Gretel

"Hey mother, praise me, I defeated the evil witch."

- Gretel

Gretel is the female twin kidnapped and raised by Eve Moonlit and the sister of Hänsel. Along with her brother, she murdered their parents and later split Eve's Original Sin into the Seven Deadly Sins.

Project 'Ma'
Gretel was born along with her twin brother, Hänsel, in the Levianta Royal Institute as part of Project 'Ma'. After birthed by her mother, Meta Salmhofer, Gretel and her brother were placed in vitro conditions. Celebrated by the people of the Magic Kingdom, their births marked the first year of a new calendar, EC 0. Some time later, they were taken by their mother from the laboratory and hid in Elphegort.

Original Sin
After a year of being hidden by Meta, she carried them to Held's Forest for a stroll. While there, Meta settled them near a tree and left them. Soon after, she and Hänsel were discovered by Eve Moonlit. Believing them to be fruit, Eve took them and carried them through the forest as she fled from their mother and eventually killed her. After being greeted by her husband, Adam, he saw the twins in her hands and became horrified by Eve's action. With Meta dead and the twins orphaned, the two woodcutters adopted the children and raised them as their own.

In EC 013, Gretel and her brother were led by their parents deep into the forest on a moonlit night. The curious twin asked her mother what fortune they would find on their path and wondered if their destination would have lots of their favorite snacks to eat. Eventually, Gretel and her brother realized that they would be lost if they continued on the path and were soon after abandoned by their parents to die, unable to find their way home. While wandering the dark forest with her brother, holding hands, the two stumbled upon a small glass bottle illuminated by the moonlight and used it to light their path, not knowing whether the direction they headed in was right or wrong. At last, Gretel and Hänsel arrived someplace, recognizing it as "the witch's house".

They decided to murder the witch, believing they would become happy if she was gone. While Hänsel murdered her "henchman", Gretel shoved the "witch" into an oven, gleefully asking her mother if she was proud of her for doing so. Watching Eve, the witch, burn to ashes in the oven, they witnessed her body become the embodiment of her Original Sin. Splitting it into seven fragments, they scattered it across the world so that it could be eventually cleansed. Gretel and her brother enjoyed the confines of the witch's house, feeling as if they themselves lived there long ago, and then decided to go out and search for their "real" mother and father.

Legacy
After her death, Gretel's soul reincarnated with her same visage every few centuries. In several cases, her reincarnations maintained some of Gretel's memories and characteristics, including loyalty to matriarchal figures who resembled her mother, Meta. In EC 505, her reincarnated soul as Ney Marlon merged with the Glass of Conchita and later awakened as the female Servant to the Master of the Graveyard.

Personality and Traits
As a child, Gretel acted kind and innocent alongside her brother and appeared obedient to their parents. They weren't naive however and realized when the forest path the family took would inevitably get them lost. After being abandoned by her mother and father, Gretel suffered from hallucinations, failing to recognize their own home and believing her parents to be a witch and her henchman. She also still seemed concerned with finding their "real" parents even after she was abandoned. Gretel had an affinity for tasty snacks and could be devious, pushing Eve in an oven and having her burn alive. She usually leaned on her brother for support, letting Hänsel lead them along the path through the woods and often holding his hand.

Skills and Abilities
Despite being only fourteen and a rather short stature, Gretel was able to successfully kill people twice her size. She also had some magical capabilities, splitting the Original Sin into seven pieces and scattering them across the world.

Character Connections
Meta Salmhofer: Gretel's real mother. Gretel didn't remember Meta, growing up in Eve's care, but she later expressed a wish to find her "real" mother after Adam and Eve were dead. She passed on a fanatic loyalty to Meta to most of her reincarnations, showing this loyalty to all her mother figures and people resembling her.

Eve Moonlit: Gretel's foster mother. Gretel grew up thinking of Eve as her mother, however, she became convinced she was a wicked witch after she and Hänsel were abandoned by her. She later considered her to be a pretentious and troublesome woman, discovering her Original Sin among her ashes.

Adam Moonlit: Gretel's foster father. Gretel grew up thinking of Adam as her father, however she became convinced he was the wicked henchman of a witch after she and Hänsel were abandoned by him. She gave him no more consideration after discovering Eve's Original Sin.

Hänsel: Gretel's twin brother. Gretel loved her brother and was always beside him if she could help it, holding his hand and helping him defeat the wicked witch and her henchman. She also acted as Hänsel's voice of reason, telling him the truth of what he heard and saw after they had both killed their parents. She stayed with him after Eve's death and would usually be by his side in their reincarnations.

Arte: One of Gretel's reincarnations. Gretel passed on her appearance and soul to Arte's, and with it she passed on her loyalty to anyone resembling Meta, such as Conchita.

Ney Futapie: One of Gretel's reincarnations. Gretel passed on her soul to Ney, and with it she passed on her loyalty to her mother figures, such as Prim.

Female Servant: One of Gretel's reincarnations. Gretel passed on her appearance and soul to the female Servant, and with it she passed on her loyalty to anyone resembling Meta, such as the Master of the Graveyard.

Conceptualization and Origin

 * Gretel is inspired by the character from the Brothers Grimm's tale "Hänsel & Gretel".
 * In the original story, Gretel is depicted as a gluttonous child, strengthening her link with the Demon of Gluttony.
 * Gretel's name derives from German, meaning "pearl" and is a diminutive of the name "Margaret".

Curiosities

 * Similar attire to Gretel is worn by a young Riliane and, to a lesser extent, the female Servant in Evil's Theater.
 * Gretel's reincarnations tend to be more malicious or bloodthirsty compared to her brother's reincarnations.
 * Elluka Clockworker noted that Queen Anne's child, Riliane, resembled Gretel.

Gallery
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