Exploring Hatterene’s Lore and Pokémon Design

Sadly, the practices of Jewish people were seen as evil due to rise of anti-Semitism, and consequently, the point hats unanimously became evil as well! Now, doesn’t the hat above look the same Hatenna:

This association of pointy hats with evil was also prevalently related to mischief. That’s why, the dunce cap also looks like this:

Now, one of the most common jobs done by women was brewing ale, a type of beer made without hops and through warm fermentation. In fact, women who did these were called alewives. But, there was one particular tidbit about these alewives. The hat! 😯 

Women were the primary brewers since ancient Mesopotamia. But soon, sexism and the very concept of evil being associated with pointy hats started terming ale brewers as witches brewing potions! 🙁 

Also, women maintained ale houses to utmost cleanliness to produce the best, cleanest ale. They use brooms to clean these houses to brew ale in a sturdy and voluminous vessel like a cauldron. Add the point hat… see what you get? ➡ 

Similar accusations happened against women who were doctors too. A woman with an affinity for using herbs and medicines for healing was unacceptable by the male-dominated community during those sexist times.

Unfortunately, The Wizard of Oz, a pop culture film, sealed the deal with its representation of the Wicked Witch of the West:

That’s why a witch’s hat, is a witch’s hat 😐  And, a vital part of Hatterene’s design.

Hatterene… a combination of ‘hat’ and ‘serene,’ a concept often associated with princesses, who are a core part of the origin of witch hats. 

Come to think of it, princesses in famous fairytales also have a witch as the antagonist. Be it Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, or Rapunzel. The super long hair of Hatterene may also represent Rapunzel as Hatterene’s body is small. Even Gigantamax Hatterene looks like a long-haired princess stuck atop a tower!

Hair is a very common ingredient in witch’s potions and brews. In fact, many believed that the hair was the root of a witch’s magic and contained its power. This was another reason why most people accused of being witches were women as they kept their hair longer.

This is also why it was a common practice to burn or bury hair after a haircut to prevent a witch from stealing it.

Anyway, back to the Hatterene line… the Pokédex entries of the entire family depict them being extremely sensitive to strong emotions and even reacting violently to them. This is reminiscent of fairytale witches to react strongly to something grand and throw around curses and hexes. Literally, “How dare someone be happier than me?” 👿 

Meanwhile, check out Gigantamax Hatterene’s Pokémon Shield entry:

“Beams like lightning shoot down from its tentacles. It’s known to some as the Raging Goddess”

Now, remember that many local folklore deities were ‘demoted’ to evil entities thanks to the outbreak of Christianity. One of these demotions was goddesses being suddenly termed as, well, witches.

The Morrigan, an amalgamation of three goddesses in one, faced the brunt of this. She’s associated with magic, death, and war.

Another goddess to face the same is Hecate, a moon deity of magic, who also embodies the three stages of a woman’s life – maiden, mother, and crone.

See the similarity between them? Three. Hatterene is a 3-stage evolution! 

In fact, 3 AM is known as the witchy hour when witches are more powerful than usual and perform spells.

That’s not all as Greek mythology also has a goddess literally known as the Raging Goddess (as in GMax Hatterene’s ‘dex entry) – Lyssa. She represented rage, rabies, fury, and manian behavior. In fact, her other name is Maniae… the source of the word ‘mania.’

Lyssa is often depicted as having torn apart Actaeon for seeing Artemis in a state of undress. Similarly, this is Hatterene’s Pokémon Shield entry:

“If you’re too loud around it, you risk being torn apart by the claws on its tentacle. This Pokémon is also known as the Forest Witch.”

If we now combine all the things we have discussed until now, it boils down to a specific antagonistic character in the King Arthur mythos – Morgan le Fay.

Morgan le Fay is not only a powerful witch and a rival to the wizard Merlin, but she’s also a princess. In fact, she is King Arthur’s half-sister. In some tellings, she even becomes queen!

Also, she is an enchantress who summons fairytale monsters and spirits, including a large enchanted green knight as a companion to do her bidding. This is essentially Grimmsnarl!

This is why Hatterene and Grimmsnarl have the same stats and are version exclusives in Sword and Shield, being next to each other in the Pokedex, and occupying the same area.

Finally, what’s with Hatterene’s tentacles and jellyfish-ness, if you will? 😕 

Hatterene embodies fear… a fear of nature, of the unknown, and emotions. Basically, Hatterene is a scary fairytale told to kids during bedtime. Imagine a kid wearing a nightcap and listening to these engrossing tales.

A nightcap? Hmm… a nightcap like this:

But, hang on! This nightcap is also ‘worn’ by:

In folklore, jellyfish are seen as an omen. They literally tell you to calm down… exactly what Hatterene wants from you… to calm down and control your emotions. Fighting the current will make your life difficult, but letting the ocean take you without struggle, (like a jellyfish) is truly serene. 

And there you have it… that’s Hatterene for you! 

If you’re interested in more lore and design (and often science) articles like this, be sure to check out the following:

Dragapult | Morpeko | Cresselia | Mega Salamence | Dialga & Palkia Origin | Garchomp | Baxcalibur | Hydreigon | Zygarde| Druddigon | Naganadel | Drampa | Enamorus | Wooloo & Dubwool