The Norse Dream Eater
Mistilteinn, Treesea’s other name. If you’ve spent a lot of time watching anime or playing video games, you’ve probably seen the name appear in a few places. For example, in Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha, it’s one of Hayate Yagami’s attacks. Of course, if you know anything about etymology, you know this word didn’t originate in Japan, or even in our modern English. You can trace the word back to Old Norse, where it meant mistletoe. Of course, back then mistletoe didn’t have the connotation it has today. Rather than being part of a Yuletide tradition, it was a god slayer. Gather around, children, because I’ve got a story to tell.
Well... she certainly looks the part.
Some of you have probably heard of one important figure in Norse mythology: Baldr. For those of you who aren’t, he was the second child of Odin and Frigg. Baldr presided over the domains of light, joy, and purity, among other aspects. Once upon a time, Baldr had a terrible nightmare. He dreamt of his own death. Alarmed by this, his mother, Frigg, tried to make a pact with everything in existence. I do mean everything: plants, animals, objects, and forces of nature. She pleaded with them to spare her son. Frigg received oaths from all but one, the mistletoe. I’m sure you can see where this is going. When you make a foolproof plan, you had better make sure it covers everything!
What with his new invincibility, all the other gods had great fun using Baldr for target practice. Whatever hit him would just bounce off without a scratch. Loki, the trickster god, decided to take advantage of this. He approached Frigg and asked if her son were truly invincible. Without thinking, she told him his one weakness. Loki quickly crafted a weapon made of mistletoe. Some accounts refer to it as an arrow, while others call it a lance. Loki gave the weapon to Hod, Baldr’s brother, and convinced him to throw it. Sure enough, the mistletoe shaft pierced the god, and shortly thereafter, he died. Another of Odin’s sons puts Hod to death, and the gods ultimately bind Loki for his actions.
Most of you would probably see this as a Very Bad Thing. You don’t know the half of it. Some accounts point to this event as the ultimate cause of Ragnarok, the Norse end of the world. Everyone can pat themselves on the back for breaking the world now. However, it wasn’t all bad. Odin goes to consult the wise jotunn (giant) Vafpruonir. Odin wins a battle of wits with the giant, and besides gaining insight into Ragnarok’s outcome, secures a promise. As Baldr and Hod are already in Hel’s embrace, it will conceal them during Ragnarok. After the end of the world, they will rise again. Their deaths before the inevitable end of the world allow them to be one of the few remaining deities to lead the world. Yes, it sounds arbitrary, but to an extent, that’s mythology for you.
All that said, I doubt Baldr's death looked this cute...
So why did I present all this information? Etymology in itself can be pretty interesting at times, but on top of that, let’s think about the character’s name. It’s possible the writers might have chosen it simply because it sounded cool. On the other hand, it’s a suspiciously specific name to pick. At face value Merry Dream Eater’s Mistilteinn is a malevolent being. She not only kills, but also seems derives pleasure from it. However, characters have had their motivations turned on their heads constantly. It’s possible Mistilteinn has a greater purpose than meets the eye. We’ll just have to wait and see.
