gouge out his other eye.
• Yes-Man: He was Odin's enabler until he learned the weight of his words. Then he switched to doing his best to curtail Odin's worst tendencies and "Protect [Odin] from himself." Sadly Odin ultimately proved too far gone to appreciate this, and responded accordingly.

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