Schwartz (TOL)

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Schwartz is a villain from Namco's Tales of Legendia. Her name "Schwartz" is similar to the German word "Schwarz", which means black.

[edit] Personification Figure

According to Grune, Schwartz is a personification of the people's fears and misery; the weakness of humans. As a result, Schwartz feeds off of this emotion to grow more powerful. In a rather vicious cycle, Schwartz inspires fear and hopelessness in people, then grows stronger from the very feelings she caused. Schwartz manifests herself as a black mist, which can "crystalize" into physical form, and attach to monsters; morphing them into twisted, powerful fiends. She can represent the constant fear of loss in human beings, whose very presence inspires more loss.

[edit] Hollow Guide

Grune says that Schwartz is the "hollow guide", the one who guides the world from its beginning to its end. However, she says that Schwartz came into being not because of people's fear, but from their want for sorrow to stop. Schwartz believes that she is doing Humankind a favor, releasing them from their misery by turning them into oblivion. This is the antithesis to Grune, who also came into existence with Schwartz, and embodies the embrace of all emotions.

Schwartz is often seen fulfilling her role as the hollow guide, especially in relation to the main characters. She is essentially the one who guides the characters to misery in the first place, often beckoning them to give into their weakness. Among the things she's done: she made Giet give in to his animal side, tempted Jay to partake in his revenge, and nearly convinced Norma that it was okay to give up.

Ironically, Schwartz believes that she is doing the right thing; her perception is twisted to the point where she believes emotions are the origination of pain. Her logic is almost computer-like, in that any emotion, good or bad, is not taken into account, and that it must be purged. Grune, the Weaver of Time, is her opposite. At the end of the game, it is because of the emotions and memories she experienced that she vanquished Schwartz; and that people around the legacy vanquished her spectres. Of course, since Schwartz and Grune are tied to the same principal of feeling, and are essentially the same, they cannot exist independent of each other. As Schwartz fades away, the last thing she says is a warning: that if they wish it, Humans can wish her back into existence. Senel says that that won't happen; Schwartz dismisses that as a vain dream. But she comes to terms that dreaming is what humans do.