characterization in hetalia – Page 11 – Ellawritesficssometimes

As a primarily soft-spoken person, Canada
dialogues with himself more than he does with others. By that, I mean that he
keeps to himself, and yet, ruminates too much on what others think about him.
He desperately wants to be noticed throughout the series, but nonetheless
struggles to do so by forming his own unique identity.

A lot of
his invisibility can be attributed to how he lurks in the largely influential shadows
of America and England.

Canada
served as England’s watchdog during both wars. A lot of the battles that
Canadians fought in were generally attributed to British victory. In other
words, they didn’t receive the credit they deserved. That said, this lacking
and undeveloped identity caused Canada to remain behind the scenes.

Likewise,
until about the 1930s, Canadians consumed a lot of American media, pop culture,
and literature (we still do, but before we virtually had none). There wasn’t
anything distinctively Canadian for citizens to relate their shared experiences to other than the wilderness and agricultural life.

It wasn’t
until the 1970s-1980s when Canada’s reputation as a middle-power, peace-maker,
and most importantly, multicultural nation, took off. I say ‘reputation’ mainly
because we still have our fair share of racial issues (especially with the
Indigenous populations), but please remember that this series is predicated on
generalizations of what a nation is known
for.

Anyways, it
was America who served as Canada’s inspiration in forming a new national
identity by also becoming culturally diverse. There’s a long-standing joke in
Canadian academia that we’re always 100 years late to developments the US has
already undergone.

I mention
all this because you’ll see that the basis of Canada’s insecurities is formulated around how he’s not well-known, especially
in comparison to America, whom he’s often mistaken for.

It’s not
that Canada doesn’t attempt to stand out either, because he does.

In fact,
America picks up on this and tells Canada that he doesn’t need to change who he
is – his identity.

Jealously,
Canada then tells America that he hates his [blunt honesty]. Clearly, this is
merely a result of Canada projecting his frustrations onto America, given that
the latter has such a strong national presence in the world.

It’s
important to mention that they don’t actually hate each other, despite going
through many ups and downs in their relationship as they were growing up.

Being
constantly forgotten has eaten away at Canada’s confidence. His expectations
are so low that he cried when Seychelles remembered that he’s part of the G8.

It’s not
just being noticed that Canada worries about either. He doesn’t have a high
sense of self-esteem, and truly believes that he’s not good looking.

Here, he
worries about others not wanting to have anything to do with him.

He also
clearly fears rejection, having once used England to communicate with and relay
messages to America. How I see it is that Canada internalized his invisibility
as part of his self-concept, equated it to a low sense of self-worth, and then
actually began to believe that he wasn’t worth
the time of others.

Despite
these obvious insecurities, it’s important to end on the note that while Canada
may be soft-spoken, he’ll still assert himself if necessary. He’s a pushover,
yes, but not to the extent that he’ll lay down and willingly let himself get
completely run over.

Iceland, huh? For such a minor character, he’s perhaps one
of my favourites, mainly because his personality is so interesting and, well,
relatable.

Let’s get some clarifications out of the way first: Norway is Iceland’s older brother. They’re
related.

After having an excavation done on his land, Iceland finds
out that he has no strictly Icelandic indigenous people. Instead, it was
Norwegians who had first settled there before travelling elsewhere.

Now, this is important in establishing a tentative ground
principle in understanding the family trees in the series. I’ve found a pair of
relatively consistent rules too: It seems that nations are biologically related
when…

1) There is one dominant nationality of sibling #1’s people living on the other
sibling’s land – Ex: in this case, it would be early Norwegians initially
settling on Iceland.

And/ Or

2) The
nations of the siblings are typically next to one another – Ex: America and
Canada, Netherlands and Belgium, Germany and Prussia, &
Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine.

I know it’s messy, but remember that these rules are exceptive
and only apply when Hima explicitly makes them siblings. You can have
nations, like Spain and Portugal, who look alike due to similar ancestral
influences on their histories and cultures, and yet, they’re only listed as
neighbors with no biological
relation.

It’s important that I make this distinction only because the
Nordics all refer to each other as brothers in an affectionate way, despite us
knowing that they’re not actually related. Again, the only ones who are
confirmed to be related are Norway and Iceland.

There’s also the presence of brother figures in the series. Regarding Iceland, he sees the other Nordics as older brothers.

What’s
sad is that he didn’t get to meet most of the Nordics until the 18^th
century.

While Denmark may have raised him…

…right from birth Iceland sensed that Norway was his older
brother.

Now for Iceland’s personality.

Predicating from his childhood and geographic isolation,
Iceland is unsociable. The irony is that he also feels lonely.

No one really knows anything about him, and he’s often the
odd man out.

Despite this alleged unsociability, Iceland still worries
about making friends.

Arguably,
Iceland is closest with Norway, who likes to “stick” into the former’s business.

While Iceland may snap at Norway and the other Nordics, he
secretly appreciates their concern – especially Norway’s. He doesn’t hate any
of them.

In fact, this somewhat erratic moodiness is actually part of
Iceland’s personality.

His contrasting warm (volcanoes, hot springs) and freezing
climate gives way to a polarizing temperament. As such, he’s noted to have a
hot and cool side.

This unpredictability in mood, metaphorically understood in
terms of how you never know when a volcano will explode, is seen in Iceland
right from birth.

His cool side relates more to his unsociability and shyness.

What’s more, his hot side doesn’t always have to do with his
temper or irritability. It can also mean the playfulness and mischievousness of
a young child.

Another fun fact is that Iceland is able to see Norway’s
magical creatures, albeit refusing to acknowledge this ability.

All in all, akin to his climate and geography, Iceland isn’t
static and is therefore far from your typical stock character. He has a
profoundly rich and complex personality stemming from a childhood filled with
neglect, isolation, and loneliness; the problem for him now is whether he’ll be
able to reconcile all this and open himself up to others more.

I’ve said this before, and I’ll say it again. Hetalia is far
from simple and trivial. The amount of religious and mythical themes and
respective inter-texts woven into Hima’s writing is easy to go unnoticed
because of how comical the series is.

What this post will focus on is how Hima recreated Hans
Christian Anderson’s “The Snow Queen” with respect to Russia’s characterization.
Now, before I get started, it’s important to mention that Hans Christian
Andersen has in fact made an appearance in World Stars, so no, I’m not just
pulling this out of nowhere.

That said, here’s a brief rundown of the fairy tale. A devil
creates a magic mirror that “distorts” appearances, only choosing to reveal the
ugly qualities of those reflected in it. The mirror eventually shatters and
falls down to Earth, the shards of which are so miniscule that they’re able to
get into people’s eyes and hearts.

What’s relevant here is that the hearts of those who were
struck by the glass shards were frozen into blocks of ice.

The story later focuses on a little boy named Kai, who’s also
struck with a glass shard. Subsequent to being struck and without realizing it, he becomes cold, cruel, and aggressive. His
heart slowly starts to freeze over, but the turning point of this
transformation is when he meets the Snow Queen.

The simplest way to explain the Snow Queen is that she’s
basically like a female equivalent of General Winter. She’s able to assume a
human appearance, but for the most part, represents elements of winter in
either the forms of a snowflake, frost, or the harsh winter wind.

Nonetheless, the Snow Queen takes on a human appearance when
she entrances and abducts Kai, taking him to her ice palace. There, Kai’s heart
– and body – continues to freeze as he
becomes numb to the cold and begins to lose his sense of humanity. In the end, Kai’s saved
by his friend, Gerda.

Anyways, let’s tie this
all back to Hetalia, shall we?

As stated above, while I recognize that Hima didn’t invent
General Winter himself, it’s the relationship he has with Russia that echoes
Andersen’s fairy tale.

The Snow Queen
inflicts harm onto Kai by kissing him, and each time she does so, the numbness
of the cold makes him forget about his humanity.

General Winter does a similar thing to Russia. He attacks
Russia to the point that Russia is completely terrified of him.

Russia hates the cold, and on several occasions communicates the desire to live in a place that experiences warmer weather.

Russia’s place is so cold
that his emotions are numbed. I mean, he literally used to spend his
winters buried under snow, praying that he would be able to survive it.

This theme of numbness and losing one’s humanity is most
seen in how Russia interacts with the other nations. He’s often oblivious to
how cruel, aggressive, and harmful his actions are.

For example, he once tries to get Latvia to stop trembling
by snapping the latter’s neck.

What really ties this all together is how Russia’s heart falls out at times. This could possibly represent how his heart has yet to
thaw as a result of his cold climate, which, in turn, could explain his cruel
and aggressive behaviour.

It’s not something he can control, but is rather an undesirable
product of the madness generated by a history of childhood victimization,
bloodshed, and unforgivingly frigid weather.

Hetalia has often been mischaracterized as something that
promotes and glorifies violence. Why? Because the initial setting takes place
in World War 2. Somehow that automatically equates to said negative image.

To that, I say this. There’s a difference between situating
a historical context and using explicit insignia to support an abhorrent
ideology. You never see the latter portrayal in the series.

While I disagree with a lot of Hima’s early characterizations and miscalculated jokes, his depiction of
fascism, communism, and war is something that I’ve always respected. It’s done
tastefully (with comical hyperbolic elements, of course), and does anything but
promote violence.

That said, it’s also important to mention that the
insensitive war jokes used in the dub are completely irrelevant to the messages
of peace and solidarity that Hima incorporates into his work. That’s the result
of other people interpreting the series and making it their own, only to botch
it entirely.

Regardless of the fact that war’s going on, Hima makes an effort
to showcase the triumph of humane and compassionate qualities in the nations.
Yes, they ‘hate’ and wage wars against each other – not having much of a choice over the matter,
mind you – but this rivalry doesn’t hold them hostage, nor does it dictate how
they interact with each other.

Conflict doesn’t dehumanize the nations; they don’t become
ruthless killing machines without a semblance of remorse or empathy. Just like
enemy soldiers called ceasefires on Christmas and occasionally organized sports
events, the nations for the most part
engage in similar civilities.

Again, it’s the conflict that’s brutal, not the nations
themselves. In fact, they have some of their admirable, most striking moments during war.

When America occupies Rome, he treats both Italies as if
they were his friends. Romano’s clearly terrified, but America breaks the ice
by politely asking them if they could make him authentic Italian food. That’s
hardly something you would see with individuals who regard each other as
enemies.

You also see nations from different alliances casually
hanging out during war, almost as if there wasn’t one going on at all. Remember
that they’ve fought each other so many times that they’ve likely matured past
being pent up on rivalries, as long as interacting with enemy nations doesn’t
go against their people’s well-being.

As they share and try each other’s rations, familiarity
appears to triumph over hostility.

There’s a clear reason why the series’ main theme is “Draw a
circle, that’s the Earth,” rather than, “Draw a border, that’s my country.”

It’s to bring the world together, not tear it apart.

Norway is perhaps one of the most misinterpreted characters,
so I thought I would flesh out the other, lesser-known sides of him. He
actually has a pretty wonderful personality, possessing several unique oddities
and quirks that make Nordic-centred strips a pleasure to read.

Misconception:
Norway’s emotionless.

Norway’s far from cold and emotionless. If anything, he’s a
bit spacey and pensive, which can sometimes give off the impression of indifference. Other countries have made
note of this, claiming that Norway “thinks from an entirely different dimension.”

Remember that Norway is able to see and communicate with
magical creatures, including England’s. It’s not so much that he’s detached
from emotions, but that he’s occasionally detached from the real world given
how mundane, trivial, and boring it can be.

Misconception: He’s
not close with the other Nordics

While Norway may make passive-sarcastic remarks or even
blunt quips towards the other Nordic countries, he cares about them deeply.
It’s not obvious because he’s a very timid character and doesn’t necessarily
express this affection in an open manner.

After showing concern for Denmark’s health, Denmark refers
to Norway as a worry wart.

Norway is also noted to stick his nose into Iceland’s business a lot.
Notice the use of words. While bugging Iceland may be a bonus for Norway, who
does in fact enjoy teasing Iceland, there’s a clear emotional investment to
look after his little brother’s well-being.

Misconception: He
doesn’t have a sense of humour.

Norway has a great and subtle sense of humour, albeit odd.

He and Iceland refer to each other as punks (totally
adorable).

When Iceland has trouble getting his goods noticed on the
market, the other Nordics develop a plan to help the former out. During their
brainstorming, Norway jokes and says that he’ll dance as part of the process.

Misconception: He’s
mean

Norway has a gentle and shy way of showing his kindness that
is often overlooked.

Back to the idea of him poking his nose into Iceland’s
business, Iceland secretly doesn’t mind Norway’s interference. There’s nothing
but good intentions on Norway’s part, as he’s always looking after Iceland’s
best interest.

Speaking of which, remember that time when Norway didn’t
know what present to buy for Iceland?

Norway sends Iceland a link while they’re both outside a
present shop and gives Iceland the option to choose what he wants. Iceland gets
flustered and tells Norway that anything will do.

Sweet, thoughtful, sarcastic, and subtle, that’s just how Norway (t)rolls.

Despite the anachronism, there’s a reason why Prussia makes
such use of the word. His history in terms of strength is extremely messy,
considering that he fluctuates between being a large and dominant power to a
smaller, subordinate, and less important one.

For example, after the Battle of Tannenberg, then as the
Teutonic Knights, Prussia became a lackey to Poland. He’s also noted to have
mellowed out considerably during this time.

The obvious and simple conclusion is that the use of the
word awesome helps console Prussia when he’s in one of these power slumps. But,
there’s a much deeper insecurity and superficiality lurking behind the word
that I’d like to explore briefly.

There’s a sort of desperation to it that matches well with
one of his character notes. That is, Prussia’s willing to do anything if it
means becoming stronger. In tough situations where he’s been sapped of physical
strength, however, he turns to the pen to help reassure himself.

His diary entries, regardless of the time period, only
record his moments of self-proclaimed awesomeness. It conveniently leaves out a
whole lot of information.

Let’s explore one of these fluctuations in power, as well as
the impact that it had on Prussia’s self-esteem. In the early 1700s, Prussia’s
culture and economy lacked in comparison to other strong-heads in Europe –
France in particular.

When Frederick I confronts Prussia about this, Prussia gets
defensive and says that he looks cool regardless of the clothes he wears.
You’ll see in a second that this is a straight-out denial, as he believes the
exact opposite.

Regardless, what’s important to emphasize is that at this
point, Prussia wasn’t on par with the other “great nations” in Europe. Wanting
to become stronger, Prussia then spies on France’s blooming culture and studies
it rigorously.

Prussia quickly internalizes France’s aristocratic
appearance as something that equates to strength and power, and subsequently agrees
to let France help style his military uniforms.

Once he has a flashy uniform, notice how Prussia’s words
change. It’s not just a cool uniform. It’s an “awesomely” cool uniform. The
fact that he’s vocalizing the word seems to suggest that he’s taking more pride
in his appearance; more than that, he truly believes what he’s saying.

Prussia’s obsession with strength and power is clearly
unhealthy, and Austria is quick to call Prussia out on this… not that he
listens.

Overall, what you see with Prussia is a consistent bouncing back and forth in terms of dominant or subordinate status. He goes
from frugality and relative unimportance to a dominant figure, and then back to
a lesser power again.

His self-image is everything to him, whether it’s preserving
it, convincing himself that it’s something that it’s not, or relishing in the
high that comes upon experiencing a periodic phase of power and prestige.

This strip just before German Unification really reiterates just
how badly he wants to become a powerful nation again. He wants to be the center
of it all…all the time.

To me, Prussia’s arrogant behaviour is a sort of overcompensation
for someone, who, at a deeper level, realizes their inadequacies and inferiorities,
but refuses to accept them. He likes to live in the sun, to flaunt his
achievements, but until he learns to confront the shadow that these vulnerabilities
leave behind, he’ll continue to live an artificial and lonely existence.

There’s a difference between power and control, and a sense
of empowerment and competence that comes with acknowledging one’s true self,
both the good and bad elements of your person.

Considering how lonely Prussia is, it would seem that he’s
unable to reconcile these insecurities into part of who he is. It’s for this reason
I believe that he’s remained single/ hasn’t married, aside from the obvious political
and historical justifications.

Prussia’s very selective in what he chooses to show, whereas
the intimacy of a romantic relationship involves acknowledging one’s strengths
and weaknesses to your partner.

In other words, he doesn’t want to appear small to others,
as in his eyes, that may echo the subordination he’s historically
experienced.

England:
you either love him or hate him. Those who hate him tend to only focus on
England’s critical and pessimistic side, ignoring how sweet and thoughtful he can
be sometimes. Likewise, those who like him tend to ignore this negative side and only
focus on his charming and charismatic idiosyncrasies as a refined gentleman.

Problem is,
England’s both. While this post will highlight the assets of England’s
character, it’s also important to show just how…harsh he can be. There’s very
fair reasons as to why people don’t like him. However, in my opinion, if you take the time
to dig deeper into his motivations, it becomes clear why he acts the way that
he does.

Regardless,
England has always been somewhat of a loner, being referred to as the Black
Sheep in Europe. During the imperial age, he was especially arrogant, rude, and
blunt, and as such, wasn’t very well-liked by the other nations. This loathing
really came to light during the American Revolution, where he’s literally
pitted against everyone.

From a
fandom point of view, one could make the argument that he’s extremely critical
of America. This would be 100% correct. England makes a point to constantly
degrade and belittle America by calling him a child/brat.

His reviews
of America’s movies are also pretty brutal, albeit being funny for the reader.

However,
putting things into context, England being extra hard on America can stem from
the hurt he still feels as a result of their fragmented relationship. After
all, it’s stated that England suffered from 100 years of heartbreak, which most
people assume to be a reference to the American Revolution.

That said, while
criticizing others, England is also noted to be self-deprecating. Essentially,
he doesn’t want people to make the same mistakes that he did. To me, this
implies a hidden guilt. He’s attempting to overcompensate by helping others get
on better than he did.

It’s also
important to mention the difference between guilt and shame. Shame is feeling
hurt as a result of your self-image being damaged. Guilt, on the other hand, is
feeling bad for the harm you’ve caused others. Yes, England takes pride in
being a gentleman, but this guilt and possible regret reveals a sensitive and
sentimental side of him that you don’t see very often.

With all
that in mind, England can be extremely kind and thoughtful. Here are some of my
favourite moments.

Japan sends
England a Christmas card, and England recognizes how Japan has made the effort
to understand his culture. The amount of time and consideration that England
puts into making his own Christmas card wards against any accusations of his
character being ridden with egocentrism.

During the
Industrial Revolution, England asks for Japan’s help on improving the designs
of his manufactured products. Japan compliments him, and this sets off a flustered
reaction in England.

“I’ll blush
if you keep praising me like that.”

That hardly
sounds like the words of someone who holds a lot of pride in themselves.

Oh look! A
cheery England, now that’s unheard of!

Just kidding, but once again, you see England wanting to impress Japan by adopting some of the latter’s culture in order to establish an authentic maid café.

Oh look x
2! France and England are getting along! So much so that England takes pride in
having a French chef working at his maid café.

Thing is, in
later strips, England likes to give advice and help the other nations, but is
too shy to overtly do so. Personally, I
think this has a lot to do with the fact that during his delinquent phase, he
grew used to being rejected. Now, he helps them discreetly and is unsure how to
express this ‘uncharacteristic’ kindness.

Here,
France wants to go sightseeing at England’s house and asks for a hotel recommendation.
England immediately denies helping him, but then gives France the link anyway.

Still think
that England’s too prideful?

Even when
it caused him immense pain and illness to celebrate America’s centennial,
England still came to it. Bitter-minded or not, England cares deeply about the
other nations.

Make no
mistake either. England’s personality is complex, shifting from sweet and
caring in one strip to being a total dick in another. Nonetheless, this makes
for a truly interesting character.

Personally,
I think Hima does this on purpose. When he’s critical, England is engaging with
his past inferiority and anxieties; his delinquent self. When he’s being sweet
and thoughtful, England engages with his gentleman persona. The challenge for him will be to merge these two sides into one.

It’s easy
to say that England is cruel and harsh. What’s difficult is going beyond what’s
observed and looking at the deeper internal reasoning for his behavior. Not
only is he lonely, but England’s also at odds with himself. He wants to fix the
mistakes of his past, only to realize that building the bridges he previously
burned involves making oneself even more vulnerable to judgement.

England judges
others in light of his own past mistakes. As stated above, he’s
self-deprecating, albeit implicitly. His weakness, however, is that he’s too
insecure to have this judgement directed at him.

Having
lived for centuries, or sometimes even for thousands of years, it’s no wonder that
the nations are capable of accomplishing so many feats. They have the
intelligence and knowledge of several lifetimes at their disposal.

You have
your philosophers.

You have your artists.

And you have your inventors.

That said, let’s not sell these characters short by dumbing them down.

Marriage with the nations is a lot different than
traditional, primarily Western notions of it. It arises more out of a sense of
political duty, an arranged alliance or
partnership, and sometimes it just so happens that a romance forms between
the two countries involved.

Typically, what I’ve seen is that marriage at its core in
the series involves two countries merging together, either into a co-state empire,
a co-state kingdom, or a separate sovereign nation with distinct ethnic groups
and cultures. There aren’t any ceremonies, but rather, it entails a mutual dependence
and relative respect between two political entities.

That said, it’s important to mention that two countries joining
together via annexation does not fit into this marriage equation. There’s a
difference between being conquered and subordinated and forming a mutual
union. On the other hand, that doesn’t go to say that there’s perfect equality or
power balances in marriages between nations; Austria’s control over Hungary is
a perfect example of that.

All right. Let’s go over some examples of marriages, shall
we?

Austria’s character is known for his quirky tendency to
solve his problems through marriage.

First, there was arguably his early ties with Switzerland. I’m
counting this as a marriage mainly because it involves the use of the word
partnership and honeymoon (albeit jokingly).

Notice how as soon as one tries to control the other, the partnership ends. While Switzerland does
reveal some fondness over his early memories spent with Austria, there’s
nothing particularly romantic about it, especially given the fact that they
were young children at the time. Again, marriage for them is essentially the
joining together of nations.

Next, Austria marries Spain via the Hapsburgs Monarchy.
Here, you actually see a hint that Spain harboured romantic feelings for
Austria during the Austrian Wars of Succession. It was a political merger
that likely later involved the development of some intimacy between the two.

Then, you have Hungary. After the dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian
empire, it’s very heavily hinted that Austria still bears feelings for Hungary.
In Buon San Valentino, Hungary receives roses from an anonymous man that’s
conveniently described as having glasses and one hair sticking up.

On the other hand, there are marriages that involve little
or no romance at all. Take Czechoslovakia for example, two countries united by a
hyphen. Yes, that’s an actual joke in the series.

Still, what’s interesting is that when Bulgaria talks about
their separation in terms of a divorce, they’re quick to deny the claim, mainly
because of the romantic connotation marriage carries.

How I interpret this is that the two may have developed
feelings, but never told each other.

Bulgaria bringing up the topic of marriage in a casual political
sense merely may have caused them to get defensive because of these unvoiced feelings.
This isn’t confirmed, so don’t take it at canon value.

I know I’m repeating this, but it’s important that I make
this as clear as possible:

Marriage = a merger between two countries.

I say this because I’m going to apply these rules to Belarus
and Russia. Belarus wants to marry Russia and loves him to the point of obsession.
She’s even forgotten her own language at one point in favour of learning Russian.

But, does it ever say that Belarus loves Russia in a
romantic way?

No.

What it does say is that she wants to “become one” with him.
Sounds like a merger if you ask me.

When Belarus says marriage, she wants their countries to
join together. There’s nothing romantic about it, so hopefully this stops
people from misinterpreting their relationship.

In summary, marriage between the nations seems to involve a political
merger between two countries (partnership, co-ruled kingdom/empire). It can have
a romantic element to it, but this isn’t always the case.

For comedic value, Belarus’s
obsession with her brother is exaggerated. However, what you’ll find in the
series is that history and puns are often molded together. In particular,
Belarus’s name, Natalia/ Natalya, may serve as one of those puns.

History time! Falling back
to the late 17^th century, Russian ruler Peter the Great ascended to
power. He was known for, well, being great. A lot of it had to do with reforming
Russia’s culture, as due to previous oppressive Mongol rule, the nation had
missed out on a lot of the cultural and artistic achievements that occurred in
Western Europe during the Renaissance period.

Basically, it was a
modernization project that involved bringing in Western ideas of art, politics,
and science. For example, many Russian aristocrats learned French dress and
spoke the language too.

What also made Peter great
was that he had transformed the Tsardom (the Russian kingdom) into an extremely
successful and powerful imperial empire. A lot of the structures in Russian political
institutions today still echo some of the traditions from these initial
reforms.

Peter arguably represents
the pinnacle of Russian achievement; again, all that is great.

Now, what’s interesting is
that Peter had a very supportive sister named Natalya (Kirillovna Naryshkina).
She and Peter shared a close
relationship, one where it’s reported that she would like anything that her
brother did. Sound familiar?

Side note: I’m aware that Peter
eventually co-ruled with his half brother, Ivan. For the purposes of this post,
it’s not that important. Given that the first part of a Russian name is their Christian
one, many males and females will share the names of Saints. It’s more about the
personalities of the figures who held the names that I’m looking at here.

Belarus, Natalya, is also extremely supportive of
her brother, going so far as to want their countries to unite into one. She
will agree with almost anything Russia says, perceiving him as the greatest
nation out there…

She wants to remain with him
forever.

This obsession with Russia
and its culture has even caused her to forget her own language at one point.

Notice how Belarus’s love
and devotion for Russia echoes the human Natalya’s love and devotion of Peter,
who’s highly regarded as representing the greatness of Russia.