Some of this theory is based on things I researched online and other parts of it are simply me bridging connections to substantiate it. Either way it should hopefully be an interesting read. It links in and improves upon two other theories I have written called “In the Beginning and In the End,” and “Jacob is the Bad guy.”
Millions of years ago…
Before the continents separated from one another and became individual land masses they were a whole. The scientific name given to that original mass of land is Pangea.
The Island was born from this ancient continental drift that occurred approximately 180 million years ago. It would be classed in the area known as Oceania. Yes, this is indeed a real name for this specific region (perhaps referenced in the show as Oceanic Airlines as a potential clue?) Oceania (sometimes Oceanica) is a geographical, often geopolitical, region consisting of numerous lands—mostly islands in the Pacific Ocean and vicinity.
For centuries it was believed that there was a land called Terra Australis that existed in the Oceania region but was later dismissed as pure myth. This much is true.
Terra Australis (which is Latin for "land of the south") was a theorized continent appearing on European maps from the 15th to the 18th century. The theorized continent was also called Terra Australis Incognita (with incognita stressed on the second syllable). Terra incognita was Latin for "unknown land", and was also used in reference to "the unknown land of the South".
This is our Island. “The unknown land of the South.”
In the beginning this place theorized as Terra Australis was a piece of Antarctica that had splintered off into the Pacific. Covered in snow and facing the same harsh, unlivable conditions of it’s larger counterpart it drifted further north until it began to “defrost” so to speak.
Inside of this frozen landscape was the first intelligent organism – a one of a kind, never discovered entity. Almost like a bacteria that was kept dormant in the ice since the dawn of time – unable to grow and develop. When the Island or Terra Australis began to thaw out, so did the organism. A volcanic eruption spewed out of the ice and melted what was left of its Antarctic origins, releasing the organism from its prison. The organism began to grow and feed, turning the once baron landscape into life. From this organism’s life came the trees, the dew on the mountains, the grass on the hills, the sands on the beach, everything. It soon became the island entirely. Everything the eye could see was birthed from this unknown life form that only existed in this place in the entire world. Every branch, leaf, grain of soil and sand was apart of it.
As the Earth evolved so too did the organism. As organic life interlinked with the land mass it began to grow/expand. Almost continuously. But it was at such a slow rate that it could not be seen by the naked eye. The island is expanding. It takes hundreds of years for it to grow far and wide but it is getting bigger inch by inch every minute.
The first civilization to set foot upon this island made it into a God. They believed it was an all knowing force that gave them paradise and cured their illness’. Before long the organism had evolved to the point where it believed this too. The organism could now take on the form of whatever it chose to look like. Animal, insect, man. It appeared in human form to give the civilization an image to worship – an idol to behold. The four toed statue was the beginning of a large monument being built in tribute of it’s power. It also sent it’s followers to work by building chambers beneath the surface that linked the organism to it's organic extensions of the island. So if it ever became incapacitated and was under threat – the followers could use these man made objects to harness the organism’s power and protect the island. The Wheel is one of those extensions.
For a long time there was peace. For a long time there was faith. But then war came. The ancient civilization may have been in awe of the organism and performed its bidding without apprehension but they were still mortal, fallible human beings. When their own war threatened the safety and stability of the island the organism decided to purge them all and wipe clean their sins, through a black smoke monster that represented their worst fears as well as their greatest desires (the organism in its original form.)
This civilization was never heard from again.
For the organism, christened by it’s people as Jakob when in human form, it had learned that man could be just as dangerous and just as much of a threat to it’s survival as any natural force.
The next time it encountered man the centuries had passed and now mankind not only warred and worshiped, they also sought money and power. The Black Rock came to crash upon it’s shores in the 18th Century. Yes, the Black Rock crashed on the shore, not inland. It took one hundred years of the island continually growing before the Black Rock reached inland. The Captain of the ship used this shipwrecked incident as an opportunity to use the island’s resources to rebuild his ship and mine the island’s properties for valuable materials while they were stranded. The slaves began to report that their smallpox infections and cholera diseases were miraculously healing themselves and soon decided that they did not want to leave in fear that the miracle healing would go away. The organism did not have a concept of life and death in the way we know it. It did not intentionally set out to cure it’s aggressors of their illness’, that is just the by-product of it’s power. But i! t realised that man could be manipulated, man could be controlled. If you gave a sick man a crutch to lean on they would be in your debt. They would “owe you one.”
Maybe mankind could do something for me.
Manipulation, control, power. An organism that thought itself was God took the form of man. It took the form of Jacob and began to grow more powerful until the 20th century brought about forms of technology that could inevitably destroy it. DHARMA was its greatest threat and through their exploration into the island's core to unearth the electromagnetism beneath, Jacob lost control during what they described as an incident. Really it was the organism unleashing it's power and becoming trapped within the ghost image of an idol. It's powers severely diminished. It became a prisoner trapped inside the image of man. The image of Jacob.
And Jacob is the bad guy.
Theory by Louis Ackerman
Millions of years ago…
Before the continents separated from one another and became individual land masses they were a whole. The scientific name given to that original mass of land is Pangea.
The Island was born from this ancient continental drift that occurred approximately 180 million years ago. It would be classed in the area known as Oceania. Yes, this is indeed a real name for this specific region (perhaps referenced in the show as Oceanic Airlines as a potential clue?) Oceania (sometimes Oceanica) is a geographical, often geopolitical, region consisting of numerous lands—mostly islands in the Pacific Ocean and vicinity.
For centuries it was believed that there was a land called Terra Australis that existed in the Oceania region but was later dismissed as pure myth. This much is true.
Terra Australis (which is Latin for "land of the south") was a theorized continent appearing on European maps from the 15th to the 18th century. The theorized continent was also called Terra Australis Incognita (with incognita stressed on the second syllable). Terra incognita was Latin for "unknown land", and was also used in reference to "the unknown land of the South".
This is our Island. “The unknown land of the South.”
In the beginning this place theorized as Terra Australis was a piece of Antarctica that had splintered off into the Pacific. Covered in snow and facing the same harsh, unlivable conditions of it’s larger counterpart it drifted further north until it began to “defrost” so to speak.
Inside of this frozen landscape was the first intelligent organism – a one of a kind, never discovered entity. Almost like a bacteria that was kept dormant in the ice since the dawn of time – unable to grow and develop. When the Island or Terra Australis began to thaw out, so did the organism. A volcanic eruption spewed out of the ice and melted what was left of its Antarctic origins, releasing the organism from its prison. The organism began to grow and feed, turning the once baron landscape into life. From this organism’s life came the trees, the dew on the mountains, the grass on the hills, the sands on the beach, everything. It soon became the island entirely. Everything the eye could see was birthed from this unknown life form that only existed in this place in the entire world. Every branch, leaf, grain of soil and sand was apart of it.
As the Earth evolved so too did the organism. As organic life interlinked with the land mass it began to grow/expand. Almost continuously. But it was at such a slow rate that it could not be seen by the naked eye. The island is expanding. It takes hundreds of years for it to grow far and wide but it is getting bigger inch by inch every minute.
The first civilization to set foot upon this island made it into a God. They believed it was an all knowing force that gave them paradise and cured their illness’. Before long the organism had evolved to the point where it believed this too. The organism could now take on the form of whatever it chose to look like. Animal, insect, man. It appeared in human form to give the civilization an image to worship – an idol to behold. The four toed statue was the beginning of a large monument being built in tribute of it’s power. It also sent it’s followers to work by building chambers beneath the surface that linked the organism to it's organic extensions of the island. So if it ever became incapacitated and was under threat – the followers could use these man made objects to harness the organism’s power and protect the island. The Wheel is one of those extensions.
For a long time there was peace. For a long time there was faith. But then war came. The ancient civilization may have been in awe of the organism and performed its bidding without apprehension but they were still mortal, fallible human beings. When their own war threatened the safety and stability of the island the organism decided to purge them all and wipe clean their sins, through a black smoke monster that represented their worst fears as well as their greatest desires (the organism in its original form.)
This civilization was never heard from again.
For the organism, christened by it’s people as Jakob when in human form, it had learned that man could be just as dangerous and just as much of a threat to it’s survival as any natural force.
The next time it encountered man the centuries had passed and now mankind not only warred and worshiped, they also sought money and power. The Black Rock came to crash upon it’s shores in the 18th Century. Yes, the Black Rock crashed on the shore, not inland. It took one hundred years of the island continually growing before the Black Rock reached inland. The Captain of the ship used this shipwrecked incident as an opportunity to use the island’s resources to rebuild his ship and mine the island’s properties for valuable materials while they were stranded. The slaves began to report that their smallpox infections and cholera diseases were miraculously healing themselves and soon decided that they did not want to leave in fear that the miracle healing would go away. The organism did not have a concept of life and death in the way we know it. It did not intentionally set out to cure it’s aggressors of their illness’, that is just the by-product of it’s power. But i! t realised that man could be manipulated, man could be controlled. If you gave a sick man a crutch to lean on they would be in your debt. They would “owe you one.”
Maybe mankind could do something for me.
Manipulation, control, power. An organism that thought itself was God took the form of man. It took the form of Jacob and began to grow more powerful until the 20th century brought about forms of technology that could inevitably destroy it. DHARMA was its greatest threat and through their exploration into the island's core to unearth the electromagnetism beneath, Jacob lost control during what they described as an incident. Really it was the organism unleashing it's power and becoming trapped within the ghost image of an idol. It's powers severely diminished. It became a prisoner trapped inside the image of man. The image of Jacob.
And Jacob is the bad guy.
Theory by Louis Ackerman
