what do you think erwin's mom was like? do you think she died quiet young? who looked after erwin after his dad was killed?
It’s always been a source of huge frustration that we know nothing about Erwin’s mother, or indeed anything about his childhood and background beyond his father’s death. Isayama was asked about Erwin’s mother during the Q&A and autograph event in Oita last year and his answer was typically vague:
Isayama on Erwin’s MotherIsayama: I am thinking about it nowBakku: I need to take note on it.
Since then, nothing.
One thing that’s clear is that Erwin never really got over his father’s death, and that he harboured feelings of guilt for the rest of his life. That alone makes me think that his mother was not around when he died, because, like any parent of a bereaved child, if she had been there, she would have done everything in her power to convince Erwin that his father’s death was not his fault, and to provide him with all the love and reassurance he needed. Also I’ve just remembered, both the anime and the manga show little Erwin standing alone in front of his father’s grave, so that definitely suggests that his mother was no longer with him.
In terms of who looked after Erwin after his father died, I honestly don’t know. I’m guessing that he was around 8 or 9 when his father was killed, and I suspect he joined the cadets at the age of 14/15, but what happened in the intervening years is anyone’s guess. Was he passed around between relatives perhaps? It’s tragic to think of any bereaved child being left alone in the world.
Whatever happened, I think that both Erwin’s parents were kind and caring and loved their son deeply. Why? Because despite Erwin’s loss and grief and guilt, despite his depression, he never lost his humanity and he never lost sight of the humanity of others. In fact to some extent, his feelings of guilt and grief are proof of that. He could so easily have become angry, bitter, callous and sadistic (cf Zeke Jeager), but he didn’t. I also think that the fact that Erwin was able to form relationships based on love, trust and mutual respect, is proof that he experienced all those things as a child (again, cf Zeke Jeager). So even though we may never know anything about Erwin’s mother, I think we can infer from her son, one of the bravest and best of men, that she was a kind, strong and inspiring woman.