The Boy, The Shadow & The Undoing - Part Two

Who Wrote The Storybook? - A Fan Theory by Zach Van Norman

In the first part of this theory (which can be found here), I discussed the source of the Dark powers (Neverland), why Peter Pan wants Henry (in short: to undo the Dark One and return the power to Neverland), and the idea that the person who gave Pan the drawing of Henry is also the person who wrote Henry’s storybook. Now I’ll reveal who I think that person was:

Yensid, the Sorcerer from Fantasia.

Um…random! Where did that come from?

The first hint at Yensid’s existence came in the first season, during the episode “Skin Deep.” As Rumple and Regina are discussing Belle, a hat can be seen perched on a pedestal, a hat that looks remarkably similar to the Sorcerer’s hat:

I think this scene is more than a nod to the classic Disney film. The hat clearly means something important or it wouldn’t be in Rumple’s trophy room. While there are other Disney Easter eggs that appear throughout the show, I think this one has a more significant meaning.

So how did Yensid come to write the book?

Going back to the first part of this theory, I mentioned that the Blue Fairy told Baelfire that the Dark powers do not belong in their realm. I think Yensid knew when the Dark powers arrived in the Enchanted Forest and confronted Rumple after he became the Dark One, but was defeated and lost his hat and powers. Through the Seer or his own means, Yensid learned of the Dark Curse, the Savior, and the boy who would be Rumple’s undoing. He gave Peter Pan the drawing of Henry to ensure that Henry would be kidnapped and that Rumple would have to go to Neverland. 

The important thing about the book is that it spans at least 300 years of history, which means the person who created it knows extensive details about everyone’s history. The first option would be the Blue Fairy, but just because she’s the only option we know doesn’t mean that she’s the only option. Yensid the Sorcerer could be a powerful magical figure operating behind the scenes, moving his pieces around Rumple’s actions in order to undo him. He could have created the book as the means for the Savior to believe so that the Curse would be broken in the first place, setting everything else into motion. 

Of course, after the book was created, it still needed to get to Henry. That’s where the Blue Fairy comes in.

Blue’s Secret Plan

I think she may have visited the Sorcerer to try and stop the Dark One, but instead learned of the future Dark Curse and Henry’s role in undoing Rumplestiltskin. Unable to act, the Blue Fairy accepted fate and eventually allowed the Curse to happen; that is her biggest secret, the fact that she could have stopped the Curse and didn’t. I think this is why she had such a notable attitude about Regina in “Quite a Common Fairy”: she could not allow Tinkerbell to help Regina or the Curse wouldn’t happen. 

It seems to me that there’s something going on with Blue. Before the Dark Curse transported (most of) the inhabitants of the Enchanted Forest to Storybrooke, she told Geppetto in “The Stranger” that she had to return to the fairies to make ‘final preparations.’ I think these preparations were part of a plan made with Yensid that allowed Blue to keep her memory after the Curse was broken; I think the book came into her possession when she arrived in Maine and she held onto it until it was time to give it to Henry, leading to Emma breaking the curse and setting the events into motion which would undo the Dark One. It just seems like she knows a lot more than she’s letting on, and that one day it will all come to light. 

Side note: Remember when Emma got her babyhood memories when she touched the book? Maybe it was enchanted to do just that as soon as she believed. We know Emma is magical and that her emotions affect electricity in places where magic doesn’t exist; it happened in the “Pilot” when she slammed her car door in Storybrooke, and in “The Heart of the Truest Believer” when she was in labor with Henry, so it’s entirely possible that there was magic on the book the whole time, waiting for Emma to believe. 

Storybooks

As a bonus, look at this screenshot. It’s from a season two deleted scene that is appropriately titled “Storybooks,” in which Wendy Darling gets in trouble for reading a book at the dinner table:

Wendy was reading The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, which is the name of the segment in Fantasia in which Yensid the Sorcerer appears. Also, the video game Epic Mickey is based on the idea that Yensid the Sorcerer has created worlds within his magic book, a concept no doubt familiar to viewers of OUAT.

And just for fun, here’s a shot of Mickey Mouse with the book in Fantasia…:

…and making his appearance in Mr. Gold’s Pawn Shop:

Could this all be coincidence? Well yeah, sure. There’s also some evidence that points to something bigger going on. Either way, it sure is fun to think that the story of Once Upon A Time has such a sweeping scope. 

If you have a fan theory and would love to have it published on the news blog, send to [email protected]. All theories must have strong supporting evidence and be detailed in their analysis.