Toriel by KABANOMORI on DeviantArt (original) (raw)

Mother's pain

I'd give anything to love again

Rending my heart

Tears fall down just like torrential rain

(fall down just like torrential rain)

Tears fall down just like torrential rain

― fan lyrics I wrote for the chorus of_"Heartache"_

while working on this piece

--

My favourite cover of "Heartache" here; if you're curious, the above lyrics fit in the part starting at 00:31.

Major Undertale spoilers ahead so read at your own risk!

Toriel is a tragic character when Frisk first meets her - a mother who lost both children, and then repeatedly had her heart torn out by consecutive losses of human kids who fell inside Mount Ebott and who she took into her care for a brief period of time.

She is the sweetest, most devoted person imaginable - her motherly smothering is, quite frankly, delightful, and I am tempted to make a save file where I literally just get to her house and stay there. That's it. Frisk now lives with Toriel. The end~

...or is it?

You see, Undertale masterfully crafts its story in a way where you have to progress. Not for the sake of the game or the save file per se, not for the sake of Frisk, but rather so that the denizens of Mount Ebott can get over their traumas and grow.

You see, Toriel possesses qualities very similar to a yōkai from Okinawian folklore, named chīnouya. They are affectionate, motherly spirits who usually appear near graveyards or in spots where children are buried. These spirits are excellent surrogate mothers for children who tragically passed away at young age; however, if they try to take care of the living children, they might inadvertently weaken and even hurt them in the process.

If Frisk chose to stay with Toriel, she would no doubt make a wonderful mother; but at the same time, she would smother and suffocate the child with constant hand-holding and phone calls. At the beginning of the game, she doesn't understand what is best for Frisk, she is simply acting out of place of fear. There is love in there, of course, but her first instinct is to clip Frisk's wings just a tiny bit, so the child relies on her constantly; that way, she can fulfill her own needs and plug the gaping hole in her heart. In order to truly show love and affection, she has to learn to let go, even though it hurts very, very much. That is her arc.

I think "Heartache" is a pure concentrate of Toriel's feelings. I read that many people interpret is as Toriel being heartbroken because she feels betrayed and feels like she has to fight Frisk. But to me, it's her heart screaming out of fear for the loss of yet another child. The feelings of despair, insecurity, hopelessness, yearning. Not counting few other monsters pottering about and an occassional chat with Sans, she is completely alone in a place full of children's toys, books and clothes. Now, I might not be a mother, but my empathy tells me enough to understand how absolutely, utterly devastated someone like Toriel must feel every day, and how difficult it must be for them to deal with the same, repeated cycle of loss without any means to get over their trauma.

But even then she understands that Frisk would just be unhappy trapped in the Ruins; if you choose to complete the game as a pacifist, Toriel is finally given a chance to get above the waves of torment that have been washing over her for years. In the credits, she can be spotted in front of a school - a perfect place to shower children with affection and teach them important life lessons. That is the single best place where her wonderful motherly qualities will have the biggest impact - and somewhere she'd likely never get to if she just stayed cooped up in the Ruins.

So, now that I've written an essay and a half, it's time to move on; one last hug from the goat mum, and off we go to find another delightful creature of Undertale~ 👹 👺