For the television show, see Once Upon a Time. For the Underworld book, see Underworld Once Upon a Time (book). For the second iteration of the book, see second storybook. For the book written by Henry, see Once Upon a Time (novel). |
Henry's Once Upon a Time Book, commonly referred to as Henry's Book or simply The Book, is a magical item featured on ABC's Once Upon a Time. It first appears in the first episode of the first season.
History
Reason: Needs after the Curse history
For eons, the Sorcerer and his Apprentice have chosen an Author, whose sole responsibility is to record stories in a book using a magic quill. During December of 1966, after the last Author has died, the Apprentice poses as an employee from a publishing company and sends an aspiring writer man named Isaac Heller a letter requesting his services. Upon meeting the Apprentice, Isaac is asked to select a pen out of various pens, to which he picks a quill and becomes the next Author. Like the previous Authors before him, Isaac's responsibilities include recording tales in the storybook with the quill's power, but he cannot use the quill to write his own happy ending, which will result in his termination as Author. ("Best Laid Plans," "Operation Mongoose Part 1," "Operation Mongoose Part 2")
At some point in the Underworld, some people stage an attempted rebellion against Hades, and rumors spread about a book capable of defeating him. ("The Brothers Jones")
Sometime after becoming the Author, Isaac changes a story in the book by manipulating the Apprentice into infusing a child with darkness and banishing her to another realm. Deeming him too corrupt, the Apprentice then imprisons him in the book's door illustration as punishment. ("Best Laid Plans")One morning in Storybrooke, a schoolteacher, Mary Margaret, discovers a book of fairytales in her loft closet. At the school grounds, she notices one of her students, Henry, looking glum. He expresses frustration about not belonging in Storybrooke and his belief that his adoptive mother, Regina, doesn't truly love him. To cheer Henry up, she gives him the storybook, by explaining that the stories in it signify things will get better for him if he holds onto hope. While flipping through the book, he looks at a photo of a princess. When he looks up, he briefly sees Mary Margaret dressed as the princess. On a different page, the princess and a prince hold an infant girl, whose name he mysteriously recognizes as "Emma". ("Going Home")
From reading the storybook, Henry begins believing the entire town is under a curse cast by none other by the Evil Queen, who is also apparently his mother, Regina. He becomes convinced the townspeople have forgotten their true selves while trapped in a time freeze. Alarmed by her son's "wild" imagination, Regina sends him to therapy sessions with Dr. Hopper. Despite this, Henry never gives up on his ideas. One day, he skips therapy and steals Mary Margaret's credit card to look up his birth mother's information. Certain that his birth mother, Emma, is the savior who will break the curse, Henry shows up on her doorstep in Boston. During the drive back to Storybrooke, he animatedly talks to Emma about the curse. Once she drops Henry off at his house, he purposely leaves his storybook in her car. Meeting Regina for the first time, Emma casually mentions the book, but the latter has never heard of it. On the drive out of town, Emma finally notices the storybook is still in her car. Distracted, she crashes the vehicle into the town sign. The next day, Emma meets Henry's teacher, Ms. Blanchard, who admits giving him the book because he's a lonely child, and she had hopes it'd help foster hope in his heart. After Emma brings Henry home again, Regina coldly urges her to stay out of Henry's life. Inside the house, she takes away the book from Henry. From flipping through the pages, Regina sees pictures of her former self, the Evil Queen. ("Pilot")
Continuing to read through the book, Regina notices the last few pages are torn out. When she questions Henry, he flippantly states it's just an old book. Regina, hurt by Henry thinking she's some "evil queen", asserts that she is his mother. In turn, he callously remarks that she is not his mother. Later on, Henry secretly gives Emma the torn out pages to prove she is the child of Prince Charming and Snow White. He warns against ever letting Regina, or the Evil Queen, see them or else she will know they are trying to break the curse. Meanwhile, Regina schemes to make Emma look bad in Henry's eyes. She manipulates a conversation so Emma says, on cue, that Henry is crazy, which he walks in and overhears. During Henry's therapy session with Dr. Hopper, Emma comes to apologize to the boy. In an effort to understand his insistent imagination, she agrees that the curse is crazy and burns the missing pages of the book so Regina doesn't find them. Emma reasons that she only said what was necessary to throw Regina off their trail, which Henry thinks is brilliant. ("The Thing You Love Most")
Upon seeing John Doe in the hospital, Henry shows Emma a picture of Prince Charming in his book and notes that both men have the same scar under their chins. Believing Mary Margaret is Snow White, Prince Charming's true love, Henry persuades Emma into having Mary Margaret to read the Snow White fairytale to John Doe. Mary Margaret plays along, in order to help Henry see fairytales aren't real, but when John Doe grabs her hand while she is reading, she calls for Dr. Whale to take a look. Dr. Whale detects no change in John Doe's vitals and chalks it up to Mary Margaret hallucinating. After he sends her away, however, he phones Regina to inform her of what happened. During the night, John Doe awakens from his coma and wanders out of the hospital to search for someone. ("Snow Falls")
Having having dreams of what he believes to be his past life, Sheriff Graham visits Henry and asks him if he is in his book. Henry tells him the story of the Huntsman, who spared Snow White's life, and as a result, the Evil Queen ripped out his heart in order to keep him as a henchman. He also shows Graham a picture of the vault, where the hearts are kept, leading Graham to suspect his heart is hidden there. ("The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter")
Emma discovers two orphans, Ava and Nicholas Zimmer, whose mother passed away recently. Henry shows Emma his book once again to point out that the children are Hansel and Gretel. Emma does not believe this, but Henry insists that their father abandoned them, but he must still be in Storybrooke because of the curse. ("True North")
After hiding his book at the castle playground, Henry rushes back to look for it when the entire area is bulldozed on Regina's orders. However, he is unable to find the book and believes it is destroyed. Later, to make up for his lost book, Regina gifts him a hand-held game console. ("Fruit of the Poisonous Tree," "What Happened to Frederick")
A town outsider, August, takes Emma to the wishing well for a drink. When they get to this well, they read a plaque that states that this water has magical properties with the ability to return what was once lost. Emma does not believe this, but drinks the water anyway. Later, she is surprised to find Henry's book floating in a puddle underneath her car, which was left there by none other than August, who has been secretly adding new story pages to the book. Unknown to her, this is a ploy enacted by him to convince her to believe in magic and, most importantly, the curse. ("What Happened to Frederick")
Ruby, after quitting her job at the diner, is hired by Emma to answer phone calls at the sheriff station. Henry tells Emma about Ruby's story in the book, which reveals she is Red Riding Hood, and because of this, Ruby is good at finding things. While researching the disappearance of missing resident Kathryn Nolan, Ruby searches the Toll Bridge for clues on Emma's orders and finds a jewelry box with a human heart inside. ("Red-Handed")
Whilst combing the border of Storybrooke in her car for a missing Mary Margaret, she accidentally hits a man on the road, Jefferson, and apologizes by driving him home. Little does she know, Jefferson has his own hidden intentions for Emma, who he drugs with sedatives. Under his coercion, she is forced to follow him to another room, where he strangely asks her to make a hat "work" with magic. Believing she possesses magic due to her status as the curse's savior, Jefferson only wishes to go home to his daughter, Grace, who he believes is now the next door neighbors' daughter, Paige. Realizing this man thinks himself to be the Mad Hatter, Emma plays along with his ideas in order to escape. After this ordeal, in which she also helps Mary Margaret escape from him, Emma joins Henry at his school, where she sees Paige. Going by a hunch, she asks to see the storybook, and finds drawing depictions of the Mad Hatter and his daughter that closely resemble Jefferson and Paige. ("Hat Trick")
After Mary Margaret is charged as a suspect in the murder of Kathryn, Emma is reading through the storybook when August tries to inspire her efforts in exonerating her friend. He asks about the extent of her lie-detecting abilities, and how it relates to his writing. When he suggests she look at the case from the beginning, Emma brings him to the crime scene at the Toll Bridge, where Kathryn's heart was found in a hole. As Emma digs near this area, she discovers a shovel piece, which leads her and August, with Henry's help, to investigate Regina's garage. They find a shovel matching the piece they found, however, when Emma returns the next day with a search warrant, a different shovel is in place. Believing August is helping Regina, Emma accuses him of conspiring against her until finding out the true backstabber is Sidney, who is spying on her for the mayor. Soon after, Kathryn is discovered alive behind the alley and Mary Margaret is cleared of the murder charges. ("The Stable Boy")
While at the diner with Emma, Henry informs her the story of Pinocchio has recently been added to the book. August, the alias of Pinocchio, takes Emma out of Storybrooke on his motorcycle to the spot where she was found as a baby. He admits being the boy who found her, which she is skeptical of. To prove magic is real, August shows her his wooden leg, however, her lack of belief in magic prevents her from seeing what is actually there. To her surprise, August believes in the curse and also thinks she is the savior who will save everyone. She, with intentions of getting Henry away from Regina, rejects his claims and leaves. ("The Stranger")
Following a failed attempt to leave Storybrooke with Henry, in which the boy stops her by insisting she needs to break the curse, Emma realizes taking him away is not in his best interests. Fearing her presence is also not beneficial to him, she tells Regina of her plans to leave town permanently. Regina, who made a poisoned apple turnover, gives it to Emma as a parting gift, in the hopes the savior will eat it and fall into an eternal sleep so Henry will be hers. Things do not go accordingly, with Henry discovering the apple turnover, and in desperation to make Emma believe the curse is real, he bites into it, falling unconscious shortly afterward. ("An Apple Red as Blood")
Worried about Henry's state, Emma rushes him to the hospital, where she attempts to work out a cause for why he fainted. She empties out Henry's backpack and spots the book just as she realizes there is no logic answer and that magic may be involved. Once her hands touch the book, she receives a flash of memories, allowing her to see her father putting her in the wardrobe before the curse overtook the whole land. ("A Land Without Magic")While Emma and Mary Margaret are trapped in another realm, David faces the pressures of finding a way to rescue them as well as being a leader to the townspeople. From reading storybook, Henry learns the hat that took away Emma and Mary Margaret belongs to a man named the Mad Hatter. ("We Are Both")
After willingly taking the sleeping curse, David's spirit travels to the Netherworld, where he attempts to relay a message to Mary Margaret about Cora and how to defeat her. While David remains asleep, Henry begins reading him the Snow White fairytale from his storybook. ("Queen of Hearts")
During a hectic night in Storybrooke, a stranger is admitted to the hospital, where Dr. Whale reconciles himself with demons in his past life. The next morning, Emma and her parents return to the loft since alleviating the stranger crisis. Henry learns Dr. Whale's true identity is Dr. Frankenstein, which is a story that doesn't exist in the book. From this, he suspects because Dr. Frankenstein isn't from the Enchanted Forest, there may be people from other worlds who were also taken by the curse. ("In the Name of the Brother")
After August is given a second chance at life by reverting to Pinocchio, Marco keeps his old belongings, including a door illustration from the storybook, in his woodshop. ("Selfless, Brave and True," "Unforgiven")
With the accidental return of Robin Hood's previously deceased wife, Marian, he chooses to end his current relationship with Regina and honor his marriage vows. A heartbroken Regina wishes to kill Marian, however, she later realizes the other woman is not her problem, and her future with Robin can be fulfilled if the storybook Author rewrites her a happy ending. Grabbing the book, she summons Sidney in his mirror and explains her plan to find the Author. ("A Tale of Two Sisters")
When Regina prods Henry about the storybook Author's identity, he learns why she wants to find the writer. Coining the mission Operation Mongoose, Henry decides to join her in this quest. Later, he suspects Mr. Gold possibly knows something about the Author. Going undercover, Henry gains an apprenticeship at the pawnshop in the hopes of gathering information. ("Rocky Road", "The Apprentice")
In her vault, Regina sadly studies all the storybook pages illustrating happy endings to stories. Despite knowing he must focus on saving Marian, Robin rushes in and proclaims he cannot erase Regina from his heart. Dismayed with his confession, Regina steels herself by asserting they absolutely cannot be in each other's lives. She then leaves for home, where Henry sees her angrily flipping through the storybook. He inquiries about her relationship with Robin, which she confirms is over. Choosing his heart's desire over honor, Robin later seeks out Regina, choosing to be with her, which leads to them spending the night together. ("The Snow Queen")
The day after, Regina is remorseful about her actions because Robin is still a married man and tries to prove that they are not meant to be by showing him the storybook. This leads him to researching the book at the library, and to a mysterious discovery of a new storybook page featuring himself and Regina. He believes it's a sign they have a future together, which gives Regina a glimmer of hope. ("Smash the Mirror")
With Ingrid's defeat, the freezing spell she cast on Marian thaws out. Regina, having previously taken out Marian's heart to keep the spell from killing her, returns it to her. Despite that Regina believes Robin should stay with his wife for Roland's sake, Marian openly declares to her that she doesn't want to be with him if he doesn't truly love her. Later in the day, as Marian and Roland play by a lake, Robin confesses to Regina that he is still choosing her over his wife. Regina is concerned how this will reflect in his son's eyes, but he believes it's better to live honestly and set an example for him. He then shows her the storybook image of them as Regina smiles hopefully. However, their possible future with each other comes to an end when Marian is re-affected by remnants of Ingrid's spell, causing Regina to persuade Robin into leaving town with his wife, as she can only survive if there is no magic. At the town border, Robin shares a final kiss with Regina before he steps over the line. Once he is gone, a saddened Regina rips up the storybook illustration of them and then tosses the pieces onto the ground. While searching the Sorcerer's mansion, Henry discovers a hidden library with numerous blank storybooks, and later leads both Emma and Regina to the room. Learning of Operation Mongoose, Emma decides to join Henry and Regina in their search for the Author. ("Heroes and Villains")
Resuming her role as mayor of Storybrooke, Regina moves all her belongings back into the office. At some point during or after this, she retrieves all the torn pieces of the storybook image, tapes everything together and stores the reassembled photo in a drawer. As Regina is looking through the storybook for clues on the Author, Emma stops by with a root beer for her. Searching for a beer opener, Emma accidentally opens a drawer and sees the photo of Regina and Robin Hood. Regina hesitantly explains how Robin mysteriously found the image and his belief it was hope for their future together. From consulting with an "Oxford professor", Belle provides a ritual that Regina must enact to free the nuns from the hat. After Mother Superior is freed, Regina approaches her to show her one of the blank storybooks from the mansion. As Regina discloses her reason for needing the Author, who she believes is also the Sorcerer. However, Mother Superior clarifies they are not the same person, and only the Author can help her, although he has not been seen for a long time. When asked by Emma why the Author disappeared, Mother Superior has no answers, but she believes there are clues in his works to explain it. Emma then inquiries if Henry's book is considered one of the Author's works, but before the head nun can reply, the roar of a Chernabog interrupts them. That evening, Henry sits at the diner counter while scouring the storybook with a magnifying glass. ("Darkness on the Edge of Town")
When Henry gets donut crumbs on the storybook, Regina begins cleaning them off until she notices the page looks different from the others. Incidentally, it is a page from the Pinocchio fairytale, which August put into the book. Even though August has since been reverted to Pinocchio some time ago, Regina suspects he may have knowledge about the Author. Pinocchio proves to remember nothing from his time as August, even with Emma's attempts to trigger his memories, to which Regina vents her frustration on the boy. To cool things down, Emma and Henry take Pinocchio out of the room, and while they are gone, Marco gets into a heated argument with Regina. Regretful of her actions, she later apologizes to Geppetto for insulting his son. Moved by her sincerity, he gives her August's old bag, which might have something on the Author. Leaving the bag in Henry's hands, he dumps out its contents and finds the door illustration with a sticky note referencing the Author. ("Unforgiven")
After Henry's family rescue August, who has since been restored to his former self, from the villains, they bring him to recuperate at the apartment. Henry, while looking over the storybook, keeps watch over him and calls over Emma and Regina when he wakes up. Regina, spying on the villains undercover, asks August about the door illustration and where it could be. While Mr. Gold and his allies believe the door is in another physical location, August reveals the door in the illustration itself is the actual entrance to where the Author is trapped. ("Poor Unfortunate Soul")
At the apartment, while Emma and Regina debate what to do about the door illustration, Henry alerts them to August's depleting condition. They take him to the nunnery, where Mother Superior oversees his health. Afterwards, Henry and his two mothers continuing to deceive the villains. Emma conjures a forgery of the door page, but Regina settles for taking a photo of the real one while both pages are placed for safekeeping in the storybook. During the day, Henry becomes alarmed after Emma and Hook fall asleep due to Maleficent's sleeping spell, but he himself remains immune because of previously being under the sleeping curse. Afraid the villains will come looking for the book, he takes it and flees to the mansion. As he waits for David and Mary Margaret to meet up with him, Henry sees a light coming out of the the door illustration's keyhole, which shines onto a table drawer, where he finds a key. Suddenly, Regina shows up with Cruella and Maleficent to retrieve the illustration. With a knowing, silent look from his mother, Henry realizes she wants him to give her the fake page rather than the real one, which he does. After they leave, his grandparents arrive, and as he tells them about the key, they insistently ask him to hand it and the door image to them. Puzzled, he complies and then leaves, carrying the storybook with him. David wishes to burn the door illustration page so Emma will never know their secret, but Snow persuades him that they can't be this selfish. After Emma learns the truth from them, she decides to free the Author from the door, in order to get answers from him about herself. The Author, Isaac, has other plans, however, and escapes after being freed. ("Best Laid Plans")In the Underworld, Liam tells Hook and Emma about an unsuccessful rebellion that was staged against Hades in the past, and how rumors spread about a special book that could help to defeat him. Emma theorizes there may be an Underworld equivalent of the Once Upon a Time book, which leads them to search for it. Liam comes across the book at the Sorcerer's mansion, but because of a deal with Hades, he rips out the pages containing Hades' story and drops them down a well. ("The Brothers Jones")
While doing book research on Hades in Storybrooke, Emma takes a break by flipping through the storybook. She looks longingly at a depiction of herself and Hook during their time travel stint, and then sets the book aside after getting teary-eyed over the picture. Suddenly, the book glows and opens by itself, revealing Hades' story to her. Emma then realizes Hook, who is still in the Underworld, is helping her. Taking the pages from Hades' story with her, she goes to the town hall, where she tries to bring down Zelena's protection spell. Zelena stops Emma before she can completely decimate the barrier and then picks up the fallen pages. ("Last Rites")
After Henry flees with Violet Morgan to New York, they attempt to find out how to destroy magic for good. The pair follow up with a lead at the New York library, where Henry finds multiple Once Upon a Time books bearing a similar likeness to his own book, except they contain a multitude of different stories. ("Only You")
As Emma's parents are out searching for a sapling to defeat the Evil Queen, Emma and Hook are cleaning out dangerous objects from Regina's vault, where they intend to imprison the Queen after her capture. Emma, fearful of what will happen if their mission to stop the Queen fails, is unable to stop her hand from trembling. To calm her down, Hook opens the storybook and revisits the tale of Snow White and Prince Charming, and how she was born from true love, the most powerful magic that enables her to do anything. ("Heartless")Trivia
On-Screen Notes
- When Hansel and Gretel arrive at the gingerbread house, no smoke is coming from the chimney. In the illustration of the kids escaping the gingerbread house in Henry's storybook, the chimney is smoking, a subtle reference to the Blind Witch being burned in her own oven. ("True North," "The Stable Boy," "Selfless, Brave and True," "The New Neverland")
- There are some stories that do not exist in the book such as Frankenstein due to unknown reasons. Henry theorized that Dr. Frankenstein's story is not in the book since he does not originate from the Enchanted Forest as the other people in the book do. ("In the Name of the Brother")
- However, the book does in fact contain images from other realms: Alice and the Caterpillar,[1] and the Mad Hatter,[2] in Wonderland; Dorothy Gale and the flying monkeys in Oz;[3] and an illustration of Mount Olympus.[4] ("Pilot", "Snow Falls", "Hat Trick", "We Are Both", "Selfless, Brave and True", "Last Rites")
- The walls and floor on Isaac's prison page,[5] which Henry finds, have the same design as the inside of the Mad Hatter's hat in "Hat Trick".[6] ("Unforgiven" et al.)
Fairytales
FROM THE FOLLOWING FAIRYTALES AND STORIES
"The princess was angry, and she knew, of course, who |
- Alice's Adventures in Wonderland,[1] the end of "Chapter IV: The Rabbit Sends a Little Bill" and the opening of "Chapter V: Advice From a Caterpillar". ("Pilot")
And yet what a dear little puppy it was!' said Alice, as |
- "The Golden Bird", which is used as a filler text in dozens of episodes: "Pilot ",[3] "The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter",[7][8] "True North",[9] "What Happened to Frederick"[10] "Heart of Darkness",[11] "We Are Both",[12] "Lady of the Lake",[13] "Selfless, Brave and True",[14] "The New Neverland", [15] "Snow Drifts",[16] "There's No Place Like Home",[17] "The Snow Queen", [18] "Smash the Mirror",[19] "Operation Mongoose Part 2",[20] "Unforgiven",[21] "Enter the Dragon", [22] "Heartless",[23] "Page 23",[24] "Mother's Little Helper",[25] "The Final Battle Part 1",[26] and "The Final Battle Part 2".[27]
- The same excerpt appears in every episode (except from 'The Final Battle Part 1", which contains an additional scene not found in the other episodes[26]); although sometimes the layout differs, sometimes some of the text is off-screen or obscured, sometimes the story is printed on several pages within the same episodes (sometimes the same text is printed on more than one page, other times the story is spread over several pages, and sometimes the pages are not even chronological).
- The English translation is taken from an online eBook by Project Gutenberg from 2008, itself based on translations by the nineteenth century author Edgar Taylor, and Marian Edwardes. The following transcript is cobbled together from "Pilot",[3] "What Happened To Frederick",[10] "Snow Drifts"[16] and "The Final Battle Part 1"[26] (the text from "The Final Battle Part 1" is the one after the first ellipsis (…); note that the ending is very blurred, but if you compare it to the text in the eBook, you can see that it is the same:
certain [sic] king had a beautiful garden, and in the garden |
- An excerpt from the same text also appears in the Underworld storybook in "The Brothers Jones"[28] and "Last Rites".[29] Curiously, the opening is complete in this version; it says "A certain king had a beautiful garden", rather than "certain king had a beautiful garden". Another excerpt from the text also appears in the Heroes and Villains book in "Operation Mongoose Part 1".[30] Finally, an excerpt from the text appears on the page of page XXIII in "Smash the Mirror"[31] and "Page 23".[32]
- "Snow-White and Rose-Red", which appears in "The Thing You Love Most,"[33] "Snow Falls" (micro-excerpt beneath a scene from "Pilot"),[34] "The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter" (also beneath a scene from "Pilot"),[35] "What Happened to Frederick",[36] "Hat Trick",[37] "We Are Both",[38] "Snow Drifts",[39] "Operation Mongoose Part 2",[40] "Mother's Little Helper"[41] and "The Final Battle Part 1".[42] The English translation is also taken from the eBook by Project Gutenberg. The same text appears in every episode (although the layout sometimes differs), but "What Happened to Frederick"[36] and "The Final Battle Part 1"[42] are the only episodes which show the excerpt in its entirety (in other episodes, it is partially obscured or off-screen):
As soon as the dwarf felt himself free he laid hold of a |
- The Adventures of Pinocchio,[45] Chapter 3. It (and the version published on this wiki) is taken from a translation by Carol della Chiesa, published by the Macmillan Company in 1926.[46] Note that the first word of the excerpt is off-screen: ("The Stranger")
boiling happily away and sending up clouds of what |
- Charles Perrault's version of "Cinderella":[47] The excerpt is adapted from The Fairy Tales of Charles Perrault, a 1922 translation translation illustrated by Irish book illustrator Harry Clarke, published by George G. Harrap and Co. In this version of the fairytale, the titular character is called Cinderilla.[48] Some differences were made for the show; these are highlighted (note that some lines have been shrunken down to fit within the table): ("The Snow Queen")
When the two sisters returned |
When the two siste[image ends] |
with so much haste, that she dropped one of her little |
with so much haste, that she dropped o[image ends] |
few days after, the King's son caused it to be proclaimed |
few days after, the King's son caused [image ends] |
thrust their feet into the slipper, but they could not effect it. |
|
and that he had orders to let every one make tryal. He invited |
and that he had orders to let eve[image ends] |
were in was excessively great, but still abundantly greater, when Cin- |
were in, were very great, but [image ends] |
- "King Thrushbeard".[49] From the first volume of Grimm's Household Tales, an English edition translated by Margaret Hunt, published by George Bell and Sons in 1884 (link to text) (text set in fuchsia is off-screen): ("Heartless")
(…) But it was of no use, she had to yield unless she
chose to die of hunger.
well, for the people were glad to buy the woman's wares
because she was good-looking, and they paid her what
she asked; many even gave her the money and left the
pots with her as well. So they lived on what she had
earned as long as it lasted, then the husband bought a lot
of new crockery. With this she sat down at the corner
of the market-place, and set it out round about her ready
for sale. [image ends]
- "The Queen Bee". [50] The excerpt is directly copied from The Complete Grimm's Fairy Tales (link to text), an English edition first published in 1944 by Pantheon Books, based on a translation by the aforementioned Margaret Hunt, but revised by the publisher (text set in fuchsia is off-screen): ("Heartless")
The first was that in the forest, beneath the moss, |
- "The Water of Life".[51] From the second volume of the Hunt's translation Grimm's Household Tales (link to text). (text set in fuchsia is off-screen): ("Heartless")
They waited until they found him fast asleep, then they |
- "Rinconete and Cortadillo", a short story by Miguel de Cervantes, the author of Don Quixote; from the 1612 novella collection Novelas ejemplares ("Exemplary Novels"). The English translation is taken from The Exemplary Novels of Cervantes,[52] an English edition published by George Bell and Sons in 1881. The exact same text appears on two different pages in "Murder Most Foul"[53] (note that it is blurred and very difficult to read in this episode), and next to Hook's illustration when Emma burns the book in "The Final Battle Part 2" (this time the text is clear enough, although many of the words are off-screen):[54] The excerpt reads (text set in fuchsia is unseen):
respect to this of yours; we are now in the first country |
- The Water-Babies,[55] chapter IV[56] (text set in fuchsia is off-screen): ("Mother's Little Helper")
(…) which assured every one who found himself the better or |
- 1 Between "But why are there not water-babies?" and "Because there ain't.", there is a paragraph which has been omitted from Henry's book:
- "I trust and hope that it was because the professor trod at that moment on the edge of a very sharp mussel, and hurt one of his corns sadly, that he answered quite sharply, forgetting that he was a scientific man, and therefore ought to have known that he couldn't know; and that he was a logician, and therefore ought to have known that he could not prove a universal negative — I say, I trust and hope it was because the mussel hurt his corn, that the professor answered quite sharply:"
Original stories
(read aloud by Mary Margaret and Henry)
- When Mary Margaret reads to an unconscious Henry, the passages she reads aloud goes:
- "And yes, she was beyond hope, beyond saving. This was her end. When Charming saw his beloved Snow White in her glass coffin, he knew that all that was left was to say good-bye. He had to give her one last kiss, and when he did, true love proved more powerful than any curse. A pulse of pure love shuttered out and engulfed the land, waking up Snow White and bringing light to the darkness." ("A Land Without Magic")
- When Henry reads aloud to an unconscious David, the first passage he reads consists of the first two sentences from the passage that Mary Margaret read: "And yes, she was beyond hope, beyond saving. This was her end." The second passage Henry reads, goes:
- "With one kiss, true love's power made everything right again. But this was not the end of their story. It was just the beginning." ("Queen of Hearts")
- Note that some of the rendering of this scene from "Pilot" is illegible or off-screen, but appears in a photograph from an online prop auction, albeit with a different layout;[57] this text is set in fuchsia:
The Queen paced back and forth, filling the spectators
with fear as she declared her evil intentions for the king-
dom. "Soon, everything you love, everything all of you
love, will be taken from you. And from your
suffering, will rise my victory." The Queen then turned
to face Charming and Snow. I shall destroy your happi-
ness if it is the last thing I do.
Having made her wows, the Queen turned and began
to walk away. But Charming, unwilling to let the
Queen's threat go unanswered, grabbed his sword and
threw it at the evil woman. Before the sword could hit
her, however, the Queen vanished into a dark puff of
smoke. The sword hit the ground with a clatter, and the
Queen was gone.[58]
("Snow Falls," "The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter")
- Note that the sword hitting the ground with a clatter is an error, as both "Pilot" and "The Thing You Love Most" clearly show that the sword was teleported away along with the Evil Queen.
- The rest of the page consists of an excerpt from the fairytale of "Snow-White and Rose-Red".
- An alternate version, with a different layout, is also seen; everything from "Having made her wows..." onward has the same layout as the first excerpt, but the text before that is broken up differently (some of the text is illegible or off-screen but appears in a photograph from the aforementioned online prop auction, this time with the same layout as the transcription;[57] this text is set in fuchsia):
The Queen paced back and forth,
filling the spectators with fear as
she declared her evil intentions
for the kingdom. "Soon, every-
thing you love, everything all of
you love, will be taken from
you forever. And from your
suffering, will rise my victory."
The Queen then turned to face Charming and Snow. "I
shall destroy your happiness if it is the last thing I do. [sic]
Having made her vows, the Queen turned and began
to walk away. But Charming, unwilling to let the
Queen's threat go unanswered, grabbed his sword and
threw it at the evil woman. Before the sword could hit
her, however, the Queen vanished into a dark puff of
smoke. The sword hit the ground with a clatter, and the
Queen was gone.[59]
("The New Neverland," "Operation Mongoose Part 2")
Queen's Dark Knights, fighting
his way towards the wardrobe
Gepetto [sic] had fashioned, the one
that would carry Emma to
safety. In one hand, the Prince
held his sword, slicing [illegible adverb]
at his enemies, while in the
other he held his newborn baby girl, clinging to her for
dear life.
Having vanquished the knights, Charming opened the
door to the magical dresser. Tears in his eyes, the Prince
placed Emma inside the small opening. "Find us," he
said, and kissed her on the forehead. Charming closed
the door to the dresser, knowing that this would be the
last time he would see his beloved baby for twenty-eight
years. But deep down, the Prince knew that this was the only
way. He had to let Emma go in order to save her. He
also knew that one day, Emma would return to save
them all.
As Charming closed up the dresser, he was [illegible word]
ambushed by two unforeseen Dark Knights. The Prince
tried to fight them off, but they proved too formidable
for him. One of the knights pierced Charming's stomach
with his sword, and the Prince fell to the ground, [illegible word]
death. The knights checked inside the wardrobe, only to
[image ends]
[three illegible words] [image ends]
happily ever after.
("The Snow Queen")
(read aloud by Mary Margaret)
- When Mary Margaret reads to John Doe, she reads the following passage aloud:
- "As the Prince chased the thief on horseback, through the treacherous forest, his betrothed crossed her arms and pouted, wondering how many dreadful, boring minutes it would take until they could resume their journey again. The thief vaulted over a fallen..." ("Snow Falls")
[image begins] Prince
[image begins]know who she
[image begins] agility, cun-
[image begins] woman. And
[image begins]ce the mud is
[image begins] on the idea
[image begins] Prince leaps
[image begins]e on the
[image begins]w he must
[image begins] his armor
[image begins] the dagger
[image begins]al for battle, are
[image begins]oot chase. And the thief is so
[image begins]ne seems to glide over the foliage and
[image begins]ppear into the thickets.
[image begins]ock out the sunlight. The woodland creatures whisper
[image begins]eir echoing songs. They are on her side, he thinks to
[image begins]mself. She is companions with the wild. Perhaps she's
[image begins]scendant of wolves. Of unwanted children abandoned in the
[image begins] only to be adopted by the most terrifying of beasts
[image begins]ised in the traditions of hunting raw
[image begins] This is who she could be he decided, and knew[62]
("Snow Falls")
[image begins]bits and other
[image begins]s. He discovered
[image begins]nd most importantly
[image begins]cks of a person living
[image begins]o a woman. He followed the
[image begins]ent oak trees where they suddenly
[image begins]or a moment he was bewildered and
[image begins] sort of magic this woman-bandit could
[image begins] Prince searched til nightfall when hope of
[image begins]g his family's treasures finally began to leave
[image begins] Until he spotted something strange. A light. Small,
[image begins]ickering, unnatural. The lights seeped between the bark
of an oak tree, making it seem as if there might be fire
inside it. But there was no smoke. No great heat from
the massive trunk. He realized this must be it. The
perfect hiding place for a bandit − almost in plain sight.
But the pack also contained rope and netting for setting
traps. And if the Prince worked carefully and used his
material properly. For a moment he was bewildered
and wondered what sort of magic this woman-bandit could posses.[63]
("Snow Drifts")
[image ends] [three illegible words], it was that she
[image ends] place inside and out... and he did not.
[illegible word] Prince would charge through the front door only to
discover that she had fled through a secret back door.
He would need a better plan. And as he gazed skyward,
the Prince noticed a sturdy tree limb extended directly
over the entrance to the hideaway. It gave him an idea.
Inside the Prince's travel pack was a number of
useful tools, from daggers and hooks to salves and oint-
ments to soothe a variety of burns and wounds. But the
pack also contained rope and netting for setting traps.
[image ends]nd if the Prince worked carefully and used his materials
[image ends]perly, he could construct a trap large enough to catch
[image ends] thief. The Prince worked quickly and quietly, think-
[image ends] entire time of the priceless ring that was so close
[image ends] yet so far out of reach. Finally, the trap was
[image ends] he swung the rope over the tree branch and
[image ends] trap high above the entrance to the thief's
[image ends] Then he tied an expert snare and laid it
[image ends] doorstep.
[image ends]uld look like swinging gently in the
[image ends]nd no honor, and woman or not, the
[image ends] giving her a much-deserved comeup-
[image ends] his sword and hid behind a nearby
[image ends][64]
("Snow Falls")
Snow White's hideaway contained all the comforts of home
but was by no means the castle she was accustomed to
as a child. The small coal hearth could heat the tree but
would scarcely have sufficed in keeping the mice warm at
home. Her table wasn't big enough to accommodate more
than one visitor, not that she ever had any, where her
father's table in the dining hall seated hundreds of royal
guests and kingdom officials. But despite the meek humble
nature of her forest hideaway Snow paused for a moment to
reflect om how she would miss it before continuing to pack
her belongings for a final time. Urgency welled inside her.
She laced her riding boots and stuffed an extra cloak into her
satchel. She swept the stack of gold coins resting on the
modest table into her sack. Her riding cloak fit snugly over
her shoulders and as she was about to leave the cave there was one
final item. Dangling from a hook rested a simple gold neck-
lace holding a glass bottle.
Snow grabbed the necklace and paused. Something about
this necklace haunted Snow to her very core. Her face
became distant and the sweet memories of her past life were
swept out of her mind, replaced by something much darker.
Snow tried to force the memory down but it was impos-
ible. It was too strong. Too dark. Too wracked with
[illegible word] and unhappiness. The unmistakable face of the Evil
Queen [two illegible words] in Snow's memory. Finally, with a deep,
[two illegible words], Snow gingerly tied the bottle around her
neck. This was something special to her. It was both her
greatest hope and a reminder of her darkest days. An on
another day, we may have seen more clues to help discover
what this tiny bottle meant to Snow. But on this day, there
was no time to linger. There was only time for one final
sweep of her home, then a silent farewell before Snow exited
the tree trunk.
Snow put her hood on and tried to shake away the jittery
her trip down memory lane had left her with. But
for some reason, Snow's nerves weren't calming down.
Suddenly, Snow had a terrible realization... someone was
watching her! But by the time she felt the Prince's eyes on
her, it was too late. Snow planted her foot right in the
middle of the Prince's snare and with a shocking snap and a
blur of dizzying motion, Show found herself suspended high
in the air. Trapped like an animal.
As Snow swung in the air, her stomach sank with the
realization that she'd been tracked. The, as she watched
the Prince emerge from his hiding place, her eyes flashed and
her face went red. It was him?! How could she have let
herself be tracked by someone who had never even cooked a
a meal for himself a day his entire life? Snow saw the look
on his face and knew exactly what had driven him to find
her. It was the ring. It must have been even [image ends]
than she'd anticipated. And with just as [image ends]
Snow knew exactly how bad a d[image ends][65]
("Snow Falls")
[image begins] Snow eyes
[image begins] her. "Only one
[image begins] his hand and slips
[image begins] perfect fit and for a mo-
[image begins] Yeah. Not me at all," and
[image begins] inside her stomach.
[image begins]ginger and hands it to him.
[image begins] if you need me, I'll find
[image begins] Snow wants to
[image begins]w replies.
[image begins] Snow White
[image begins] looks back.
[image begins]odbye Prince Charming," Snow re
[image begins]ing grins, "I told you. It's James." Snow
[image begins]urns to leave, "I like Charming better." She
[image begins] back over her shoulder and they stare into each
[image begins] other's eyes, they didn't need words to express
they felt in their hearts. For it was here, in the shadow
of the Troll Bridge, that their love was born. Where
they knew, no matter how they were separated, they would always
find each other, and true love. Evil Queen
said she was. [sic] Holding out the bag of gold he mutters
"So... You probably want this." Snow turns to him with
the jewels, "And you can't get married without this."
He spills the jewels into his palm. The wedding ring
glistens in his hand. Snow eyes it. "Not your style?"
the Prince chides her. "Only one way to find out."
Snow takes it from his hand and slips it on her finger.
It glistens. A perfect fit and for a moment she thinks...
but no. "Yeah. Not me at all," and she dismisses the
butterflies inside her stomach. The Prince, grateful that
she returned to save his life now knew that Snow White
could never be what the Evil Queen said she was. Hold-
ing onto the bag of gold he mutters, "So...You probably
want this. "So... You probably want this." [sic] Snow turns
to him with the jewels.[66]
("Snow Drifts")
- Note that the scene's ending appears before the start of the scene and some of the text is repeated.
- A passage from the story is read aloud by Mary Margaret when she reads to John Doe: "They didn't need words to express what they felt in their hearts, for it was here, in the shadow of the Troll Bridge, that their love was born, where they knew, no matter how they were separated, they would always--" ("Snow Falls")
- An alternate version of the scene, with additional text, reads[67] (half the text is off-screen or illegible/obscured, but can be seen on a prop page which was auctioned off in March 2021;[68] the unseen text is set in fuchsia):
Having defeated the Evil Queen's men and now the
Trolls, the Prince and Snow White walk solemnly along
a path under the Troll Bridge, neither knowing what to
say. The Prince, grateful that she returned to save his life
now knew that Snow White could never be what the
Evil Queen said she was. Holding out the bag of gold he
mutters, "So... You probably want this." Snow turns to
him with the jewels, "And you can't get married with-
out this." He spills the jewels into his palm. The wed-
ding ring glistens in his hand. Snow eyes it. "Not your
style?" the Prince chides her. "Only one way to find
out." Snow takes it from his hand and slips it on her
finger. It glistens. A perfect fit and for a moment she
thinks... but no. "Yeah. Not me at all," and she dis-
misses the butterflies inside her stomach.
But wasn't this what she had always dreamed of?
Someone who saw beyond her status and through the lies
spread about her? Someone who would protect her, who
would be her companion for the rest of her life. He had
unflinchingly saved her from the Queen's men. Perhaps
there was more to this CHARMING. If she could only
accept the fate ripening before her. She was
certain in his smile that he felt the same. But what would
that lead to? How would their lives turn out? Snow
knew that the Evil Queen would not be satisfied until she
was dead. As long as there was a price on her head
she would be safe in no kingdom. To fall in love he
would have sacrifice his status to live like a fugitive.
He would have to forsake his family and break vows
which would lead to a war between nations. There are
lives on the line, she told herself. The responsibility of a
royal is great. Bigger than one's self. And though she
was no longer of the court and her kingdom seemed to
have turned against her, Snow was nonetheless raised as
a princess and expected to be a queen one day. This
would never be taken from her. She knew instinctively the
choice she must make.
Snow takes the ring off her finger and hands it to
him. Where ever you go from here, if you need me,
I'll find you", the Prince offers, "always." And Snow
wants to believe it. "Goodbye, Prince Charming," Snow
replies Charming grins, "I told you. It's James." Snow
White turns to leave, "I like Charming better." She
looks back over shoulder and they stare into each
other's eyes, they didn't need words to express what
they felt in their hearts. For it was here, in the shadow
of the Troll Bridge, that their love was born. Where
they knew, no matter how they were separated, they
would always find each other, and true love.
("Unforgiven")
- This is a rendering of a scene from "Desperate Souls":
Rumpelstiltskin was a mild-
mannered and curiously
unremarkable man who lived a
rather unremarkable life.
Along with his wife and
young son, Baelfire, he lived
in a modest wooden hut on
the outskirts of the village, making his living by
spinning wool into the thread that he would barter
or sell to the people thereabouts.
Rumplestiltskin's fortunes were to change that
beautiful day that the Duke’s soldiers rode into the
village They were rounding up all men and children
of a serviceable age, garnering recruits to fight in
terrible, never-ending Ogre Wars.
Young Baelfire saw a young girl, a cherished
childhood companion being wrestled from her
parents. Not [obscured] he ran home to
tell his father.
"Papa, Papa," Baelfire gasped, out of breath,
[obscured] come to take Morraine away!"
[obscured] rose from the spinning stool;
[obscured] he limped outside.There
was a commotion down the land, past his neighbour's
stable. The soldiers were dragging a young girl from
the arms of her distraught and pleading parents.
"Please do not take our Morraine," the
mother beseeched, her arms outstretched.
The guard was unshakable. "Your daughter is
strong and will make a fine soldier!"
"But there must be a mistake," her father
responded. "She is only thirteen…"
"I am under orders from the Duke", replied
the guard. "The wars have taken a turn-for-the
worst and the age of those we seek has been
lowered – by decree!"
As the guard was about to hoist the young girl
onto his horse, her father pulled out a knife from his
pocket. "Stop! You cannot have her!" he bellowed,
thrusting the blade aimlessly into the air.
All of a sudden, the father ceased wavering
and froze motionless, like a statue, bound as if by
some unseen and abysmal power. Everyone gathered
thereabouts gaped and looked towards to the
[illegible word] pasture, over to where a dark hooded man
on a black horse was enacting a diabolical spell.[69]
("Dreamcatcher")
- Half the text appears on-screen (though a few words are blurred),[70] while the rest appears on a prop page which was auctioned off online in October 2019.[71] The missing text (blurred or off-screen) is set in fuchsia, or, in the case of links, underlined:
dash. He and the Merry Men
pursued the robed figure through
the forest. Though the figure
was quick, Robin knew these
woods well, as they served as his
home. Robin caught up to
the figure, but as he knocked it
to the ground, the figure's hood dropped to reveal
the most beautiful woman that Robin had ever seen.
The woman told Robin Hood that her name was Maid
Marian. Her parents were so poor they could not afford
the evil Sheriff's taxes. Instead, Instead, they gave the Sheriff all
they had of any value -- her hand in marriage. Marian
begged Robin Hood. If her carriage did not arrive at the
Sheriff's castle by daybreak, her parents lives would pay
the forfeit.
"I shall ransom you." said Robin Hood. "I'm sure you
will fetch a fine bounty.
"Then the stories are true." replied Marian," They
say there is a thief in Nottingham who is as selfish as the
Sheriff himself. Our people are starving and while the
Sheriff takes from one pocket, Robin Hood and the Merry Men
Men steal from the other."
Robin Hood had never thought of his crimes in this
manner before, and for the first time, someone had told
him the truth about how he was regarded in Nottingham.
Through he was a proud man, he allowed Marian's car-
riage to continue that night, albeit only after strip-
ing of her purse.
However, in the intervening days, he could not forget
Marian's face, nor the words she had spoken. They were
the first thing he thought of when he awoke and the last
thing he thought of before he slept. When he looked in
the mirror, all he saw was a selfish thief, no better than
the Sheriff of Nottingham. And the thought of Marian
being forced to marry the Sheriff did not sit well with
him either.
Robin Hood woved never to steal for himself again.
Hre would only steal from the rich and give to the poor.
He would make himself a man worthy of Marian's love.
And that is exactly what Robin did. For many
years, Robin Hood and the Merry Men fought valiantly
for the people of Nottingham. After defeating the Sher-
iff, Robin Hood rescued Marian and married her. In this
way did Marian's love change Robin Hood from a thief
into a man of honor, and they lived happily ever after.
The End
("The Snow Queen")
- Note that the storybook contradicts the story that Robin tells Will Scarlet in the diner. According to Robin, he first met Marian when he stole a horse from a poor farmer. While camping for the night, he awakened to find the farmer's daughter, Marian, aiming an arrow at him. She told him the horse was important to her family's livelihood and without it, they wouldn't survive. Realizing the error of his ways, he returned to Marian's cottage the next day and forfeited his own two horses to Marian and her family. From that day forward, he only stole from the rich and gave to the poor. ("The Snow Queen")
the [three illegible words] a [illegible word] of
[illegible word] in the middle of the road. But the
princess, [two illegible words] with a [illegible word] of regret
and shame, could not be burdened by
such a cursory thing, and walked right through it. "There
was no way we could have known. The Apprentice hid
the truth from us," the prince tried once again to assure
her. Inside, he felt as she did, but pangs of helplessness
at the sight of his love so forlorn compelled him to comfort her.
She was about to reply when a bluebird settled on a
branch up ahead. The princess averted her gaze. She
imagined its whispers of judgment in her ear echoing her
own disappointment in her actions and was relieved when
the bird flew off rather than perch on her shoulder. She
had thought before that she had known true depths of
sorrow with the heinousness of the evil queen's betrayal of
her family. But in that moment the princess knew that
the greatest betrayal of all is that of a hero to have [illegible word] from
[illegible word][72]
("Best Laid Plans")
Show Illustrations
Some illustrations are used for transition from live action to book, or book to live action. Some are copied or adapted from live action shots but are not used for transitions (note that a scene refers to action that takes place at a certain place and time in the story, while a shot is the footage between two cuts in the video material). Some are original illustrations based on an episode scene, but do not match any shots from that scene. Others are completely original and are not based on any scene whatsoever.
- Snow White and Prince Charming after the Evil Queen crashes their wedding: Transition in "Pilot". (Note: An alternate illustration of this moment[74] appears in other episodes and is described elsewhere in this subsection. The other illustration is similar, but different; most notably, the colors are different and Charming's arm is in a different position.)
- Jailer's torch in Rumplestiltskin's dungeon: Transition in "Pilot".
- Geppetto working on the magic wardrobe: Transition in "Pilot".
- The Evil Queen at the wedding: Adapted from a shot from "Pilot".
- Prince Charming holding baby Emma as he is about to put her inside the wardrobe: Original illustration based on the scene from "Pilot".
- Prince Charming: Original illustration
- Snow White in her hideaway: Transition in "Snow Falls"
- The stag killed by the Huntsman in order to trick the Evil Queen: Transition in "The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter:
- The Huntsman about to kill Snow White: Original illustration based on the scene from "The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter".
- The Evil Queen in front of the heart vault in her palace: Original illustration; however, the Evil Queen is based on an episode still from "The Thing You Love Most". The same shot was later used for Roni's wanted poster in "Leaving Storybrooke".
- Hansel and Gretel running from the gingerbread house: Original illustration
- Frederick as a statue: Scene transition in "What Happened to Frederick".
- Prince Charming arriving at Snow White's farm: Scene transition in "What Happened to Frederick".
- Prince Charming looking for Snow White: Scene transition in "Heart of Darkness"
- Snow White in the royal manor: Adapted from a screenshot from "The Stable Boy".
- Jefferson in the Evil Queen's palace. Original illustration based on the scene from "Hat Trick".
- Jefferson and Grace in the woods: Adapted from a shot from the scene in "Hat Trick".
- Jefferson in Wonderland: Scene transition in "Hat Trick".
- Geppetto and Pinocchio's raft: Scene transition in "The Stranger".
- Snow White in the glass coffin: Based on a shot from "Pilot".
- Snow White holding the poisoned apple: Based on a shot from "An Apple Red as Blood ".
- Baelfire in the Enchanted Forest: Original shot.
- Snow White and Prince Charming after the Evil Queen crashes their wedding: Based on a shot from "Pilot". (Note: An alternate illustration of this moment appears in "Pilot";[75] see the top of this subsection for more information. The other illustration is similar, but different; most notably, the colors are different and Charming's arm is in a different position.)
- Snow White and Prince Charming in the nursery: Based on a shot from "Pilot".
- Snow White and Prince Charming hunting Medusa: Scene transition from "The New Neverland".
- The Dark Curse arrives: Adapted from a shot from "Pilot".
- Newborn Emma with her parents: Adapted from a shot from "Pilot".
- Pinocchio and Geppetto as Jiminy Cricket pops out of the cuckoo clock: Based on a shot in "The Stranger".
- King George's carriage: Based on a shot from "Snow Falls"
- Snow White and Prince Charming battling the Black Knights: Copied from a shot from "Snow Falls".
- Snow White using dark fairy dust on the bridge trolls: Copied from a shot from "Snow Falls".
- Snow White accepts Charming's proposal: Copied from a shot from "A Land Without Magic".
- Emma and Hook dancing: Based on a shot from "Snow Drifts"
- Robin Hood, Maid Marian and the Merry Men: Original illustration
- Cinderella and Prince Thomas's wedding: Adapted from a shot from "The Price of Gold".
- The Evil Queen 's execution: Based on a shot from "The Cricket Game"
- Regina running away from Robin: Original illustration based on a scene from "Quite a Common Fairy "
- The mysterious page XXIII: Original illustration showing an encounter between Robin Hood an Regina which never happened.
- Snow White and Prince Charming's wedding: Copied from a shot from "Pilot"
- Geppetto and Pinocchio after the transformation: Based on a shot from "The Stranger". Note that Pinocchio is copied from a mirror-inverted version of a shot from "Selfless, Brave and True".
- Isaac's prison page: Original illustration
- Rumplestiltskin holding the spell book while talking to Regina: Copied from a shot from "We Are Both".
- Rumplestiltskin with the chipped cup: Adapted from a shot from "Skin Deep".
- Mount Olympus and the Olympian Crystal: Original illustration
- Robin Hood battling a knight: Original illustration
- Robin Hood on horseback: Original illustration
- Robin Hood and the Sheriff of Nottingham: Original illustration
- Robert and Pinocchio on Pleasure Island: Copied from a shot from "Murder Most Foul".
- The Blue Fairy enchanting the unborn Emma: Adapted from a screenshot from "The Song in Your Heart".
- Hook aboard the Jolly Roger: Copied from a shot from "The Crocodile".
Other Illustrations
Some of the illustrations in Henry's storybook are classic illustrations by well-known illustrators:
- "The Monkeys caught Dorothy in their arms and flew away with her." by W. W. Denslow, an American illustrator and caricaturist remembered for his work in collaboration with L. Frank Baum, the author of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. This is one of Denslow's illustrations from the first edition of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1900) (link to page), showing Dorothy and the flying monkeys.
- Colorized version of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland illustration by John Tenniel, an English nineteenth century illustrator. It is from the first edition of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (1865) (link to page) (note that the digitized edition is a reissue from 1905), showing Alice and the Caterpillar.
- The same illustration is on the cover of the novel that Will Scarlet steals from the library.[76] ("The Apprentice")
- Multiple illustrations by Arthur Rackham, a famous English nineteenth/twentieth century illustrator:
- "The waiting maid sprang down first and Maid Maleen followed.". From the fairytale collection Little Brother & Little Sister and Other Tales By The Brothers Grimm (1917) (link to page). It depicts a scene from the Grimm fairytale "Maid Maleen".
- "He played until the room was entirely filled with gnomes." Also from Little Brother & Little Sister and Other Tales By The Brothers Grimm (link to page). This image depicts a scene from the Grimm fairytale "The Gnome".
- "The Meeting of Oberon and Titania", created for (but ultimately not used in) a 1908 edition of William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream.
- A cut-out from this illustration, showing Titania, can also be seen in Henry's room.[77] ("A Land Without Magic")
- Another cut-out can be seen on one of the missing person posters outside the Storybrooke Town Hall when people are searching for their loved ones after the breaking of the Dark Curse.[78] ("We Are Both")
- The picture can also be seen in its entirety in Once Upon a Time Volume II;[79] however, the angle makes it very unclear. ("A Bitter Draught")
- "The Paradise of Children", a watercolor painting from 1922, based on a drawing of the same name from a 1922 edition of Nathaniel Hawthorne's children's book A Wonder-Book for Girls and Boys (link to page). It depicts a scene from the story "The Paradise of Children".
- "When she got to the wood, she met a Wolf". From the fairytale of "Little Red Riding Hood", from the 1909 fairytale collection The Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm (note that this illustration, and several others, are missing from the digitized edition due to missing pages). ("True North" et al.)
- "What did she find there but real ripe strawberries.", also from Little Brother & Little Sister and Other Tales By The Brothers Grimm (link to page). This image depicts a scene from the fairytale of "The Three Little Men in the Wood".
- "When he heard Peter's voice he popped in alarm behind a tulip". Created for the first edition of J.M. Barrie's book Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens (1906) (link to page) (note that the digitized edition is from 1910).
- "...Fairies away! We shall chide downright, if I longer stay". From the 1908 edition of A Midsummer Night's Dream (link to page). It depicts Titania in a scene from the famous play.
- "“Preposterous!” cried Solomon in a rage.". (Also from the first edition of Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens (link to page).
- "The Ravens coming home". Also from The Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm (link to page). It depicts a scene from the Brothers Grimm fairytale of "The Seven Ravens".
- The same picture can be seen among the numerous fairytale illustrations pinned to the wall in Henry's room.[80] ("Pilot")
- "Suddenly the branches twined round her and turned into two arms.". From the fairytale of "The Old Woman in the Wood", also published in Little Brother & Little Sister and Other Tales By The Brothers Grimm (link to page). Note that the picture can only be seen if you go frame by frame, is only partially seen, and is very blurred. However, if you compare the details (notice the shape of the tree's branches) to the original, you can see that it is the same picture.
- ""The end of his beard was caught in a crack in a tree.". From the fairytale of "Snow-White and Rose-Red", also published in Little Brother & Little Sister and Other Tales By The Brothers Grimm (link to page). Note that the picture can only be seen if you go frame by frame, is blurred and only partially seen; however, you can see the coat of the dwarf and the distinct roots of the tree he is caught in.
Production Notes
- When creating the book, the prop department brought in every style and type of book they could find, and picked out an antique accounting book. They aged it up a little, and the art department would press stamps into the cover of the book to change the cover. A book builder made replicas of the finished product. The prop department created many pages with text on them, and added several illustrations.[81]
- The show does several transitions from the book to live action. If they were lucky, the prop department created an illustration out of a screen-grab and inserted it into the book. If the prop department's schedule took before the filming of the main action of the story line, they put a green page in the book, and the visual effects department would make their own illustration.[81]
Unseen Pages
- A prop auction from 2020 contains a photograph of an unseen illustration of Prince Charming.[57] The background and his shirt match the book's illustration of the scene where he puts the infant Emma in the wardrobe in "Pilot",[82] indicating that the illustration is from the same scene.
- The prop auction from 2020 also reveals an unseen rendition of a scene from of a scene from "Pilot":[57]
Snow white put her lips to
Prince Charming's, hoping a
kiss would bring him back to
life. But alas, the Prince just lie [sic]
there in her arms, motionless.
"Don't worry, dear," the Evil
Queen said, "in a few minutes
you won't remember you knew
him, let alone loved him." Her heart breaking, Snow
looked up at the Queen and asked: "Why did you do
this?" "Because this is my happy ending," the Queen
hissed.
Suddenly, one of the Evil Queen's Knights entered the
room. "The child," he said, "it was in the wardrobe.
And now, it's gone." And in that moment, Snow White
realized her plan had worked, and her heart was filled
with hope. "She got away," Snow said to the Queen.
"You're going to lose. I know that now. Good will
always win."
"And in that moment Snow White knew there was no
longer any reason to be afraid. She knew in her heart
that good would always win, that someday her daughter
would come back to save them all. It would be a long
time before that happened, twenty-eight years in all. But
she would be back. She would be good. She would be
strong. She would restore all of their happy endings. She
was, after all the daughter of Snow White, and Prince
Charming. Her name was EMMA.
- The rest of the page consists of an excerpt from "Snow-White and Rose-Red".
- A prop page auctioned off online in October 2019 contains an unseen rendition of a scene from "Snow Falls" and "Snow Drifts".[83] Parts of the text appeared on pages in "Snow Drifts"[66] and "Unforgiven".[67]
men and now the Trolls, the
Prince and Snow White walk
solemnly along a path under the
Troll Bridge, neither knowing
what to say. The Prince, grate-
ful that she returned to save his
life now knew that Snow White
could never be what the Evil Queen said she was. Hold-
ing out the bag of gold he mutters, "So...You probably
want this. Snow turns to him with the jewels. "And
you can't get married without this." He spills the jewels
into his palm. The wedding ring
glistens in his hand.
Snow eyes it. "Not your style?" the Prince chides her.
"Only one way to find out." Snow takes it from his
hand and slips it on her finger. It glistens. A perfect fit
and for a moment she thinks... but no. "Yeah. Not me at
all," and she dismisses the butterflies inside her stomach.
But wasn't this what she had always dreamed of?
Someone who saw beyond her status and through the lies
spread about her? Someone who would protect her, who
would be her companion for the rest of her life. He had
unflinchingly saved her from the Queen's men. Perhaps
there was more to this CHARMING. If she could only
accept the fate ripening before her. She was
certain in his smile that he felt the same. But what would
that lead to? How would their lives turn out? Snow
knew that the Evil Queen would not be satisfied until she
was dead. As long as there was a price on her head
she would be safe in no kingdom. To fall in love he
would have sacrifice his status to live like a fugitive.
He would have to forsake his family and break vows
which would lead to a war between nations. There are
lives on the line, she told herself. The responsibility of a
royal is great. Bigger than one's self. And though she
was no longer of the court and her kingdom seemed to
have turned against her, Snow was nonetheless raised as
a princess and expected to be a queen one day. This
could never be taken from her. She knew instinctively the
choice she must make.
Snow takes the ring off her finger and hands it to
him. Where ever you go from here, if you need me,
I will find you", the Prince offers, "always." And Snow
wants to believe it. "Goodbye, Prince Charming," Snow
replies. Charming grins, "I told you. It's James." Snow
White turns to leave, "I like Charming better." She
looks back over shoulder and they stare into each
other's eyes, they didn't need words to express what
they fel in their hearts. For it was here, in the shadow
of the Troll Bridge, that their love was born. Where
they knew, no matter how they were separated, they
would always find each other, and true love.
- A prop page auctioned off online in September 2019 contains an additional illustration of the Huntsman, from the scene where he is about to kill Snow White in "The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter".[84]
- Another page auctioned off in October 2019 contains a scene from "An Apple Red as Blood":[83]
determined as she looked out
over the ridge toward tge
distance castle. In the dim
moonlight she cold just make
out the silhouette of its formi-
dable walls. Though she could
not see them, Snow knew hun-
dreds of guards were waiting at the top keeping vigilant
watch. It would take an army to storm such a fortress,
and all she had was seven dwarves. Not that it mat-
tered. Her prince was in there somewhere and she
would always find him.
Behind her, her companions were hard at work silently
preparing for the task at hand. Happy counted his ropes,
while Bashful strung his bow. Sneezy and Dopey each
checked the grapples and Doc solemnly prepared their
signal fire. Grumpy sat alone, polishing his axe. Each of
them knew the odds they faced were dire, but each
remained at Snow's back.
As she waited, Snow White's thoughts drifted towards
Prince Charming. He had always come for her in her
most desperate moments, but now it was Charming who
desperately needed Snow. Her prince had sacrificed
himself from the madness induced by
Rumplestiltskin's potion and Snow knew it might
cost him his life. There was no way she could let that
happen.
Suddenly, the howling of a distant wolf split the night
and a tiny smile crept across Snow's face. It was the
signal. "Thank you, Red," she whispered as she closed
her eyes. For a moment everything was still. The wind
died in the trees and the crickets went silent. The forest
was at peace. Then the moment was gone. Snow turned
to the loyal dwarves at her side and shouted, "Do it!"
A flaming arrow traced an elegant arc high into the
night sky. It might have been her imagination, but
Snow thought she could hear a faint hum as hundreds of
fairies descended upon the castle. Her companions stood
at attention until she commanded, "Move out," and they
began to march.
As they approached, the fortress in the distance did
not seem so tall. With her companions at her side, no
wall was insurmountable. Still, Snow moved with steeled
urgency.
She was coming for him. She had to believe that she
would make it in time.
- A set of prop pages auctioned off online in October 2019 include an unseen illustration of Snow White's hand as she lets go of the sand in "Snow Drifts", and a page with an excerpt from the Grimm fairytale of "The Four Skillful Brothers", which ends with an excerpt from "Snow Drifts":[85]
disappeared into the forest. When they had gone, the
Prince thanked her. But how did she still have Black
Fairy Dust, he wondered. She grinned playfully and
emptied her hand. "It's only sand," she admitted.
- An unseen storybook page auctioned off on eBay in May 2020 contains a scene from "The Song in Your Heart:[86]
ny overlooking their beloved kingdom. "The wish should
have worked," she lam in ented as she looked up at the starry
night sky in despair. The song they had sung was full of
resounding love and strength. It should have been power-
ful enough to stop the Evil Queen. Snow White rested a
hand on the curve of her pregnant belly. Now they would
never be able to stop her from casting her curse and rip-
ping away their precious newborn child. But suddenly,
Prince Charming pointed to a star in the sky as it began
to descend from above, growing and glowing a bright
beautiful blue. It was not a star at all, but the Blue Fairy!
The Blue Fairy smiled at the distraught parents-to-be.
"Do not despair. Hope is not lost." But Prince Charm-
ing only stared back at the Blue Fairy in misery. "It
didn't work," he told her. "The Evil Queen took the
song from us." The Blue Fairy shook her head. No one
could take that away from them. The song was still inside
of them. It was inside everyone! The blue Fairy held up
her wand as it began to glow brightly with the magic of
their song. Snow White and Prince Charming held each
other tightly, their hope returning at this wondrous sight.
Perhaps the Evil Queen hadn't won the day after all. But
the Blue Fairy looked at their expectant faces and gently
said, "I'm afraid it was never meant for you to use
against the Evil Queen," Snow White and Prince
Charming looked at the Blue Fairy in confusion. Then
who was this magic for? The Blue Fairy lowered her
wand onto Snow White’s belly. "Emma. You wished
she could have a chance at a happy ending. With every-
one's song in her heart she will." Snow White stared
in awe as her pregnant belly began to glow with the
powerful magic. But how would it help their daughter?
The Blue Fairy gave Snow White a sad, knowing smile.
"Because one day she'll face a battle like no one has
ever faced before. And I'm afraid she'll have to f[obscured]
alone." And then it dawned on Snow White, [obscured]
breaking like sun through clouds. Emma wo[obscured]
alone. Not with the voices of the people w[obscured]
in her heart. The Blue Fairy nodded. I[obscured]
everyone across the land would forget [obscured]
sung anything at all. But the magic [obscured]
Emma's heart and with a little h[obscured]
resurface one day when Emma [obscured]
- A prop page from "Unforgiven", auctioned off in March 2021, contains an original adaptation of a scene from "The Stranger":[68]
One day Geppetto and Pinocchio
set out upon the sea with their
wooden wares. Though the waters
were calm when they left port,
soon the sky darked with angry
clouds. The sea churned under the
fierce wind and rain, and their float
was tossed violently amongst the
waves. Despite this, Geppetto remained calm. He had made
this journey many times before, and under far stormier
circumstances. But then Geppetto saw something that made
his blood run cold. Underneath their float, a monstrous dark
shape circled in the water, drawing ever closer.
"Father, what is that?" whispered Pinocchio.
But Geppetto had no answer. The dark shape circled once.
It circled twice. And on the third time, it bucked up against
the bottom of the ship, sending Geppetto and Pinocchio
flying into the air! Had they not held onto the mast for dear
life, they would certainly have gone overboard. Geppetto
looked down into the water to see a massive eye pass, so
close he could have reached out to touch it. It was a whale!
And an angry one at that.
Knowing the whale would not give up until their float was
reduced to splinters, Geppetto handed Pinocchio the ship's
only life preserver. They had to abandon ship if they were to
survive! Pinocchio refused. He could not let his father
sacrifice himself. Pinocchio then leaped into the water. He
knew that, being made of wood, he would float. And he
wanted desperately for his father to take the life preserver for
himself. Geppetto screamed, fearing for his son's life. But
it was already too late. A massive wave signalled [sic] the
approach of the whale. As Geppetto turned, he saw a set of
giant jaws open, ready to swallow him and his beloved son,
all in a single monstrous bite!
And with that, their world went dark…
Lost
- The storybook page where young Regina is running away[87] and the page Robin Hood finds[88] are number XXIII (as Regina points out), a reference to the fifth Lost number, 23. ("Smash the Mirror" et al.)
Goofs
- In "Going Home", when Henry is given the storybook in October 2011, he sees a picture of the scene with Geppetto, Jiminy Cricket and Pinocchio right before the Blue Fairy's arrival in "The Stranger".[89] However, as shown in "What Happened to Frederick" and stated in "The Stranger", the story of Pinocchio being sent to the Land Without Magic along with Emma was not in the book until August added it several months later. This is also confirmed in "Unforgiven", where Regina and Henry look at the same picture and notice that the paper is different than the rest of the book because this particular story was added by August.
- In "The Brothers Jones", Regina says she ripped out pages about herself from the Once Upon a Time book during the first curse so that Henry would not know she was the Evil Queen. In fact, Henry ripped out pages of Emma's story from the book that takes place in "Pilot", and Regina sees an illustration of herself while browsing the pages in "The Thing You Love Most".
- Adam Horowitz confirmed this was a mistake.[90]
Other Notes
- A blank prop replica of the book[91] was signed by Edward Kitsis, Adam Horowitz, Ginnifer Goodwin, Lana Parrilla, Josh Dallas, Emilie de Ravin, Robert Carlyle, Michael Raymond-James and Colin O'Donoghue[92] for a September 2013 Stand Up 2 Cancer charity event.[93]
Appearances
Once Upon a Time: Season One | ||||||||||
"Pilot": | "The Thing You Love Most": | "Snow Falls": | "The Price of Gold": | "That Still Small Voice": | "The Shepherd": | "The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter": | "Desperate Souls": | "True North": | "7:15 A.M.": | "Fruit of the Poisonous Tree": |
Appears | Appears | Appears | Absent | Absent | Absent | Appears | Absent | Appears | Absent | Appears |
"Skin Deep": | "What Happened to Frederick": | "Dreamy": | "Red-Handed": | "Heart of Darkness": | "Hat Trick": | "The Stable Boy": | "The Return": | "The Stranger": | "An Apple Red as Blood": | "A Land Without Magic": |
Absent | Appears | Absent | Appears | Appears | Appears | Appears | Absent | Appears | Appears | Appears |
Once Upon a Time: Season Two | ||||||||||
"Broken": | "We Are Both": | "Lady of the Lake": | "The Crocodile": | "The Doctor": | "Tallahassee": | "Child of the Moon": | "Into the Deep": | "Queen of Hearts": | "The Cricket Game": | "The Outsider": |
Absent | Appears | Appears | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Appears | Absent | Absent |
"In the Name of the Brother": | "Tiny": | "Manhattan": | "The Queen Is Dead": | "The Miller's Daughter": | "Welcome to Storybrooke": | "Selfless, Brave and True": | "Lacey": | "The Evil Queen": | "Second Star to the Right": | "And Straight On 'Til Morning": |
Appears | Mentioned | Mentioned | Absent | Absent | Absent | Appears | Appears | Absent | Absent | Absent |
Once Upon a Time: Season Three | ||||||||||
"The Heart of the Truest Believer": | "Lost Girl": | "Quite a Common Fairy": | "Nasty Habits": | "Good Form": | "Ariel": | "Dark Hollow": | "Think Lovely Thoughts": | "Save Henry": | "The New Neverland": | "Going Home": |
Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Appears | Appears |
"New York City Serenade": | "Witch Hunt": | "The Tower": | "Quiet Minds": | "It's Not Easy Being Green": | "The Jolly Roger": | "Bleeding Through": | "A Curious Thing": | "Kansas": | "Snow Drifts": | "There's No Place Like Home": |
Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Appears | Absent | Appears | Appears |
Once Upon a Time: Season Four | ||||||||||
"A Tale of Two Sisters": |
"White Out": |
"Rocky Road": |
"The Apprentice": |
"Breaking Glass": |
"Family Business": | "The Snow Queen": |
"Smash the Mirror": |
"Fall": | "Shattered Sight": |
"Heroes and Villains": |
Appears | Absent | Mentioned | Mentioned | Absent | Absent | Appears | Appears | Absent | Absent | Appears |
"Darkness on the Edge of Town": |
"Unforgiven": | "Enter the Dragon": | "Poor Unfortunate Soul": |
"Best Laid Plans": | "Heart of Gold": | "Sympathy for the De Vil": |
"Lily": | "Mother": | "Operation Mongoose Part 1": |
"Operation Mongoose Part 2": |
Appears | Appears | Absent | Appears | Appears | Appears | Absent | Appears | Absent | Appears | Appears |
Once Upon a Time: Season Five | |||||||||||
"The Dark Swan": | "The Price": | "Siege Perilous": | "The Broken Kingdom": | "Dreamcatcher": | "The Bear and the Bow": | "Nimue": | "Birth": | "The Bear King": | "Broken Heart": | "Swan Song": | |
Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Appears | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | |
"Souls of the Departed": | "Labor of Love": | "Devil's Due": | "The Brothers Jones": | "Our Decay": | "Her Handsome Hero": | "Ruby Slippers": | "Sisters": | "Firebird": | "Last Rites": | "Only You": | "An Untold Story": |
Absent | Absent | Absent | Mentioned | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Appears | Mentioned | Absent |
Once Upon a Time: Season Six | ||||||||||
"The Savior": | "A Bitter Draught": | "The Other Shoe": | "Strange Case": | "Street Rats": | "Dark Waters": | "Heartless": | "I'll Be Your Mirror": | "Changelings": | "Wish You Were Here": | "Tougher Than the Rest": |
Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Appears | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent |
"Murder Most Foul": | "Ill-Boding Patterns": | "Page 23": | "A Wondrous Place": | "Mother's Little Helper": | "Awake": | "Where Bluebirds Fly": | "The Black Fairy": | "The Song in Your Heart": | "The Final Battle Part 1": | "The Final Battle Part 2": |
Appears | Absent | Appears | Absent | Appears | Appears | Appears | Absent | Appears | Appears | Appears |
Once Upon a Time: Season Seven | ||||||||||
"Hyperion Heights": | "A Pirate's Life": | "The Garden of Forking Paths": | "Beauty": | "Greenbacks": | "Wake Up Call": | "Eloise Gardener": | "Pretty in Blue": | "One Little Tear": | "The Eighth Witch": | "Secret Garden": |
Mentioned | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Mentioned | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent |
"A Taste of the Heights": | "Knightfall": | "The Girl in the Tower": | "Sisterhood": | "Breadcrumbs": | "Chosen": | "The Guardian": | "Flower Child": | "Is This Henry Mills?": | "Homecoming": | "Leaving Storybrooke": |
Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Mentioned | Archive | Archive |
Once Upon a Time: Novels | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Once Upon a Time: Specials | ||||||||||
"Magic is Coming": |
"The Price of Magic": | "Journey to Neverland": | "Wicked is Coming": | "Storybrooke Has Frozen Over": | ||||||
Archive | Archive | Archive | Archive | Archive | ||||||
"Secrets of Storybrooke": | "Dark Swan Rises": | "Evil Reigns Once More": | "The Final Battle Begins": | |||||||
Archive | Archive | Archive | Archive |
Other Appearances | ||||||||||
NOVELIZATION
|
Note: "Archive" denotes archive footage.
The storybook is lying on the table in front of Henry in "Where Bluebirds Fly".[95]