With each passing day, Netflix’s inclination towards introducing thriller drama series is becoming more familiar. The latest Spanish thriller, “The Girl In The Mirror” or “Alma,” is proof of that. This series had everything lined up for the audience to be amazed, but the most important thing was that the makers laboriously focused on building the characters’ subtlety. Every character was crafted with a lot of detailing; thus, the whole story had a sense of fulfillment. Sergio G. Sanchez has managed to put together various emotions while establishing a mythical demon as the centrifugal force of the narrative. We will discuss that mythological demon named Therion and everything we have learned about him from the series.
Spoilers Ahead
Therion: Who Exactly Was This Mystical Demon?
From the book of prophecies, we understand that Therion is a demon who represents power and absolute wisdom. The mountains in Asturias, Spain, contain many caves within themselves. One such cave was the hiding place for Therion and his five shadows. Therion was an all-powerful being who could control the forces of nature, and the five shadows were there to fulfill his needs. Therion was required to get possession of a mortal body to exist on the face of the same earth, but when he could not, he used to rest in the depths of the mountains known as The Red Chamber. According to the book, the five shadows used to originate a disaster to choose a new body for their master. But, to do so, they required another person to let them in, with whom they could be linked forever. This union is symbolized by a hand with six fingers on a stone in one of the mountains. The ritual is very risky, through which Therion can be transferred into a human body.
Therion’s five shadows aroused the curiosity of those accustomed to practicing the dark arts. Sorcerers and Necromancers have traveled the world to follow in their footsteps, inevitably leading them to another place plagued with tragedy. One of them went to a village where five young men kidnapped a newborn baby. The shadows first had to evacuate the infant’s soul to provide the host with a new body. Later, he was given to knights. However, we see a jump cut after the flashback and are introduced to Martin sleeping on a couch. This particular portion of the story did not proceed with enough information about what happened to the child or what became of the child. So, we don’t know much about the Knight story anymore. There is a slight chance that Efren is one of the descendants of that knight.
A miniature version of a beast (probably Therion himself) is divided into five carvings, representing the attributes of his different spirit animals. The five pieces must be attached to each other to perform the ritual and, in turn, summon the demon. Over the years, the five secret shadows, who lived among mortals, never stopped finding fresh victims for their master. Throughout history, Therion was resurrected in various bodies that his disciples, the shadows, would get for him. The spirit would always need a new energy source whenever it ran out of being young and powerful. Through a special sacrificial ritual, his soul would move from its old shell to the new one. The spirit departs the body for a brief period just before death. The procedure wasn’t simple. The youthful body needed to be rendered ineffective. However, some people with strong willpower can deny Therion access to their bodies and in some cases, they can even beat Therion. When Therion could not enter a new body and had already left the old shell, he would rest in the Red Chamber, and his shadows continued searching for a new body.
The Shadows: Who Were The Shadows That Helped Therion Find A New Body?
In the series, the first person whose body was captured by the shadow was Rogue. But how? Well, there is a particular amount of time for the spirits to leave the body and then walk away from the mortal world, guided by one of their close friends or family members. After the spirits leave the body, it remains on the mortal land as an empty vessel for the shadows to take over. Unless the body is entirely vacant, the shadows can not take possession of the body. So this explains why the shadows could not take over Martin’s body. Martin was not dead and had the immense willpower to fight the shadows. Rogue and Laura were brought to the hospital in severe condition. Rogue’s parents thought it would be best to let him die rather than suffer from such humongous pain. So, when they turned off the ventilator, Rogue died, and his soul left his body. That was the moment when the shadows overtook his body.
Rogue was now searching for the bodies that could become the vessels for the shadows. He tried to contact Efren, who showed him where he could use Bruno as a vessel. The evil residing within Efren’s body was looking for a youthful body to incarnate, and then he attacked Bruno. On the other hand, Rogue went to the hospital and killed Carlos (the bus driver) to make it available for a shadow to possess. But, as Martin’s father had the book of prophecies, he knew who would be abducted as a vessel. So, he sent a man named Felix to kill the people the shadows had acquired. So, Felix was successful in killing Carlos. Rogue had already made his sister’s body a vessel for a shadow. When Felix tried to kill Rogue, his sister killed Felix. Rogue knew that there was not enough time left. So, he went to the hospital and, just like Carlos, he made Laura a vessel for the shadows. Rogue and his sister also captured Nico, the anomaly, and did the same with her. Now the five carvings are united, and the brothers (shadows) are united. Rogue, Rogue’s Sister, Bruno, Nico, and Laura could effectively find a new body for their master, Therion.
Were The Shadows Able To Bring Therion Back At The End Of ‘The Girl In The Mirror’ Season 1?
Diana, Martin’s sister, made a huge mistake only after she realized that in the book of prophecies, what she mistook as the third full moon was actually written as the sixth full moon. On the sixth full moon, “a member of the vessel’s own family will send him or her to the five shadows of Therion so that the dark lord can invade the vessel’s body.” Diana thought Therion’s incarnation would not be possible anymore because the third full moon had been over since the accident. So, she decided to let Martin go and meet Bruno, his lover. Diana was sad, and it was hard for Diana to see him in such a condition as a sister. So, she told him to run towards his happiness. Soon, she realized the day of the incarnation was the day of the sixth full moon according to the book of prophecies, but she unknowingly sent Martin into the trap. According to the prophecy, a family member (Diana) would deliver the young man (Martin) to the five shadows (Bruno, Rogue, Rogue’s sister, Nico, and Laura) so that the dark lord (Therion) could enter him. The prophecy has been fulfilled, and “The Girl In The Mirror” Season 1 ends on a cliffhanger hinting that Therion will finally take over Martin’s body as Rogue’s sister holds the miniature sculpture. We also get to see Therion’s rise in the Red Chamber.
Final Words
Maybe none of these would have occurred if the book of prophecies could have been burned down. The greed and desire of mankind are responsible for the birth of such demons. Many tales warn us not to interfere with the affairs of demons, yet curious humans never listen to those warnings. Interfering with events that are beyond our understanding could trigger incidents that can not be controlled. Everyone involved in this story has significantly evolved as human beings during the events. Barbara was murdered by her own brother because their grandfather was obsessed with the book of prophecies. If Martin, Barbara’s brother, could have avoided being manipulated by his grandfather and ignored the idea of becoming the heir, Barbara would have been alive. Many lives were lost due to mankind’s hunger for wisdom and power. The birth of Therion marks the failure of the entire humankind. Whatever was written in the prophecy, everything could have been avoided or proved wrong only if someone from the concerned group would have behaved differently and a little less greedy, I suppose.
See More: The Origin Of Anomaly And Its Role In ‘The Girl In The Mirror’ Season 1, Explained: Who Was Nico?
