Guess who’s been doing historical/religious analyses again? I started going down this path while working on that “Behind the Bastards talks about Belos” fanfic narrative, and decided I should actually finish this thing I started years ago.
Puritanism in the Boiling Isles, but Not How You’d Expect
A Comparison of Puritan Theology and Society with Messages and Imagery Present in The Owl House
“Puritan” holds a number of connotations for people today. Witch hunting is one (hey, this is an Owl House analysis, gotta acknowledge it). Sex-repressed is another one, and bigotry beyond that. None of those are entirely fair in the historical context. Witch hunting, yes, to an extent, however that was widespread throughout the 17th century regardless of religious sect. Sex-repressed isn’t entirely deserved. They were relatively sex-positive, provided sex was in the confines of marriage. They were more extreme on the enforcement of the marital limitation, but they also punished men who failed to please their wives. And bigotry is…complicated. Like with witch-hunting, they weren’t particularly unique in that regard. The form it took, however, was not the form it took elsewhere.
This is not to say Puritans were good, or even morally neutral compared to everybody else. No, they very much sucked, and the positive impacts of the society they built in New England are few in comparison with the harms. Those harms have stuck with us, but by focusing on the stereotypes, we excuse ourselves from deconstructing them.
As part of that deconstruction, one of the most remarkable things about The Owl House is how we see Puritanism displayed. Not in Gravesfield, mind you. That’s all stereotypical tourist-friendly Puritanism. I’m talking about Puritanism in the Boiling Isles.
This essay is an analysis of the way we see the reality of Puritanism in The Owl House. We call Belos a cult leader. Well, that’s because the world he was raised in was a cult. We see a world that enforces conformity, shunning and imprisoning those who refuse to fit the mold. That is a major component of Puritanism. We see the way the people closest to the Emperor, his own coven, are denied fun and relaxation so they claim being “better.” That is possibly the most Puritan thing in the entire show.
To make it clear: I am NOT going to be talking about witch hunting in this essay, other than the occasional aside. Number 1: it was hardly unique to Puritans, and frankly, I think the focus on it is overblown in terms of this show anyway. Witch-hunting was, in my opinion, Belos’ coping strategy, the same way Azura was Luz’s. You can read my essay elucidating my thoughts on the matter here:
💬 0 🔁 14 ❤️ 27 · It Was Never About the Witches - An Analysis of Belos’ Motivations from a Narrative, Historical, and Human Perspective ·
Number 2: It’s not relevant to what I am trying to explore. This is about the more subtle ways Puritanism works its way into who Belos is, the empire he created, and how the character of Luz provides a counterpoint to all of it. This is an exploration of how Belos was able to incorporate Puritanism into a world of witches and demons. Through this, it will hopefully be easier to see the ongoing toxic legacy of the Puritans on modern society.
I will be splitting this essay into two parts. Part 1 explores the impacts of Calvinism, the theological framework that characterized the Puritan movement. Part 2 will explore ideas that Puritans developed in England from framework, incorporating it into the society they created in New England. The nature of that split means that Part 1 is going to be more character-focused, looking primarily at Belos’ motivations, but also the way we see anti-Calvinist themes in the arcs of other characters, primarily Luz and Caleb. Understanding Calvinism provides a means for understanding who likely Caleb was, because it means understanding exactly how much of his core identity he would need to leave behind to leave the Human Realm.
Part 2 Will focus more on the Boiling Isles as a whole. That is where I will be exploring how we see Puritanism in Belos’ empire.
Part 1: The Impacts of Calvinism
The Origins of Protestantism In England
To understand how Belos brought his society of origin to the Boiling Isles, it is helpful to understand that society. Understanding that means understanding some of what Puritans were reacting against. That starts with the Protestant Reformation.
The exact start of the Reformation is less important to this particular discussion, but, in summary, throughout the Medieval Period, the Roman Catholic Church had a monopoly on religion in Western Europe. As tends to happen in any group with so much power, corruption is incredibly common. The early reformers such as John Wycliffe and Jan Hus had definite grievances, and the Church came down hard on them. Eventually with Martin Luther, an opposition would gain a foothold in Europe, aided largely by the invention of the printing press. Self-ruling cities in the Holy Roman Empire (Germany) would become relatively safe havens for those disillusioned with Catholicism to develop their theology.
Henry VIII wants a Divorce
Protestantism came to England for considerably less high-minded reasons. Protestantism came to England because the Catholic Church wouldn’t grant Henry VIII an annulment of his marriage to Catherine of Aragon, which would allow him to marry Anne Boleyn. Henry already had a wandering eye, but Catherine had reached menopause, only providing Henry with one surviving child, a daughter, Mary. Henry’s quest for a male heir is a thing of infamy. The Catholic Church wouldn’t give Henry what he wanted.
Those of the Protestant bent residing in England saw an opening, although it was not entirely people like Thomas Cromwell whispering in Henry’s ear. A whole lot of it was Henry being pissed at being told “no” and taking it out on the priests and bishops in England. Henry would get his annulment, marry Anne, and pass the first Act of Supremacy, making himself the head of the Church of England.
Religion under Henry was largely indistinguishable from Catholicism, except where it benefited Henry, like the dissolution of the monasteries to get the Church’s money. He would, famously, only have a daughter, Elizabeth, with Anne Boleyn. He would have Anne beheaded. He eventually had his desired son, Edward, with his third wife, Jane Seymour, who would die less than 2 weeks after.
Edward was only 9 years old when he became King Edward VI. His regency council had a considerably more Protestant bent, one which Edward shared. He wasn’t just a manipulated kid; he was a true believer. Many will point to this as the true schism between the English Church and Catholicism, because all of the CoE offshoots (in particular American Evangelicalism) really don’t like admitting the divorce-based roots.
During Edward’s reign, the Book of Common Prayer was authorized, providing the Church of England with a source for prayers and liturgy. The Act of Uniformity of 1549 would remove Catholic rituals considered superstitious from Anglican worship services. The same year would see clerical marriage be legalized, and soon, the remaining traditionalist bishops would be removed from office or forced to resign. Catholic clerical vestments would be confiscated to fill the royal coffers. A second Book of Common Prayer was published when church leaders argued that the original was still too Catholic. This was all within Edward’s five year reign.
Mary Tudor Makes it Personal
There’s someone we forgot in all this: Henry’s eldest daughter, Mary. To say that Henry did not treat the teenaged Mary well during his “Great Matter” would be an understatement. When Henry’s marriage to her mother was annulled, Mary officially became a bastard, removed from the line of succession. The same would happen to Elizabeth after Anne’s execution. Elizabeth was considerably younger, however, and wouldn’t hold quite the same resentment. It was all that she knew.
Henry VIII’s daughters would not be restored to the line of succession until Catherine Parr, Henry’s sixth and final wife, persuaded him to pass the Third Succession Act of 1544. When Henry died in 1547, however, Mary still had to endure her younger brother’s reign. He put considerably more pressure on her to recant her Catholicism than her father had. She spent most of her time at the estates inherited from her father, appearing in court as little as possible. In spite of that, the tension between Mary and Edward was so great that during one Christmas party, they engaged in a shouting match that brought both to tears.
Edward would die at 14, and after a short stint (< 2 weeks) where the Reformers attempted to install Edward’s cousin, Jane Grey, as queen, Mary would become Mary I, the first undisputed queen regnant of England. She would immediately set about re-establishing Catholicism as the official religion in England with the fury of one who, somewhat understandably, saw Protestantism as the source of every misery in her life.
Given the Catholicism, this meant stake burnings for heresy. SO many stake burnings.
(Witchy side note: Puritans didn’t burn purported witches at the stake. Stake burnings were too Catholic. Also, the Puritan John Foxe kinda made getting rid of them his life’s mission, but more on him in Part 2 Edit: Part 3. This went long.)
Mary’s wrath would send many prominent ministers and theologians into exile on the continent. Many of them would find shelter in Geneva, Switzerland. It is here where they would meet John Calvin and be exposed to his teachings.
Calvinism and its visibility in The Owl House
John Calvin was a French theologian and minister who would eventually make his home in Geneva, Switzerland, establishing a church there. He was a key proponent of Reformed Theology, which was largely about further separating Christianity from Catholicism. It is worth noting that Calvinist, or Reformed, is not a sect of Christianity. It is more of a descriptor. “Reformed” typically means “this denomination, but with Calvinism.” Or more Calvinism, as the case may be. But what exactly is Calvinism?
Tulips Should Just Be Flowers
Calvinism has five major tenets. They are remembered using the acronym “TULIP,” which, c’mon, what did tulips ever do to you? I suppose that it’s somewhat appropriate as the Netherlands during the Tulip Mania was largely Calvinist, but that’s more of a coincidence.
(Tulip Mania is wild. In summary, during the 17th century, tulips in Holland were like NFTs, or like Beanie Babies before them. Holland being largely Calvinist was one reason for this, because Calvinists value austerity. It was socially acceptable to display your wealth with cool flowers, though, hence it turning into an economic bubble.)
But I digress. The five tenets of Calvinism are as follows:
T: Total Depravity. Humans are, by their nature, completely corrupt. There is no innate good in them.
U: Unconditional Election. God doesn’t care how shitty you were prior to accepting him. If you are one of God’s chosen, you are one of God’s chosen.
L: Limited Atonement. Jesus’ Christ’s sacrifice works only for those whom God has elected.
I: Irresistible Grace. If you are one of the elect, you don’t have a choice in the matter. You will always accept God’s grace. You were chosen before you were born; it is not a question of if you will accept grace, it is when.
P: Perseverance of the Saints. There’s no take-backs. Once you accept grace, God will work in you to make you one of the saints. Turning away from Him is an indication that you were never one of the elect in the first place.
To better understand these tenets, well, that is where The Owl House comes in.
Unconditional Election, or, the Idea of Being “Special”
One of the overarching themes of the Owl House is the deconstruction of the “chosen one” narrative. Luz wants to be the chosen one, but is disabused of that notion pretty quickly. Belos believes he is the chosen one, and will go to extreme lengths to discount any evidence to the contrary. Both Luz and Phillip were raised on Chosen One stories, however, Luz was raised with the knowledge that they were fictional.
Phillip was not. Phillip was raised with the idea of predestination, a word that primarily encompasses the “unlimited election” aspect of Calvinism, as well as some aspects of the other four. Phillip was raised to believe he was one of the Elect, one of God’s chosen. He was among a select few for whom Christ had made atonement.
The very existence of the Boiling Isles should have raised some questions in Phillip’s head, but when you have been raised to believe you are one of God’s special boys, it is incredibly hard to give that up.
Irresistible Grace as seen in Belos’ Offer to Luz
The other aspects of Calvinism are largely encompassed by the idea of moral absolutism. Calvinist thinking is extremely black-and-white. While there is some room for shades of grey prior to someone hearing the word of God, after that point, that’s it. That was one of the justifications for the Puritan colonization of the Americas: spreading the word of God amongst the Indigenous. You gotta give everybody the chance to receive God’s grace. If they don’t want that grace, well, clearly they aren’t among God’s chosen. THEN you can wipe them out.
Puritans really liked the idea of “Praying Indians.” It was validation for their actions. Racism was, in general, far more subtle amongst the Puritans. It was that sort of condescending racism that tries to seem benevolent, but is fundamentally infantilizing. Oh, those people just haven’t heard about Jesus yet; they don’t know better.
I bring this up primarily to explore the dynamic between Belos and Luz. I often see people comment on Belos attempting to get Luz, an Afro-Latina girl, on his side. They are surprised that he is not overtly racist or sexist towards her. No, his behaviour is entirely consistent with Puritan behaviour.
Puritans were, on the surface, less overtly racist and sexist than many other colonizers. Less is the operating word. If you were willing to play their game, they were cool with you. Playing their game meant you were one of the elect, and they aren’t going to shun one of God’s chosen. However, if you were in any of those marginalized groups, they would come down even harder upon you if you refused, or even if you didn’t play by their exact rules.
The hand of “friendship” that Belos proffers is exactly the sort of evangelism that Belos would believe was the proper way of dealing with the human heathen. Give God the opportunity to do his magic. If He didn’t, then clearly this person isn’t among His elect. THEN you can kill them. (Diplomatic limitations aside. Belos doesn’t have those.)
The Disposability of The Depraved
Human, of course, is the operative word in the last paragraph. That does not apply to the witches and demons of the Boiling Isles. The only reason he needs to even try to play nice with witches and demons is because of the aforementioned “diplomatic limitations.” Particularly early on, he needs to be affable to remain alive. Palisman eating isn’t going to save him if somebody throws him off a cliff before he can eat a Palisman.
Witches and demons are completely disposable otherwise. Providing the opportunity for grace only applies to humans. Witches and Demons are, like humans, totally depraved, but, unlike humans, there is no hope of salvation for them. Humans matter, in spite of race, because God might still choose them. He’d never choose a witch or a demon.
The idea of total depravity doesn’t, by default, express as anger and hatred at those who do not profess your beliefs. It expresses as indifference.
I often see people surprised by how “chill” Belos seems regarding gender and sexuality in the Boiling Isles. However, that’s how the idea of total depravity messes with your head. Any queer folks run into evangelicals pretending their sexuality is no big deal because “all have sinned”? It’s like that. I haven’t found much historical evidence regarding Puritan views on homosexuality, so I really can’t comment from a historical angle. From a personal experience angle? To Calvinists, non-conformance to cis-heteronormativity is just as bad as murder. Everybody is just as bad as everybody else without God’s influence. Belos is “tolerant” of these things because they are already witches and demons. Why should he care?
Caring about issues like that generally requires it to be personal. People jump to the idea of the closeted bigot far too quickly, but that stereotype does exist for a reason. Something being personal doesn’t mean it is a supposed sin you feel personal shame for, however. Sometimes it is because you see it as a corrupting influence on the people you care about. Many times, that bigotry is because that group has been made a scapegoat for all your problems.
When you believe that all sins are equal, making a big fuss about some sin being committed by a group that is outside of God’s grace is simply not worth the energy. Unless gender non-conformity or queerness starts actually affecting Belos, it won’t be something he will be concerned with. He wants to kill all these people anyway.
Self-Delusional Atonement, or, How to Succeed in Calvinism Without Really Trying
The idea of Total Depravity will mess with your head in ways other than how you see and treat others. Calvinism is a theology that can be incredibly difficult to hold to if you possess any amount of negative self-talk. Every mistake will have you questioning your status among the elect. Yes, there is the atonement of Christ, but that atonement is limited only to the elect. What if you have been fooling yourself this entire time? What if your mistakes are a sign that your sins have not been atoned for?
Limited Atonement tends to incentivize a certain level of self-delusion. Never questioning your status among the elect is mentally safer. However, that tends to deny people a certain level of self-reflection. You’re one of God’s chosen; He wouldn’t let you go down a path of evil! If you can justify something as part of God’s plan, it’s good, clearly! Genocide is in the Bible, y’all! Any sins before God granted you grace don’t matter, they’ve all been atoned for! That also extends to sins made since, although there will be some expectation that you aren’t going to go scenery chewing villain in front of people.
Belos doesn’t have a Puritan community around him to call him out on going scenery-chewing villain. He only has his own delusions. He doesn’t question his own use of magic in his goals, because he failed to consider that the use of magic for him would be a bad thing. Ends justify the means! Killing all witches is a good thing, so him using magic is a good thing! Right?
Caleb, the Grimwalkers, and the Perseverance of The Saints Denial of Agency
Possibly the most tragic expression of Calvinism, or, at least, Belos’ twisted interpretation of it, is in Caleb and the cycle of Grimwalkers. The moral absolutism that accompanies the “perseverance of the saints” is a pain that many ex-evangelicals know well. The story goes as this:
You are living your life the best as you can, in a way consistent with your beliefs. You devote yourself to your faith, to the things you are taught in the Bible. Many times you may question, because as humans, we are all imperfect, and every mistake has you questioning your salvation. But you keep trying, because, with every ounce of your being, that is what you believe.
Eventually though, something breaks. Maybe somebody in the church hurts you. Maybe you see the church hurt others. Maybe you realize things about yourself that make evangelicalism untenable, queerness being a common example. Maybe you are hit with the sort of tragedy that causes you to question the existence of a loving God. Maybe you get outside the evangelical bubble and realize that the idea of “total depravity” is rubbish, that most people don’t need the threat of hell to be nice to others. Maybe you are just too damn tired.
So it all falls apart. It doesn’t often happen all at once, but once you start questioning some things you start questioning others. Maybe you find your faith somewhere else, whether it be in a different sect of Christianity, or a new religion entirely. Maybe your faith becomes far more personal, separated from any church. Maybe you lose your faith entirely. Exactly what happens doesn’t matter. You aren’t doing Christianity correctly. Losing your faith means you never had it to begin with. You were never saved. You were always a devil in disguise.
Many family members that subscribe to Calvinism would write off the apostate family member. They will just refuse to talk about that person. They are lost to God, that means they are lost to the family. Sometimes though, the family member, most often parents, cannot handle that this person would choose differently than them. They will lash out, doing everything they can to regain control of that person’s life. True autonomy does not exist in the confines of Calvinism. God does not give you a choice. Why should your family?
How Caleb and the grimwalkers created from his bones fit into this is likely obvious. It’s why I personally latched onto his story. Caleb chose to leave. This wasn’t a case of a disagreement with some minutia of dogma that caused him to be kicked out. If that was the case, he could still tell himself that he was correct, but that his fundamental worldview didn’t have to change. No, Caleb left. Caleb chose witches and demons, in spite of every indoctrinated fiber of his being screaming at him. He was choosing explicitly to go against God, and that meant that his faith was never that strong to begin with. He did some unforgivable things in service of that faith; he was party to the witch hunts after all. Choosing the Demon Realm meant acknowledging that his actions were unforgivable, and furthermore abandoning any hope of forgiveness. This was not just following a pretty face on an impulse. The existence of the rebuses proves that this was planned. Caleb came from a world that told him true autonomy was an illusion, and he chose to leave in spite of it.
I can have some sympathy for Phillip in this situation. Caleb’s choice not only meant that he was leaving Phillip at that moment, but he was choosing against the hope of an eternity in Heaven with Phillip. Caleb clearly didn’t mean that to mean never having his brother in his life again, but he knew all they had was this life. But, as much as abandoning his faith would be a big deal for Caleb, it would just as much be a big deal for Phillip.
Not that any of that excuses Phillip’s actions, but it does provide some explanation. Fundamentally, Phillip could not respect Caleb’s choice, in part because he had been indoctrinated to believe that Caleb making that choice meant that Caleb was never the good person Phillip saw him as. The motivation of every good thing Caleb had ever done for Phillip would be put into question.
The answer to that should have been either to realize that Caleb choosing this now did not negate his past actions, or, barring that, to accept Caleb’s decision and let him go. Phillip couldn’t do that though. There is no way within the Calvinist framework to justify Caleb’s murder. I certainly have my theories, but those are outside of this discussion. Calvinism just helps to explain Phillip’s emotional turmoil.
To make it worse, Phillip couldn’t even accept his brother’s death at his hands. He had to make the grimwalkers. And eventually, each one would “betray” him. It was almost inevitable. Caleb chose the Demon Realm, having been in the Puritan cult. The Grimwalkers only knew the Demon realm. And, to be clear, given the Puritan view of autonomy (or lack thereof), I do not believe that many of them truly betrayed Belos. Some of them may have fallen in love with witches, but I don’t think that “betrayal” required a purported crime of that scale. Belos expressed his desire to kill Hunter long before Huntlow was a possibility. I think the betrayal was any choice that shattered the Caleb-shaped illusion, the same way the actual Caleb did. If this version was better, he wouldn’t have thought he had a choice to begin with.
This is why Hunter choosing what he wanted, regardless of what he felt he “owed” his uncle, regardless of how similar or dissimilar his desires were to those of his ortet, was such a huge part of his character arc. It was what he wanted.
We also see an exploration of choice in Luz’s character arc. While she is disavowed of the notion of being special in a good way pretty quickly, she holds onto the notion that, because of how she helped Phillip in the past, she is destined to become like Belos. This all-or-nothing obsession over one mistake leads her to her darkest moments. However, even with that fear in the back of her mind, when it comes down to it, Luz will always choose kindness. And, when the time comes, she chooses to accept Papa Titan’s power in order to defeat Belos once and for all.
It wasn’t fate. It wasn’t destiny. It wasn’t because of some innate goodness or evil inside of her. She was there, she had the opportunity, and she chose to do something about it.
That’s it for part 1. I’m hoping I will get part 2 done next weekend. Optimistically I can get most of it done on weeknights, but we shall see.
💬 0 🔁 0 ❤️ 0 · Puritanism in the Boiling Isles Part 2: The Origins of Puritanism and Puritan Theology, and its Impacts · I thought this wa