So I recently read through all three volumes of The Dark Crystal: Creation Myths, and this was something that I’ve been thinking about.
In the first volume, a Gelfling bard sails out in search of a song, and eventually finds an urSkek, singing a desperately sad song that makes the Gelfling never want to sing again. In this same comic, we learn the urSkeks are exiles, having been driven out of their home planet for crimes of heresy, and they hope to use the Great Conjunction to purify themselves and go home.
Of course, we know that doesn’t happen–the plan goes wrong, and the urSkeks are instead split into two beings: the urRu (or Mystics) and Skeksis.
But HOW this happens is described in Volume 2. Long story short, a number of factors cause the aforementioned urSkeks to reveal he has a dark heart corrupted by anger and sadness, spurred on by a Gelfling playing him the song he’d sung before, and being taunted by Augrah’s son. It is this dark heart within him that causes the Great Conjunction ritual to not go as planned.
But this has left me wondering… who is this urSkeks? Which urRu and Skeksis did he become?
Well… that’s where things get… interesting.
At first I thought it wasn’t really possible to tell, partially because the urSkeks are basically impossible to tell apart and don’t really have any distinctions in the way they speak (unless I’m missing something), and also since the Skeksis and urRu here look very different at the start–they’re significantly skinnier and obviously not rotting while they’re still alive.
But…
We do see him split.
Note the beak marking on the Skeksis.
As well, shortly afterward, we’re treated to this…
MMMMMMMMM… indeed.
So, yes.
SkekSil has been ruining everything from the very beginning.
