Jacob's cabin/Theories

From Lostpedia

Main Article

Theories about Jacob's cabin

Main Discussion

Theories may be removed if ...

Stated as questions or possibilities (avoid question marks, "Maybe", "I think", etc). More appropriate for another article. Illogical or previously disproven. Proven by canon source, and moved to main article. Speculative and lacking any evidence to support arguments. Responding to another theory (use discussion page instead). This does not include responses that can stand alone as its own theory. Usage of an indented bullet does not imply the statement is a response. See the Lostpedia theory policy for more details.

Contents 1 Whose Cabin is it? 1.1 Jacob's 1.2 Jacob's Nemesis' 2 Origin 3 Grey powder (Ring of Ash) 3.1 Composition 3.2 Function 4 Appearances and Disappearances

Whose Cabin is it?

Jacob's

• It was Jacob in the cabin. He'd been hiding there because, due to the ring of ash, it was the only place he was safe from his nemesis. When the ring was broken, perhaps inadvertently by Hurley or Locke, he was susceptible to his enemy, so he left and took refuge under the Statue. He even left a note - pinned to the wall with a knife - telling Ilana & Bram where he could be found.
  • It was Jacob's cabin, but he was already gone from the cabin when Locke and Ben first visit the cabin. As seen in "The Incident, Parts 1 & 2", he can be touched and has a "human" body, but that "person" Locke saw in the cabin asking him for help was not human, it was a vision, so the Nemesis had already started to manipulate him even then. He manipulated Locke into killing Naomi, sending Ben off the island, dying so the he could impersonate him afterwards, and so on to everything we have seen up to "The Incident, Parts 1 & 2".
    • Nemesis tried to get to Jack and Claire too, but Locke was the one with the disposition to blindly follow orders. It has been using him from the beginning, since it pulled him into the hole back in season one's finale.
• It could either be that, 1) Jacob's nemesis was the one trapped in the cabin, asking Locke to help him. He used Christian's body until he could get closer to Jacob using Locke's body. or, 2) Jacob's Nemesis kept Jacob locked in the cabin, while he was out impersonating Christian, looking for his loophole in order to kill Jacob. However, somehow, Jacob managed to escape the cabin.
• The cabin was originally Jacob's. He used it to communicate with Richard and the Others’ leaders (except Ben). The ash circle was there to keep Nemesis out, and thus keep those conferences private. When somebody -- possibly Locke -- broke the circle, Jacob confined himself to the statue, which the Rules state only the Leader may enter. Jacob is able to travel around much like the Monster, and in this way left the knife in the wall.
• Initially Jacob lived in the cabin. The ring of ash was to keep Nemesis out. Then his nemesis, posed as Christian Shephard, used Claire to break the ash, thus threatening Jacob. Jacob then moved to the Statue, while Nemesis inhabited the cabin, waiting for John Locke. When Locke came, "Christian" said that he could speak on Jacob's behalf knowing that Ben would turn the wheel and leave the island so he (Nemesis) could execute his plan of killing Jacob.
• It was Jacob's cabin, but it was Jacob's Nemesis whom Ben and Locke met sitting in the chair in the first visit to the cabin. The man said to Locke "help me", referring to being the loop hole that will eventually lead to the killing of Jacob. The ring of ash was to keep Jacob's Nemesis in, imprisoned by Jacob. When Ilana & Bram visited the burned down cabin they realized that the black ash was disturbed and that the Nemesis has escaped.

Jacob's Nemesis'

• The cabin is not Jacob's cabin, it's Jacob's Nemesis' Cabin. Jacob's Nemesis was imprisoned by Jacob (or his allies: Ilana and Co.) in the cabin, using the circle of ashes. Ilana went to the cabin because she feared that Nemesis has escaped and taken the form of John Locke, and she wants to determine whether Nemesis is still there. She noticed that the circle of ashes is broken, and this worried her because it means that Esau could have escaped. When she went in and found nobody there and the cloth with the picture of the statue, this told her and her people that Nemesis had gone there.
• Jacob never resided in the cabin, it was always Jacob's nemesis that lived there. He was trapped in the cabin by the ash laid around it. When Ilana arrived and noticed that this line of ash was broken, and that the man had likely escaped, she and the rest of the crew were fearful. The picture of the statue was left almost as a mockery, like "This is where you'll find me now." So they burned the cabin and headed to the statue to save Jacob.
  • The picture of the was a final discovery of where Jacob was hiding, as it was held up by a knife.
• Ilana did not go into the cabin expecting to find Jacob -- she expected to find Jacob's nemesis, because the ring of ash has been containing him. The note on the wall is not a signal from Jacob at all -- it's a sort of gloating clue that the Enemy has escaped, and that Jacob's days are numbered. The place has been used to house evil, so Ilana orders it to be destroyed.
• In the episode Dead is Dead when Ben is talking to Sun outside his old house in the barracks John comes stumbling in from the woods. Consider that he went to Jacob's cabin. There, he either 1) realized it was not Jacob that lived there which is why he asked Richard and not Ben to take him to Jacob on the beach, 2) intentionally disturbed the ring of ash, or 3) pinned the cloth image to the wall.
• Jacob's cabin was never Jacob's cabin: it was Jacob's Nemesis’ cabin. The circle of ash was there put by Jacob and his allies to contain Nemesis inside the cabin. When Ilana goes to the cabin she is not looking for Jacob, or Richard. She is going there to check and see if Nemesis is there. She wants to check that before doing anything else because she fears that Nemesis has escaped and taken the form of Locke (as they saw Locke after the crash of Ajira 316), and she wants to make sure. When she realizes that he is not there, and sees the cloth with the picture of the statue, she is worried, because that signals that Nemesis has escaped and is going towards Jacob.
  • Also, when Ben took Locke to the cabin he said that Jacob does not like progress, but he was wrong about that (or lying since he never actually met Jacob). We know that Jacob is not against progress, as seen by his statement at the beginning of The Incident. But that wasn't Jacob’s cabin, it was Nemesis’ cabin and it is Nemesis who does not like progress.
• Jacob's Nemesis was imprisoned in the cabin. When Ilana goes there in "The Incident, Parts 1 & 2", it's not to find Jacob but just to see if Nemesis is still there. When they refer to someone else using the cabin, this is a reference to Claire or Locke who were the last two physical beings that set foot in the cabin. Christian was inhabited by Nemesis, who used that form to trick Claire into breaking the ash circle.
• If we go off the theory that the nemisis has taken on christians form, then Claire or Locke couldn't be responsible for breaking the ash line because he was in the forest as soon as the plane crashed (asuming vincent was concious immediadtly after the crash when he communicates with the form of christian). So either the Nemisis and christian are seperate people (entity's/whatever), or that circle of ash around the cabin is not for containment
• The Cabin always belonged to Jacob's Nemesis, the circle of ash was used to keep him there.The Nemesis either has the ability to inhabit other people's bodies (primarily dead ones) or is bodyless himself and that's why he can only appear in the form of other people (like Voldemort in Harry Potter).We know that Ben has never seen or spoken to Jacob, who prefered to contact the Others via Richard.This fact always offended Ben and the Nemesis being able to scan other people's minds, their memories and emotions used it.He talked to him pretending to be Jacob and that was also a part of the loop.When Locke came to the Cabin, it was the Nemesis's voice saying "Help me".Ben said that Jacob hated progress, in the Incident Jacob states that everything has to happen just once and all the rest is just progress.So it again proves that it was Jacob's Nemesis, since he was against the progress.Someone has broken the circle and therefore the Nemesis got freedom.It was him who posted the piece of tapestry on the wall. Jacob wouldn't destroy his own work. And the picture of the statue was posted with a knife, which is a sign of hostility.Also Locke always ahd a vast collection of knives.And when Flocke asked Richard about Jacob's whereabouts,Alpert took him directly to the statue, he knew that Jacob resided there.

Origin

• Horace was shown building the cabin in Locke's dream in "Cabin Fever" saying that it was a place where he and his wife would go to get away from the DHARMA Initiative.
• The entire cabin and everything from Horace's story including the ring of ash is simply a manifestation of the power on the island that causes the same illusions of the apparitions of characters, animals, etc. This explains why it can change locations, and it can only be found by specific people who have the power to see things that aren't there, including Hurley.
  • This also explains why any information relative to the cabin is usually given in the form of a dream or through illusions, and why the members of the cabin seem to change depending on who's inside (as far as we know). The ring of ash is also part of the illusion, and has some significance to the conjurer, as it is with the cabin itself and its contents. This significance is unclear as of now.
  • While it is true that the "map" to the cabin was found on a real corpse and is an actual physical object, it is merely acting as a fetter, or a channel for Locke to find the real cabin by proxy. The cabin was never actually made; Horace died before it was, but yet, remains a fleeting memory for the one who is creating it.

Grey powder (Ring of Ash)

Composition

• As of "The Incident, Parts 1 & 2", we see Jacob's chamber internally. The fire pit appears to consist of burning grey ash. This is the same ash that surrounded Jacob's cabin.
  • It has been inferred that the ash is what kept Jacob or his nemesis in the cabin. Therefore the ash has some power over them. This is evidenced by how Jacob seemed to burst into flames like he was made of straw when kicked into the fire pit. Also, the fact that Ilana seemed to feel the need to go on the defensive once they found the circle of ash broken at the cabin in "The Incident, Parts 1 & 2", and felt the need to burn the cabin when finding out it was abandoned.
• The powder is ash from a volcanic eruption. Olivia told her students in "The Man Behind the Curtain" that there is an active volcano on the Island, although it hasn't erupted "in a very long time". Additionally, while only semi-canon, the Enhanced Episodes said the line of gray ash around Jacob's cabin is volcanic ash.
• The ash is very likely to be volcanic ash, from the volcano that was/is on the island. But c'mon folks, remember what island we are on. Perhaps the ash has special properties like some of the other areas on the island. It makes perfect sense on this island.
• The substance that surrounds Jacob's cabin is gunpowder: Ben placed it inside and around the house in order to destroy it and anything (or anyone) inside if need be. Gunpowder can be obtained by emptying shell casings from the firearms in use on the Island. Rousseau emptied some cartridges to use the gunpowder as a rudimentary "fuse" for dynamite (nitroglycerin).
• The mysterious substance surrounding Jacob's cabin is "goofer dust", used to cause harm to whomever is inside the circle.
• The ash is the remains of people which Jacob's spirit has inhabited. These people were killed by the MIB and Jacob's followers used the ash to trap him somehow.

Function

• The ash is a means of holding Jacob or Nemesis prisoner within this circle. That is also why, whoever it is, asks Locke to "help me".
  • Or keeping someone out. Horace Goodspeed built the cabin as a place he could get away and relax. The ash is placed there to act as a sort of fence.
    • Note that in a large amount of lore, salt and dust like substances are placed in circular form around places such as homes to ward off or keep out certain things or beings. While it makes perfect since that this may be used to keep beings inside the cabin there are things that would point otherwise. The ash/dust/gunpowder or whatever the substance actually is, was not placed relativity close to the cabin. It was however placed several meters away. This is just a theory, but placing the circle of ash that far away from the cabin to keep something in wouldn't make that much since unless they wanted to give the being some outdoor space to "move they're legs". Placing the substance further away would actually protect the cabin a little more from those outside the circle that could simply just throw a torch at the cabin being that they themselves couldn't pass.
• The powder is Ben's means for fixing the location of the cabin in time and space. The circle must have been broken, hence Hurley sees the cabin in one location and when he turns it is behind him.
• We have seen in multiple episodes that the location of the cabin changes. The powder marks the area that is continually moving along with the cabin.
• The powder keeps the cabin and anything within the circle from moving through time unpredictably like the rest of the Island.
• Jacob/Nemesis is one incarnation of the monster, and the monster also inhabits the gray dust surrounding the cabin.
• The powder is to contain Jacob/The Cabin in one location, making it easier for Ben to locate him if he needs to. Hurley stumbled upon the cabin in the woods and while approaching it, disturbed the circle of powder - lifting the position fix it had. Hence, Locke & Ben cannot find the cabin now as it is moving around the island at will.

Appearances and Disappearances

• The cabin moves all over the island via the same phenomenon that moves the island all over the world. Horace tapped into and localized this phenomenon. When the island shifts around the world the cabin moves to another location on the island. The island and the cabin shifts have to do with electromagnetic hotspots. These electromagnetic hotspots appear to be the cause of much of the island's supernatural properties (healing cancer, undoing infertility, time travel, the island being invisible, perhaps even the visions of the dead).
  • Horace Goodspeed built the cabin as an experiment to recreate, albeit on a smaller scale, the movement of the island. Thus, as the island moves around, the cabin moves around within the island. As a side effect, the cabin becomes unhinged from the island's relative space-time continuum (which in turn is already unhinged from the rest of the world). Thus, to an outside observer, the cabin, unless anchored, skips across the island, just as the island does.
• Jacob's cabin can shift locations and appears only to those who either know where it is, or who are "chosen" (which explains why Ben and Locke can find it, but Richard—according to Ben—doesn't know where it is). When Hurley says, "It could be anywhere," in ("The Economist"), this is literally true. Hurley has seen the cabin change locations.

v • d • e Theories about Locations Flight 815 survivors and Flight 316 survivors Eko's church • Golf course • Hydra Island camp DHARMA, The Others and U.S. Army The Staff • The Arrow • The Swan • The Flame • The Pearl • The Orchid • The Hydra • The Looking Glass • The Tempest • The Temple • The Lamp Post • The Door • The ? • The Barracks • Cages • Capsule dump • Decoy village • Hydra Island • Jacob's cabin • Mass grave • Pala Ferry • Runway • Radio tower • The Incident Room • Tree mark • Sonar fence • The Tunnels • Jughead The Island's locations Alex's hideout • Balloon • Black Rock • Cove • Dark Territory • Beechcraft • Statue of Taweret • Frozen wheel • Jungle • The Line • The Mesa • Pascal Flats • Polar bear cave • Rope bridge • Rousseau's camp • Ruins • Waterfall Off-Island locations The Lamp Post • Commune • Kashmir Curry • Tracking station • Santa Rosa Mental Health Institute • Simon's Butcher Shop • Tunisia • University of Michigan