Ella Walter
The creatures in Guillermo del Toro's Pan's Labyrinth have been interpreted as both real-world mythical creatures and original creations. The film's narrative intertwines the real world with a mythical world centred on an overgrown, abandoned labyrinth and a mysterious faun with whom the protagonist, Ofelia, interacts. The faun (Pan) is a creature of Greco-Roman mythology, and the film's title in Spanish refers to the fauns of Roman mythology. However, del Toro has stated that the faun in the film is not the same Pan from Greek mythology, despite sharing characteristics such as their connection to nature and their hybrid form as half-man, half-goat creatures. The Pale Man, another creature in the film, has been interpreted as a representation of the church, with its eyes on its hands inspired by the Japanese mythological monster, the Tenome, and manta rays. Other creatures in the film, such as fairies, are also considered to be rooted in mythology and influenced by fairy tales and childhood tales.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Creatures in Pan's Labyrinth | Faun (Pan), Pale Man, goat creatures |
| Based on real mythology? | Yes, Greco-Roman and Gallic mythology |
| Inspired by | Fairy tales, childhood tales, dreams, and nightmares |
| Specific inspirations | Alice in Wonderland, The Devil's Backbone, The Chronicles of Narnia, Carroll's manta rays |
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What You'll Learn
The Faun
The idea for the faun came from del Toro's childhood experiences with lucid dreaming. He stated that he would wake up at midnight and see a faun stepping out from behind a grandfather clock. In the film, the faun appears to Ofelia in an overgrown, abandoned labyrinth and sets her three tasks to complete before the full moon, to ensure that her "essence is intact". The faun's tasks for Ofelia are a catalyst for her adventures, and the narrative does not reveal much about his backstory.
Del Toro incorporated his own ideas into the faun's design and personality, inspired by his dreams as a child. He eschewed certain physical and mythological elements of traditional faun depictions, such as their affiliation with sex, so that the creature would behave according to its role in the film. The faun's visual motifs, such as horns, are prevalent throughout the film, especially on doorways, to suggest the overarching presence of fairytale elements and the authority that the faun embodies.
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The Pale Man
The creature's design was inspired by del Toro's fear of manta rays as a child. He explains:
> "There was also this thing that I had as a kid where manta rays freaked me out — because if you flop a manta ray on its belly, you can see a little mouth and two nostril-like openings but the eyes on another side, and I find them really creepy. The idea in 'Pan's Labyrinth' was it was going to represent the church, [so] I thought it would be powerful to use the hands with stigmata and then you put eyes on it."
Prior to the events of the film, the Pale Man was a glutton who was banished to the netherworld as punishment for his crimes. Over time, he developed a taste for children, whom he would hunt when they came near his lair, tempted by the food laid out on his banquet table during a time of extreme scarcity.
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Iberian Paganism
The creatures in the film "Pan's Labyrinth" are not directly based on real mythology. However, the film does have pagan elements and references to Greco-Roman mythology. The faun (Pan) is a creature from Greco-Roman mythology, and the film also makes references to the myth of Theseus and the Minotaur, as well as Lewis Carroll's "Alice in Wonderland". The Pale Man, a creature in the film, is said to represent corruption in the world, and his eyes on his hands are a feature shared by the Japanese mythological monster Tenome.
Lusitanian mythology, the beliefs of an Indo-European speaking people of western Iberia, heavily influenced the religious practices in the region. The largest number of indigenous deities in the Iberian Peninsula is located in the Lusitanian-Galician regions, and their worship intermingled with that of Roman deities after the conquest of Lusitania. The Gallaecian-Roman inscriptions reveal a pantheon of Gallaecian deities shared with other Celtic peoples in Europe, such as Astur and the Gauls.
The pre-Christian faiths of Iberia have not been extensively studied, but modern-day pagans of Iberian descent (including Spanish, Basque, Galician, Catalan, and Portuguese) may follow various forms of paganism, including Norse and Basque paganism.
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Greco-Roman mythology
The creatures in 'Pan's Labyrinth' are not entirely based on Greco-Roman mythology, but the film does draw on various elements of this mythology, intertwining it with other influences and themes. The faun (Pan) is a creature from Greco-Roman mythology, where he is a half-goat, half-human god of nature. In the film, the faun is portrayed as part-goat and part-forest, with tree roots for legs and a covering of moss and shrubbery. This portrayal reflects the faun's dual nature in classical mythology as "a creature of destruction and a creature of nurturing and life".
The film's narrative centres on the protagonist, Ofelia, and her interactions with magical creatures in an overgrown, abandoned labyrinth. Ofelia's journey through the labyrinth evokes the myth of Theseus and the Minotaur. The film also references the story of Odysseus and the Cyclops Polyphemus, with Ofelia taking on the role of the heroine, similar to Odysseus. The Pale Man, a creature in the film, is said to represent the Church, with some suggesting that his eye-hands are inspired by the Japanese mythological monster, the Tenome. Other creatures in the film, such as the frog, are reflections of the protagonist's reality.
'Pan's Labyrinth' also draws on Iberian Paganism, a variant of Gaulish Paganism, with the goat creatures in the film based on the Gallic spirits, the Dusii. The film's setting in 1930s Spain during the civil war and its exploration of themes like fascism, innocence, brutality, and escapism further contribute to its complex blend of influences and ideas.
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Fairy tales
The creatures in Pan's Labyrinth are rooted in mythology and inspired by fairy tales and folklore. The film's narrative intertwines the real world with a mythical world centred on an overgrown, abandoned labyrinth and a mysterious faun, with whom the protagonist, Ofelia, interacts.
The faun, or 'Pan', is a creature of Greco-Roman mythology, and the film's title in Spanish, 'El laberinto del fauno', refers to the fauns of Roman mythology. However, the director, Guillermo del Toro, has stated that the faun in the film is not the same Pan from Greek mythology, despite sharing characteristics such as their connection to nature and the forest, and their hybrid form of man and goat. Del Toro incorporated his own ideas into the faun's design and personality, inspired by his dreams as a child. Visual motifs connected to the faun, such as horns, are prevalent throughout the film, suggesting the presence of fairytale elements.
The Pale Man, another creature in the film, was inspired by del Toro's childhood fear of manta rays, and represents the corruption in the world, like Hitler. The eyes on his hands are a feature shared by the Japanese mythological monster, the Tenome, meaning 'hand eyes'. Del Toro has also stated that the Pale Man was intended to represent the church.
Other creatures in the film include goat creatures, which may be based on the Dusii, Gallic spirits of Iberian Paganism, a variant of Gaulish Paganism. The film also draws on local Spanish folklore, and references fairy tales such as Lewis Carroll's 'Alice in Wonderland' and 'The Chronicles of Narnia'.
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Frequently asked questions
The creatures in the film are inspired by various sources, including real-world mythology, folklore, and the director's original ideas. The faun, for example, shares characteristics with the deity Pan from Greco-Roman mythology, but is not intended to be the same character. The Pale Man's eyes on his hands are similar to the Japanese mythological monster, the Tenome. Other creatures, like the goat creatures, are based on the Dusii, Gallic spirits from Iberian Paganism.
The faun in Pan's Labyrinth serves as a visual motif, suggesting the presence of fairytale elements and the authority that the faun embodies within the story. It also represents the connection to nature and the forest, which is a characteristic shared with the deity Pan.
The Pale Man in Pan's Labyrinth represents the corruption in the world, such as that embodied by figures like Hitler. Director Guillermo del Toro has also stated that the character was meant to represent the church, drawing inspiration from the appearance of manta rays, which he found creepy as a child.
Yes, the film is influenced by various fairy tales and stories of young girls ending up in fantastical realms, such as "Alice in Wonderland" and "The Chronicles of Narnia." The narrative structure also plays on the folklore of the changeling. Additionally, the creatures and challenges faced by the protagonist, Ofelia, serve as manifestations of her interpretation of childhood tales as she grows up.
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