| “ | This is the Witching Well. It destroys and devours, but our path lies this way. | „ |
| ― Flycatcher to Lancelot in Fables #62 — "The Good Prince, Chapter Three: Knighthood" |
The Witching Well is a magical well located in the Fabletown Business Office. It first appears in Fables #27 — "In Like a Lion — Out on the Lam: Chapter Eight — March of the Wooden Soldiers."
Description
The Witching Well is a magical well that was taken from the Homelands[6] and acts as a portal to the lands of the deceased.[5] According to Mister Dark, Fabletown leached his power for the Witching Well and the Witching Cloak[7] while he was imprisoned in the Homelands.[8]
The well is used by Fabletown to dispose of Fable bodies on the assumption that they couldn't return,[3] as well as a punitive measure for Fables responsible for committing great crimes.[4]
History
Shere Khan's corpse is secretly taken from the Farm after Goldilocks's failed revolution and dumped down the well to prevent his resurrection.[5]
In the aftermath of the Battle of Fabletown, a group of mournful Fables gather at the Witching Well to honor the fallen citizens, and watch as their bodies are surrendered to the depths of the well. Papa Bear is visibly upset when the (supposed) body of Baba Yaga is tossed into the depths of the well, not wanting her remains to be anywhere near his son Boo Bear's lifeless form; but he understands it's necessary to keep her from returning from the dead.[3]
After Trusty John is exposed as a spy for the Adversary, he is forced by the Fabletown authorities to jump into the well alive,[4] and describes the experience as having been slowly devoured all the way down.[9]
However, protected by the Forsworn Knight's armor, Flycatcher is able to survive the journey through the well[5][10] and leads an exodus of willing spirits to his former kingdom within the Empire[11] to deal a crippling blow to the Adversary.[12]
Book of Fables
The Witching Well is located in a chamber inside The Woodland building, where it is used to dispose of things meant to be never seen again. Dead Fables are committed to its depths, as are the most unredeemable criminals. No one is entirely sure what lies at the bottom of the well, nor indeed if it has a bottom at all, but it is widely assumed to be the passage to the final resting place.
Bodies
People who have been dumped down the Witching Well:
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Appearances
Fables
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Fables: The Wolf Among Us |
Trivia
The name of the well is a pun on "wishing well."
References
Notes
- ↑ Fables #27 — "In Like a Lion — Out on the Lam: Chapter Eight — March of the Wooden Soldiers" ― the capitalization is confirmed in a caption box in Fables: The Wolf Among Us #48 — "Chapter Forty-Eight."