FE: Altina is all sorts of confusing.

[myaru]

CELEBRATION POST.

It probably won't be that interesting. I mean, I am half-dead from rushing midterms. But this little conversation had me wondering about things I was valiantly trying not to think about while writing essays, because breaking from a topic about concentration camps to start rambling about Altina would be kind of tasteless. The up-side would be the expression on my instructor's face - incredulous, appalled, or - if there is such an expression - "you're so getting an F." The downside would, of course, be the glaring letter on my paper.

The conversation was in response to my five senses fic, which focused on Lehran (Fire Emblem). The very first section was about Altina, because by all appearances she was the first love of his life, and also the point at which his misery began. The problem with Altina is that we know nothing about her. She has no character, she has no lines in the game, we don't even know anything about what she did, except that she fought for Ashera, and the two blessed swords (Alondite and Ragnell) belonged to her. She founded Begnion, married Lehran, and just disappears after that.

My speculation was that her love for Lehran was inextricably linked to his nature as a heron. When he lost that, the curtain fell between them; he went temporarily crazy and tried to kill himself, and Altina... did what?

Well, we know she remarried some time after he decided to leave. And? I think there might've been some mention that she was anguished. Maybe. Discrimination! Women never figure in history as much as the men! This isn't to say I don't think she was affected, or that she got over it really quickly and went for someone else, but what was she doing while her husband tried to slit his wrists, or jump from the tower, or whatever? True, you can't reason with that kind of hysteria, so up to a point all she could do was hold him down. But the history gives the impression she didn't fight much when Lehran decided to leave, and I wonder if it happened that way because there was already distance between them.

To her credit, it could have been on Lehran's side. Now he had every reason to associate Altina and their daughter with the loss of his power. The emotional complications might have inspired him to push her away, possibly even hate her in a way, even if logically he knew it wasn't her fault. (Did they know? That's also a big question. Since this was the first time a child was successfully born to a laguz/beorc couple, how were they to know? I believe that was why he decided they should separate - though it was more out of fear his problem would frighten other laguz.) I've always assumed he felt bitter and hurt that she moved on, but maybe he went first and didn't want any reminders. But one of my questions is how long she waited. How hurt was Altina by all of this? If she decided to pretend the child belonged to someone else, she would've had to remarry fairly soon. It could have been done by lying about needing an heir, but since Begnion began by... what, electing its leaders? - something like that, it's hard to imagine that as an excuse.

Anyway, besides Lehran's distance - he went into seclusion for who knows how long - I wonder if there were other factors that created distance between them.

Comments

[measuringlife.livejournal.com]

I think Altina suffers from the 'mother syndrome' that is prevalent in most RPGS but especially FE.

Aka most all of the mothers are either dead and we know nothing of them or psycho. Notable exemptions to this rule is Louise (though you only see in Rekka, as far as I know Louise is never shown in Fuuin) and Eleanora.

Altina was more or less a mother, though in this case she's more like the 'mysterious lover' BUT YOU GET THE IDEA.

Come to think of it, Zihark's Laguz girl was never really shown either, thus you'd have to guess on her personality. Maybe it was a Tellius thing.

[myaru.livejournal.com]

I'm trying to mentally compare that syndrome to other games I've played now. XD It actually fits Saiunkoku well (which isn't a game, but), yet in Xenogears the term 'Mother' has such a different connotation it's not even comparable, and in Suikoden... it's rare you ever hear about the parents unless they died tragically. Which I guess would fit the mold? Other games don't really count. (FFX would work. Hmmm.)

FE IS SO SEXIST.

Altina is also a legend. She's 'one of the four heroes' and the founder of Begnion, and it matters if you're her descendant, but otherwise she's just this figure in history nobody knows anything about. Can't blame them - it was 800 years ago. Buuuuut... Gareth and Nasir should have known! They were concerned about Lehran's side of the story, but barely touched on hers.

I wonder if, to explain why her daughter is seven now when she only just married the man who is supposedly the father, Altina told people she had an affair. :D

Practically, they probably didn't put any information about Altina into the game because it wasn't relevant. All you really need to know is how and why they separated, and beyond that it's just shades of pain that are better left to the imagination. I hope the designers knew, at least, but-- but I WANT TO KNOW TOO. ;_;

[oniric-angel.livejournal.com]

And I want to know too ! xO

But- but when she married Lehran, do you think the people did not know ? Why would she marry the Gooddess's servant in secret ?

And WHY would that be important to tell everyone that her child is a pure beorc if they hasn't understood how things worked in interracial marriage yet ?

Damn the mother syndrome ! >< (I through... Callil was sort of sparred from it too, right ?)

[myaru.livejournal.com]

Oh, I'm sure people did know. The story says they were a popular match because they were a symbol of peace between the two races. But they didn't know at the time that the laguz parent would lose their power if a child was born, or that the child wouldn't show any special laguz characteristics. It looked like a normal beorc child, I think the story said?

So Lehran had to keep the loss of his power secret, and when he left, they had to hide the child's parentage so as not to scare people. They were the first ever to suffer this problem, or at least that's what the story implied. Before Lehran and Altina, they didn't even know half-breed children could be born at all.

So hm, I guess there could have been an official "affair" if Altina needed a descendant, but there's no indication that was the case. I think Soan became king after her, so there was no formal line of succession.