The lore established with the illustrated book series "유리구슬 Märchen" clarified and introduced story elements beyond the music videos. It Jossed a lot of popular theories in the fandom. Although, even receiving new information, there are still several mysteries:
- The magical abilities of each girl and their individual motivations.
- The connections between the members portrayed through motifs as well as the different timelines.
- The place where some of the stories take place (hometown island, city, a dream or even realms).
- What some elements in the story symbolize such as the content of the "2006.03 가죽여행 (Family Trip)" tape and the tarot cards.
- The lore surrounding the "Wheel of the Year" and its connection with this world.
- The songs that are part of the lore aside from title tracks.note
- The Japanese music videos as part of a Loose Canon.
- What's written in the letters from "Summer Rain" and the diary.
- Who cursed them... Gods? Monsters?
- The linearity of the story, among others.
The Wild Mass Guessing page has a self-explanatory name. This is a place to gather theories based on the content put out so far, no matter how wild. There are folders for confirmed, jossed and crossover theories at the bottom of the page.
General Theories
Something caused the desolation of their hometown, hinted to be their own powers after conflicts involving envy. Then someone murmured to them "search for the butterfly from the legend and your powers will be stronger". That's how all the girls start to run through time to reverse what they have done and save each other.
The Heavenly Bodies (Time for) trilogy isn't included in the 2020 recap (where they decided to streamline their story), despite of its importance. Maybe the trilogy is part of a non-chronological arc where Eunha is stuck in the hunt and the other girls need to remember her somehow (and it would be elaborated in the next series).
In the last book, when the girls succumb to the curse and turn into witches, their memories are erased, similar to when people join the storm riders. They are surrounded by a dark miasma. The wish granter (last butterfly) would cause "things granter than they could handle" (pandora box). The problem being that the desolation was the first event, just then (after using all the butterflies from the box) they were cursed to be witches and stripped of their memories. The only way for it to make sense would be if they end up stuck in a loop (living the event that caused the desolation over and over, trying to fix it).
Walpurgis Night during "Mago" was presented as a celebration and ode to women empowerment, so the witches' festival is not something negative in-universe, but when they found comfort in being witches. However, the girls transitioned to a spectral figure in the ending of "Apple", an Otherworldly symbolism. So, did they join the hunt as the price? Or were they hunted, wronged and tricked in joining it as the price?
A magical mist involves the place and there is an apple tree right there. The latter half of the video has a darker, underworld-y imagery like Annwn. And... the girls are witches! Avalon is known for a The Lady of the Lake as well (their powers were given by their village lake). Even though their village is canonically "blue butterfly village", it could have taken inspiration from Celtic Mythology and other existent legends.note
. And the tunnel in "Sunrise" and "Mago" leads to this misty place.The labyrinth and the garden symbolize this place (playing with Eden and the the serpent-like labyrinth symbol). From being trapped in time, the apple represents freedom and knowledge, a labyrinth is also a symbol of transformation "losing to find".
The Korean myth about the origins of the sun and moon mentions a rope thrown from the sky. There is a character with bad intentions who ended up with a rotten one, and the ones who could climb turned into the sun and the moon.
are very suspicious and mysterious. The "won't you wake up / you'd better wake up" and "wake up, wake up / break it now, get out" could mean that they labyrinth isn't a physical place and it's a dangerous place of dreams.Eunha woke up at the end of "Fingertip", but that dream (or nightmare) could be the labyrinth itself. The girls are describing what happened in the labyrinth ("Fingertip") in the lyrics. If Eunha turning back in time causes her glass bead to be tainted, the labyrinth could be the place that they go when this happens. She has three butterflies in "Crossroads", but none in "Fingertip".
Umji's room while she's playing the piano is full of papers, similar to Sowon in "Memoria" evoking 1000 Origami Cranes. Eunha and Umji have a paper airplane motif through "Rough" and "Time for the Moon Night". "Sunrise" has three concept names: "Daybreak", "Daytime" and "Midnight" (When the Clock Strikes Twelve). The ritual could need not only a place, but also at a Liminal Time.
Eunha could have take her decision to go back in time in this moment, when she drops the box she seems hopeless.
Other possibility would be that she's back in town, playing the Stranger in a Familiar Land (but Sowon was the one going in a separated way in "Rough"). "Navillera" could be Eunha changing the way she meets the other girls back then in their hometown.
◊ note and Dear Buddy (a fan meeting) poster has a key
◊. The logo symbols resemble a door lock as if you open this lock with the key, the moon changed its position.The heavenly bodies themed trilogy release dates give hints about this. The first music video was released under the influence of the pink moon and the other two when the moon was half illuminated and half dark. The pink moon caused this phenomenon and the first quarter moon let them meet Eunha in these specific nights. There are several hints about day, night and dreams, maybe this is a key to understand the music videos and the scenes separate in day and night.
Sowon appears in "Memoria" with 1000 Origami Cranes, meaning that she's wishing for something (curiously Sowon's name means wish), and Umji is painting... A pink moon. "Memoria" was pretty much an example of Your Mind Makes It Real.
"Love Whisper" shows Sinb and Yerin Holding Hands. In "Time for the Moon Night" as Eunha is missing, Sinb is going after her. "Crossroads" shows Eunha and Sinb fighting, one more time, Sinb and Yerin seem together and Holding Hands in the train scene.
"Summer Rain" can also be connected with "Sunrise", or better, the phone booth connects the two timelines. Sowon in "Summer Rain" and Yerin in "Sunrise" communicating with each other. As if "Rough" and "Summer Rain" could be parallels just as much as "Time for the Moon Night" and "Sunrise".
"Rough" lyrics are full of sorrow:
"Summer Rain" lyrics say "it was a memory of a summer say with joy and sadness" as the first verse expressed joy and the second sadness:
- "Crossroads" changed this perspective, showing the actual conflict between the girls. Although, "Crossroads" can be the bridge between "Rough" and "Summer Rain".
- Maybe they studied there and moved, but were originally from the island. The train and ticket from "Love Whisper" would make sense too, they go there for their vacation.
- Then "Crossroads" happens in the city. "Time for the Moon Night" is more empty... No people, abandoned building... And an open field.
Another detail would be the name "Arianrhod" being from the Welsh arian, "silver," and rhod, "wheel". The "Apple" Concept Photos from Song of the Sirens (2020) is an all silver room. Also, Silver Wheel can represents the moon or the wheel of the year, both heavy motifs in the story.
- There is no... next era.
Magical Abilities Theories
She also has a Mirror motif through the music videos, what could be some seer-like traits... If she could foresee the future with constellation patterns (Memoria) or Reading Tea Leaves (Sunrise).
While the girls write letters to deliver them or give up through "Summer Rain", Umji makes a paper boat. How could it reach the letter addressee? Her power could grow as the plot demands. If she can manipulate papers or plushies, what happens if she draws a rainbow or a pink moon? "Memoria" shows how imaginary things turn into reality. Maybe that's Umji's power.
. Fans noticed that siren is almost an anagram to Yerin's own name. They also have a song called "Mermaid".- She was supposed to be the first girl to receive a power, she's also the oldest and the second girl to reach the bookstore.
- She could also have a special type of control over her glass bead (more than one glass bead?).
- Confirmed... Sort of? It's a reflection of themselves and it's connected with their power.
The "Twisted" Concept Photo from 回:Labyrinth (2020) is the girls dressed in white in a white background carrying yarns, every girl has a color. In one of the photos, all the girls are looking at Eunha. Another photo from "Twisted" is similar to Time for Us (2019) "Daybreak" Concept Photo, where Sowon is in the center, what leads to the next point. The semiotics could tell that they "Daybreak" Concept Photo, with Sowon's flowery crown, plays with a marriage day imagery; a bride and her ladies. What makes it interesting: Dionysus married Ariadne (Minotaur Myth) and gave her a crown Corona Borealis (later turned into a constellation). Although, in another picture, Eunha is also using a crown with Sowon.
- Confirmed in a Weverse Magazine. They were doing a retelling of mythical women as the center of the narrative. It's interesting to notice that these women can be all reimagined as witches. Ariadne controls the labyrinth, she's a witch. There is also "witches' ladder".
- Confirmed? All of the girls were miserably time traveling, trying to save each other.
- The girls from the Highlight Reel are six, just like GFRIEND members. Just a coincidente... but the thing starts to get interesting when the art direction from their simultaneous eras were suspiciously similar (Love Yourself 承 'Her', Rainbow). "The Truth Untold" is about the Smeraldo Flower legend. "Flower Garden" from, one more time, a simultaneous era (Love Yourself 轉 'Tear' and Time for the Moon Night), has a similar thematic. "Flower Garden" uses flower for its metaphor, "a flower that has eternity". You can see the Smeraldo Flower story here. The same eras also used a lantern ("Fake Love" music video and "Time for the Moon Night" comeback teaser). The music videos have a cinematic parallel with the protagonists closing the curtains. The teaser for "Fake Love" shows a shop where they exchange something for another. GFRIEND has the Glass Bead Store, they are the clerks (but still a vague concept). The shop is dark, the store is quirky. Although, they algo get an item from a place in the mini books, a man hand it to them. The red notebook is another similar object. Time travel is also an element in common, Eunha and Jin are the ones the narrative follows, but in GFRIEND's case, all of them traveled as the last mini book revealed.
- People pointed out some similarities between "Blood, Swear and Tears" with "Apple", both are temptation arcs. BU was connected to Demian by Hermann Hesse. GFRIEND never confirmed, but there is a book from the same author with an interest name... The Glass Bead Game. The setting from "Apple" is also eerily similar to Jimin's arboretum. Also, the whole Ariadne and Dionysus parallel.
- There is an eerie girl with school uniform who appears in "Magic Island", her clothes are similar to "Rough" where they have a practice room. There are speculations of her being Eunha, because she has odd eye in "Memoria", like the cat from TU. The ghost girl from "Eternally" being similar to Umji in "Butterfly Effect" with the white dress. The star from "Nap of Star"... It's known that Ariadne (an element from GFRIEND's story) turns into the constellation Corona Borealis.
- However, the girls from TU could be revealed as the girls soon to debut.
- Both stories happen / are directed related to a magic island. The door they burn in "Run Away", there is also a door in "Time for the Moon Night" teaser, standing alone in the field. There is a train in "Magic Island", similar to one from "Love Whisper" (Although, Sinb prevents Yerin from taking one in "Crossroads"). A Ferris wheel appears in "Blue Hour" and "Love Whisper", the latter happened in the island.
- Growing horns? That's what happen with GFRIEND when they turn into witches (it can be seen at the end of "Apple" and the mini book). Although, it doesn't seem like it means similar things in the stories, just a coincidence (or is it?).
- The red notebook yet again.
- This.
- Their debut trailer is eerie similar to "Previous Story" and the Arc Words "is it a blessing or a curse". "Outro : Cross The Line" brought a similar scene from "Crossroads" where Eunha falls and wakes up in her bed.
- GFRIEND's VCR at NYEL was a transition to NU'EST's stage. A lot of people theorized that GFRIEND could represent the queen from their storyline. Although, they are in the Glass Bead Store and the chessboard (belonging to NUEST's storyline and where they are showed after the transition) is stuck in a glass. Maybe the members, being the witches from this multiverse, hold a magical power over time and space from the other timelines of the other groups.
- Jossed. "Love Whisper" is the origins story, it's the island where it all started.
- Jossed. "Love Whisper" is the village where the girls were born and grew up.
- Maybe it's just a represatation of Two Roads Before You (place of decision). Also, a place where they could meet each other. "Rough" says "If I could go back in time, I'll hold your hands at the crossroads".
