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Beast
Character Information
Name Beast
Alias He Who Carries the Lantern (by Tavern Keeper)
Stalker of the Night (by Woodsman)
He Who Haunts the Woods (by Woodsman)
Death of Hope (by Woodsman)

The Beast of Eternal Darkness (Adelaide)

Gender Male
Age Over 300 at death
Background Information
Status Erased
Eye color White
Character Type
Position Evil
Role Deceiver, Temptation, Doom
First Appearance | Cast
Cartoon Debut Episode
Comic Debut OTGW Comic Book 2015 Issue #4
English VA Samuel Ramey
International VA Mauro Ramos (Brazil)

No. There is only me. There is only my way. There is only the forest, and there is only surrender.

— The Beast to the Woodsman.

The Beast is the main antagonist of Over the Garden Wall. He is the monster of The Unknown and is feared throughout it. His goal is to catch the brothers, Wirt and Gregory, and turn them into Edelwood trees in order to fuel his lantern.

The Beast is voiced by Samuel Ramey.

Appearance[]

In silhouette[]

When in the darkness of the forest, the Beast is always shown in silhouette. He appears to have a humanoid shape with a head and cloak-covered body. He also appears to have antlers. His eyes usually glow bright white, but they can also appear with red pupils and sclera colored yellow, light yellow, and light blue.

In the light[]

His body is made out of what looks like Edelwood, with twisted faces and holes covering him entirely. His antlers resemble tree branches. His face is also revealed to have a mouth and a nose, but no ears. He has two arms with long-fingered hands.

Personality[]

The Beast is a manipulative and mysterious being. He is solely motivated by his own self-preservation and is indifferent to the pain and suffering caused by his actions. The Beast is very well-spoken and speaks matter-of-factly, traits he uses to lull his victims into a false sense of security, accomplished by feigning concern. He is a master of deception, knowing exactly what to say to get people under his power, using reverse psychology by repeatedly asking the Woodsman to give him the lantern and grabbing at it when he wasn't looking, compelling the Woodsman to covet it deeply and seek to keep it lit with greater desperation. He typically has an even temperament, but threatening the lantern or defying him for too long can cause him to lose some composure.

The Beast has a tendency to sing. He has a song for chopping the Edelwood and another song directed to his intended victims.

History[]

The Art of Over the Garden Wall Book shows an early concept of what would become the character of the Beast in the form of Old Scratch.

He has the power to possess other creatures, such as Beatrice's dog shown in the very first episode, and "haunts" the inhabitants of The Unknown, like Adelaide who claimed to be following "the dark voices of the Beast." He is the self-proclaimed owner of the woods through which Wirt and Greg wander, as he says to Wirt that Greg is going to be "a part of [his] forest."

the Beast collided with the Woodsman's daughter, she was able to escape with a broken arm, throwing off her cloak with an axe. The Woodsman, who went to look for her, discovers the Beast standing over her things, which is why he decides that the beast killed her, and rushes at the beast with an axe, knocking the lantern out of his hands. The Beast fails to convince the Woodsman to return the lantern to him, instead He deceived the Woodsman into believing that his daughter's soul was kept alive inside the lantern, and would keep on living as long as the flame was lit. The lantern is kept lit by the oil from Edelwood Trees, a type of tree that forms when the Beast captures the souls of children led astray. For many years the Woodsman has chopped the wood and collected the oil from it without knowing how the trees were created. In the finale, "The Unknown," the Beast finally overpowers the Woodsman in their fight over the lantern. But when Wirt picks it up first, the Beast tries to persuade him into becoming the new lantern bearer instead of fighting him for the lantern, promising him that Greg's soul will live on as the burning flame of the lantern. Wirt rejects his offer and casually notes that the Beast is so obsessed with the lantern as if it was his own soul captured inside it. When he threatens to blow out the light, the Beast yells "No!", revealing Wirt's suspicions to be true. Wirt leaves the lantern to the Woodsman, who finally caught on to the deception. The Beast tries to manipulate him into killing the boys and get more oil, but the Woodsman turns to face the Beast instead, spinning fast enough to catch a glimpse of his actual form. The Beast is made up of a multitude of faces, not unlike the ones seen on the Edelwood Trees. The Woodsman contemplates for a moment before he opens the lantern and blows out the light, ending the Beast for good. After his death, the Woodsman returned to his house where was his daughter waiting for him.

The Beast sings a song in an opera style while the Woodsman chops wood, as seen in "Songs of the Dark Lantern". Another song sung by the Beast can be heard in Babes in the Woods called "Come Wayward Souls".

Powers & Abilities[]

Darkness manipulation - The Beast is able to engulf an area in complete darkness.

The Beast Real Form

Trivia[]

  • The Beast may have a connection with the pitch-black turtles seen throughout the series, as in the final episode his eyes momentarily change to reflect those of the turtle-infected dog. The Beast and the turtles are both silhouettes, unaffected by light in any way whatsoever.
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