Theory

*Piano*

"Led through the mist - by the milk light of moon - all that was lost - is revealed.
Our long bygone burdens - mere echoes of the Spring.
But where have we come? And where shall we end?
If dreams can't come true, then why not... pretend?
Oh, how the gentle wind - beckons through the leaves - as Autumn colors fall."

I've got to say, this was very tricky. I had a very hard time trying to find a valid reason for my thoughts about this theory, and I think I understand. Finally.

Above I have laid out the opening song that Greg's frog sings before the start of the first episode. It's a lovely poem, but I never fully understood it. Opening themes of shows or movies are supposed to reflect/foreshadow the main character or the land they're traveling in. But, reading the lyrics of the theme, I had a very hard time connecting our two heroes, Wirt and Greg, to the song. As for the land they're traveling in... I guess it makes sense? The last line can, I guess, be a reference to the Unknown, but I have another idea.

The song is referencing the Beast.

It never occurred to me until I listened to the other version of the song. The one that plays after the series is over. The entire song is the same, but then one more line is added.

"Dancing in a swirl - of golden memories - the loveliest lies of all."

My mind went into a frenzy. What does he mean by "lies"?! Does it mean everything was a dream? Was the entire series just a lie? But, how can everything be a lie if there is proof that everyone in the Unknown is, in fact, real? After our heroes leave the forest, we see everyone in the Unknown one last time before the series ends. They had to have been real, or their problems wouldn't have been resolved. They would have just vanished after Wirt and Greg left the forest, right?

No, my friends, "lies" doesn't describe the Unknown, but the Beast. Let me tell you the theory and then plug it into the song.

The Beast has a soul which is canon proof in the series. Everyone knows the Beast has a soul. However, what is the Beast? He's not entirely human because of the very disturbing close up light shot we get of him (picture up at the top of the chapter). As you can see, he has faces all over his body and the branches are indeed attached to his head.

So, is he a monster that has a soul? No, I don't think so. I think there's much more to the Beast than we see. To understand this, we have to travel back to Chapter 6: Lullaby in Frogland. It is revealed that Adelaide is an old woman that has some sort of magic abilities. She cursed Beatrice into becoming a bird, and agrees to turn her back if Beatrice brings her one strong child to be her servant.

The Beast feeds on strong, creative children to trick them into giving up their souls, so he can turn them into trees and use their oil in his lantern. What's with the strong independent children? How did Adelaide survive this far without one?

She didn't.

The Beast used to be a strong, creative, independent child that was a servant of Adelaide. You know how life would be working as Adelaide's servant? Terrible.

The Beast was just a normal child and she made him do everything. Kind of like a messed up Cinderella story, except there was no one to save the Beast but himself.

As the child grew older, he learned some magic. The same kind that Adelaide uses. In an attempt to escape his imprisonment, the Beast separated his soul from his body. He left Adelaide now more powerful than ever. Without a soul, knowledge of magic, and very manipulative, the Beast ventured into the Unknown.

He grew weaker and weaker every passing minute. Splitting your soul from your body is terrible magic, and requires you to do dark things in order to stay alive. The Beast knew he was dying.

"Oh, how the gentle wind - beckons through the leaves - as Autumn colors fall."

It is no secret that the Woodsman's daughter is one of the first people the Beast kills to stay alive. It was Autumn and she was curious. She followed the path of the wind into the forest to gather firewood when the Beast approached her. He manipulated her into giving up her soul. Then, the Woodsman found out. The Beast tricked him into thinking he had to keep the lantern lit for his daughter.

From then on, the Beast hunted vulnerable, imaginative children to trick them. This is why his body deforms, as the more he does this, the more of a monster he becomes.

So, what does this have to do with the song? Let's go line by line, and I'll explain.

"Led through the mist - by the milk light of moon - all that was lost - is revealed." I think when he was a kid, Adelaide was the one manipulating the Beast to stay and be her servant. But, as he got older, he understood. He walked through the woods on a misty night, the light of the moon lighting his path. He came to the shed where Adelaide kept her magic tools and spells. All that was lost was revealed. The Beast finally put together the pieces that Adelaide was using a bit of magic to be manipulative and keep him there.

"Our long bygone burdens - mere echoes of the Spring." This one is pretty easy to explain. Everything that the Beast had done for Adelaide, all of his burdens, weren't supposed to be his. It seems so long ago, mere echoes.

"But where have we come? And where shall we end?" Now he starts questioning himself. How long is this supposed to last? Until he dies? This can also be interpreted in his true Beast form. Is it really worth taking away the children of parents to live? He managed to escape Adelaide, but at what cost? What has he become?

"If dreams can't come true, then why not... pretend?" If there is no one coming to save the Beast from his enslavement, then why not do it himself? Why not pretend there is a hero, and escape alone?

I explained the next line, but I also want to point out something about it. Mere echoes of the Spring is interesting for another reason because this takes place in the Autumn. Sure, it's Halloween and everything, but I think the Beast managed to curse the Unknown to always be Autumn. When he is defeated, it snows, allowing the land to enter Winter. Just a quick thought.

Here's the last one. "Dancing in a swirl - of golden memories - the loveliest lies of all." The golden memories that the Beast thought he was living at Adelaide's turned out to be lies. The golden memories of adventures the children have with the Beast turn out to be lies as he eventually kills them.

This song finally makes sense. It's not about Wirt, or Greg, or Beatrice, or even the Unknown. It's about the Beast, his origins, the life he was forced to live. He is the most mysterious character in the show and barely anything is said about him. He may have been evil, but there is always a story behind it.