Edelwood is an important object throughout the series. It is what fuels the Beast's lantern.
Edelwood trees appear to bear a strong resemblance to oak trees. Black oil exudes from the bark, and it is this oil that makes an edelwood distinct from the rest of the trees in the endless forest. Holes in the tree's trunk will make out faces, and oil appears to drip out of them.
The Beast makes Edelwood trees from the lost souls of children who have wandered far from home (metaphorically). The Beast needs the oil to keep the Dark Lantern lit or he will die, so he tricks the Woodsman by making him think his daughter's soul is in the lantern, which makes him care for the lantern by chopping down the edelwood trees for oil. In "The Unknown", The Beast attempts to turn Wirt into an edelwood tree, but Greg willingly takes his place.
The Woodsman used the mill to grind up the wood for oil until it was destroyed by the Dog. After the mill was destroyed, the Woodsman used a hand crank machine, but the machine was never seen working. The only time the hand crank machine was shown in "The Unknown", it was malfunctioning and didn't have the capability of grinding edelwood.
During the chapter "The Unknown", the beast can be seen by the light of the lantern for about a fifth of a second, and if paused, it is possible to see him and how he appears to be made of edelwood.
Trivia[]
- In "Songs of the Dark Lantern", the Woodsman was believed to be turning Beatrice into an Edelwood tree, but she actually was just resting on the root of the tree because she ran into it when she saw a shadow.
- The prefix "edel" means "noble" in Dutch, German, and Norwegian[1]. This could reflect the fact that the wood is incredibly rare and precious, being grown from souls, perhaps noble souls.
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