Difference between revisions of "The Girl Who Looked Up"
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| + | |image=The Girl by barlydoodles.png |
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|type={{cat tag|Myths and Legends|Folk tale}} |
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|books=[[The Stormlight Archive]] |
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| + | {{quote |
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| + | |Funny, isn't it, how so many of our stories start the same way, but have opposing endings? In half, the child ignores her parents, wanders out into the woods, and gets eaten. In the other half she discovers great wonders. |
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| + | |[[Wit]]{{book ref|sa3|82}} |
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| + | }} |
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| ⚫ | A girl lives in a village by an impossibly high wall, which nobody in the village acknowledges. The wall casts a shadow that leaves the village in darkness forever. She asks and asks about the wall, and what it keeps out, but the villagers all repeat the same reply: "Don't go beyond it or you'll probably die." They tell her it was built to keep the monsters out. |
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| + | {{image|Girl Who Looked Up by Marie Seeberger.jpg|side=left|width=200px}} |
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| + | {{quote |
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| + | |Why is there a wall? |
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| + | |The girl{{book ref|sa3|82}} |
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| + | }} |
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| ⚫ | A girl lives in a village surrounded by an impossibly high wall, which nobody in the village acknowledges. The wall casts a shadow that leaves the village in darkness forever. She asks and asks about the wall, and what it keeps out, but the villagers all repeat the same reply: "Don't go beyond it or you'll probably die." They tell her it was built to keep the monsters out. |
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| ⚫ | She climbs the wall, and when she reaches the top she finds a better world, lit by [[Stormlight]]. She realizes that the people of her village were the monsters, living without light and the wall was to keep them contained. She steals some light and takes it back to her village. This act causes the storms to come and destroy the wall. |
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| − | == Meanings == |
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| − | Even though it is an open ended story, with many different interpretations, both Shallan's and Hoid's tellings might have some special meaning behind them. |
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| − | ; Shallan |
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| + | {{image|Girl Who stood up by barlydoodles.png|side=right|height=300px}} |
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| − | As she tells the story in Urithiru, the writing and various details indicate that it was meant to be a hopeful tale, with an unfortunate end. This is in line with Shallan's thinking at the time, with her newfound power, and the struggle between her identities. She ends the story right as the storms destroy the wall, and stopping there. The audience she summons also indicates that she feels the eyes of the world on her, and it is vital to humanity that she controls her identities.{{cite}} |
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| ⚫ | Whilst exploring [[Urithiru]], [[Shallan]] tells the tale as a play, using [[Surgebinding#Illumination|Lightweaving]] in an amphitheater to create an image of the scenes in the play and eventually emulating a shadowy crowd watching from the stalls.{{book ref|sa3|25}} Shallan's narrative tells of a hopeful tale, with an unfortunate end. |
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| − | ; Hoid |
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| − | Hoid tells the story slightly differently, the main difference being that he includes an epilogue. After the storms destroy the walls and bring in light, people are devastated by the destruction. But they also are better off without the walls, because now they can see what they do, as opposed to before when they were in complete darkness. Hoid spins the tale as a reason to keep on going, even after tragedy. This might be the reason he chose this particular story to tell while comforting Shallan, after she discovers what her good deeds around Kholinar have really done.{{cite}} |
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| − | {{theory}} |
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| − | The story is probably a metaphor for the humans leaving Shinovar. The wall would be the mountain chain blocking both storms and Stormlight, and the strife that came from "breaking" the wall would be the first Desolation.{{cite}} |
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== Trivia == |
== Trivia == |
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| + | * Brandon based the story on the various versions of [[wikipedia:Pandora's box|Pandora's box]]{{wob ref|10840}} |
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| − | * Since there are menacing statues on the walls, it is speculated that the dome was built to keep the villagers in.{{cite}} |
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| + | * For a while, Brandon and [[Isaac Stewart]] were planning on making a picture book based on the story, with Isaac's art.{{wob ref|13163}} Due to creative differences with the potential publisher, the idea was temporarily shelved, although there are still plans to make a series of picture books based on [[Hoid]]'s stories.{{wob ref|14574}} |
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== Notes == |
== Notes == |
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Latest revision as of 03:20, 1 August 2022
| The Girl Who Looked Up | |
|---|---|
 by barlydoodles
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| Type | Folk tale |
| World of Origin | Roshar |
| Universe | Cosmere |
“Funny, isn't it, how so many of our stories start the same way, but have opposing endings? In half, the child ignores her parents, wanders out into the woods, and gets eaten. In the other half she discovers great wonders. ”
The Girl Who Looked Up is a Rosharan folk tale that may be based on a historical event.
The Story[edit]
“Why is there a wall? ”
—The girl[1]
A girl lives in a village surrounded by an impossibly high wall, which nobody in the village acknowledges. The wall casts a shadow that leaves the village in darkness forever. She asks and asks about the wall, and what it keeps out, but the villagers all repeat the same reply: "Don't go beyond it or you'll probably die." They tell her it was built to keep the monsters out.
She climbs the wall, and when she reaches the top she finds a better world, lit by Stormlight. She realizes that the people of her village were the monsters, living without light and the wall was to keep them contained. She steals some light and takes it back to her village. This act causes the storms to come and destroy the wall.
The Tellings[edit]
Whilst exploring Urithiru, Shallan tells the tale as a play, using Lightweaving in an amphitheater to create an image of the scenes in the play and eventually emulating a shadowy crowd watching from the stalls.[2] Shallan's narrative tells of a hopeful tale, with an unfortunate end.
The story is then repeated by Hoid to Shallan while she is in Kholinar, after discovering her attempts at helping the native residents had failed.[1] His version of the story includes details of what happened after the girl passed the wall.
Trivia[edit]
- Brandon based the story on the various versions of Pandora's box[3]
- For a while, Brandon and Isaac Stewart were planning on making a picture book based on the story, with Isaac's art.[4] Due to creative differences with the potential publisher, the idea was temporarily shelved, although there are still plans to make a series of picture books based on Hoid's stories.[5]
Notes[edit]
- ↑ a b c Oathbringer chapter 82#
- ↑ Oathbringer chapter 25#
- ↑ Legion Release Party
— Arcanum - 2018-09-19# - ↑ Isaac Stewart r/Stormlight_Archive AMA
— Arcanum - 2019-10-01# - ↑ State of the Sanderson 2020
— Arcanum - 2020-12-18#