MOUNDSHROUD : Full Origin Story + background mythology
(This is my humble attempt to address the mythology of the Halloween Tree Universe. I'd appreciate any feedback or suggestions to improve or edit it. I have based my research on Bradbury's book, the movie, various websites & blogs - and interviews with Bradbury.)
Carapace Clavicle Moundshroud is an ancient spirit being who can only harvest souls on one day of the year – Halloween. The veil between the material and spirit world is thought to be thinnest at that time, allowing him to cross back and forth more easily. Over thousands of years he has developed a great affinity for various cultural traditions regarding death around the world, since that is when he is able to visit our realm most often.
His name speaks to burial mounds of ancient times, and how he could “shroud” (or cover) them to collect the escaping souls rather than allowing them to depart to the realm of the afterlife.
“Carapace” is a term for a turtle’s outer shell, that which contains all the living organs, and the soul, of the animal.
“Clavicle” is a slender bone in humans that supports the shoulders (and head), I believe this represents the thin branches of The Halloween Tree which support the soul-storage pumpkin “heads”.
Moundshroud originally began his existence as a Hamadryad, which is a spirit-being that lives in a tree (these are *not* eternal beings). Hamadryads are born 'bonded' to a particular tree, and when the tree dies - so do they. When he discovered the secret for capturing human souls and trapping them in his special pumpkins (which he then grafted onto his branches to feed upon), it turned him towards a darker path.
He became a whole new type of Being - one that could live forever.
Source (Wikipedia): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamadryad
Many of his first victims would have been people who died naturally and during other times of the year than Hallows Eve, but over time – as the tree (and his power) grew, the universal forces banished Moundshroud to the spirit realm in an attempt to restore balance. His tree could no longer exist in both worlds, so he had to follow the it into the Spirit realm. Now he can only harvest additional souls on one day of the year.
Moundshroud gains both life-energy and spirit-power from his victims, so he targets those who are young - as they are the choicest, purest souls. As people age, they lose a lot of that special magic and power – though the life-energy of a good person will always be superior to that of a bad one. Pipkin was a prime catch for him as he represented the best of all human traits and was a boy of purest heart – a ‘holy grail’ for Moundshroud.
When Moundshroud says "[Pip's] debt came early", he is referring to death (the ultimate debt which all humans must pay, some early - some late).
The souls that Moundshroud harvests are trapped in a purgatory of sorts (The Halloween Tree). The imprisoned souls provide Moundshroud with energy that he can feed upon, and which gives him his powers of time travel, shape-shifting and flight. He is very careful to never fully deplete a single soul, for over thousands of years he has become a “collector” of souls which he cherishes & hoards, like a dragon cherishes it’s gold.
Despite being a very powerful being, Moundshroud has also become very jaded and bored with existence after so many thousands of years. The idea of bargaining for Pip’s soul amused him, as well as the chance that he might be able to somehow acquire the other children’s souls (using their love of Pip against them). The night he spent with the children travelling across time in pursuit of Pipkin was the most fun he’d had in centuries. However, Pip’s soul was still one he coveted dearly.
Accepting the offer of “one year of life” to allow Pip to survive was really a ‘devil’s bargain’. He did nobody a favor!
When he comes calling upon the other children at the end of their lives, their souls become his property and will be trapped inside pumpkins of their own - connected to the Halloween Tree for eternity!
He essentially acquired three decent souls for a single superior one, which is “good business” indeed!
For a being that has lived for countless eons, and will live for countless more - this was a wise investment.
Notes:
I do not think Moundshroud is necessarily an "evil" being, but he is 100% self-serving and his decisions reflect that outlook. He sees himself as a vastly superior being compared to humanity.
While we see Moundshroud as a withered old man, his true form is the Tree itself. The 'old man' is a spiritual projection the Tree uses to harvest souls and perform other duties. He and the Tree are one, much like Christ and God are one entity.
Also, I don't think the trapped souls exist in a state of torment. I believe them to be in a state of suspended animation with limited awareness, or perhaps even an enjoyable dream state (like the capsules in the Matrix). It's in Moundshroud's best interest that each soul continues to burn brightly with hope, as this would provide the best energy to feed upon.
References:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Halloween_Tree
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ray_Bradbury
http://oshalloween.com/halloween-tree-by-ray-bradbury/
http://the-haunted-closet.blogspot.com/2009/10/halloween-tree-1972-ray -bradbury.html
http://zettasaprons.blogspot.com/2013/09/ray-bradburys-halloween-tree. html
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/wildhunt/2012/06/ray-bradbury-and-the-hal loween-tree.html
http://leavesandpages.com/2013/10/31/ray-bradburys-halloween-tree-a-la rge-dose-of-nostalgia-and-maybe-something-more/