Are there any atheists or non-religious fans who still feel a deep connection to Lost?

I’m not religious, but Lost is still the most profound piece of media that I have experienced and it hits so hard for me. I know the show leans heavily into faith and spiritual ideas, but I wonder if others interpret it, and ending specifically, not through the lens of religion. Does Lost's own internal lore and mythology provide enough context to interpret the ending without the framework of any religion, or were we supposed to see it as religious, regardless of which one?

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@lostbackup

First time watcher

I'm on the 5th season of my first time ever watching the show. I think it's interesting how they're trying to take custody of Aaron away from Kate, and Jack is actually his uncle. I know Jack and Kate aren't even really together at this point, and I doubt it would legally matter that Jack is Aaron's uncle, as he would probably go to more immediate kin.

Just thought this was neat, what do you guys think?

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@lostbackup

dead is dead; whack-a-ben!

i love ben so much 😭😭 he’s a little narcissistic rat i like to imagine he would fit in my pocket. we all know ben gets whacked a lot but dear god i’m on s5e12 and every like 5 minutes is ben getting whacked 😭😭😭 i can’t even say that he doesn’t deserve it because that mouth on him… but i think this is the one episode we really see him on the floor more on his feet! his face is bloody for like 80% of the episode 😭😭😭

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@lostbackup

Lostpedia Message Boards

Hi! I have fond memories of the old lostpedia message boards while the show was airing. I used my Reddit name as my login. I was just wondering if anybody migrated here? NAMASTE!

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@lostbackup

Spoilers! The Island In Irish Mythology

I watched the show when it first premiered as a teenager in Ireland and loved it. Recently rewatched it and a friend also watched it for the first time and was questioning all the stuff of the last season. I will advise there are plenty spoilers ahead if you haven’t finished the series!

Anyway I was wondering why my friend (who would not be familiar with Irish mythology) found issue with things like Jacob and MIB, the source of the light and the drinking of water from a cup to pass on the wisdom and role of the island protector which all made perfect sense to me. Which got me thinking about the ridiculous amount of similarities taken as fact by the pre-Christian Celts or what we know of their beliefs from the parts of their mythology that was recorded by monks.

Essentially the Milesian Celts arrived around 700 BC from northern Spain to Ireland to find an island that was uninhabited (the theory was that the neolithic people died in a flood). There was however on the island some magic sort of fairy people called the Tuatha Dé Danann. They were beautiful people who didn’t age, and were obsessed with nature and protecting their sacred areas of the island. Not inherently bad but they were to be feared as they could kill or hurt anyone without remorse in the protection of nature. They also had the ability to manipulate the weather. They were repulsed by the more modern society of the celts and things like metal, things that weren’t necessarily natural but forged affected them badly. I think they are our Jacobs. They retreated to an Island (where they came from) off the coast of Ireland to the west called Tír na nog. This island is shrouded in a mist and can disappear from view. Only the Tuatha Dé Danann know how to get to it. On this island there is a well called Connla’s well. This well is the source of all wisdom in the world. The Tuatha Dé Danann will visit the well sometimes to meditate and gain wisdom but they never get too close or look into the well as doing so is considered too dangerous. One day a member called Shannon peers into the well and looks at her own reflection, she is desperate to gain more wisdom but the well erupts in a sort of flood and pulls her in. In this mythology all wells are connected underneath the sea and Ireland. The well erupts on land in Ireland and causes a river to be formed (the river Shannon) and her spirit lives on forever in the river neither dead nor alive.

There is another race of fairy people called the Fomorians. These are the MIB in the story, they come from the North somewhere and are generally represented as beasts hell bent on destruction in Ireland. They are the natural enemy of the Tuatha Dé Danann but still sometimes they act in diplomacy and members for either race have intermarried in some cases. There are one or two beasts wrecking destruction in Ireland around the time of Fionn Mac Cumhaill, a young boy who worked as a helper to a poet in Ireland. The poet knows that the river Shannon is connected to the well from which all wisdom comes on the magic island that no mortal can reach. He knows that within the river there is a salmon called the salmon of knowledge which has gained wisdom from eating hazelnuts that fell into the well from nearby trees and made their way to the river. The poet eventually catches the salmon of knowledge and tells the young Fionn to cook it but while cooking it the boy burns his finger and sucks his thumb. In this moment he becomes the first mortal to be linked to the well of wisdom through the classic hazelnuts in the well to salmon to burnt thumb chain. In doing so he gains all the wisdom of the world, speaks all languages and now simply by cupping his hands and giving water to sick or injured people he can heal them instantly. Evens those that are dieing, he now has the Jacob style gifts of the fairy people.

He uses his powers to destroy the Fomorian beasts that come wrecking havoc every year, most famously a fire breathing animal but it is well known that they and the Tuatha Dé Danann can shapeshift

into different animals as they moved around the island of Ireland. He then establishes himself as the protector of Ireland. He later retires to a cave somewhere apparently not dead just taking a rest. His son Oisin continues his legacy, but Oisin didn’t actually have magic power although he was a great warrior, he had no connection to the magic island. He meets Niamh however, she is one of the Tuatha Dé Danann fairy people and she sometimes visits Ireland. She falls in love with him and promises to take him to the magic Island of Tír na Nog. They travel to the Island, she has a magic horse that can run on water and can find the island. It should be noted though that this isn’t the only way the fairies come and go from the island. They also have portals which spring them up in random places in Ireland when they visit. Much like Ben travelling from the Island by turning the wheel. These places are said to be the fairy forts in Ireland which people to this day avoid and farmers often will not disturb for fear of being avenged upon.

On the island anyway Oisin as the first mortal to ever visit soon discovers that no-one gets sick, no-one gets old. It is essentially a paradise with no winter and the Tuatha Dé Danann or fairy people live forever in a sort of Jacob way in harmony with nature and love to study and play music. Oisin however grows homesick and pleads with Niamh to let him return to Ireland for a few days to see his friends. She lets him take the magic horse but warns him not to touch the ground in Ireland. She tries to explain that the island exists in its own time bubble (sound familiar?) she claims that time for them does not operate like it does back in Ireland. When he arrives then back in Ireland after what he calculated to be 3 years he finds that everyone he knew is dead. He discovers that actually 300 years had passed back in Ireland and he had essentially time travelled when going to and back from the Island. He accidentally touches the ground while trying to help a man move a boulder and instantly becomes over 300 years old and dies soon after of old age.

The island still exists in the mythology of Ireland, and the Jacob style inhabitants never visit anymore as I guess modern industrial society would repulse them. I think the writers of Lost must of taken some inspiration or maybe its just a whole bunch of co-incidences with things like magic wells, shape-shifting, portals, time travel. That said many ancient cultures had similar stories. I have also heard of the Japanese myth of Urashima Taro which involves a time travelling Island too.

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@lostbackup

How different would lost be if it aired today?

The actors, plot lines, etc.

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@lostbackup

Why didn’t The Others have any interest in recruiting Desmond?

Obviously they knew he was in the hatch since they could watch him from the Pearl. We also know Desmond was very “special” with how he experiences time. Did Jacob not care either?

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@lostbackup

I need HELP! I want to access to good source of data for foot statue of LOST series. Or just share whatever important thing you know about it. I'll appreciate that.

Of course I know it's >!Taweret, the goddess of fertility!<. But I want to gather all I need to know about its relationship with LOST series

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@lostbackup

Jorge Garcia on the set of the season 4 finale

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@lostbackup

What was Ben’s ultimate goal? Was he really following Jacob’s orders?

Obviously Ben lied ALOT about his motives. He was manipulative and deceitful about what he was doing. But to what end was he doing it?

I can see his motivations at certain points. Especially in his revenge against Widmore. But that came a little later.

He seemed to be pretty genuine when he confronted Jacob “all those lists!”

And Jacob didn’t seem to contradict that. (Side note, did Jacob ask Ben to kidnap our Losties? Did he ask Ben to kidnap Walt?)

I’m guessing it was ultimately all in service of the island. He was trying to protect it. But did he have to do all that lying and killing to achieve this?




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@lostbackup

Ben was a terrible spy

So, in "One of them" the captured man identifies himself as a Henry Gale. In "Lockdown", Sayid calls his bluff by digging the grave of the real Henry Gale, as proved by ID with a photo that doesn't match the prisoner's appearance.

I've always wondered - this clashed with a spycraft rule of thumb: say truth anytime you can, only ever lie once you have to. Ben could have made up literally any other name. There was no point in stealing the late balloonist's identity anyway and it only created risk of uncloacking, as it eventually happened. I mean, I took my lessons from a couple spy books and I already knew better than supposed seasoned master of scheming Ben.

Some possible answers:

1. Ben played "four-dimensional chess" and he actually wanted his intrigue debunked. I myself fail to see reason in that.

2. Ben was a pathological liar, he lied just for the sake of it.

At the end of the day, he could have tried and lied his way out of it. He could have explained, "well, I actually travelled with my husband but I'd rather stay in the closet, so I told you it was a wife. Also, funnily enough, we shared the first name Henry, and I adopted his last name when we married. No, what kind of trouble could it cause to share exact name with my spouse?". It's an explanation as stupid as it gets, but it's still better then getting tortured by Sayid (which IIRC had already happened to Ben before, or ar least he was threatened with it).

https://redd.it/1o5wuwa
@lostbackup

REwatching after 20 years.

watching as a 41 year old vs a 21 year old, with all the ways society has changed... i have so many thoughts. Especially surviving so many things over the years. Anyone want to chat?



https://redd.it/1o643zw
@lostbackup