New Imp Lore

[thegreatJash]

Hello everyone, welcome to these extensively long post. Recently, Wortox just got a new skin, his Verdant, and I think it brings some interesting ideas with it. Now wait, before you go off and say that skins hold no lore significance and are probably non-canon, this post addresses imps in general and their relation to the Greek god Pan. Wortox's new Verdant skin obviously draws direct inspiration from the Greek god Pan. His portrait frame and a statue of the Greek god Pan at Wisley Gardens are shown in the spoiler below.

Spoiler

There are obvious similarities between the two. Pan is said to have the top half of a human and the bottom half of a goat, also known as a Satyr. Wortox's new skin directly draws inspiration from this idea, as his top and bottom halves are very different, the bottom half looking particularly like a goat with hooves. His head is also very similar to the one on the Pan statue. They have similar looking facial hair, in terms of distribution, and they both have horns. Pan is portrayed with many different kinds of horns so it's understandable that Wortox's are not identical to this particular statue of Pan. But the most obvious similarity is that they are both holding the Pan Flute. The Pan Flute in Greek mythology is an instrument Pan fashioned and played, which is reason that Pan is often considered the god of music. Pan is also the god of nature and forests, so it makes sense that Wortox's Pan inspired skin is his Verdant. Alright, now you're probably thinking that it would make sense that this skin would look similar to Wortox's Verdant, as it's directly inspired from Pan. However, visual similarities aren't the only thing that Wortox and Pan have in common. 

Pan is often said to be happy, joyful, and fun. He is also said to be rather gentle to other creatures. Sound familiar to any survivor in particular? Wortox is happy and joyful, but is also gentle and careful to small creatures that can be held in his inventory, as he doesn't want to accidentally steal their souls. Wortox is the only imp we have reliable information on, however judging from his quotes we can tell that other imps are also very similar to Wortox in terms of personality, joyful and easygoing. Imps as a whole seem to draw direct inspiration from the Greek creatures Satyrs, both their visual characteristics and their personalities are almost identical. Satyrs are often affiliated with nature, spring, and forests, similar to Pan, but it doesn't end there. It isn't confirmed that Pan is the same species as normal Satyrs, as he is a god, however the Greeks often put the two together in stories. Some stories of Pan even say that he is the father of all Satyrs, which is why they are so similar to him. However, this is isn't the only connection we can make with Wortox, and imp, and Satyrs/Pan. Wortox's Uncorrupted skin set draws direct inspiration from fauns, which are essentially the same thing as Satyrs. The description for this skin set is "Now this is a Wortox worth fawning over." This proves that the connection between imps and satyrs/fauns/the Greek god Pan has been there from the beginning.

Spoiler

Ok, so imps are directly inspired by satyrs and fauns, and his latest skin portrays him as Pan, who is also heavily affiliated with satyrs and fauns. So what? Well, I'm not finished yet. This post probably wouldn't exist if it weren't for the description of the torso of his new skin set. It states "Many imps have the ability to quite literally become one with nature." This is especially strange because it just abruptly tells us something about imps, that they can literally become one with nature. This text could be associated with an interesting theory that came around during Wortox's release. It basically stated that Wortox's appearance reflects the last powerful soul he ate, his default being a Krampus. His skins would reflect other appearances from other different souls. The Minotaur might the Ancient Guardian, his Snowfallen perhaps Deerclops, etc.

The description of the torso for his Verdant skin would basically be saying that if Wortox consumed the right soul, his appearance would change to the souls' owner, and he would literally become one with nature. It seems that imps have the power to transform into other things, given the circumstances, and it is said that Pan had the power to transform things as well. Wortox's quote for his Verdant skin is also interesting, "Come into the forest deep, where impish sorts frolic and play!". This may imply that imps and other impish sorts originated from a forest. 

So, where am I getting with this? I don't really know for sure. There might be some sort of forest of nature god, related to Pan, that is an imp or some sort of impish creature that created all the imps. This realm where it would be would obviously be somewhere other than the Constant, supported by Wortox's quote for the Ancient Gateway. This would be where imps got their sense of humor and joyful personalities. It is also supported that a Pan-related creature exists somewhere in the Don't Starve universe with Glommer. Glommer's Statue holds a Pan Flute, which is interesting. Killing Glommer instantly summons Krampii, which implies that Glommer is some sort of sacred creature. Finally, you need Glommer's Goop to make Tree Jam, which helps trees grow to new heights. So obviously Glommer is associated with nature and a nature related imp creature, such as Pan, if such a thing exists.

I don't really know if this post will lead to anything or not, but I thought it would be cool to compile all this information together and share my thoughts. If you have anything else to add, feel free to discuss. 

[Echsrick]

i just not read all of it but are not like all of wortox skins not based of of some mythos or other mystical and magical creatures? so i dont see why suddenly 1 skin is like full on lore if thats wortox skin theme all the time

i mean that only means we technicaly know all of wortoxes future skins because there all based of all that

[Falkenpelz]

I think, the Wortox skins just show his similarities with other mythical creatures without actually meaning he is one of them. He has a dragon skin, a minotaur skin, a gargoyle skin and so on. But I really the Wortox-Pan comparison. Pan is also known for sometimes being quite mischievious, as he likes to spook creatures sleeping in the sun of noon, causing the so called panic. And satyrs in general are often depicted as seductors and as being quite... s*xually active, but I really don't wanna draw any further connection to Wortox here...

[Zeklo]

The become one with nature quote is interesting but I think a lot of the rest are being looked into too deep.

For example, lots of mischievous (impish) beings in folklore to come from the forest. So it's not surprising a Satyr skin would have flavor text like that. It could be an excuse to hint at lore I suppose, but just as easily not.

Also a fawn is not the same as a faun (neither is fawning but we can amount that to a pun).

Glommer connections are ignoring what we already know about the game too. Glommer spawns Krampus on death because it's an innocent creature, albiet extreme. Glommer Goop is used in Tree Jam because it's a type of fertilizer. It could have double meaning, but the only reason to assume a second meaning is to back up the theory.

[Tim S.]

I like this idea! Although I too find the Glommer-tangent to be a bit far-fetched, I welcome the explanation for the pan-flute lying around this mysterious shrine.

First I'd like to add that Wortox may be inspired by satyrs and fauns, but he cartainly displays typical "demonlike" characteristics not related to satyrs (e.g. him being repelled by salt), so imps in DST are clearly their own thing.

Secondly (and more importantly) I imagine Wortox (and especially his verdant-skin) to be inspired heavily by Robin Goodfellow a.k.a. Puck from English folklore and popularized by Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream" who is described as being a sprite, demon, or fairy. In line with Wortox' impish, mischievous nature, Puck (being a typical folklore-imp/fairy) is known for stealing household items and pulling pranks (especially so in Shakespeare's play) 

I suppose, this ain't a coincidence, given his quote for Corvus Goodfeather literally being from a quote from Puck in the play.
CARNIVAL_HOST = "How now, spirit? Whither wander you?",

Spoiler

SCENE I. A wood near Athens.

Enter, from opposite sides, a Fairy, and PUCK

PUCK

How now, spirit! whither wander you?

Fairy

Over hill, over dale,
Thorough bush, thorough brier,
Over park, over pale,
Thorough flood, thorough fire,
I do wander everywhere,
Swifter than the moon's sphere;
And I serve the fairy queen,
To dew her orbs upon the green.
The cowslips tall her pensioners be:
In their gold coats spots you see;
Those be rubies, fairy favours,
In those freckles live their savours:
I must go seek some dewdrops here
And hang a pearl in every cowslip's ear.
Farewell, thou lob of spirits; I'll be gone:
Our queen and all our elves come here anon.

[...]

(Puck from folklore)

(Puck as imagined in Shakespeare's play)

[minespatch]

I assumed Wortox's new skin was inspired by Del Toro's Pan from Pan's Labyrinth due to the swirls and colors.

[ArubaroBeefalo]

19 minutes ago, Tim S. said:

Secondly (and more importantly) I imagine Wortox (and especially his verdant-skin) to be inspired heavily by Robin Goodfellow a.k.a. Puck from English folklore and popularized by Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream" who is described as being a sprite, demon, or fairy. In line with Wortox' impish, mischievous nature, Puck (being a typical folklore-imp/fairy) is known for stealing household items and pulling pranks (especially so in Shakespeare's play) 

I suppose, this ain't a coincidence, given his quote for Corvus Goodfeather literally being from a quote from Puck in the play.
CARNIVAL_HOST = "How now, spirit? Whither wander you?",

and we all know how much klei likes shakespear with hamlet

[thegreatJash]

7 hours ago, Tim S. said:

Secondly (and more importantly) I imagine Wortox (and especially his verdant-skin) to be inspired heavily by Robin Goodfellow a.k.a. Puck from English folklore and popularized by Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream" who is described as being a sprite, demon, or fairy. In line with Wortox' impish, mischievous nature, Puck (being a typical folklore-imp/fairy) is known for stealing household items and pulling pranks (especially so in Shakespeare's play) 

I like this connection. Though I do think the fact that Wortox is holding a Pan Flute in his portrait for his Verdant kinda tells us that this is inspired from the greek god Pan. However, multiple inspirations isn't off the table. I wonder if Wortox quotes Shakespeare anywhere else in his quotes?