Sands of Avalon

This article focuses on the Sands of Avalon. For the similar substance that can neutralize magic, see sea nymphs' sand.

Sands of Avalon
General Information
Origin:	Isle of Avalon
Current Location:	Camelot
Status:	Used up
Physical Description
Type:	Magical dust
Color:	Pink
Usage Information
Possessed by:	Guinevere King Arthur † Rumplestiltskin †
Used by:	Guinevere King Arthur †
Used on:	Merlin's tower David Nolan Guinevere Mary Margaret Blanchard
Used for:	Making anything broken appear fixed
Show Information
Only appearance:	"The Broken Kingdom"
Latest mention:	"The Bear and the Bow"
Relevant Pages

“

One pinch of this can "fix" anything.

”

—Rumplestiltskin to Guinevere ^src

The Sands of Avalon is a magical item featured on ABC's Once Upon a Time. It first appears in the fourth episode of the fifth season.

History

Before First Curse

While searching for the Dark One Dagger to give to King Arthur in order to make Excalibur whole again, Guinevere and Lancelot arrive in the portion of the Vault of the Dark One where the dagger is being stored, kept safe by a protection spell. After they are knocked back by said spell, Rumplestiltskin appears and taunts them. Upon hearing why they want the dagger, he tells them that he cannot part with it, but offers the "next best thing": enchanted sand from the Isle of Avalon. Guinevere accepts, and plans to use the sand to make Excalibur appear whole so that Arthur will stop obsessing over the dagger. After sharing a tearful goodbye with Lancelot, she makes her way up to the tower, and while Arthur is distracted digging through her bag uncorks the bottle and begins to dump the sand out. However, she has a change of heart, and admits to Arthur her plan. He is upset with her, and when she threatens to leave him he snatches the sand and blows it on her, "fixing" their marriage. Upon seeing his success, Arthur takes the sand and blows it over the kingdom of Camelot itself. ("The Broken Kingdom")

Before Third Curse

After tricking Arthur with a fake dagger and discovering his true colors, Mary Margaret Blanchard, David Nolan, and Lancelot take him to Granny's Diner, which is crashed just outside of Camelot, tied up. However, as they threaten to reveal his secret and hand the kingdom to Guinevere, the king smirks, causing David to realize he knows something they don't. Just then, Guinevere arrives with some of the knights of Camelot, and as she frees Arthur, Lancelot realizes that Arthur used the sand on her and begs her to stop, as they can break the curse. She responds by telling him that she is uninterested and has him sent to the dungeon. When Mary Margaret and David tell Arthur that their friends will be suspicious if he arrests them and that they can still reveal his secret, Guinevere responds by saying that she thinks they will help. Arthur tells her to "fix this," and she blows the sand on them. Under the effects of the sand, they tell Regina Mills and Robin Hood that Arthur is perfectly trustworthy and that they need to give him the dagger. ("The Broken Kingdom")

Regina leads David and Mary Margaret to where she hid the dagger, but refuses to give it to them as she is still wary about trusting Arthur. As they are still being affected by the sand, Mary Margaret attempts to take the dagger by force, but Emma Swan appears and uses her dark magic to freeze her parents, having seen Guinevere blow the sand over them through a dreamcatcher. ("Dreamcatcher")

After Merlin is freed from the tree he was trapped in by a previous Dark One, he uses his magic to unfreeze David and Mary Margaret and wipe away the effects of the sand, reverting them to normal. ("Dreamcatcher")

Trivia

• Production Notes
• Cultural References

Production Notes

• In the recap video at the beginning of "Dreamcather," the shot of David and Mary Margaret being affected by the sands is extended footage from "The Broken Kingdom." In the original episode, the scene cuts after Guinevere blows the sand onto the couple. The extended footage shows the sand falling over them.

Fairytales and Folklore

• The magical sand comes from the "mystical Isle of Avalon," the legendary island from Arthurian legend, in which King Arthur was conveyed for the healing of his wounds after his final battle. The sands can be used to make Excalibur seem whole again. In the legend, the island of Avalon is where Excalibur was forged. ("The Broken Kingdom")

Appearances

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	Appears	Mentioned	Mentioned	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	Absent	Absent	Absent	Absent	Absent	Absent	Absent	Absent	Absent

Once Upon a Time: Specials
"Magic is Coming":	"The Price of Magic":	"Journey to Neverland":	"Wicked is Coming":	"Storybrooke Has Frozen Over":
Absent	Absent	Absent	Absent	Absent
"Secrets of Storybrooke":	"Dark Swan Rises":	"Evil Reigns Once More":	"The Final Battle Begins":
Absent	Absent	Archive	Absent

Note: "Archive" denotes archive footage.