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Martel Yggdrasill
Martel (ToS)
Information
Appearance Tales of Symphonia
Hometown Heimdall
Residences Derris-Kharlan
Age 4,000+
Race Half-elf
Occupation Four Seraphim
Weapon Staff
Japanese Voice Actor Misa Watanabe
English Voice Actor Kim Mai Guest
Character Designer Kousuke Fujishima

Martel Yggdrasill (マーテル・ユグドラシル Maateru Yugudorashiru?) is a character in Tales of Symphonia, older sister to Mithos Yggdrasill, and one of the primary motives for his actions throughout the story.

History[]

Goddess Martel[]

The Goddess Martel is the chief deity worshiped by the inhabitants of the worlds Sylvarant and Tethe'alla, along with the angels of Cruxis. According to most people, especially in Sylvarant, it is widely believed that the goddess is in a state of deep sleep within the seed of the ancient Giant Kharlan Tree, and that the process of World Regeneration is intended to awaken the goddess and regenerate the world.

Martel Yggdrasill[]

As the game progresses, it is revealed that Martel is not actually a goddess, but in fact a historic figure: the sister of the ancient hero, Mithos. She and her brother, being half-elves, were outcasts, and Martel raised Mithos in the place of their mother. She would worry about Mithos and the others in the group in a very motherly way. Martel was said to be selfless and self-sacrificing like Colette Brunel, the perfect match of her mana signature. The thing she wanted most was for the different races to be able to live together peacefully. At some point, she suffered from the rare disease known as Chronic Angelus Crystallus Inofficium, brought on by her Cruxis Crystal. It was later cured, although she seemed to have been weakened by it long after that.

Martel was also engaged to Yuan Ka-Fai and enjoyed playing panpipes. At some point during their quest to save the world from the ravages of the ancient Kharlan War, Martel was killed by a human traitor. However, because she was in possession of a Cruxis Crystal, her soul remained attached to it long enough for Mithos to use the Eternal Sword to fuse her soul within the Great Seed, which required aid in order to live through the massive abuse of mana. In his fervor to revive his sister, Mithos established the Church of Martel and the Journey of Regeneration in order to maintain the fragile state of the world. He would later use the Journey of World Regeneration to attempt to create a vessel for his sister's consciousness to inhabit, believing that this would bring her back to life.

The only way to create the perfect vessel is to find a person with an identical mana signature to that of Martel. To this end, he began controlling the marriages of citizens of both worlds in an attempt to facilitate the birth of an individual with a signature that most resembled hers. Colette, the current Chosen in Sylvarant, is the result of this, as she is a perfect match to Martel. This system, however, means that should either Martel or the Great Seed be resurrected, the other would be lost.

Giant Kharlan Tree[]

Martel Model

Game model in Tales of Symphonia.

When the Giant Kharlan Tree germinates out of control, Martel is put in danger of being engulfed by the vicious tree. However, Lloyd Irving and his father, Kratos Aurion, along with the Renegades, use the Mana Cannon to fire its energy at the monstrosity, and Martel becomes fused with the Great Seed once more.

Reawakening[]

Late in the story, Mithos's 4,000 year long goal succeeds, and Martel's consciousness is awakened in the body of Colette. However, upon awakening, Martel spurns her brother's misguided efforts to revive her because of the pain that it had caused, and because it was a twisted interpretation of her final wish. Having said this, Martel returns to her slumber within the Great Seed when either Kratos or Zelos Wilder places a "Rune Crest" on Colette. The Key Crest contains Colette's Cruxis Crystal, and Martel's consciousness is expelled from the Chosen's body. This renders all of Mithos's efforts useless, driving him into a total state of insanity and denial.

Spirit Martel[]

Martel Skit (ToF2)

Skit image in Tales of Fandom Vol.2.

At the story's end, "Martel" is returned to life when the Great Seed germinates to create a new World Tree. Martel, the newborn Spirit of Mana, assumes the role of the tree's guardian, and is said to be the "incarnation of all the souls that died to protect the land of Kharlan." The souls incarnate through the physical vessel of Tabatha. Mithos's sister Martel is only one of the many souls that compose the spirit Martel's consciousness.

Fighting Style[]

In Tales of the Rays, Martel fights with her staff that conjures small slow-moving balls of wind. Her artes focus on Earth, Wind, and healing magic. In reference to her future incarnation, many of her spells have a plant motif.

Other Appearances[]

Tales of the Rays[]

Martel Cut-in (TotR)

Cut-in image for Tales of the Rays.

In his quest to bring back his sister, Mithos has the Asgard Empire exoflect Martel from a point in time before she was mortally wounded. Although this Martel only knows her companions as they were during the Ancient Kharlan War, she still learns details about their futures, particularly of her own death and that they caused trouble in their original world as a result. Martel is later abducted by Dist due to being an ideal candidate for the Empire's possession ceremony. Although nearly killed by the ordeal, she is eventually rescued and joins the party alongside her brother as they work to stop the Empire's ambitions.

Martel (ToCE)

Artwork for Tales of Card Evolve.

When the Empire later attempts to exoflect the Spirit Martel in Tir Na Nog, the chimerization of existing exoflections from other worlds containing World Trees botches the ritual. Instead of the spirit, it summons the fragmented souls of the countless Chosen that Cruxis sacrificed during their failed attempts at resurrecting Martel. Slowly beginning to suppress her will, the Chosen influence Martel into seeking out the Jildia region to establish a new World Tree and become a new Spirit Martel. Fortunately Yuan manages to bring her back with their engagement ring and a heartfelt love profession. Now free, Martel reconciles with the Chosen souls and allows them to peacefully reside within her until the proper Spirit Martel finally awakens in Tir Na Nog.

Trivia[]


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