Mistilteinn, Tree Crown without a Ruler
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Mistilteinn, Tree Crown without a Ruler
"Mistilteinn, Tree Crown without a Ruler" is a musical piece composed by Hirokazu Ando.[1] It debuted in Kirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe, serving as the boss battle theme for the Master Crown.
Composition
"Mistilteinn, Tree Crown without a Ruler" plays at a consistent 4/4, with vast usage of strings, percussion, as well as vocals and brass that alternate with each other. It plays primarily in the keys of G-sharp (A-flat) minor and A minor. It uses several themes associated with Magolor and the Master Crown ("Magolor, the Far-Flung Traveler", "C-R-O-W-N-E-D"), as well as the main theme from Team Kirby Clash Deluxe and its sequel (heard in "Max Happy Town!!" and "Ordeal Quest"). These themes symbolize the clash between the aforementioned characters and foreshadows their fate.
The intro consists of a G-sharp minor version of the Kirby Clash theme, featuring a cello, vocals, cymbals and church bells at the start and adding a harpsichord, violin, and organ. The piece then accelerates. A xylophone and soprano choir perform a frantic descending progression.
A violin and percussion play the Kirby Clash theme, accompanied by the strings the second time the melody plays. As the theme continues, it rapidly transitions to A minor, at which point a trumpet joins. Brass instruments continue the theme.
Not a moment after the Kirby Clash theme reaches an end, two themes from "C-R-O-W-N-E-D" usually heard one after another join simultaneously, hinting at C major, adding a single stray B flat (low second tone) that was not present in the original. The two themes alternate between instruments (primarily strings) while contributing to polyphony. A third theme from "C-R-O-W-N-E-D" joins in the brass - the C minor "Magolor, the Far-Flung Traveler", but it does not reach the end, interrupted by a melodic turn similar to the theme from the Kirby Clash series, with the addition of orchestra bells and piano accompaniment.
"Magolor, the Far-Flung Traveler" does not take long to return, however, with a piano glissando leading into it. Establishing the C minor it introduced, it plays similarly to the introductory segment of "C-R-O-W-N-E-D", albeit with a tempo more reminiscent of Magolor's jollier theme. During this time, the Master Crown's theme plays in the background. The Kirby Clash theme returns at a climax, hinting at B flat major, and it quickly dissipates when a new section comes.
Establishing the first lasting (C) major of the composition is the theme from "Road to Victory" at the heart of the piece. The bells and choir return to cast light on this section, and another piano glissando decorates it. The primary "C-R-O-W-N-E-D" theme, still in the background, also takes a major turn. Before long, the intro of "C-R-O-W-N-E-D" (or middle section of "Magolor, the Far-Flung Traveler") returns the piece to A minor, where the Kirby Clash theme is played by the xylophone again, albeit often including major harmonies.
A calm interlude similar to the transitional theme of "Two Planets Approach the Roche Limit" brings a change of character, as the instrumentation becomes more scarce and light. This lyrical section makes way for G sharp minor again, adding heavy double-time percussion similar to the second half of "Two Planets Approach the Roche Limit" while the Kirby Clash theme returns, with a quiet quotation of "Magolor, the Far-Flung Traveler"'s primary theme.
The piece reaches another climax in the higher registers. The pace comes to a brief halt, where the piano hits a bass dominant note thrice. The Kirby Clash theme develops from there, with different elements of "C-R-O-W-N-E-D" and "Road to Victory" scattered throughout, before eventually returning to its original violin variation, at which point the track loops. Notably, despite the jukebox looping after around 7 and a half minutes, the actual main body of the song loops at around 4 minutes.
Game appearances
Kirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe
"Mistilteinn, Tree Crown without a Ruler" plays during the battle against the Master Crown in Magolor Epilogue: The Interdimensional Traveler and The True Arena.
Etymology
The theme's name has multiple possible meanings. Mistilteinn is a Norse word that translates to "mistletoe", a parasitic plant which grows on trees, and in particular apple trees[2]. Master Crown's boss battle reflects this by having a wreath wrapped around the tree-like form of itself. The word is associated with the myth of the death of the Norse god Baldr, where the mistletoe is considered too young to be asked to swear an oath of allegiance to Baldr, and Loki ultimately transforms it into a lethal projectile killing Baldr.[3] The death of Baldr precipitates a series of apocalyptic events commonly known as Ragnarök. Both the killing of mythical beings and the fate of the universe being determined by the mistletoe can be seen in the Master Crown's own fight, due to its nature of having 'limitless power'.
The name Mistilteinn is also associated with the Icelandic saga of Hromund Gripsson, where it is the name of an enchanted sword. Þráinn, the original wielder of the sword, is an undead witch-king, similar to how the Japanese name of the theme implies that the Master Crown is specifically the crown of deceased rulers. Hrómundr defeats Þráinn, claims the sword from him, and uses it to slay Swedish kings. This parallels Magolor's use of the sword at the end to slay the Master Crown.
Names in other languages
| Language | Name | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Japanese | 王亡き樹冠のミストルティン ōnaki jukan no misutorutin |
Mistilteinn, the Tree Crown Without a Ruler 王亡き樹冠 literally translates to "tree crown that has lost its ruler", most readily interpreted as "tree crown of a nonexistent/deceased ruler". Most translations avoid explicitly invoking any kind of "loss" or "death", but the Chinese title uses the sense of "deceased ruler" and the Korean title uses the sense of "loss". Note that the possessive particle の modifies ミストルティン ("Mistilteinn") with this phrase; while this is normally used to indicate possession (i.e. "Mistilteinn of the Tree Crown Without a Ruler"), it can also indicate a title, which most of the translations aside from Korean interpret it as. |
| Traditional Chinese | 逝去王者樹冠的米斯特汀 |
Tree Crown of Deceased Rulers, Mistilteinn |
| Simplified Chinese | 逝去王者树冠的米斯特汀 | |
| Dutch | Mistilteinn, boomkroon zonder meester | Mistilteinn, treecrown without master |
| French | Mistilteinn, la couronne végétale sans roi | Mistilteinn, the plant crown without a king |
| German | Mistilteinn: Baumkrone ohne Regent | Mistilteinn: Tree crown without Regent |
| Italian | Mistilteinn, tre corone senza sovrano | Mistilteinn, Three Crowns without a Ruler The translation appears to have misinterpreted "tree crown" as "three crowns". The correct translation ("la corona arborea senza sovrano") is used in the Master Crown's Italian Special Page. |
| Korean | 왕을 잃은 수관의 미스틸테인 |
Mistilteinn, of the Tree Crown Without A Ruler As with the Japanese title, a more literal translation would be "Mistilteinn, of the tree crown that has lost its ruler" with 잃은 very closely matching the sense of "lost" invoked by 亡き in the original Japanese. |
| Brazilian Portuguese | Mistilteinn, uma coroa sem governante | Mistilteinn, a crown without ruler |
| Spanish | Mistilteinn, una corona sin gobernante | Mistilteinn, a crown without a ruler |
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Kirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe Jukebox
- ↑ See, for example, this article on the European mistletoe facing extinction due to unmaintained apple orchards.
- ↑ See this Oxford University Press blog post, which also suggests the word is borrowed from Old English.
