| “ | Hope isn't destiny. Left passive, it's nothing more than disappointment deferred. What's that the military fellows love to say? "Hope isn't a strategy." They got that much right. | „ |
| ~ Hope to Rose Red, Fables #106 — "Downfall: Chapter Five of Super—Team" |
Hope is one of the Great Powers of the Fable realms. She first appears in Fables #10 — "Twilight of the Dogs: Part Five of Animal Farm," in Colin's form. As her name implies, she is the embodiment of hope. She is the enigmatic figure that guides Snow White and Rose Red through their respective journeys, taking on the appearances of Colin, Boy Blue, and Snow and Rose's mother, before finally unveiling her true identity to Rose Red.
History
Background
Hope is of the Great Powers and belonging to the same group as Mister Dark and the North Wind.[3] She has several Paladins working for her, including Santa Claus, the little match girl and the false bride. In the past, there used to be fourteen Paladins; according to the Cricket on the Hearth, the takeaway is that hope often ends up being crushed.[4]
Guiding Snow White
The late Colin seemingly appears to Snow White on four occasions after his murder, still appearing as a head on a pole. The first occasion is when she lays in a coma after being shot by Goldilocks, where they discuss death briefly and Colin points out that, while he is dead, she probably isn't.[5] The second is shortly before the assault on Fabletown by the wooden soldiers, giving her warning that bad things were coming that would require all of them to defeat. The third occasion is in a dream after her return to the Farm with her children, to warn her that things aren't going to improve any time soon. His final appearance is apparently while Snow is awake, to tell her that things are finally going to get better for her (unbeknownst to Snow, Bigby is on the way back) and to say goodbye, that she doesn't need him anymore and that he should move on to whatever came next.
Guiding Rose Red
The guiding spirit of Colin appears again behind Santa Claus when Santa prophecises a coming battle to Flycatcher,[6] and to Rose Red, warning her that she will have to lead Fabletown during the crisis of Mister Dark.[7] During Colin's final attempt to help Rose Red from her depression, he transforms into the late Boy Blue, but immediately decides to change again, believing it would be too cruel for her. Instead, he takes the form of Rose and Snow White's mother, Lauda.[8]
The spirit knows little known information about Snow White and Rose Red,[9] such as Rose's child pet name,[8] and she explains that their mother and the king, the father of Prince Brandish, were really the ones behind Snow's separation from her family.[9] When Rose realizes that Snow is not to blame for all her grief and that she needs to move on, she looks to her "mother's" spirit and tells her to stop trying to fool her. At this point she sees that this being is neither Boy Blue, Colin, nor her mother, and asks it to show her its real form, to which request it complies. Although its form is never seen, Rose is shown bathed in a golden light, and it is seen that this form impresses and shocks her.[10]
Hope revealed
Hope later meets up with Rose Red in Haven's southern hills, appearing in her true form. She explains to Rose Red that hope is neither destiny nor strategy, but that she tries to champion those who can direct their hopes into actions. She chooses Rose Red to become one of her paladins and embody a specific kind of hope,[11] effectively granting her additional abilities and powers as a result of becoming an embodiment of a variant of Hope. Rose herself chooses to embody the Hope of Action, the Hope of Second Chances, this in turn granted her a great deal of power.
Rose Red eventually betrays her former ally and diminishes her to a tiny size before consuming her. However, she doesn't keep her inside for long and after regurgitating Hope, she coerces her to boost the morale of her troops.[1]
Alternative universe
Hope in the alternate universe
An alternative version of Hope appears in The Unwritten Fables, which takes place in an alternative universe where Mister Dark was never defeated. Here, Hope is one of the Great Powers who appears before Mr. Dark in his castle, in a futile attempt to persuade him not to claim their territories for his own, with Hope representing the virtues. While Mister Dark spares the other Great Powers, Hope is not as fortunate. Mr. Dark's wife, Snow White, holds a grudge against Hope for meddling in her affairs and is determined to seek revenge. She can be seen coming toward Hope with ill intent, before a piercing scream echoes through the window.[2]
Paraphernalia
Pandoran Jar: Just like others of her kind, Hope possesses a unique magic box artifact in the form of her Pandoran Jar. Because not much can harm them, the Great Powers use these boxes as a way to die or commit suicide.[3]
Appearances
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Original source
Hope is based on Elpis (Hope), the goddess of hope from Greek mythology.[12] Elpis is a minor goddess,[13] the personified spirit (daimona) of hope. After being captured by Zeus, she and the other daimones were sealed in a jar and given to Pandora, the first woman, for safekeeping.[12] Interestingly, in every description of Elpis, hope is inextricably linked to suffering;[13] much like Hope is depicted in Fables #106 — "Downfall: Chapter Five of Super—Team," Fables #112 — "All in a Single Night," Fables #150 — "Farewell" and The Unwritten #50 — "The Unwritten Fables, Part 1: The Summoning." The concept of hope is a recurring theme in Greek mythology, often resulting in a loss of control, skill, and destiny.[13]
In Hesiod's didactic poem Works and Days, Pandora has a jar containing the evil in the world. When she opens the jar, the horrors spread all throughout Earth, and Hope alone remains inside, the lid having been shut down before she can escape. In the 16th century, Pandora's jar became a box. This transformation is attributed to the Renaissance humanist Erasmus, who either misinterpreted the Greek text or confused the vessel with the box mentioned in Cupid and Psyche's story.[14] In Fables #98 — "Red Dawn, Chapter Five of Rose Red," Hope has a Pandoran Jar which serves as her own unique magic box artifact, as a way to die or commit suicide, since not much can harm her.
On one hand, one could interpret Elpis' decision to remain in the jar as a representation of resilience, serving as a reminder that hope cannot be easily snuffed out. However, by choosing to stay in the jar, Elpis could also be interpreted as accepting the inevitability of suffering. Still, her presence in the Greek myth suggest that hope is not a passive observer but an active force that aids humanity in persevering and finding purpose amidst difficulties,[15] much like Hope explains to Rose Red in Fables #106 — "Downfall: Chapter Five of Super—Team," that she tries to champion those who can direct their hopes into actions
Trivia
When Snow White meets the beheaded form of Colin Pig in limbo in Fables #10 — "Twilight of the Dogs: Part Five of Animal Farm," she asks if they're both dead. Colin answers, "Considering my condition, I certainly hope so," foreshadowing the mysterious figure's true identity.
References
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