Shingeki No Kyojin Essay

Myths and other tales have been passed down from generation to generation, sometimes being altered in such a way to create a new and more entertaining take on an otherwise well-known story. It is in this way that myths are often borrowed and reconstructed in different regions, each with their own twist depending on who is telling the story. As of late, many modern stories featured in contemporary mediums such as books, television shows, and movies draw much of their inspiration from well-known myths and include many characters and elements from this mythology into their own stories. The visual novel “Shingeki no Kyojin” written by spins the tale of how Hajime Isayama, the last remnants of mankind are kept safe within three concentric walls, …show more content…
In the act of breaching the wall, he is shown to have vast strength. Then, after he breaks down the section of the wall, he demonstrates that he possesses the power of steam and extreme heat by breathing a stream of vapor out through his nose as well as having it exude off his skin, which provides a sturdy defense against any attackers. Further evidence comes from the first line of the stanza, which describes Surtr as travelling with “the enemy of twigs” which is a kenning for fire, drawing another parallel between the fiery giant Surtr and the Colossal Titan. As the seeress described, Ragnarok also includes “men who forswore oaths and murders.” The character of Bertholdt, revealed later to be the Colossal Titan, betrayed his own race and caused thousands of human deaths with his actions, namely attacking the wall that kept humankind safe for centuries. Any duty or oaths he held to humanity are broken, and he appears to have set himself along a self-sacrificial path with his actions. The approach of Surtr from the south as described in Völuspá also seems to have had some influence in Shingeki no Kyojin, as Bertholt chooses to attack the wall from the south as well. However, Isayama does diverge from Völuspá in a few ways. In the myth, there is no definitive “beginning” of Ragnarok; instead, there are a series of signs that trigger events leading up to a final battle that leads to the end of the world. In Shingeki no Kyojin, it is the appearance and subsequent attack of the Colossal Titan that starts the “Ragnarok” of that world. Surtr from mythology also had no influence in the beginning of Ragnarok, and also has a definitive enemy in mythology, Freyr. The Colossal Titan does not appear to have a set enemy except for all of mankind. Isayama most likely did this for the shock value. The appearance of a 50-metre tall titan had never been