Symbols in ABC's "Once Upon A Time," Episode #2

ABC's Once Upon A Time has captured my attention, and caught me as a viewer! I love how this show weaves in and out of both the modern world and alongside the world of fairy tales.  My love of fairy tales and symbolism has inspired me to write up the symbols and allusions that I catch within each episode of the show; here is my second blog post about the series. This post is filled with spoilers so please first check out Episode #2 before reading any further if you have not seen the show yet.

Episode #2 opens with the clock tower at the center of Story Brook, Maine finally moving, which means that the battle of good vs. evil has now begun, and time is no longer standing still.  Many living in this town are trapped in time, and have no recollection of their past, since they have been removed from their world and trapped in modern reality by the evil queen.  The movement of time is alarming to the evil queen, who has been fearful ever since her adoptive son Henry found and brought his biological mother to town for her there to overtake the queen.

The Evil Queen Offers Emma An Apple

In an ode to the original tale of Snow White, the town's mayor, and queen, maintains a glorious apple tree.  When she discovers that her foe Emma has remained in Story Brook to check up on her biological son, she is absolutely livid.  Hence, she brings Emma some of her infamous apples as a peace offering, but also to ensure that Emma hits the road.  Emma accepts the apple (although she never eats it), but informs the mayor/evil queen that she is going to be sticking around for a bit, just to make sure that things are okay.

The apple is a prominent symbol that has been featured in myths throughout the ages.  Biblical scholars note that in the book of Genesis, the fruit that Eve takes from the Tree of Knowledge is actually unnamed, but Christianity paired it with the apple. In greek myth, the wedding of Thetis and Peleus, features the infamous Apple of Discord (a golden apple engraved with the words 'for the fairest'), which is tossed into the wedding party by Eris (strife) who was left out of the festivities. This event leads to a fight between Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite (whose iconography is also linked to the apple), and is the set up for the famous judgement of Paris.  Once Upon A Time has also paired the apple with the evil queen, and the fruit appears next to her in multiple scenes throughout the last two episodes.

The Mirror at the Queen's Palace

The Local Paper in Story Brook is entitled The Daily Mirror

"Mirror, mirror on the wall, who's the fairest one of all?" - is a classic question that is part of Snow White's tale.  The picture above shows one of the mayor's aids bringing the morning paper The Daily Mirror to the queen, with a feature story about Emma's arrest in Episode #1.  The aid greets her by stating, "the mirror strikes again"... A mirror can be any highly reflective surface, including a highly polished black stone, or a reflective surface of water.  The complete dictionary of symbols states that the sun and moon have been seen as mirror-like disks throughout history, reflecting divinity back to earth.  In Alice in Wonderland, the mirror serves as a magical door to a parallel world.  In fact, mirrors have always been linked to magic and divination.  The christ child (Jesus) is considered to be a mirror of god.  Christians have also linked the mirror to the human heart, which reflects god, with the brightness or dullness of the mirror being linked to the quality of the human soul (Dictionary of Symbols, by Tresidder)

Maleficent's Scepter

Finally, this episode brought us to the palace of Maleficent, who is the evil witch featured in the tale of Sleeping Beauty.  In the show, Maleficent's scepter was holding the evil curse that has imprisoned the fairy tale characters in the modern world.  Scepters have been associated with supreme gods and rulers since ancient Egypt (Pharaoh's scepters were topped with the god Set).  According to the Dictionary of Symbols, the scepter implies royal or spiritual power to administer justice, including punishment, with a spherical top symbolizing spiritual authority.  In classical Greek myth, the scepters of Zeus and Hades had a bird perched atop.  The Etruscans also had very ornate scepters used by kings and the upper priesthood, some of which are currently on display at the British Museum, Vatican, and Louvre.  In France, royal scepters were topped with the Fluer De Lis.

British Crown Jewels: Scepter of the Cross featuring The Star of Africa
(The cross symbolizes temporal authority of the monarch under the cross)

In England, royal coronations mention a scepter starting in the 9th century.  The current royal scepters (The Cross and The Dove) can be traced back to the coronation of Charles II in 1661.  The Scepter of the Cross was redesigned in 1905 to include the Star of Africa (the largest piece of diamond, cut from the largest diamond ever found), which can be removed and worn as a brooch. 

That concludes my look at this week's symbols in Once Upon A Time, Episode #2.  Have you been enjoying this new series as well?  Check back around next Thursday as I analyze next Sunday's
episode!

 Dream, Love, Believe...JYN