Games - Martel

	Games - Martel

Martel is a fictional character in the Namco video game Tales of Symphonia for the Nintendo GameCube. Martel is the chief deity worshiped by the inhabitants of the worlds of Sylvarant and Tethe'alla, along with holy beings of Cruxis (evolved half-elves who call themselves angels) being worshiped as gods (a reference to this was made by Yuan in a dialogue). Mention of local gods in the town of Mizuho was made, although in retaining their cultural traditions the people of Mizuho most likely rejected the outside influence of the Church of Martel. Although there are frequent references to other gods in the course of the game through dialogue, equippable items, and weapons, Martel is the focus of worship in the Church of Martel for obvious reasons, which exists in a nearly identical form in the two above listed words, save for the hiearchial system present in Tethe'alla, which has a Pope as its spiritual leader. It can be assumed that while Mithos was prosletyzing for the Church of Martel in introducing his method of keeping the common masses of the world docile, people assimilated the Church's belief systems with their own, creating a syncretic belief combining the beliefs of the Church and their "pagan" beliefs.

It is believed in the worlds where Martel is worshiped 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.

Few specifics are revealed about Martel. It is unknown if she is the goddess of anything specific. It is generally accepted that Martel is a general goddess among whose main roles is the protection of her faithful, along with revelation and spiritual growth through the meditation of Her scriptures and examples.

Church of Martel

The Church of Martel is generally believed to be a monotheistic religion, with aspects derived from the real-life Roman Catholic Church (purgatory and hell are mentioned in the game, mention of saints, a savior that will save the world, the architecture of the churches, priests and pastors, altars, use of statues, etc.). There seems to be a sort of priesthood, with women being able to become priestesses, and there is no set worship date; rather, the priests appear to cater to the spiritual needs of the people. Kratos explains that the angelic language is the basis for the language of the world, which points evidence to some sort of vernacular and/or church language. In Tethe'alla, there seems to be a festival of some sorts when the residents of Meltokio dress up as angels and parade in the streets (similar to the Jewish festival of Purim), however this is not elaborated on. There is evidence of sacraments, as confession is encouraged at the Cathedral in Flanoir. Relics of Spiritua (the first Chosen) are also held in great esteem, and statues of Spiritua are displayed in many churches and Houses of Salvation. One of the most widely known verses of the scriptures of Martel includes a calling to travel, because life is a journey, and the followers of Martel must therefore journey as well. These journeys are known as pilgrimages, and must be made at least once in one's lifetime (similar to the hadj in Islam}. There is no set pilgrimage site, but locations of seals such as the Thoda Geyser, and previously the Tower of Mana are popular tourist sites.

As the game progresses, it is revealed that Martel is not actually a goddess, but is in fact a historic figure: the sister of the ancient hero Mithos Yggdrasil. She and her brother, being half-elves, were outcasts, and Martel raised Mithos in place of their mother. Martel was said to have played the pan flute and had once fallen to the rare crystilization disease brought on by her Cruxis Crystal (the same that later affected Colette) but had been cured. Certain side quests reveal she was either engaged or married to Yuan. When in the course of their quest to save the world from the ravages of the Ancient War, Martel is killed by a human betrayer. However, because Martel was in possession of a Cruxis Crystal, her soul remained attached to it long enough for Mithos to use the Eternal Sword, fusing her soul with the Great Seed. In his fervor to save his sister, Yggdrasil established the Church of Martel and the Rituals of World Regeneration in order to maintain the fragile state of the world (through the Journey of Regeneration) and to create a vessel for his sister's consciousness to inhabit, controlling marriages to create the Mana signature from the "Lineage of Mana" that most resembled hers (Colette Brunel, a member of the protagonist's party, and also the Chosen of Sylvarant, is a perfect match). But this system means that should either Martel or the Great Seed be ressurected, the other would be lost, which shows Mithos was willing to sacrifice the world to save his sister.

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