Matilda (マチルダ Machiruda) is a major character from the Faerie story arc of Legend of Mana. Born into a family of priests in Gato, Matilda is a childhood friend of Daena, Escad and Irwin. As a child, she questioned the fate that awaited her as a result of the lineage that she was born into, a fact that proved instrumental in causing her to become immensely attracted to Irwin and his free way of life. A decade prior to the events of Legend of Mana, Matilda's elemental powers were taken by Irwin after their temple escape was stopped by Escad. She has aged drastically since then.
A version of Matilda later appears in Sword of Mana as the last wisdom that can be acquired by players. She functions as the wisdom of Light in this game.
Profile[]
Personality[]
An individual born into a venerated clerical order of priests, Matilda is fated to assume the helm of the Gato Temple. The life that Matilda thus led prior to her meeting with Irwin was sequestered, one that was intended to shield her from being tainted by the influences of the outside world. Presumably having been subjected to rigorous training that involves the traditional precepts and principles upheld by her clan for generations being drilled into her, Matilda proves to be resistant to the fate of her birthright.
As a passionate, romantic person with strong personal ideals on how her life is to be shaped, Matilda is naturally discontented with the oppressive nature of her lot. This eventually gives birth to a sanguine desire to break free from the shackles of responsibility that have been imposed on her since birth and pave her own way through life. This is evidenced through her making the decision to escape from the confines of Gato Temple with Irwin in order to embark on an excursion to the Ulkan Mines with him, and later remarking that she is tired of a life that is governed by adults constantly "telling her what to do", alongside questioning why "demons and humans can't be friends".
It is through this same trip to the Ulkan Mines that one observes that nestled within Matilda's idealism is a deep-seated naivety that is derived from her lack of exposure to the harsh reality that exists outside the Gato Temple. Her decision to make the trip is alone rash and compulsive, completely born of the desire to be free without any heed being paid to the possible consequences. Her juvenile reaction to the caving in of the Mines' entrance further proves this, as she breaks down and remarks that the trip "no longer seems fun anymore".
It is this same naivety that motivates Matilda into agreeing to Irwin's proposal to leave Gato to begin with; seeing her desire to be free reflected in the wild, unbridled freedom that defines Irwin, she is attracted to him, and a curiosity to savour the liberation that he offers thence spurs her flight.
This attraction will eventually transform into a love that proves to be fatal for both parties; on Irwin's end, his love for Matilda causes him to seek the world's destruction, along with the oppressive people directly responsible for separating him and Matilda, in order to be with her; on Matilda's end, her love for Irwin compels her to forgo her moral code and sanction his world-destroying plot, citing her not having the right to encroach upon his "freedom" to do so as the principal reason. Matilda's naivety once again comes into play here; her apparent display of selflessness in sanctioning Irwin's actions is in fact selfish, as it is solely motivated by her being blinded by her love for him, to the extreme where she hypocritically disregards the right of the rest of Fa'Diel's inhabitants to continue living.
This naivety of Matilda's eventually leads to the couple being, ironically enough, tragically separated for all eternity, in spite of being reunited in the Underworld after death. Her complete unawareness of her existence being one that is painful to Irwin is one that causes his choice to reincarnate to shock her, whereupon she despairingly sobs over his departure.
In-Game[]
Legend of Mana[]
Character Information[]
Sword of Mana[]
- Get: Log 100 Amigos.
- Buy: N/A
- Sell: N/A
- Use: Summon the Wisdom Matilda. Can be used once a day. A powerful blast of light Charms any enemies that it does not vaporize. With more than double the attack power of Selva, Matilda is certainly the most powerful Wisdom available.
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- Matilda is 26 years old at the time of the game, as mentioned by Daena.