In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth while in Attack on Titan, Ymir Fritz molded titans. Is she God incarnate in the anime? (Or is it Hajime Isayama?) Did Ymir also say "Let there be titans?" like how God said, "Let there be light?" At this point in the final season of Attack on Titan, we already know that Ymir is the first human to have gained titan powers. But do you ever wonder how did Ymir Fritz become a titan?
Side note: People often confuse Ymir Fritz with Ymir, the former Jaw Titan. Just to be clear, this article dives into the life of the Founding Titan, Ymir Fritz, and not the latter. Warning! Spoilers ahead!
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Ymir Fritz Titan Theories
If you are not a manga reader, you probably don’t know the story behind Ymir Fritz's titan powers. Perhaps you are one of those anime fans who speculated on the origins of the titans. Well, you are not alone. Some fans even thought that Ymir was God, all-knowing. Others thought that she was some kind of witch.
Others speculate that she made a deal with giants. That she is the progenitor of all Eldians, that she practiced medieval sorcery (are we in Black Clover?), or that she drank someone’s spinal fluid, so on and so forth. Some fans even take it to the extreme level, thinking that Ymir Fritz was just a made-up story and she doesn’t exist.
Well, the good thing is, you are not alone. Despite having different theories, we are only certain of one thing. We believe in Hajime Isayama’s supremacy!
In the anime, the Marleyans also have a certain belief about the origin of Ymir’s Titan powers. They thought Ymir made a deal with the devil of all earth to gain this godlike ability. In the minds of the Marleyans, Ymir Fritz is the devil incarnate. After all, Ymir Fritz was a force to be reckoned with. She wiped out the Marleyan forces and led the Eldians to victory during her time. Consider it a Marleyan trauma.
How Did Ymir Fritz Become a Titan?
Back then, before everything that has transpired in the anime, Ymir Fritz lived as a captured slave to the ruthless Eldian King Fritz. One fateful day, Ymir accidentally released King Fritz's pigs. The rest of the slaves outed her, and she became the victim of a hunting bet.
In the middle of the purge, the gravely-wounded Ymir encountered an unorthodox spine-looking entity (many recognize this entity as the source of all living matter) after she fell from a hole inside a mysterious tree. It fused to Ymir’s body, lo and behold, she transformed and became the first-ever titan.
Despite the harassment from King Fritz, Ymir continued her life as a loyal slave to the Eldian monarch. She helped him expand his territories, build structures, and win wars against the Marleyans. In gratitude for Ymir’s faithful service, Ymir became King Fritz's concubine. She had three daughters: Maria, Rose, and Shina.
13 years later, Ymir died (At the moment, titan users die 13 years after awakening their titan powers). This phenomenon is called The Curse of Ymir. Parts of her body were eaten by her daughters to inherit fractions of Ymir’s titan powers. This led to the arrival of the nine titan powers.
Anyway, Ymir died, and her spirit resides in the Coordinate. This is the place where she creates and builds titans from the ethereal sand to serve the Founding Titan of royal blood.
Related: Who are the Titan Shifters?
What You Should Know About Ymir Fritz
First of all, Ymir Fritz is not the progenitor of all Eldians. Her origins did not come from Eldia at all. Instead, the forces of King Fritz captured their bloodline and made Ymir's people slaves. Since King Fritz had three children with Ymir, technically they were both the progenitors of all the subjects of Ymir rather than the latter.
Second, Ymir’s name and origins vary among the different regions in the anime. This is evidently seen in Frieda’s book, wherein Ymir’s name was changed to Christa. According to Frieda, Ymir was a kind soul who always put others before herself.
As I mentioned earlier, there is a phenomenon called The Curse of Ymir. The curse allows any titan user to live for 13 years after awakening their powers. The idea behind it is that no one is allowed to surpass Ymir. Apparently, Ymir died 13 years after she first transformed. As a result, titan shifters will get sick and experience rapid aging in 13 years.
Moving on, Ymir doesn’t have any free will. Nobody has ever taught her to dream and to want something. All her life, she only knew how to be a slave. This explains the reason behind her loyalty to King Fritz. She also carried her loyalty and slavery to the Coordinate.
In terms of kill count, Ymir executed several Marleyan military personnel. The Attack on Titan manga revealed that Ymir murdered triple the number of people currently alive in the world.
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