Also known as: Cratos, Cratus, Potestas (Latin)

Etymology – Power

In Greek mythology, Kratos is the god or daimon of strength, might, power and sovereign rule. Along with his other siblings, Kratos is one of the god Zeus’ winged enforcers.

Parentage

According to Greek mythology, Kratos is the son of the titans Pallas and Styx.

The Sky Tides – Siblings

Kratos’ siblings are Nike (“Victory”), Bia (“Force”) and Zelus (“Zeal”). All four of them are the winged enforcers or Sky Tides for the Olympian god Zeus. Kratos and his siblings received this honor from Zeus as their mother, Styx was the first to come show her support during the Titanomachy or War against the Titans. As a Sky Tide, Kratos is also a protector of Zeus’ throne there on Mount Olympus.

The Binding Of Prometheus

One of Kratos’ most notable mentions in Greek mythology is his and Bia’s involvement in helping the god Hephaestus bind the Titan Prometheus to Mount Caucasus after he had given the knowledge of fire to humans.

God Of War – Video Game

Kratos does get to enjoy a bit of revival and awareness as his name is that of the protagonist in Sony’s PlayStation game God of War and its sequel, God of War II. The video game series does refer more to the actual god of war, Ares than Kratos.

Beyond a similarity of names, the two Kratos don’t bear any resemblance to each other aside from a connection to Prometheus. The mythical Kratos is responsible for helping bind Prometheus, whereas in God of War II, Kratos releases Prometheus. The video game version of Kratos is also the son of Zeus and represents power and strength.

Despite there being differences, the connections of Kratos to his mythological counterpart are stronger then thought. For one, Kratos shares many of the mythological Kratos’ attributes such as being very strong and his use of chains. Connecting Kratos strongly to the story of Prometheus Bound.