| “ | There is no last story of Death, until all living things in the countless universes are finally gone. And then there be none left to tell stories or hear them. | „ |
| ~ Death, Fables #150 — "The Last Death Story" |
Death is a mysterious character who first appears in Fables #11 — "Bag o' Bones," having an encounter with Jack Horner, who imprisons Death by trapping them in his magic bag. However, Jack is forced to release Death when his actions have horrendous consequences.
History
American Civil War
During the American Civil War, Death approaches Sally Cornwelles' mansion at night to claim the woman's life following her illness. When he is just about to take her life, Jack Horner appears from hiding and uses his newly gained magic bag to trap Death inside, thus saving Sally's life. However, Jack's actions have unforeseen consequences. Without Death to guide them, all of those killed are unable to die and move on. When Sally kills a chicken to make dinner for Jack, the chicken is still moving despite having its head cut off. Soldiers who are killed during the fighting approach the mansion with their gruesome wounds and demand to know what Jack had done.[1]
Left with no choice, Jack releases Death. Unexpectedly, Death isn't angry. In fact, they are quite happy and satisfied because, always working to guide the dead, they had never had a moment to rest and thus a night inside the magical bag was very refreshing. They allow Sally one more year to live in exchange for use of the magical bag for the occasional respite, then leaves the mansion to begin their work again.[1]
Last death story?
The character later appears in the a one-page chapter story in Fables #150, gleefully mocking the chapter's title of "The Last Death Story."[2]
Appearances
Fables
- Fables #11 (first appearance)
- Fables #150
Original source
Sources
Death is based on the character from the Appalachian folk tale[3] "Soldier Jack," one of the more obscure Jack tales;[4] and the concept of the Grim Reaper from European mythology.
Soldier Jack
In the original tale, Jack leaves the army following the war, and his only payment on discharge is two loaves of bread. As he travels down the path, an elderly man requests some food, and Jack presents him with a single loaf of bread. As a gesture of gratitude, the stranger hands him a mysterious sack that can capture anything it is instructed to, telling him that all he has to do is hold the bag open with one hand and slap it with the other, and say "Whickety whack! Into my sack!" The old man also gives him a glass vial through which he can spot Death. The bag proves useful when Jack is able to capture three devils from a haunted house that he wins as the prize for spending the night there. Eventually, he falls in love with the daughter of a King and she soon falls ill. Being able to see Death, he captures it inside his enchanted bag in order to save his beloved from inevitable mortality. The King is delighted and Jack heartened to have his beloved alive. The only issue they face now was that no one can die. Jack and all the others live for centuries with their aged, weary bodies hunched over. Jack meets an elderly person one day who expresses their weariness and wishes for death, but can't because some fool had managed to capture Death six hundred years ago, leaving no one able to pass away from their earthly life. In order to restore balance, Jack liberates his captive from the sack and finally brings an end to everyone's suffering, and everyone can die in peace.[5]
Grim Reaper
The Grim Reaper is a skeletal figure originating in 14th century Europe, usually represented as a foreboding skeletal figure clad in a dark, hooded robe and carrying a large scythe to reap human souls.[6]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Fables #11 — "Bag o' Bones"
- ↑ Fables #150 — "The Last Death Story"
- ↑ Harrington, Richard (March 4, 1989). Tom Davenport's Film Folk, The Washington Post. "“Soldier Jack, Or the Man Who Caught Death in a Sack,” based on an Appalachian folk tale variation"
- ↑ Jack Tales and Folklore, Ibiblio. "Ever wondered what it would be like to keep getting older but never being able to die? Jack and the folk of a small town do exactly that when Jack and Death meet in person. What happens? Will Jack and the town's folk ever die? You'll just have to read Soldier Jack to find out."
- ↑ Soldier Jack! (part I, II and III), Ibiblio
- ↑ McKenna, Annie. Where Does the Concept of a “Grim Reaper” Come From?, Encyclopædia Britannica