Ancient Greece (古代ギリシア, Kodaigirishia) is a supporting character in the series, Hetalia. She is the personification of the collective culture of Ancient Greece, rather than any one city-state. Some fans also refer to her as Hellas, which was the word ancient Greek people had for their land and is also the modern Greek word for Greece. She is also the mother of Greece.
Appearance[]
Ancient Greece chibi[1]
In Ancient Greece's first true detailed appearance, in the Hetalia☆Collezione book, she is depicted as a woman with wavy shoulder-length dark hair and wearing a headpiece that is most likely a tainia[Note 7]. It is unknown, but likely, that her hair and eye colors are the same as her son, Greece's. She also has the same ahoge that he does. It is also noted in the Collezione that Himaruya designed her with a mystical, goddess-like feel[2]. A unidentified draft sketch of her appeared in a 2013 blog post, where she is depicted wearing an Ionic chiton[Note 8] and a headpiece[1]. She made her first identified appearance as a small, chibi head illustration in Chapter 21 of Hetalia: World☆Stars, where she also has dark hair and is wearing a headpiece[3]. She also appeared in a drawing on one of the interval pages in Hetalia: Axis Powers Volume 6, where she is seen from behind holding baby Greece and again wearing an Ionic chiton[Note 8]. In this drawing, she also has long, curly, dark (likely brown) hair[4].
Personality and Interests[]
Ancient Greece is described as being a beautiful woman and mother who is usually very easygoing and laid-back, traits that her son inherited from her. However, she is also quite scary when in battle. It is also said that she is always worried about the arguing city-states within her country[Note 9], similar to the feudal han clans of Japan[5]. In the Hetalia☆Collezione, it is also mentioned that she likes to read stories about the gods and that she probably likes wine[2]. In Chapter 99 of Hetalia: World☆Stars she is described as a country of culture, philosophy, and the Olympics[6][Note 10].
When talking to France about the Olympics, Greece mentions that she probably used to watch them, but then retracted that and said that the competitors were actually all naked men[7][Note 11]. Additionally, in the W Academy Newspaper Club Sports Festival Drama CD Greece mentions that his mother would probably be angry about how different the modern Olympics are because no one is naked anymore (though it is unclear if that is a truthful statement about her or just Greece saying something)[8].
Biography[]
WIP.
Relationships[]
Greece[]
- Main article: Greece
Greece is Ancient Greece's son, and one of the only official drawings of her depicts her holding young Greece[4]. Throughout the series, it is shown that he thinks and talks about her often, and that he loves and misses her. When talking to France about the Olympics, he mentioned that the remains of the city of Olympia were left to him by his mother[7]. She has also been mentioned in several of Greece's character bios as having left him her legacy and ruins that he works to excavate and that make it hard for him to build subways, modern buildings, or new houses[9][10][11][12]. He also sometimes seems to nap in the ruins[13].
In Chapter 99 of Hetalia: World☆Stars, when Germany comes to help Greece clean it is shown that Greece has numerous artifacts left to him by Ancient Greece, including pottery and statues. Greece says that these things were left to him by her, so he can't just move them around wherever. He also mentions that all the ruins make it hard to build, but his mom likes them, so there's not much to do about it[6]. Later, in Chapter 101, Germany states that the only cleaning he managed to get done was sorting Ancient Greece's artifacts[14].
Rome[]
- Main article: Ancient Rome
Not much is known about their relationship other than the fact that Rome fell in love with her at first sight[9] and that he thinks she is cute[3]. Some fans portray them as having a negative relationship, but there is no canonical indication of that.
Cyprus[]
- Main article: Cyprus
It was once mentioned that Cyprus was also raised by her[15], though whether they are related or not has not been said.
Appearances[]
Manga[]
- World☆Stars Chapter 21: The Mood is Positive[16]
Trivia[]
- It is said that Rome fell in love with both her and Ancient Egypt at first sight[9].
- Her only mentions in the anime thus far has been in Episode 35 and Episode 54.
- In Axis Powers Hetalia: The CD, an independently-produced CD scripted by Himaruya that was produced in 2007 but not released until September of 2008, Greece's mother was referred to both as Ancient Greece and as Byzantine. In the last track of the CD, it is said that Turkey (as the Ottoman Empire) thought she was a beautiful woman he wanted to woo (and that he thought Greece was the opposite) before conquering the empire[15]. In all other circumstances, Greece's mother has been referred to only as Ancient Greece, so it is uncertain whether she did become the Byzantine Empire or not.
- It should also be noted that the term "Byzantine Empire" was only coined after the empire fell, and that while it was existent it was referred to as the Roman Empire. When Rome fell in AD 476, only the western part of the empire fell into disarray, and the eastern part continued to thrive and existed for a thousand more years. The people of the empire still referred to themselves as Romans, though the culture was much more Greek than the "western" Roman Empire[17]. Therefore, it is just as likely that Rome himself may represented it, as the country and the people were still Roman although they spoke Greek. The circumstances of when and how Rome died are left very vague, and the idea that he lived far beyond the collapse of the western half of the empire is hinted at the beginning of Chibitalia, where it is said that Italy Veneziano lived in the Roman Empire with many other countries but one day Rome took him and left[18]. Rome and Ancient Greece may have represented the Byzantine Empire together, as it was the Roman Empire but culturally much more Greek, and Greece himself was possibly born sometime during this era. This has not been confirmed and is only speculation, but this is a more likely scenario than Ancient Greece solely representing the Byzantine Empire or it being its own character.
Notes[]
- ↑ When exactly she died is unknown, but as Himaruya once implied she became "Byzantine", it is possible that she did not die until the mid 1400s. For further explanation, see the Trivia Section of this page.
- ↑ When exactly she was born is unknown, but it is likely that she represents all eras of Ancient Greece. It is also unknown, but very probable, that she does not represent any specific city states due to Himaruya comparing her situation with the city-states to Japan's with the feudal clans. Though the Greek city-states did not always get along, they still had a unified sense of Greek culture, and it is likely this is what she represents.
- ↑ Her exact physical age has not been stated, however, it is known that she is an adult because of several factors, such as that she is Greece's mother.
- ↑ What exactly is meant by this is unknown. It could mean status as in her being alive again, or perhaps social status (potentially referring to gender or wealth).
- ↑ A dessert popular in Greece that is made of leavened and deep fried dough balls soaked in syrup or honey and sometimes coated with cinnamon or other ingredients. It is also romanized as "loukoumádes", and in Greek it is spelled "λουκουμάδες". Another name for the dessert is Lokma. Click here for more information.
- ↑ A national dish of Greece. It is a soup made of beans (usually white beans) simmered with olive oil and tomatoes and other vegetable, and it also often includes meat. It is also romanized as "fasolada", and in Greek it is spelled "φασολάδα". Click here for more information.
- ↑ A ribbon/headband worn in Ancient Greece. Click here for more information.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 A tunic made of one or two pieces of cloth, pinned at the shoulders, and worn with a belt. Not to be confused with the Doric chiton, which does not have sleeves. Click the here and here for more information.
- ↑ Some examples include: Athens, Sparta, Corinth, Olympia, Rhodes, Delphi, etc.
- ↑ Three things Ancient Greece is renowned for.
- ↑ It should be noted that only married women were prohibited from watching the games, and there were women's events at the festival of Hera at Olympia, which was at the same time as the festival of Zeus where the men's games were. Click here for more information.
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Himaruya, Hidekaz. October 16, 2013. "八重歯っ！ [Double Tooth!]". Japanese. English.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Himaruya, Hidekaz. November 4, 2021. ヘタリア☆Collezione [Hetalia☆Collezione]. Page 103. Jump Comics. ISBN: 978-4-08-882870-1(JPN).
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Himaruya, Hidekaz. December 1, 2014. "[21話]ヘタリア World☆Stars [[Chapter 21] Hetalia: World☆Stars]". Japanese. English.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Himaruya, Hidekaz. October 31, 2013. Axis Powers ヘタリア 6 [Hetalia: Axis Powers 6]. Page 20. Gentosha. ISBN: 978-4-344-82867-4(JPN), 978-1-570-32152-8(ENG). Link.
- ↑ Himaruya, Hidekaz. May 6, 2008. "おわんないぜ！ [It’s not over yet!]". Japanese. English.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Himaruya, Hidekaz. September 7, 2015. "[99話]ヘタリア World☆Stars [[Chapter 99] Hetalia: World☆Stars]". Japanese. English.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Himaruya, Hidekaz. February 28, 2007. "フランスとオリンピュアロマン [France and the Olympia Romance]". Japanese. English.
- ↑ W Academy Newspaper Club: Sports Festival Edition! – Track 2 “ミ-」-]”. October 31, 2010. English translation.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Himaruya, Hidekaz. November 9, 2008. "ヘタリア簡易キャラ紹介 [Hetalia Simple Character Introduction]". English.
- ↑ Himaruya, Hidekaz. December 10, 2008. "ヘタリアと愉快な仲間たち [Hetalia and Funny Friends]" Axis Powers ヘタリア 2 [Hetalia: Axis Powers 2]. Page 20. Gentosha. ISBN: 978-4-3448-1514-8(JPN), 978-1-4278-1887-4(ENG). English.
- ↑ Himaruya, Hidekaz. October 31, 2013. "ヘタリアと愉快な仲間達[Hetalia and Funny Friends]". Axis Powers ヘタリア 6 [Hetalia: Axis Powers 6]. Page 17. Gentosha. ISBN: 978-4-344-82867-4(JPN), 978-1-570-32152-8(ENG). English.
- ↑ Himaruya, Hidekaz. August 10–18, 2010. "[That’s All For Today!]". English.
- ↑ Himaruya, Hidekaz. December 10, 2008. "ギリシャと日本のゆる関係 [Greece and Japan's Loose Relations]" Axis Powers ヘタリア 2 [Hetalia: Axis Powers 2]. Page 34. Gentosha. ISBN: 978-4-3448-1514-8(JPN), 978-1-4278-1887-4(ENG). English.
- ↑ Himaruya, Hidekaz. September 14, 2015. "[101話]ヘタリア World☆Stars [[Chapter 101] Hetalia: World☆Stars]". Japanese. English.
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iFfUJbTLg8M
- ↑ Himaruya, Hidekaz. August 28, 2024. "21話 [Chapter 21]" ヘタリア World☆Stars [Hetalia World☆Stars] English.
- ↑ en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Byzantine_Empire
- ↑ Himaruya, Hidekaz. 2006. "ちびたりあ [Chibitalia]". Japanese. English.