Held Yggdra

"I am not fit for God's duty."

- Held

Held is one of the three dragon gods of the Levin religion incarnated as the ancient Millennium Tree. He is the guardian of the main forest of Elphegort, referred to as the Tree of Held, and is an old friend of Elluka Clockworker.

Early Life
Around 528 years before the EC calendar was established, Held incarnated himself as a mortal in the world, using a tree as his host. After ingraining himself in the mortal realm, he created the forest around him and all the flora and fauna present in it. Desiring to not directly involve himself with human affairs, he ordered his spirits never to leave the forest or come near humans. At some time afterward the Tree of Held became known to the people in the nearby country of Eldohgort and was worshipped as part of a cult sect in the Levin religion.

Original Sin
After Eve Moonlit committed the Original Sin in EC 001, Held ignored the act, believing he should not interfere with the mortal world. In EC 002, Held secretly met and became close with the sorceress, Elluka Clockworker. Once Hänsel and Gretel murdered Eve and split the Original Sin into the Seven Deadly Sins, Held realized the danger they posed. Having no direct connection to the Sins, Held summoned Elluka in EC 015 and tasked her with collecting them in his place. Expecting Elluka to complete her mission in about a hundred years, the earth deity placed the responsibility upon her and awaited her mission’s completion.

Reign of Evil
In early EC 499, Elluka returned to Held, warning him that she predicted Lucifenia's destruction, asking him if it was possible to reincarnate spirits as humans. Sighing, Held noted how few pilgrims arrived anymore before returning to the topic, agreeing that it was possible, but that he doubted such a large country could be destroyed. Elluka responded it was connected to the Demons of Sin, to which he noted that Princess Riliane, like Banica and Venomania, would cause a disaster, asking if they could exorcise the demon instead. Elluka explained she had but the demon appeared to possess her a second time, rooting itself so that it could not be easily removed. Held, realizing Elluka’s intent, said that she wanted to use Clockworker magic, warning her that if she failed, she would destroy the country like she had done to her own. Elluka brushed it aside, questioning why Riliane was still under demonic possession, to which the god speculated that the mirror Elluka exorcised and sealed was only a piece, with the rest of the vessel living somewhere else.

Held then asked the specifics of Elluka’s premonition, asking which of the four images was purple. Learning it was the invasion of Elphegort that was inevitable, the earth deity asked Elluka what she would do if she failed. When Elluka declared she would simply leave and avoid the mess, Held mused she was that kind of person, but noted how it was different than before. After a brief silence, Elluka asked Held to clarify, and he elaborated that she was afraid to lose the people she cared for and would rather run away than repeat the Levianta Catastrophe. Enraged, Elluka punched Held's “face”, albeit unaffecting his composure. Lecturing her, Held told the sorceress it wasn’t her place to serve “justice", describing that Lucifenia’s existence may or may not be better for the world. Hearing Elluka’s excuse that it was her duty to suppress the vessels of sin before the calamity, Held returned to the topic of needing an “apprentice” but became tired, yawning. Despite Elluka’s violent attempts to stop him, the deity slipped into a slumber, resting for some time.

He later awoke, learning that Michaela, one of his forest spirits, had fled the safety of the forest and was missing. Held roared upon Michaela’s return, reproaching her the entire night for breaking his regulations and being caught by humans. The next day, Held heard Michaela’s apology, calmly explaining that he just wanted her to learn from her mistakes, describing how important she was to him and how worried he had been. After Michaela apologized again, Held forgave her then slipped into another slumber. Days later, Held awoke and was immediately approached by Michaela, who explained that Clarith prayed to him while he slept. Held explained the discrimination facing the Netsuma Clan, noting that, with her mother sick, Clarith would be unable to flee. As Michaela pressed the tree deity for a solution, he reiterated that the spirit should not interact with humans, as not even god should interact with the human world. With a timely arrival, Elluka retorted that she never expected Held to say that, asking then why she was given her mission.

Held explained his reasoning and Elluka asked if he made his decision. Having forgotten their conversation from weeks before, Elluka angrily chastised the tree god and described that she believed he was right. Meditating on this, Held looked upon everyone for a long while before finally answering the sorceress, permitting her to take two of his forest spirits for reincarnation, one as her apprentice and the other as a detector of the sin. Met with Elluka’s surprise, the god expressed his guilt over not taking responsibility over the Sins born in his forest and that he now could not leave the forest and so was willing to help her. When asked who would be appropriate, Held responded that Gumillia would be an excellent disciple. Secretly deciding to have Michaela succeed him as the Millennium Tree, Held used the opportunity to prepare Michaela, asking her if she would like to be the locator. Met with confusion, the god clarified that, due to her fascination with humans, he offered her a rare chance to learn about them, giving them three years to complete the task. After the sorceress accepted held's plan, the two discussed different topics before she departed with the two spirits.

Green Hunting
When the Millennium Tree Forest was burned in EC 500, Held was worried for all the life in the forest; due to Elluka’s intervention, a rainstorm doused the flames, saving Held and much of the forest from destruction. At the conclusion of The Green Hunting, Held was approached by Elluka and Gumillia, curious as to why Michaela’s body became tree saplings. Held revealed to them that his mortal form depended upon the life of the Millennium Tree and that it was soon his time to depart from the mortal plane. Explaining his plan for Michaela and his reasons for sending her with the sorceress, Elluka intensely argued with him before finally accepting it. Afterwards, Gumillia told the earth god that she chose to remain human and help Elluka; saddened, he accepted her decision and then fell back into another deep slumber.

Reunion
In early EC 501, he contemplated his fate, entrusting the resolution of “Sin” to humanity and his successor. He watched as two visitors, Clarith and a blond-haired girl, came to him, praying before planting Michaela’s sapling in the ground. Seeing his child return to him, he decided to impart all his knowledge to her, finding it to be his atonement for his past mistakes. Witnessing their interchange before returning to prayer, the god wondered who Rin was apologizing to and why she was crying. Shortly afterward, Clarith joined her in asking for forgiveness and the god watched as they cried like that until nightfall.

Praeludium of Red
After Kyle Marlon was possessed and transformed by the Demon of Pride, Gumillia, Yukina Freesis, and Germaine Avadonia fled into Held's Forest; Gumillia consulted the deity on how to defeat Kyle. Held answered that the only way to defeat Kyle was to strike during the full moon, which would bring Gumillia's magical power to its peak. The deity then clarified that the possessed Kyle would also be at his full strength during that time. During Kyle's battle with the group two weeks later, Held convinced Michaela to sing to help subdue Kyle and she compiled, helping to pacify the possessed king.

Legacy
After Held's earthly demise and departure from the mortal plane, Michaela succeeded him as the Millennium Tree, acting as the guardian of Millennium Tree Forest and mankind. Centuries are his "death", his involvement with Michaela and Elluka would be "reviewed" by the Master of the Court. While organizing the "court cases", Gammon Octo noted Held's connection between the two, citing Held as "confusing" along with the other characters involved.

Personality and Traits
Held often remained outwardly calm, meditative, and serious, carefully considering a situation and it's repercussions before making a decision or taking action. Due to this, he believed it was not the place of the gods or spirits to interfere with humanity, leaving them to their own devices and sending Elluka, a human, to collect the vessels of sin in his place. Despite this, Held did not find himself infallible, openly admitting his mistake when handling the birth of "Sin" into the world as well as not acting before it was spread outside the forest and therefore beyond his control. Much to Elluka's ire, Held acted like an old man, randomly falling asleep for months at a time without finishing a discussion and sometimes even forgetting that the discussion even took place. Similarly, he acted sagacious, supplying prudent advice or insight regarding affairs.

As the guardian of his forest, he cared deeply for the life residing in it, considering all the spirits he created to be his precious children. As a result, he acted protective of the forest and regulated his spirits to remain within the forest where they were safe from being captured or killed. Despite this, he was not above anger, as he irately reprimanded Michaela for disobeying him. Observant, Held recognized the strengths and flaws of those around him, seeing Michaela's human fascination with potential and noting Elluka's tendency to run away when emotionally involved in a matter.

Skills and Abilities
Being one of the three dragon gods, Held wielded divine power over life and the earth. Incarnating himself as a tree, the deity spontaneously generated the forest around him and all the life in it, including the spirits with their great magical power. Similarly, he had the capability to manipulate life, providing the means for the forest spirits to transform into physical animals while in his forest, allowing them to interact with the world. Worshipped as part of the Levin religion, Held implicated he was responsible for providing bountiful harvests to humans before they began mastering the land themselves.

In spite of this, his powers after incarnating were limited, stretching only as far as the forest. Likewise, his earthly form was unable to move, being rooted in the ground, and therefore had to assign others tasks that he could complete. A voice of reason, Held aptly helped those seeking his guidance as best he could and remained objective in his observations or deductions. Oddly, he was an impressive heavy sleeper, slipping into a comatose state easily without waking to any stimuli regardless of the source, even Elluka's constant violence upon him.

Character Connections.
Elluka Clockworker: An old friend of Held. Held valued Elluka's skills as a sorceress and trusted her to collect the Seven Deadly Sins, although he was disappointed when she failed to complete the task with a century. He often urged her to be more cautious and considerate in her endeavours, such as in using the unpredictable Clockworker Magic, and hid his intentions towards Michaela from her despite their friendship.

Michaela: Held's creation and successor. Held deeply cared about Michaela and was often worried about her safety, furious when she disobeyed his orders and discouraging her interest in humans. At the same time, he valued this same interest as necessary for when he chose her to be his successor, maintaining the hope that she would be able to correct his past mistakes. Held considered her most dear to him among all the forest spirits.

Gumillia: Held's creation. Held recognized the value of Gumillia's serious and methodical nature as a means to keep Elluka on track, and so trusted her to be the magi's apprentice. He was saddened to learn of Gumillia's intention to remain a human rather than returning to him, although he openly accepted it; Held continued to give her aid in the future, such as helping her to stop the possessed Kyle.

Conceptualization and Origin

 * Held's name is derived from the Old English word eld, meaning "old age" or "antiquity"; in Swedish, it means "fire".
 * Trees and tree spirits often appear in mythology as holy or sacred entities of nature and the universe, such as the Yggdrasil of Norse mythology and the Kodama of Japanese mythology.

Curiosities

 * Held, ironically, falls asleep easily, loosely connecting him to Elphegort, where his forest resides, which is associated with laziness, sleep, and the sin of Sloth in general.
 * Interestingly, Held refers to the Seven Deadly Sins as "filth of the forest", paralleling Hänsel and Gretel's lines from Chrono Story about the "filth" created by their "pretentious mother".

Gallery
Song Apparitions=