"I'm warning you children, keep away from my Lorna—Or you shall be easily gobbled up! NOOOO, come out, before it is too late! Unlock this door, she will devour you!"
—Whispers to Wirt and Greg in The Ringing of the Bell.
Auntie Whispers is a minor character who appears in "The Ringing of the Bell". She is also the sister of Adelaide and supposed aunt of Lorna.
Appearance[]

Pre-Concept Art by Nick Cross.
In Auntie Whispers initial design she appeared to take on the role of her sister Adelaide, based on the Bluebird Scissors she holds, or very well may have been an evil character. In this concept design she resembles a matryoshka, with her hair and top head being covered entirely by a shawl, and her nose being straighter and her eyes smaller. She appears much older in this design, but still has her robes. Her hands were however, much larger and intimidating.
This design does carry some uniformity in her final design, where her hair is covered and she does appear old, and she still dons her robes and a large black dress underneath them.

In her final design she wears a 17th century linen coif over her hair and black robes, but her body is much larger like her nose, her eyes are larger and yellow with single, slightly deformed pupils, and grey eye under bags with a pale complexion. She appears to run many errands with the mud clinging to the bottom hem of her robes and dress.
Personality[]
Auntie Whispers has a tendency to speak in a way, that alongside her appearance, creates the impression that she is an evil character. There are many misunderstandings that occur in episode/chapter 7 because of her way of speaking and subliminal connotations. In reality, unlike her sister Adelaide, who speaks in a sugary-kind tone but is in fact evil, Whispers is a simple and gentle woman who expressed great concern for the evil-spirit lurking inside of Lorna. Unfortunately, because she seems to initially distrust the outside world, she refused to take Lorna to a doctor knowing that she was ill because of the sly nature of the evil-spirit. This is why she is always on alert and appeared cold-hearted and selfish initially to Wirt and Greg.
History[]
She is Lorna's guardian and has vowed to keep her from "becoming wicked". She possesses a golden bell shaped like a skeleton in a dress that controls the evil cannibalistic demon that has possessed Lorna. She uses this bell to keep Lorna busy with different chores, so as to allow no time for the spirit to assume control of Lorna and even though Lorna is sick, Auntie Whispers refuses to get her a doctor as she believes outsiders could make her wicked (enter the spirit's control). She eats the black turtles by sucking them out of their shell. Her eyes are gigantic and her teeth are completely black and few in number. Greg and Wirt assumed due to Whisper's appearance and unsettling behavior that Auntie Whispers was the one eating people while in reality, it was Lorna all along.
When Wirt banishes Lorna's demon, Auntie Whispers cries tears of joy and sorrow because she thinks that Lorna will then leave her, as she doesn't need her anymore. Lorna stays with Auntie Whispers, and is shown in the end of The Unknown having a much nicer life.
Powers & Abilities[]
It is unknown if this trait is part of her powers, but Whispers is sensitive to smells in the air, similar to her sister Adelaide who feared the night air. This is based on her discerning a difference in the room from Wirt and Greg initially entering her home.
We do not know if eating the Black Turtles grants her any abilities, but based on what happens to animals, like the Dog in the Old Grist Mill, that possibly, her appearance was changed due to her excessive eating of the turtles. Like, her large eyes and her black teeth.
Trivia[]
- Auntie Whispers is the sister of Adelaide of the Pasture, and warns Wirt and Greg about her, unaware that Adelaide is dead.
- She is based off a nineteenth century illustration of an old man with big eyes who looked like an owl.
- Auntie Whispers is similar in stature to Yubaba from Spirited Away.
- Her concept art costume also resembles Old Woman Sofie from Howl's Moving Castle.
Gallery
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References []
[1]https://oldsidelinghill.tumblr.com/post/107414067286/hey-patrick-mchale-were-there-any-inspirations
[2]https://www.tvguide.com/tvshows/over-the-garden-wall/episode-7-season-1/chapter-7-the-ringing-of-the-bell/699818/