Bodies Floating on the River (Eren "Odin" Yeager)

(Originally written on the 13th of March, 2022)

SPOILERS FOR SHINGEKI NO KYOJIN

---

To see a world in a grain of sand and a heaven in a wild flower, hold infinity in the palm of your hand and eternity in an hour.

All living beings seek immortality, whether it be in the literal sense of prolonging one’s life or in the symbolic sense of producing offspring that will carry one’s genetic and spiritual legacy. In spite of this innate drive, the countless external forces of the universe restrict or even outright prevent such desires from being fulfilled. Thus, it is fitting that the oldest story known to mankind, The Epic of Gilgamesh, tells of a man coming to terms with his own mortality and his inability free himself of the influence of higher powers (whether it be the gods or even his own environment). A similar journey befell Eren Yeager who grappled with not just his limitations as a man, but his innate desires that had for so long given his life purpose.

Two of the three attributes that have always defined the traditional idea of a god (at least in the Abrahamic sense) are a god’s omnipotence and, more importantly, their omniscience. It is these two attributes specifically that Eren Yeager attained before the end of his life. Similarly, Gilgamesh, being a demigod two-thirds divine, was born with great physical strength. Despite this, their desires to gain the infinite freedom of godhood remained unfulfilled by the natural constraints of their very humanity. Such humanity prevented them for gaining the third attribute of godhood; omni-benevolence.

Omni-benevolence cannot exist without the other two attributes; in order to be “all good,” one must choose not to commit evil acts despite having the knowledge and capability to do so. The French philosopher René Descartes differentiated the degree of freedom between man and God by intellect, that, while man is given free will, it is their finite moral judgement that prevents them from acting as morally just as God would. Despite his determined path being driven by his own free will, Eren’s god-like strength and knowledge did not grant him the omni-benevolence of a god.

Such a struggle is evident in the apparent allusion to Norse mythology, specifically in the parallels Eren shares with the god Odin. The All-Father’s journey to Jötunheimr (the land of the giant jötnar) mirrors Eren’s own journey across the sea to the mainland of Marley (the land where the giant “kyojin” originated from). Both seek to gain a greater understanding of the outside world and willingly sacrifice an eye to obtain said knowledge. Eren finally obtained true omniscience akin to the all-knowing All-Father through the Paths, much like how Odin hanged himself for nine days and nine nights off of the world tree Yggdrasil.

Despite gaining the powers of the divine, Eren’s human lack of benevolence left him unfulfilled as he was still enslaved by his mortal desires for unobtainable boundless freedom. His metaphorical sacrifice to obtain godhood akin to Odin only exemplified his human shackles as it reflected by something that King Fritz’s once said to his slaves:

Slaves have no need for two eyes.

The sacrifices he made to obtain godhood (the parallels with Odin) were driven by his human nature, one that he could not change or control. And yet, in chapter 122, Eren contemplates if it was Ymir who had led him there, the two of them becoming a single united drive for freedom lasting 2 000 years suggesting the possibility that Eren was never a free agent, that he was simply a manifestation of Ymir's own desire. Or perhaps that Ymir's own desire came from him, that there was never a true origin to their struggle.

Every human being, including Eren and Ymir, is “drunk” on something that keeps them moving forward into hell. Kenny Ackerman noted that such desires shackled even Uri Reiss, a man whom Kenny held in the highest regard for his wisdom and power granted to him by the Coordinate. The Greek philosopher Epictetus defined freedom as having mastery over oneself, appealing to the philosophy of Stoicism.

Both Eren and Gilgamesh struggle to obtain a stoic view of the world, both being outright unsatisfied with their life within the cage of mortality (or in Eren’s case, the violence innate to mankind):

Here in the city, man dies oppressed with despair in his heart.

The titan powers were a reflection of Ymir, an extension of herself and her view of the world. The powers that stem from the origin of life are the ultimate embodiment of the will to power; they are entirely unique to the individual. In the case of Ymir, the power could only be activated through pain should the shifter have a clear purpose. To Ymir, life was pain and suffering. Her curse would continue to heal her and the shifters that succeeded her should they continue to have the will to live. Deep down, Ymir, despite understanding that the world was cruel, still wished to live, being driven by a purpose, that being her desire for connection. Thus, in order to use their powers, every titan shifter must be "drunk on something."

While both Gilgamesh and Eren came close to obtaining the liberation that they were seeking, only Gilgamesh was able to save himself in the end. The ultimate objective of Stoicism is to exist in harmony with the natural order of the world, accepting what you can change and what exists providentially according to the divine. Both men acknowledging the depressing truth of the world includes (whether metaphorically or literally) them gazing at water, rivers and oceans marking the boundaries of settlements, literally limiting how far man can expand.

I have looked over the wall and I see the bodies floating on the river, and that will be my lot also.

Not even the tallest man can reach the heavens or encompass the earth. Even Eren's Founding Titan illustrates his limitations as a human: the arms are being held up by what resemble puppet strings and the view that his child self sees from atop the titan is still below the clouds, falsely believing the smoke emanating from the army of colossal titans (resembling the very walls that he sought to escape from) to be the very clouds that float above him.

You see things as they really are, and that is the most horrible thing in the world... it drives men mad. (Oscar Wilde)

True stoicism is exemplified in Mikasa Ackerman. While Eren’s most iconic line “I was born into this world” expresses his desire to obtain everything the world has to offer, rising above any limitations, Mikasa instead acknowledges that “the world is cruel but also beautiful.”

It takes great deal of courage to see the world in all its tainted glory, and still love it. (Oscar Wilde)

Much like Gilgamesh at the end of his journey, Mikasa resolves to live a good life regardless of her mortal limitations. While it was her desire to protect her family (what she deemed to be her “home”), she remained in control of herself and chose freely to kill Eren, putting aside her own selfish desires to protect the beauty in the lives of others. The panel of Falco's wings appearing to be her own during the battle of Heaven and Earth symbolises her stoicism. Despite being trapped within a cage (that being the body of Eren: the person most dear to her), her wanting to protect those that she loves, finding purpose within the cage, makes her free.

While Eren hoped to continue moving forward, Epictetus stated that “the world turns aside to let any man pass who knows where he is going.” Eren never truly had a concrete idea on what freedom truly was, which was why he was set on leaving every surface a blank plain despite not knowing why that freedom was so important to him. He became consumed and enslaved by his own self. And while Odin’s two ravens, Thought and Memory, reported to Odin what they saw, Eren could only experience the feeling of soaring through the thoughts and memories of birds (such as the one that Falco gazed up at). The god-like powers only further demonstrated his inability to escape his finite existence. His belief that "the one who sees these sights would be the freest person in the world," is tragically unfulfilled as all of these experiences were stolen from him. Even seeing the ocean was robbed from him as he first saw it through Grisha's memories. As Armin helped Zeke understand in chapter 137, the feeling of freedom exists in every experience, no matter how seemingly insignificant it may be. The more omnipotent Eren became, the less free he truly was.

The chapter in which Eren first sees the ocean is titled "The Attack Titan," its title dropping on the same panel where Grisha watches as Kruger uses his Attack Titan to slaughter Marleyan soldiers. Eren experiencing the ocean for the first time was not only robbed of him, but it was also a memory filled with violence. The text boxes are filled with Grisha's writing in regards to the ocean: the physical representation of the freedom that Eren had longed for. The two men in his memories ultimately according to his will meant that none of them were truly free, that the Attack Titan itself (being a manifestation of Eren/Ymir's desire for freedom) is not free. This is only further conveyed in the final page of the chapter when the titan's name is first canonically spoken. On one side is Grisha's memories of Kruger standing against the sky. It is the memory that Eren sees as he himself says the name while locked inside a cell. And when the Survey Corps finally journey past Wall Maria in chapter 90 "To the Other Side of the Wall," there is still one final physical wall before reaching the ocean: the wall where Marleyans turned Eldians into titans. In truth, there will always be another wall. No one can truly be free of the violence perpetrated by others. No one can truly be ultimately free so long as they are human.

French psychoanalyst Jacques Lacan spoke of the idea of "wanting wanting," that no matter what they may claim, people truly do not want to change. They do not wish to face the reality that comes with attempting to actualise their desires. Should a person finally obtain what they wanted, there would be nothing left to drive them. The world views that drive their desires must therefore remain static, people do not want to gain knowledge at the cost of their desires. Once again, the paradoxical nature of Eren's powers are shown as his human desire is at odds with his god-like omnipotence. Thus, he averts his eyes to the destruction (shown to be closed in chapter 131), regressing to his child self, still driven by the destructive desire that he did not wish to give up.

Destruction and violence is a recurring theme in the Norse mythology in which Hajime Isayama drew inspiration from. The rule of the giants came to end when Ymir was slain by Odin and his two brothers, who then proceeded to create the first two humans with each of them contributing aspects to mankind. Odin brought them to life, Vili gave them movement and wit, and Ve bestowed them with shape, speech, hearing, and sight. In Attack on Titan, the trio of Eren, Mikasa, and Armin brought an end to the titan curse not through violence, but through aid (akin to Nietzsche's ideal exertion of one's will to power). In chapters 122, 137, and 138, the three of them unbound Ymir's shackles of trauma through compassion and understanding. Each of them embody the aspects of humanity bestowed by Odin and his brothers.

I was born into this world.

Eren, already an allusion to Odin, is the embodiment of primordial life.

The world is cruel but also beautiful.

Mikasa, with movement and wit, may recognise with and recognise the world.

Let's tell them everything.

Armin, with shape, speech, hearing, and sight, may interact with and understand others.

The quote that prefaced this analysis came from the English poet William Blake. Its meaning rings true to the stoic idealism of Mikasa Ackerman and Armin Arlert. Like Gilgamesh, Mikasa's journey was destined by the laws of causality. Mikasa accepted this truth, choosing to wrap Eren's scarf around her, a scarf that has since been predominantly portrayed as being red (even in official manga colourisations). The scarf serves as a clear reference to the Chinese idea of a red thread of fate, not only is it in reference to Eren and Mikasa's true love, but her willingness to fight while wearing it (despite Eren wishing for her to leave it) symbolises her overcoming the oppressive nature of fate itself. She did not aspire to attain godhood, instead finding fulfilment in the beauty within what Eren believed to be a cage.

Armin was another person that could see the beauty in the world and in others, his romance with Annie being exemplary of that. While Eren's eyes were closed, dreaming of a world where he was unbound from his limitations, Armin's eyes were open, able to, in Eren's own admission, see what Eren could not and recognise the wonders and beauty of the world.

“Don’t you see them?” I said to him. “Mais non, monsieur, il n’y a rien." (Oscar Wilde)

As Eren showed Armin the sights that they imagined in the book from their childhood, he was unable to take in the sights, merely watching as his friend could appreciate the scenery. In his conversation with Zeke Yeager, Armin helped Zeke guided Zeke into recognising his true desire for connection, helping him conclude that the meaning of life can be found simply in living. That we find that meaning for ourselves. That anywhere can be a paradise so long as man has the will to live as a master over himself.