It Chapter Two: Mythology Explained!
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VOICE OVER: Rebecca Brayton
WRITTEN BY: Laura Keating
This video will explain the mythology of It Chapter Two. While Andy Muschietti did an excellent job of bringing Stephen King's “It” to the big screen, there's only so much that can fit into two films. It Chapters One and Two introduced a new generation to Pennywise the Dancing Clown, the monster that terrorized the kids of Derry, Maine. But just what was this shape shifter, and how does It fit into the greater Stephen King Universe? Join WatchMojo as we break down the mysteries of It Chapter Two and explain what didn't make it into the movie.It Chapter Two: Mythology Explained
While Andy Muschietti did an excellent job of bringing Stephen King's “It” to the big screen, there's only so much that can fit into two films. “It” Chapters One and Two introduced a new generation to Pennywise the Dancing Clown, the monster that terrorized the kids of Derry, Maine. But just what was this shape shifter, and how does It fit into the greater Stephen King Universe, or SKU?
According to the SKU mythos, It originated in a void that surrounds our universe, called the Macroverse. It's similar to and perhaps identical to the “Todash Darkness” of the Dark Tower series. After crashing to Earth long ago, it buried itself in the landscape like a giant tick, feeding off people's fear. Over time, its kind became known by several names, including “Glamour” in Gaelic, manitou by Native American, eylak in Central Europe, le loup-garou in France, and taelus in Himalayan tradition. As a means to combat the cosmic parasite, the latter devised a ritual to stop it.
The Ritual of Chüd is a battle of wills in which a holy man and the taelus bit down on each other's tongues and told jokes and riddles until one of them laughed. In the version performed by the Losers Club, the ritual takes Bill into the psychic plane of the Macroverse in order to mentally battle the true form of It directly. While on Earth, Its favorite appearance is that of a clown (a means of luring children), Its true form is the enigmatic Deadlights - a form of eldritch energy perceived as brilliant orange lights with the power to drive people insane or kill them. Within the greater SKU, the Deadlights are not only alive, but also a potential weapon to be used by others, such as the Biggest Bad of them all, the Crimson King.
The primary antagonist of the Dark Tower series, the Crimson King is the leader of the Red, aka the Random, aka the Outer Dark. Fortunately, there are other powerful beings who oppose him, on the side of the White, aka the Purpose. There's the god Gan, who rose from the great darkness known as the Prim and created the multiverse. And there's also Maturin, a giant, ancient Turtle, said to have accidentally created our own universe when he vomited due to a stomachache. Yep, our universe had a glorious beginning!
As a boy, Bill encounters and receives assistance from Maturin during the Ritual of Chüd. The Turtle is something of a benevolent, if indifferent, cosmic creator, and one of twelve Guardians who protect the Beams that hold up the Dark Tower - the centre of all existence. The Turtle refers to It as Its “Brother” in the novel, suggesting that they were born from the same creator. It considers Maturin lazy and stupid, although by all other accounts Maturin is wise and powerful – he's just not terribly concerned with the affairs of his vomit universe.
Given Its age and power, it's no surprise that It has appeared, or at least influenced, other characters and stories outside of the Losers' fight in Derry. Although It is less of a “big picture” menace in the SKU than the Crimson King, or the Crimson King's devotee the Man in Black, It's still a major force for chaos. In fact, it's possible one of the six greater demon elementals referred to in the penultimate novel of the Dark Tower series,“Song of Susannah”. It is also mentioned in the novels “Insomnia” and “11/22/63” and the short story “Gray Matter”, and possibly glimpsed in “The Tommyknockers”. In “Dreamcatcher”, the words “Pennywise Lives!” are spray-painted across a memorial plaque - suggesting that It didn't perish after all during Its confrontation with the adult Losers.
However, given the multi-dimensional nature of King's mythos, it may have a doppelgänger (known as a Twinner) out there from a parallel universe, responsible for these sightings. Then again, It could also have had a child. That's right, in the book, Its Spider form was pregnant, leaving open the possibility that one of Its eggs survived unscathed. Or that there's a male of species somewhere, still wandering about.
While Andy Muschietti did an excellent job of bringing Stephen King's “It” to the big screen, there's only so much that can fit into two films. “It” Chapters One and Two introduced a new generation to Pennywise the Dancing Clown, the monster that terrorized the kids of Derry, Maine. But just what was this shape shifter, and how does It fit into the greater Stephen King Universe, or SKU?
According to the SKU mythos, It originated in a void that surrounds our universe, called the Macroverse. It's similar to and perhaps identical to the “Todash Darkness” of the Dark Tower series. After crashing to Earth long ago, it buried itself in the landscape like a giant tick, feeding off people's fear. Over time, its kind became known by several names, including “Glamour” in Gaelic, manitou by Native American, eylak in Central Europe, le loup-garou in France, and taelus in Himalayan tradition. As a means to combat the cosmic parasite, the latter devised a ritual to stop it.
The Ritual of Chüd is a battle of wills in which a holy man and the taelus bit down on each other's tongues and told jokes and riddles until one of them laughed. In the version performed by the Losers Club, the ritual takes Bill into the psychic plane of the Macroverse in order to mentally battle the true form of It directly. While on Earth, Its favorite appearance is that of a clown (a means of luring children), Its true form is the enigmatic Deadlights - a form of eldritch energy perceived as brilliant orange lights with the power to drive people insane or kill them. Within the greater SKU, the Deadlights are not only alive, but also a potential weapon to be used by others, such as the Biggest Bad of them all, the Crimson King.
The primary antagonist of the Dark Tower series, the Crimson King is the leader of the Red, aka the Random, aka the Outer Dark. Fortunately, there are other powerful beings who oppose him, on the side of the White, aka the Purpose. There's the god Gan, who rose from the great darkness known as the Prim and created the multiverse. And there's also Maturin, a giant, ancient Turtle, said to have accidentally created our own universe when he vomited due to a stomachache. Yep, our universe had a glorious beginning!
As a boy, Bill encounters and receives assistance from Maturin during the Ritual of Chüd. The Turtle is something of a benevolent, if indifferent, cosmic creator, and one of twelve Guardians who protect the Beams that hold up the Dark Tower - the centre of all existence. The Turtle refers to It as Its “Brother” in the novel, suggesting that they were born from the same creator. It considers Maturin lazy and stupid, although by all other accounts Maturin is wise and powerful – he's just not terribly concerned with the affairs of his vomit universe.
Given Its age and power, it's no surprise that It has appeared, or at least influenced, other characters and stories outside of the Losers' fight in Derry. Although It is less of a “big picture” menace in the SKU than the Crimson King, or the Crimson King's devotee the Man in Black, It's still a major force for chaos. In fact, it's possible one of the six greater demon elementals referred to in the penultimate novel of the Dark Tower series,“Song of Susannah”. It is also mentioned in the novels “Insomnia” and “11/22/63” and the short story “Gray Matter”, and possibly glimpsed in “The Tommyknockers”. In “Dreamcatcher”, the words “Pennywise Lives!” are spray-painted across a memorial plaque - suggesting that It didn't perish after all during Its confrontation with the adult Losers.
However, given the multi-dimensional nature of King's mythos, it may have a doppelgänger (known as a Twinner) out there from a parallel universe, responsible for these sightings. Then again, It could also have had a child. That's right, in the book, Its Spider form was pregnant, leaving open the possibility that one of Its eggs survived unscathed. Or that there's a male of species somewhere, still wandering about.
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