| Martel Yggdrasill | |
|---|---|
| |
| 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 |
- This article is about the half-elf character in Tales of Symphonia. For the Summon Spirit, see Martel.
Martel Yggdrasill (マーテル・ユグドラシル Maateru Yugudorashiru?) is a character in Tales of Symphonia, 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 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 Rituals of World 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.
Concept artwork for Tales of Symphonia.
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
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
Game model in Tales of Symphonia.
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
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.
Trivia
- Martel's last name is derived from Yggdrasil, a great tree in Norse mythology.
- In Tales of Berseria, a statue of Martel based on her concept artwork can be obtained as a treasure stored on the Van Eltia.