fables

“ I'll say it plain, Elizabeth. I have no wish to truck with spirits or conjure ghouls tonight. „
― Jane to her friend Elizabeth, Fables: The Wolf Among Us #33 — "Heart of Glass Part 12: “We Are Glass”"


Jane is a human mundy who is one Mary's "friends" in Victorian London. She first appears in flashbacks from the mundane world in Fables: The Wolf Among Us #22 — "Heart of Glass Part 1."

History

Background

Jane is one of Mary's "friends," who constantly tease and make fun of her.[2]

Halloween 1887

On Halloween in 1887, Jane is engaged in a game of snap-the-apple with Mary at the latter's mansion[1] in Hampstead, London,[3] accompanied by Mary's other "friends," Henrietta and Elizabeth. Feeling adventurous, Elizabeth suggests they try a daring divination spell together. As part of the ritual, the four women gather in Mary's dimly lit bedroom with candles in hand and stand before a mirror, hoping to catch a glimpse of her future husband. To their great shock, the Knave of Hearts emerges in the reflection in the mirror. Everyone runs out of the room in terror.[1]

While walking through Kensington Gardens with Elizabeth and Jane on November 3, Mary reveals that she has a secret "gentleman caller," but the two don't believe her and ridicule Mary. Mary meets the Knave of Hearts through the mirror and fills him in on everything that has happened. Although she acknowledges that Jane and Elizabeth can be cruel at time, she still considers them her friends. The Knave admits to having access to multiple mirrors and uses one to show Mary what two women are doing in front of another mirror; mocking Mary behind her back, with Jane calling her "Stupid bloody Mary!" Mary is devastated, and the Knave suggests that she cut off all contact with them. She protests, fearing loneliness, but the Knave assures her that she will always have him until her dying day.[2]

Halloween 1888

On October 31, 1888,[4] after Mary is brutally murdered,[5] Jane attends another Halloween party at Elizabeth's family's mansion. During the party, she — along with Elizabeth and Henrietta — hold a candlelight vigil for Mary. In doing so, they unintentionally summon the wrath of Mary's reflection, Bloody Mary,[4] who has adopted the moniker "Bloody Mary"[6] after the original Mary heard it from Jane,[2] for herself.[6] As Elizabeth mocks the tribute by openly criticizing Mary's faults, Henrietta and Jane see Bloody Mary lunge out of a nearby mirror towards Elizabeth.[4]

Etymology

Jane shares her first name with Lady Jane Grey, who seized the throne of England after the passing of Edward VI, the brother of Queen Mary I, known to history as "Bloody Mary"; said to have been the inspiration behind the legend of Bloody Mary.[7] Lady Jane was recognized as queen for just a few days, before being deposed[8] and executed by Mary.[9] In addition, Mary's second stepmother, merely eight years older than Mary, was named Jane Seymour.[10] Jane's name is also the same as the middle name of Mary Jane Kelly, one of the "canonical five" victims of Jack the Ripper;[11] in the comic, Bloody Mary is revealed to be the perpetrator behind the Jack the Ripper killings.[4] In addition, "Mary Jane" is another name of Bloody Mary from the urban legend.[12]

Appearances

Fables: The Wolf Among Us

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Fables: The Wolf Among Us #22 — "Heart of Glass Part 1"
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Fables: The Wolf Among Us #24 — "Heart of Glass Part 3 “Love Will Tear Us Apart”"
  3. ↑ Fables: The Wolf Among Us #32 — "Heart of Glass Part 11 “So Alive”"
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Fables: The Wolf Among Us #33 — "Heart of Glass Part 12: “We Are Glass”"
  5. ↑ Fables: The Wolf Among Us #29 — "Heart of Glass Part 8 “Watch Me Bleed”"
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Fables: The Wolf Among Us #31 — "Chapter Thirty-One"
  7. ↑ Ray, Michael. Was Bloody Mary a Real Person?, Encyclopædia Britannica. "That clash came to a head when Mary became queen in 1553, and her efforts to restore Roman Catholicism to England would earn her the nickname “Bloody Mary.” (…) Of even murkier origin is the childhood ghost story that suggests that repeating the words “Bloody Mary” into a mirror will cause some foul apparition to appear. However, there is nothing to suggest that Mary Tudor's deeds or misfortunes would have inspired an eternal malice toward sleepover participants."
  8. ↑ Simons, Eric Norman (July 26, 2025). Mary I, Encylopædia Britannica. "The daughter of King Henry VIII and the Spanish princess Catherine of Aragon (…) she was granted succession to the throne after Edward and any other legitimate children who might be born to Henry. Edward VI succeeded his father in 1547 (…) Upon the death of Edward in 1553, Mary fled to Norfolk, as Lady Jane Grey had seized the throne and was recognized as queen for a few days. The country, however, considered Mary the rightful ruler, and within some days she made a triumphal entry into London."
  9. ↑ Morrill, John S. (September 6, 2025). Lady Jane Grey, Encylopædia Britannica. "Beautiful and intelligent, she reluctantly allowed herself at age 15 to be put on the throne by unscrupulous politicians; her subsequent execution by Mary Tudor aroused universal sympathy."
  10. ↑ Mary Tudor and her five stepmothers: what was their relationship like?, February 4, 2021, History Magazine. "Just ten days after Anne's execution, Mary had a second stepmother, Jane Seymour, only eight years Mary's senior."
  11. ↑ Jenkins, John Philip (September 20, 2024). Jack the Ripper, Encyclopædia Britannica. "The so-called “canonical five” victims were Mary Ann Nichols (whose body was found on August 31), Annie Chapman (found September 8), Elizabeth Stride (found September 30), Catherine (Kate) Eddowes (found September 30), and Mary Jane Kelly (found November 9). According to the common assumption of the time, all the victims were prostitutes and all but one of them, Kelly, was murdered while soliciting on the street. (…) In each instance, the victim's throat was cut, and the body was usually mutilated in a manner indicating that the murderer had at least some knowledge of human anatomy."
  12. ↑ Mikkelson, Barbara (April 27, 2001). Is the Bloody Mary Story True? Snopes. "The avenging spirit goes by many names: Bloody Mary, Bloody Bones, Hell Mary, Mary Worth, Mary Worthington, Mary Whales, Mary Johnson, Mary Lou, Mary Jane, Sally, Kathy, Agnes, Black Agnes, Aggie, Svarte Madame."

Notes

  1. ↑ In 1887, Jane was a young mundy; indicating that even if she survived Elizabeth's encounter with Bloody Mary, she is likely dead in the present time.