The Shingila Saga In Snorri's Ynglinga Saga

Another heavy influence to the story of Shingeki no Kyojin comes from the Ynglinga Saga from Snorri’s Edda. The main protagonist, Eren Jaeger (and others) can transform into titans, shown first during the battle at Trost. After being consumed by a Titan to save his friend, Eren himself transforms into a titan and goes on a violent killing spree, tearing apart any other Titan that comes across his path. This sort of mindless battle-frenzy is like that of the berserkers in the Ynglinga Saga, from Snorri’s Edda. According to the Saga, warriors “rushed forwards without armor, were as mad as dogs or wolves… and were strong as bears or wild bulls” (Ynglinga Saga). This description of the berserkers is almost exactly like the titans, who possess no …show more content…
Both Odin and Eren went through dangerous, painful journeys to gain wisdom, or power in Eren’s case. Eren becomes trapped in the stomach of a titan after sacrificing himself to save his friend by taking his place in the mouth of the titan when he was about to be eaten. While trapped in the stomach, Eren realizes his oath is unfulfilled and refuses to give up. It is this self sacrifice, along with his determination that allows his to access his latent powers and is able to shift into a titan for the first time. However, Odin sacrifices himself knowingly to gain wisdom, whereas Eren is seen to have gained pure power from his sacrifice, even as his power was unknowingly attained. Their reason for sacrifice is different as well. Odin seemed to have only self-interest in mind when he impaled himself upon Yggdrasil, and wanted wisdom only for the sake of being wiser and more powerful. Eren on the other hand, chose to sacrifice himself for love of his friend. Eren wanted his friend to live, and therefore gave his life for one that in his eyes, seemed to hold more worth. While he didn’t know that this sacrifice would allow him to access his latent shifting powers, the act of sacrifice gave him a motivation to fulfill his previously sworn oath to kill all titans and become more powerful. Isayama no doubt diverged from the original story of Hávamál in such a way for the sake of character and story …show more content…
It is a novel with a story that draws much inspiration from Norse mythos and the elements that feature heavily within their unique stories. The author uses Ragnarok, the end of the world, for inspiration by using Surtr to make the Colossal Titan and how the monster’s actions signify the beginning of the end. Isayama takes the strength, madness, and immunity to pain from the berserkers as described in the Ynglinga Saga and applies them to the titans he created. The character of Ymir is taken from the giant Ymir from Gylfaginning, in that the character is the first titan and therefore all titans are descended from her, just as all of the giants are descended from Ymir in mythology. The telling of how Odin gained knowledge from Hávamál influenced Eren’s capability for self-sacrifice and his subsequent gaining of power. Though Isayama diverged from the original myths in certain ways, they served mainly to enrich the universe he created and improve the story as a whole. Overall, Shingeki no Kyojin may seem like a story about the humankind’s attempt at survival when facing off against gigantic, man-eating monsters, but when one examines the story and universe Isayama so expertly crafted, it is apparent that Norse mythology served as a heavy inspiration for this