The Woods - Tumblr Posts
It’s THEM.
THEY'RE ALL HERE.
For clarification, I view Adela Sader as the "witch" and the Storian as the "parent," the authoritarian "household" structure, or the magic "life token," even if it has a will of its own and functions differently than a passive object or sign would.
If anyone would like to interpret any of this themselves, have me interpret anything further, or ask a question, you can comment, reblog, or send me an ask, and I'll respond or add more commentary if I have any!
Book: The Uses of Enchantment: The Meaning and Importance of Fairy Tales by Bruno Bettelheim.
The BROTHERS vs. SELF-ACTUALIZATION: Why Rise's Plot is the Way It Is and Why the Brothers' Original Characterizations are Inextricable from that Plot
A continuation of this post. If you haven't already, skim the previous post's photos for context.
First, let's start ourselves off with this poll:
The reason why I've started with this question is because I have potential plans to start the same poll again after I publish a different post I've got in the works, and I wish to compare the before and after results, after I point out a certain few things about Adela Sader and Rafal's conduct in Monrovia.
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Now that that's out of the way:
To begin with the most obvious point: Rhian and Rafal are opposites, two sides of the same coin, as the Bettelheim text repeatedly claims about the pairs of brothers in classic tales. Still, there are other possible "references" or parallels present.
(I can't quite call the perception of the twins' presences in an unrelated text "references" since, well, the text predates them. Its copyright date is 1975 and Rise was published in 2022.)
The brothers in the tales "remain in touch through magic," which already parallels how Rhian and Rafal each realized in Fall that they weren't healing, a sign of their bond/sorcery's decay, their succumbing to the figurative rot.
Rhian and Rafal also have several of the character traits described in the Bettelheim text in common with the other sets of fairy-tale brothers. And, there's the plot of Rafal leaving in Rise and both brothers encountering dangers and saving each other (yes, remember: Rhian's love saves Rafal's life—even if most of the overall action unfairly weighs on Rafal as he fixes things like he's a beast of burden).
Adela Sader, a Seer, is the "witch," to an extent, like the archetypal figure, if not a literal one, for what she represents in the conflict. She and Rafal's interaction could represent a moment of temptation, a common turning-point for better or for worse in literature in general. And Rafal's decision to try to withhold and prevent the inevitable prophecy from coming true speaks volumes about his personality and more importantly, his self-image and what he thinks of himself, as he uses the world he inhabits and its laws as a yardstick with which to evaluate himself. Yet, unfortunately for him and his best-laid plans, he's a complete individual who deserves to view himself as someone apart from existing structures, like Evil, that can prove one-sided.
I'd even go as far as saying: Evil ≠ Never because we've come to associate certain traits with Nevers that not all Evil-doers in the Woods possess. Essentially, we could think: all Nevers are Evil-doers, but not all Evil-doers are (conventional) Nevers. There are many characters throughout the series who serve as exceptions to the "rule" or whatever is considered common practice or Never "culture" and its customs. There are more connotations to being a Never than there are to being Evil. For instance, "Never" can imply "losing-streak" and "poor hygiene," while "Evil," being more detached from the Woods' subjective perceptions, doesn't immediately do the same thing as an evocative word.
(Eventually, I might post something about Rafal's genre-savviness dilemma because it could take too long to explain now and detract from the point of this particular post, which is not mainly about Adela Sader, identity, and Rafal's genre-savviness.)
Furthermore, I will discuss the twins' codependence and how each was never able to disentangle himself from the other of the pair.
Enter vague thematic ideas:
Individuality, interpreted as "free will," in this case.
The separation and "inner integration" of opposing sides (which implies both 1) coming to terms with the existence of the other, conflicting part to the whole and 2) more fundamentally, in actual psychology, reconciling yourself with yourself, knowing yourself, and feeling "complete" so to speak).
Independence and asserting oneself.
First of all, we can observe Rhian's physicality and physical desire versus Rafal's restrained nature. (I'm not saying Rafal lacks physicality at all, but he's not as open with it. He's less wild, reckless, and restless, as far as some of his outward behaviors, if not his thoughts, go.)
Hence, the more Rhian gives into romantic infatuations and the accompanying lust, the more he loses sight of true Goodness and his own humanity. His heartstrings become puppet strings. He gets more animalistic verbs and snake imagery revolving around him as time beats on, as the plot progresses, and he unravels, for lack of having achieved total "integration." And all this is by failure of being a well-adjusted individual or "sane" adult.
And who do we have to blame for stunting his growth and maturity as a person apart from others, with an identity that doesn't rely on external things?: Rafal, who is almost equally teenage-minded.
And Rhian's unwitting antagonist here is not only Rafal. There's one other force working against him: the Storian. Neither of the twins' minds were ever allowed to develop past adolescence and that fact is at least partly at fault for their downfall.
Rafal apparently kept Rhian in check—that's what we implicitly learned in Rafal's absence. The opposite could also at once be true, but that's not relevant now.
Rhian's usual Goodness started to slip and fall to the wayside, probably because he had no one to be better than, no one to show up, and therefore, no one to compare himself to. So, he had no living proof he was doing the right thing for an extended period of time.
This plays into how being the sole actor in any scenario doesn't suit either of the brothers well. Because, they lose sight of anything objective when their fellow marker or "yardstick" isn't present for them to use to see themselves with.
It's not that they don't have a sense of right or wrong; they do. It's that that very sense becomes diluted and ineffectual when the other isn't there.
They becomes skewed—first, turning into the most extreme version of themselves, more like themselves than ever. (E.g., Rafal callously took an innocent hostage and acted in cold blood various times, and Rhian continually fed his sense of vanity). And then, they eventually dropped off at some point, at the "peak" of behaving like themselves, suddenly behaving, or rather, becoming, unlike themselves, which is exactly when the problems start.
For instance, just look at the moment Rhian decides to do what Rafal would do (in Rhian's mind, congruent with his image of Rafal), when he agrees to the bet Vulcan challenges him to. He semi-consciously chooses to fight Evil with Evil, instead of doing what he himself would do, swallowing his pride and protecting his wards, despite the blow to his ego in taking the coward's way out. He doesn't exercise his immaterial authority, (verbally, instead of physically, through a tangible competition).
And generally, before he's corrupted, Rhian has trouble exercising the authority he should've had—another sign of how he never comes into his own. Nor did Rhian have the chance to come into his own, with the authorities that be (Rafal and the Storian) always, constantly hovering over him, trapping him in inaction, in the past.
The strange thing is, in Fall, Rafal admits to having conceded a lot of the time to Rhian in the past, in the face of smaller, pettier arguments, a trend which also represents his yielding to Rhian's (supposedly nonexistent) authority in the early days. That tendency seems self-contradictory of Rafal, but perhaps, even Rafal's authority is situational. He's capable of exercising it over everything and world, but not over his own brother. He can't rein Rhian, the inevitable force, the "fatal" (to invoke both death and "fate") tides of change, the Prime Mover, in.
Meanwhile, Rhian is the inverse of that. Rhian cannot exercise authority over everything and the world, but he can do so over his own brother.
Besides, Rafal, often by sorcery or by outright manhandling, manipulates and exerts his physicality over others and his environment while Rhian rarely does. And yet, Rafal (from what I remember) never so much as lays a hand on Rhian during Rise (in Fall, everything changes and escalates).
I don't yet know why this is, but I think this observation is true most of the time. At least, I haven't thought of any exceptions yet.
The working hypothesis I have is that Rhian (being the brother who chose to stay in the comfort and limited confines of the home, according to the Bettelheim text's ideas) only initially felt comfortable to do anything there. To act, and exercise his authority in an intimate, narrow, personal way.
By contrast, Rafal (the more worldly, well-traveled, and inconstant brother) wants to gain independence from their stifling "home" life, under the Storian, and, as a result, upon his return, could've felt like a stranger in his own home and with Rhian (who's also changed in his brother's absence regardless). Thus, while Rafal can certainly exercise his authority impersonally, he doesn't feel at ease exercising authority over the familiar because it could be too close for comfort, too unsettling, unsettlingly different and the same, like he can't shed the disbelonging that drove him out of the fairy-tale construct of the "home" as a safe, childhood refuge in the first place—when Rhian first questioned his very core purpose and Evil's existence.
(By the way, I came up with a pun: despite being gay, Rhian made Rafal "home-a-phobic.")
To simplify the above, Rhian is homebound, while Rafal is figuratively "homeless" and still somehow recluse-leaning, despite not having a place to seclude himself in, in the end. (During Fall, he clearly doesn't feel safe because he's overly, rightly paranoid that Rhian is out to get him, prompting him to find a "faithful soldier." Then again, we can't fully blame Rhian since Rafal created Evil Rhian by means of a self-fulfilling prophecy.)
In addition, when Rafal possibly (unconsciously?) tries to carve out a place for himself in the world (apart from Rhian and the School) that start of his action reflects a classic adolescent struggle. Due to his role at the Schools as School Master and in being Rhian's brother, exclusive of all else, he's managed to postpone this phase of discovery, or keep this rite of passage from happening. And, this phase almost wouldn't have happened, if he'd never left!
Still, beyond that, he fails at it, at "finding himself," because he doesn't sever himself from the past, even if his "old ties" indeed loosen, by way of the rot affecting the brothers' bond, when he tries to forge new ties in the present (with Hook). And, he returns to his home, to forge anew the old bond he already had instead.
Could that act of returning be a form of regression?
The timescale of all this normal human development, taking place after a century, is really what's most bizarre about it all—hazards of being an immortal.
Perhaps, he was tasked with so much to keep up with and balance that he was in something of a primitive, "survival" mode, even if it looked like he was thriving and performing his job optimally before—and maybe, just maybe, that meant his pursuit of self-discovery was set to "dormant" for so long that it hadn't registered on his radar when the process began.
I believe the brothers are approximately around "Identity vs. Role Confusion" and "Intimacy vs. Isolation" (the latter concerning Rhian in particular) and that they start in Foreclosure and end in some perverse, tragically incomplete (or prematurely cut-off in Rafal's case) form of Moratorium, which, ironically, bears similarities to the concept of death, or even the phrase memento mori, for, mortal time is limited, and we must change before our final deadline—a deadline neither of the brothers had and hadn't the need to conform to or act on, as long as their immortality remained intact.
For reference:
"Identity confusion/diffusion occurs when adolescents neither explore nor commit to any identities. Foreclosure occurs when an individual commits to an identity without exploring options. A moratorium is a state in which adolescents are actively exploring options but have not yet made commitments. As mentioned earlier, individuals who have explored different options, discovered their purpose, and have made identity commitments are in a state of identity achievement" (Source).
Also, I want to point out that Rafal never did give up "the organization of his life," mentioned in the Bettelheim text, which may've interfered with his identity formation, fulfillment, and attainment of relationships outside of his with Rhian.
He wouldn't relinquish control, ever, unless it was pried from his cold, dead hands. (And it was.)
Perhaps, he was reluctant to let go of order? But, aren't we all prone to wanting order and flattening complexity as humans anyway? It's not just his fault as an individual; it's probably our collective fault as a species.
(Does anyone see this from a different perspective? I might be sympathizing with him too much.)
Moving on, the deep, dark forest of the soul is probably a common idea that other authors, like Professor Maria Tatar, have explored, if I'm remembering that correctly. I guess we could just establish that the further Rafal ventures into the Woods, and the more he distances himself from Rhian, and the worse off he is. But, I don't think all of that is truly proportional in a traceable way, considering that lots of his worse moments, like his trial sentence, happen at the Schools.
So, why don't we just consider the whole of the Woods dark and primal, and susceptible to the "cauldron of the unconscious" and the worst urges of humanity's Evil, and call it a day?
Gavaldon would have to be the separate space then, but it's no more civil than the Woods are, as, it's still distinct yet part of the Woods all the same in its enclosure.
In fact, let's just apply the dark woods-baser urges analogy to the world like a blanket.
Back to Adela Sader now.
She prompts anxieties in Rafal that he wouldn't have held or have even seen within himself, if not for her making him aware—aware to his detriment, when he chose knowledge over blissful ignorance, accessing the "forbidden" or the irreconcilable truth of a prophecy he didn't have the ability to integrate into his current worldview without collapsing what he knew to be true, when he metaphorically opened his eyes and didn't turn away.
This decision to ask for an direct answer to the future (instead of discovering and interpreting it for himself in real time) led him further away from self-actualization. (No, I don't mean his eleventh-hour Good revelation. I mean simply him as a underdeveloped, immature human being, however mature he may seem.)
Anxiety can drive people mad and meddle with how clearly they see the world (trust me on this one), and worse, this artificial anxiety Adela Sader gave him was imposed on him because he couldn't have known any better to not seek out or reject this knowledge. No one can forget something once it's known, once they're "awakened" to it.
Lastly, if anyone wants me to probe anything more or think on any of the parts in more depth, tell me. I will also provide clarification and context, and answer any questions, if anyone would like.
This is awesome. And terrifying. But mostly awesome
A guide for exploring the woods
Only go in the summer. The winter court will do you no favours. The summer court is less malevolent, but no safer.
When you enter, know that time will not work in your favour. You may lose entire lifetimes within hours.
Choose a new name, but don’t keep it for too long, otherwise you will belong to it.
Bring cold iron, wear red.
Carry red berries from a rowan, mountain ash, or holly tree. St. John’s Wort or red verbena flowers are acceptable as well. They will keep you safe, but not for long.
To see through the glamours, place four-leaf clovers in a pouch around your neck. It may help.
Children should wear crowns of daisies.
If you return home, and your child is different, do not go looking for what you have lost.
Leave the same way you entered, but never return through the same entrance. The second time, they will know enough to keep you.
Do not stand in the mushroom rings. If someone you know enters a ring, you cannot save them.
Never accept a gift. They will want something in return.
Be polite, but do not say thank you.
The food will be the best you have ever tasted. Only eat it if you wish to never leave.
If you must stay the night, sleep under the rowan, holly, or ash tree. The elder wood will make you tired. Do not close your eyes.
If you hear music, you are running out of time. If you hear harps, your time is up.
Don’t join the dancing unless they give you a token.
You cannot become one of them, however much you desire to leave your life behind.
If you see an alder tree, know you will not be lucky enough to go home unscathed.
Sit under a hawthrone tree or an elderwood tree on midsummer’s eve if you need to find the courts.
Place salt on your windowsills if you make it back, otherwise they will follow you home.
If you meet other explorers in the woods, do not help them. They have been there too long. Do not let them know you can leave, otherwise they will try come with you. Do not let them help you, they will try make you stay.
Hunting bag (Schwedler) embroidered by Hans Erich Friese
Dresden, Germany, 1609
Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden (via historicembroidery)
Can I run away?
Can I hide myself in the deep dark wood
And put this pain away?
Commit to the visions of my younger days
Dance 'neath stars and boughs
As I call on ancient names.
Read, write, meditate
Delve into those mysteries
That once amazed me as a child.
I've lived too long in the world.
Long enough to watch my own soul grow cold.
Conquered by necessity,
Caught up in survival.
Praying now for the garden I abandoned
My old stone throne
Beside the water's edge.
- me myself, Andrew
who is the april white guy ⁉️ the people are dying to know
I'm so glad the people are invested.
I am happy to report that this month's white guys is...*drumroll*... The Woods, as portrayed by Joey Richter in the upcoming musical, Cinderella's Castle
(January) (February) (March)
I am also happy to report that as of now, I will be accepting nominations for future white guys of the future months. So if you have a white guy you'd like to celebrate by having me print out and post on my office's billboard, my asks are open
Tune in next month for more exciting white guys
reasons not to sleep in The Woods
if you are in a pair you will not see the other person when you wake up even though you were sleeping in shifts
probably other reasons also but this is the most important one atm
finally out of The Woods
thank the fruit gods for mulberry/vrispeta
in other news i have lost my voice from yelling really loud in The Woods
@tree-of-growth this feels relevant
having cis guy friends is so funny like youll ask if they wanna hang out and theyll send you to the dark woods
A drawing I did while in the woods.
My friend got me to rewatch a couple episodes of Over the garden wall. Ended up drawing Wirt in my new sketch book!!
While taking a nap today I dreamt there was a hazard sign called "never found" which was used to indicate a location where people disappeared never to be seen again
I want a playlist with the same vibes as the woods by Sam Fermin but a cannot find one for the liiiiifeee of meeeeee