It has been one year and two days since the first chapter of Tales of Ancient Eldia was published. Time went by so fast. I can clearly see the faults of my writing style back then. The chapters were so short (they still are). I've been tweaking and slightly changing things since I began writing this and I can say that, despite my prose being rather "dry" and imperfect, maybe I'll be able to mould my style into something better later on. I think I'm better at describing events, such as in a history book, than at crafting a character-driven story. But enough about me. Let's talk about the characters. I don't have them or the whole plot 100% figured out. I lay out the main parts and develop the empty spaces in-between. This is an opportunity to recall some of their character traits and to know some information that probably won't make it into the story. The character portraits were made using ArtBreeder (because I don't draw well) and are quite accurate to what I imagined. I tried adding links since we can't use pictures here. Just paste in front of the link, as in imgurDOTcomSLASHcSY4gnm
Hildegard Fritz
/cSY4gnm
Age: 20
Height: 163cm (Human) 14m (Titan)
Birthday: 14 March
I initially took some inspiration from her descendant, Historia Reiss. She is a reluctant ruler and a peace idealist somewhat, though she begins to understand the reality of the world throughout the story. Even so, she wants to flee from the responsibility of wearing the crown metaphorically smeared with the blood of all those Eldia trampled in the past. She has an attachment to Sören partly due to their similar worldview and partly out of genuine personal interest. I planned to name her Hilda at first, but Hildegard simply sounded better and more regal.
Sören Brandt
/qsOLGiC
Age: 21
Height: 176cm (Human) 15m (Titan)
Birthday: 5 June
Sören and Hildegard are quite similar characters in ideals and demeanour. He would be like her in many aspects if he was the king. With the burden of bearing the Armoured Titan until one of his younger relatives grows up, he knows he doesn't completely deserve the tenure despite being trained by his uncle Klaus Brandt for years. He's rather cowardly and filled with uncertainties in human form but transforming into a titan gives an enormous boost to his self-confidence. He unconsciously feels the armour will protect him from any harm. His name has been on my mind for years since an old acquaintance mentioned Søren Kierkegaard. As for his surname, I shamefully admit I picked it up from a generic German surname list. I felt it matched the Armoured Titan in some way.
Hodritz Bjorn
/oT7Ryny
Age: 23
Height: 179cm (Human) 17m (Titan)
Birthday: 28 August
Hodritz is completely different from the more pacifist previous characters. He is very competitive, has no qualms about killing anyone, and likes to boast about his might. Due to his "unstable" nature, the Beast Titan was originally intended for Heinrich, his younger brother. He always had an inferiority complex towards him. Perhaps Heinrich received more love and attention during childhood while Hodritz was put aside in favour of his brother. Now that he bears the Beast Titan, he wants the world to know his strength and that he defeated his fate. He is not known for intelligence among the shifters or his clan. His name comes from Proto-Germanic *hrōþiz (fame, glory) and the surname Bjorn means "bear". His titan form was originally going to be a bear, yet a goat seemed more fitting.
Sigrid Tybur
/6lvZMjB
Age: 26
Height: 169cm (Human) 15m (Titan)
Birthday: 6 September
Sigrid is more the calculating type when compared to her ally. She receives direct orders from Jurgen and relays them in a simpler manner to Hodritz. Her main conflict with Hildegard is her concern for her immaturity and incapacity to lead Eldia, and Jurgen fits her ideals. She is fond of art but has a strange opinion about it, claiming that truly beautiful art is fleeting. She regularly uses the Warhammer Titan to materialise sculptures and goods, such as weapons and armour parts, for the footsoldiers of Eldia. Sigrid has two children: a 4 years-old girl and a 2 years-old boy. I took a bit of inspiration from her descendant Willy Tybur. Her original name was Ingrid. I'm glad I changed it.
Arnulf Gerber
/LYBnwD1
Age: 28
Height: 184cm (Human) 15m (Titan)
Birthday: 12 December
I liked the theory that Eren manipulated the previous Attack Titans in order to achieve his goals when I first read it and I think I might have exaggerated on it. We have many theories, yet I can't say I know how far back the future memories can be sent. Perhaps it was a sort of "chain reaction" instead of direct command by Eren. Arnulf acts according to the visions he receives and has complete trust on his future successors. He is still a mystery to me, and I hope I can flesh him out more. He is fond of Sören and Ulrika and is seen by them as a teacher. "Arn" means eagle and "ulf" means wolf, and Gerber is an occupational surname that means something along the lines of leather worker or basket weaver, depending on the source.
Gunnar Jung
/0WAR2G9
Age: 18
Height: 175cm (Human) 6m (Titan)
Birthday: 16 October
Gunnar is a character that needs some more development. The plot needed a Jaw Titan, someone to accompany Hodritz in a mission, and a person who was against the queen's wishes (but not aggressively so). Honestly, there's not much to say about him yet. His name comes from "Gunnr" (war) and "Arr" (warrior). The surname Jung came from Carl Gustav Jung, whom you may recognise by his works in psychology.
Ingvild Haugen
/I6JD14L
Age: 23
Height: 176cm (Human) 14m (Titan)
Birthday: 5 May
Ingvild goes with the flow. She is selfish and deceitful to a certain degree. Like Hodritz, she despises weakness and believes might makes right. She "wears a mask" when interacting with most people, appearing to be quiet and unassuming, but reveals her true colours once in titan form or in a situation she believes she can get away with doing whatever she pleases. Now that her death is close at hand, her mind became clearer, and she became able to discern her actions. However, she remains unapologetic. Ingvild comes from Old Norse "Yngvi" (the name of a god) and "hildr" (battle). Her surname was picked from a list of Norwegian surnames and means hill or mound.
Grimwald Lehmann
/AjxMz0u
Age: 30
Height: 177cm (Human) 5m (Titan)
Birthday: 12 December
Grimwald was partly inspired by Pieck Finger due to both sharing the same titan and relying on their intelligence instead of brute force. I imagine the Lehmann clan would train the successors to be clever and strategic. Grimwald is sympathetic to the non-Eldian populace and supports the queen's pacifism. He has a 9 years-old son with a Marleyan mistress he was not allowed to marry and a 3 years-old daughter with an "official" wife from a noble clan. Considering his background, we can more or less see the motivation behind his support for Hildegard. His name and surname were entirely inspired by people I know. My uncle has a name that sounds similar to Grimwald, and a friend of mine bears the surname Lehmann.
Emmerich Grautaz
/GPGTdDq
Age: 28
Height: 167cm (Human) 60m (Titan)
Birthday: 2 April
He can be summarised as a rising cult leader. Emmerich has discussed with wise men from many nations and felt grief knowing they would never join the people of Ymir, who know no diseases, imperfections, or strife, and are blessed by a goddess made flesh. He incorporated the concept of reincarnation into his philosophy and finally found the answer to unite the world as one. Emmerich is pious and feels compassion towards those he deems "less divine". It took quite a long time for the Colossal Titan to appear in the story, so he is not yet too developed. I no longer remember why I chose "Emmerich" to be his name. As for the surname, it means "big, great" in Proto-Germanic and I imagined it fit the biggest titan.
Ulrika Ackerman
/ch9vmx5
Age: 12
Height: 142cm
Birthday: 7 July
The prototype of the famous Ackerman clan, created to protect the Fritz clan. The late king Anders used the Founding Titan to alter Ulrika's body, yet it wasn't a complete success for unknown causes and even made her infertile. Her sibling, still on their mother's womb, will be the better version of herself. She is devoted to her duty, inculcated on her mind by Anders, and will protect Hildegard at all costs. She became friends with Sören during their time spent together in Paradis and looks up to Arnulf as a true warrior. Ulrika is surprisingly mature for her age and has the mindset of a soldier. Was it due to the "Ackermanisation" process? Even I can't tell at this moment. She was originally going to be a boy named Erick/Ulrik Ackerman, but it sounded awfully similar to a character from a certain cartoon.
Eckhart Fritz
/Dw1goGo
Age: 18
Height: 180cm
Birthday: 10 November
One of the Haugen clan's councilmen/advisors, Eckhart was trained since childhood to take this role. He loves and fears his father at the same time and used to trust him and follow his plans prior to falling in love with Hildegard. An arranged marriage was only natural. Absorbing a branch family into the main one to preserve wealth or to prevent succession wars was common in real life. It was merely an agreement and, despite thinking Hildegard is beautiful and knowing her since childhood, Eckhart was not in love with her. Her spontaneous action during chapter 12 might have captivated him in an unexpected way.
Alexamenos of Thebas
/NNfy9An
Age: 48
Height: 174cm
Birthday: 20 February
As told in the story, Alexamenos betrayed his own people and was granted honorary Eldian status. It was a controversial decision at the time, but he proved his worth by being a great commander. Seeing the honorary Marleyan situation of future Eldians, I asked myself: "Did the reverse happen during the Empire ages?" Likely so. The Reiss family kept some non-Eldians within the noble circles after all. Alexamenos is just an echo of that practice. His name was chosen due to sounding like Alexander. "Of Thebas" comes from Thebes, an ancient Greek city-state allied to Sparta.
Cliodhna of the Fomhóire
/fPv89MY
Age: 27
Height: 180cm
Birthday: 15 December
Cliodhna was created to represent a nation even lesser than Marley that struggles to maintain its identity while being influenced by two great cultures. Her father died prematurely from an infection stemming from mistreated wounds and she was chosen to lead the tribe due to her personality being similar to his, as well as her cunning and communication abilities. Her denial of the existence of titans comes from mistrusting the Marleyans, who appeared on the Paradisian shores and founded colonies because of "giant man-eating monsters" on the continent. As you might have seen in the story, it's hard to convince her of anything. Her name was originally going to be Cethléann. Her tribe's name comes from the Fomorians of Irish myth.
Darragh of the Fomhóire
/NZzm0P4
Age: 24
Height: 182
Birthday: 9 August
He is the antithesis to his older sister. Darragh is curious about other cultures and is generally open-minded. His decision-making ability is undeveloped due to his dependence on Cliodhna. He has twin five years-old sons, but leaves most of the childrearing to his spouse, choosing instead to support his sister in governing the tribe. There's still not much to talk about him. Darragh sounds a bit like Dagda (an Irish god) and that's why I chose this name.
Gesine Haugen
/rrYOvJj
Age: 17
Height: 166cm
Birthday: 12 January
The next in line to inherit the female titan. She is currently being pressured by her clan to find a suitable husband. She is somewhat attached to her older sister and is kind and polite to other people. Gesine will be further developed in future chapters. Her name was also shamelessly picked from a list.
Jurgen Fritz
/I9RBiXF
Age: 55
Height: 178cm
Birthday: 13 April
The antagonist. A merciless man who would rule with an iron fist if he possessed the Founding Titan. He has the traditional worldview that Eldians are fated to rule the world and all its nations and considers non-Eldians to be talking beasts. Jurgen's social skills are impressive; he is slowly but surely convincing the nobility that he is the most fit to rule in place of his pacifist niece. Only the future will tell what he is capable of to take the Founding Titan. His name comes from Jurgen the Windcaller, a character from The Elder Scrolls.