Serious Greek Vibes
Greek mythology is so vast that it is quite easy to link almost any story to something within it.
Collector ~ Hades
Boiling Isles are a clear analogy to the Underworld, what later became Hell, a place for demons and wicked deviants.
Collector is the strongest being in Boiling Isles, making him de-facto the ruler of the Underworld, akin to Hades.
According to Wikipedia pages on Hades and Zagreus:
- Hades / Zagreus / Dionysus may all be referring to the same God (which allows us to draw on Zagreus myths)
- Zagreus was “a son of Zeus and Persephone, who was dismembered by the Titans and reborn”, which aligns with Collectors being destroyed by the Titans, with current young Collector representing the rebirth.
- Zagreus / Dionysus are both called “Horned baby”, which aligns with my old theory on Collector being horned.
A Key to the Underworld is one of the prominent symbols of Hades, which may refer to the Key to Eda's Door.
Another symbol of Hades is his bident, which may be what Bat Queen was referring to when she said that she was "once a part of a grand staff; A staff made for a giant" in S1E10
King ~ Cerberus
Cerberus is integral to Hades, they are always depicted together.
Cerberus is the guardian of the door to the underworld.
Now, this is a complex link:
In S2E03 we see King’s birthplace, which is de-facto a giant version of Eda’s Door, complete with a giant keyhole acting as its entrance.
The place is marked with symbols that we later learn prevent Collectors from seeing it, marking King’s race as its owners. They own and guard the biggest door into the Boiling Isles.
As King goes up the shaft to the top of the building - we see many small openings in the walls, which could be entrances from other worlds into Boiling Isles. Or they could not. It's a very far-fetched theory, here.
Cerberus is a dog with a hundred heads, which could be metaphorically linked to many skulls we found lying around.
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Caleb: Advanced Theories (aka "The CAT")
Buckle up kids, because we are going for a ride!
This is perhaps the most convoluted theory I came up with so far, and I have quite a stash. Realistically, while it would be pretty cool if some of the elements are confirmed by the show, if all of it ends up being correct – I swear, I will eat a hat.
So without further ado, let’s go down this rabbit hole.
Floor -1: The Door
The small handheld door-portal that Eda uses to go between the realms existed way before she found it lying in dirt. Someone made it, and someone most likely used it to travel back and forth.
What we know for sure:
The Door connects to the front door of abandoned house near Nocedas
The house is not hundreds of years old – it is reasonably modern (for example, it has electricity), but currently not lived in
Someone has been living in the house at some point – perhaps just a couple dozen years ago, judging by the state of it; I assume that it was not Eda, judging by how unaware she is of how human world operates, so it must have been the previous owner of The Door
We don’t know for sure whom The Door belonged to before Eda, although I’ve seen a few theories.
Proposal:
For the purpose of this theory, I propose that, before Eda, The Door belonged to Belos.
Consider the following:
Belos spent hundreds of years working on it, so it makes sense that he eventually succeeded
In Season 2 Episode 12, his journal states that he already has everything he needs for a portal, and he only seeks Collector to “complete his mission” (the mission, that, as we discover later, is not even about getting back to the human realm – but rather about getting back at the witches)
In general, his journal only ever speaks of “making” a portal, rather than finding one, and while full of self-aggrandisement – the journal was for the most part factually correct
Belos manifests an illusion of reasonably modern looking human world to coven heads in Season 2 Episode 6; While it could be a plot hole – it could also be explained by him actually travelling between realms until not so long ago.
Belos in Season 3 Episode 1 doesn’t comment at all on modern day’s difference from olden times, and knows precisely where the titan blood vial is buried at the cemetery – which could be explained by him placing it there himself, as an “emergency exit”
But wait, it gets better...
Floor -2: The Closet in the Basement
In Season 3 Episode 1, when Luz and Hunter go searching for Belos in the abandoned house – they find a very hidden door to the basement, and the only item of notice in that basement is an inconspicuously looking closet.
Now, think about the allegorical meaning of it:
Closet commonly stands for hiding own homosexuality.
Someone, a person who owned this house, went through all the trouble of hiding their closet in a secret basemen behind a concealed door. That’s some multiple levels of self-suppression.
I wouldn’t expect any native of Boiling Isles to go through that kind of trouble. Belos, however?...
Floor -3: Gay Gay Homosexual Gay
This is a theory I entertained even before Season 3, but on a much smaller scale.
You ever noticed how “brothers” Wittebane don’t look much alike? They have different hair colour, different eye colour, different nose shape and overall facial structure… While it’s not impossible, and can have many explanations – that’s some very deliberate effort by the artists to make them physically differ in all the possible little ways.
Perhaps, they were not brothers at all?
Perhaps, Belos was attracted to his dear friend?
Perhaps, there was never a witch-woman – perhaps it was Caleb himself who “tempted” Belos with his witchy ways at a time when such attraction was more than unthinkable?
And if Belos could travel between realms all along (after he made the door) – how easy it would be for him to alter the history, to write it down presenting two boys living together as brothers.
To invent a witch-woman luring Caleb away – instead of Belos himself being lured – just as he was only trying to save Caleb, only wanted to help him.
To present Caleb as a fellow witch-hating witch-hunter so convincingly that when Hunter has read about him in a book (S3E01) - it terrified him to even think of being related to that person.
But going back to the last “perhaps”…
Floor -4: Perhaps, Caleb, original Caleb, was a witch?
Isn’t it strange that in all memory pictures of original Caleb, the one who does not yet look significantly younger than Belos – his ears are scratched out or otherwise obscured?
Isn’t it interesting that a clone of Caleb who Belos says “looked the most like him” has pointy ears?
And wouldn’t it even be quite expected of a clone to have same ear shape as the original?
Following this theory:
If Boiling Isles are a home for all divergence – then, just like Luz, Belos, lured by Caleb, found himself in that world. But to him this is a world of sin, of depravity, even as he himself is attracted to it. He yearns and dreads its magic, trying to live in both worlds at once, presenting different personas to each. Such self-denial can surely do a number on one’s mind, making one quite proficient in double-thinking, which we see Belos regularly employ.
If Caleb is a witch – then Flapjack must be his original palisman:
Belos calls Hunter “Caleb” when seeing him with Flapjack during the fight in Season 2 Episode 21
In Season 2 Episode 10, in one of the earlier depictions of Caleb, Flapjack is shown sitting on Caleb’s shoulder – not on the supposed witch-woman’s one
In addition, Flapjack has been shown to be a palisman of escape and exploration, which would align well with witch-Caleb’s exploration of human realm
Then why does Belos call Flapjack “Evelyn” in Season 3 Episode 1?...
Floor -5: Evelyn
Some say it is just delusional old man’s mind slipping, calling a bird by some lady’s name, but perhaps there’s more to it than just that.
Note how during the hay ride, Hunter, who is already possessed by Belos, didn’t even flinch when Masha accuses Belos of “being upset over big bro getting a girlfriend” – and Belos is well-known for uncontrollably flipping out when people push his buttons this way.
Perhaps, it is because the whole story is a lie, planted by Belos.
Perhaps, Evelyn was Flapjack’s original name, or even just a name Belos came up with for him – a representation of Caleb’s link to a realm that was so unacceptable to Belos.
Perhaps, Belos’s phrasing was a mockery of the story he himself made up.
After all, it is quite typical of proud Christian men to blame all their problems on a made-up woman named “Eve”.
Floor -6: The Grave
Let’s dig into this rabbit hole just a little bit more.
The sole grave on the hill in the cemetery (Season 3 Episode 1) – whom does it belong to?
The crest on the archway suggests it belongs to one of the Wittebanes.
Perhaps, it is Caleb’s grave.
Perhaps, when original Caleb died in human world, by Belos’s hand or otherwise – Belos went to Boiling Isles all by himself to find a magic way to resurrect him, akin to Orpheus.
Note how there’s no grimwalker companion yet at Belos’s side when he seeks the Collector with Luz and Lilith.
Perhaps, that is because he needed Collector’s help to bring Caleb back to life, just like Orpheus needed Hades’ help and permission.
But the “resurrected” version never came out quite right, being their own person with their own wants, just like children are not a substitute for a long-gone partner. And so a different “mission” came about, from Belos observing the wicked world of Caleb’s origins – to destroy the despicable realm that won’t yield to his whims. Or, perhaps, it was part of the plan from the start.
And the rest is history.
Exit Through The Gift Shop
Alas, this line of thinking casts a grim shade on relationship dynamics between old Belos and young Caleb clones. Which may or may not be deliberate. But, perhaps, not. I sure hope not.
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