Name
I am going to analyze both the name “Mystearica” and “Tear” on this page, as they are both important to Tear and may have some meaning behind them. Please note that these are only my speculations and are not proven to be the real reason Tear was named the way she was.Firstly, I think the name “Mystearica” obviously has the root “mystery” in it. The definition of “mystery” from my computer dictionary is:
mys•ter•y (n.) something that is difficult or impossible to explain; the condition or quality of being secret, strange or difficult to explain; a person whose identity or nature is puzzling or unknown.
I think some parallels can be drawn to Tear’s outer appearance and personality. She is not really an enigma, but Luke thinks he has a hard time understanding Tear once he gets to know her better (though she seems to believe otherwise). Yeah, the others think she acts a certain way just because she has to be a good soldier and whatnot, but I do not think the explanation is as simple as that because she is human, and humans are not simple creatures. Tear tends to reserve her emotions, making them generally unknown to others. People can try and guess, and probably even assume what she is feeling, but just because she generally does not display her emotions, they are a “mystery” to others.
Tear also comes into the game as a mystery. Not only is her default title “Mysterious Intruder”, but also she refuses to reveal her true motives or very much about herself to Luke and eventually to the others as well. The way she carries herself and her emotions just gives Tear an aura of mystery. Speaking of which, since her full name is “Mystearica Aura Fende”, it can arguably be changed to “mystery aura”. Tear definitely carries an aura of mystery about her for a good portion of the game, so the name being broken down this way seems to fit her well.
The name she takes on while going to the Outer Lands is “Tear Grants”. The definition of “tear” from my computer dictionary is:
tear (v.) pull or rip (something) apart or to pieces by force; (be torn between) have great difficulty in choosing between
tear (n.) a drop of clear salty liquid secreted from glands in a person’s eye when they cry or when the eye is irritated.
Well, I cannot say that Tear ever rips anything apart by force, but I guess if you wanted to stretch it, she does ultimately awaken Lorelei from within Van, pulling it out in a sense. I would argue that the “be torn between” definition works better for her situation. Tear loves her brother Van, and respects her teacher Legretta very much, but she cannot allow herself to trust either of them anymore. And even though she wants to help Luke and the others stop Van’s plans, she still tries to convince her brother to stop what he is doing, and is deeply affected when she thinks Van dies at the Absorption Gate. She has a hard time thinking of two people she really cares about as enemies, and is emotionally torn between her feelings for them and the reality of the situation.
As for the meaning of “tear” you probably think of most – tears coming from the eyes while crying – I think this is a little ironic in a way because Tear only cries a very few times in the game, and those times are mainly towards the end of the game. She does not show her emotions, and even holds back tears when she thinks Van dies at the Absorption Gate, and after they have to kill Legretta. It is obvious she is hurt and probably would cry, but she holds up her strong front as always. I guess I have always taken her name as meaning all the tears that she has not cried that have built up over time. Reserving your emotions generally is not a good thing to do, so I am sure Tear probably has a large amount of emotions built up inside of her that she covers with her mask. But, again, that is just some simple speculation.
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