Changes: Shadow of the statue

Revision as of 01:15, 9 September 2010

"What lies in the shadow of the statue?" is a question used by Bram and Ilana as a cryptic test to apparently reveal important information about the person questioned. The question has been raised three times by members of the same mysterious group. It probably has some larger significance beyond the group since Richard of the Others knew of the question and its answer, but did not know of the group. The answer to the question is "Ille qui nos omnes servabit", which is Latin for "He who will serve us all". ("The Incident, Part 2")

Los Angeles (2004)

Miles was walking down the street at night when a dark van carrying a number of people pulled up alongside him. Bram, a stranger to Miles, invited him into the van to talk, and challenged him with the question, "Do you know what lies in the shadow of the statue?" When Miles responded in the negative, he told Miles that working for Charles Widmore would be a mistake, and offered that all of Miles's questions about his abilities and purpose would be answered if he would join their cause. Miles bargained for more money, asking Bram's team to double the $1.6 million Widmore was willing to pay him. Bram declined and had Miles thrown out of the vehicle. ("Some Like It Hoth")

Hydra Island/The Island (2007)

Shadowofthestatue — The view from the hollow pedestal beneath the statue, where Jacob lives

After Lapidus returned to the Hydra Island, he was met by a survivor who told him that "they" had taken over because "they" had guns. Lapidus discovered Ilana and Bram near the Ajira crate. When he tried to assess the situation, Ilana asked, "What lies in the shadow of the statue?" Frank was confused, and Bram shouted, "Answer the question!" When Frank didn't know how to respond, Ilana knocked him unconscious with the butt of her gun and ordered Bram to gather the others; it was time to go and they were bringing Frank with them. ("Dead Is Dead")

When Ilana later posed the question to Richard on the main island, he responded "Ille qui nos omnes servabit," Latin for "He/that which shall serve us all." Jacob lived in a chamber beneath the statue with a skylight— literally in the shadow of the statue. Potentially of interest is that the portion of the statue most readily visible from this viewpoint— the left leg— is the only part of the statue still intact when Flight 815 crashed. ("The Incident, Part 2")

Cultural references

The poem "On a Stupendous Leg of Granite" by Horace Smith reads:

In Egypt's sandy silence, all alone

Stands a gigantic Leg, which far off throws

The only shadow that the Desert knows.

"I am great Ozymandias," saith the stone,

"The King of kings: this mighty city shows

The wonders of my hand." The city's gone!

Naught but the leg remaining to disclose

The sight of that forgotten Babylon.

We wonder, and some hunter may express

Wonder like ours, when through the wilderness

Where London stood, holding the wolf in chase,

He meets some fragment huge, and stops to guess

What wonderful, but unrecorded, race

Once dwelt in that annihilated place."

Ozymandias by Shelley, is a better known sonnet regarding an ancient statue that is the only visible remnant of a lost civilization. It was published earlier than Horace Smith's version but the ruins of the statue has different details, such as two legs instead of one.

Trivia

According to The Incident, Parts 1 & 2-Enhanced transcript Richard's answer translated from Latin is "He who will save us all."
According to the LOST University Placement test, "Ille qui nos omnes servabit" translates to "He who will protect us all."
However, both are wrong. It means "He who/that which will serve us all". "He who will save us all" should be "(Ille) Qui nos omnes salvabit".
Its use is similar to the Snowman joke used by Dharma Initiative personnel, to acknowledge each other as part of the Initiative, or, at least, as part of the Swan personnel).

Unanswered questions

Unanswered questions
Do not answer the questions here. Keep the questions open-ended and neutral: do not suggest an answer. More details...

For fan theories about these unanswered questions, see: Shadow of the statue/Theories

@@ Line 42: / Line 42: @@
 *According to the [http://www.lostuniversity.org LOST University Placement test], "Ille qui nos omnes servabit" translates to ''"He who will protect us all."''
 *However, both are wrong. It means "He who/that which will serve us all". "He who will save us all" should be "(Ille) Qui nos omnes salvabit".
-*Its use is similar to the [[Snowman joke]] used by [[Dharma Initiative]] personnel, to acknowledge each other.
+*Its use is similar to the [[Snowman joke]] used by [[Dharma Initiative]] personnel, to acknowledge each other as part of the Initiative, or, at least, as part of [[the Swan]] personnel).
 == Unanswered questions ==