Is the Four-Toed Statue Too Weird?
When seasons pass without a particular mystery being explained on Lost, I start to get worried. For a while there I began to wonder if we’d ever find out why Christian Shephard wasn’t in his coffin way back in season 1, but now that he’s reemerged in the mobisodes and in Jacob’s cabin, I have hope the issue will be addressed.
Another mystery that has come and gone is the four-toed statue. Will we ever find out what the heck was up with that? Damon Lindelof recently showed up at the Paley Festival to moderate a panel for Chuck (a show that sounds good on paper, but somehow fails in execution), and he had this to say:
"We did the four-toed statue on the show and basically we got a note back from the network, which was, ‘This is too weird.’ We’re like, ‘Do you watch the show? This is too weird?’ And essentially they said, ‘Could it be a six-toed statue?’ If someone could explain why a six-toed statue is less weird than a four-toed statue, that’s exactly what we will do."
It’s hard to know if Lindelof is joking or not, but I’d imagine that something on Lost would eventually cause ABC to write a "too weird" note. However, even if the network doesn’t like it, I’m sure the four-toed statue will be addressed again someday.
Do you have a theory about it? Leave it in the comments, or send it in to us using the guidelines below.
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I think the four-toed statue explanation will be quick and easy. Well, quick and easy for Lost, that is. It was actually glossed over during this season’s recap episode when they mention that many have tried to tame the power of the island through out the years. The statue is just an relic of some foregone people who had interepreted the island’s mysteries as the powers of deity. The statue was probally the god these people created to have a face to worship. Why four toes? Why not? Have you seen some Gods from ancient history?
Comment by Michael James — March 20, 2008 @ 7:27 am
I think the four-toed statue is of Jacob. I think we will find out that he was on the Black Rock and was the leader of the “natives” (Richard’s people) on the island.
Comment by JustinSA — March 20, 2008 @ 9:27 am
The island residents all had 4 toes as a result of the small population inbreeding.
Comment by gogoggo — March 20, 2008 @ 10:12 am
i hope they also explain adam & eve they found on the caves and the black and white rocks Locke found (back in season 1)
Comment by Marcelo Aviles — March 20, 2008 @ 10:20 am
Alright… I think the black rock ran into dry land, maybe cut a hole in its port side on a reef, the crew and slaves set up camp on land, Hanso recorded the islands strange properties in his journal, slaves revolted and its actually hanso and his crew that are chained up inside the black rock (explains the “black rock - final resting place of magnus hanso” in the hatch). The slaves would have been taken presumably from northern Africa? or somewhere where natives do alot of stone carving and the statue is one of their dieties.
That, or the time-rift is more complicated than I can fathom and the statue is from deep into the future where mankind has evolved off its pinky toe.
Comment by Chad — March 20, 2008 @ 11:37 am
Ben could have potentially had 4 toes, when Sawyer was threatening to shoot them off unless ben spoke.
Comment by Brian — March 20, 2008 @ 12:01 pm
I’d love to claim this as my own theory however it is from ritzlore over at the abc.com lost theory boards. The whole theory which I think is very good is under the title “Biblical evidence of Ben’s noble motives”
We have seen the timer flip to what look like Egyptian hieroglyphics after the 108 minutes, and we have seen the four-toed statue remnant, which might have represented Anubis, god of the underworld and patron of lost souls in Egyptian mythology. Anubis is a jackal, a canine creature/god said to accompany souls on their journey into the afterlife, and to protect the deceased and their tombs. In his canine form, his back paws have four toes, his front paws have five. Anubis is also said to weigh the hearts of the deceased to assess their sinfulness. He is sometimes associated with Cerberus, the watchdog of Hades in Greek mythology, who allows souls to enter but guards against any leaving. Cerberus is seen on the blast door map, and Lost creators have said that Cerberus “might have just been the Dharma Initiative’s name for the monster”. Curiously, we now see Ben working at, or somehow associated with a place where canines are housed. And what of Vincent’s connection then? I also suspect that the “temple” and the “old place” to which Ben refers may be related to this mythological thread.
Comment by jdeuce — March 20, 2008 @ 1:59 pm
Damon is right, that’s one of the least weird things on the island. And he’s also right that four is less weird than six. Perhaps the last toe eroded and fell off the statue, or the original inhabitants had a ritual of cutting off a toe at birth. Plus, if it was six, they’d e stealing from Monk (the man who killed Monk’s wife has six fingers on one hand), which originally stole from The Princess Bride. Though this would explain why he haven’t heard about it in two years.
Comment by John K. — March 20, 2008 @ 3:35 pm
My theory - it means nothing! Who cares if a statue was sculpted with four toes. I doubt there is anything deep into why it was made with four toes. If I were to sculpt a statue of that magnitude, I’d save my time make just four toes then making it correct in its anatomy.
Comment by Dale — March 20, 2008 @ 4:50 pm
Too weird? This makes me so angry. Whoever said that needs to be tied up in a shack with a grenade in their mouth. I…I don’t know what to say. I’m furious. Now they might not be able to explain things because some a-hole doesn’t think it is accessible enough. Their would be no show without the “weird” mysteries. Thats why I watch LOST. Not to see who Kate wants to date, I can see that anywhere.
Comment by Aion — March 20, 2008 @ 7:53 pm
That ending really stung! In the preview for this week’s show, they said that “someONE” would die. Can we take them literally? Maybe Karl or Danielle (I’m hoping for Danielle) didn’t die and will make a comeback.
Also, and this is no big deal I’m sure, if I’m not mistaken Naomi’s helicopter crashed into the ocean just after she bailed out of it. Where did the second one come from? The one that Lapidus flew to the island.
Comment by Celeste — March 20, 2008 @ 11:05 pm
Four toes? Maybe the statue will be used to explain a number of the Valenzetti Equation, (the LOST numbers) 4 8 15 16 23 42.
Since the number 4 seems to have importance to the Lost mythos, im guessing thats another reason to not have 6 toes, but 4, and having two feet with 4 toes, makes 8 digits right? 4 and 8, first two numbers of the Lost numbers. If not, I do hope they have a good reason to this odd mystery.
Comment by Renz — March 21, 2008 @ 1:10 am
To be honest, in real life if i saw that statue on the island I wouldnt be getting freaked out about it having 4 toes. Id probably just believe it was easier to sculpture or something84
Comment by craig — March 21, 2008 @ 4:53 am
I’d be okay if Team Darlton didn’t really make more of it than to let it be part of the “aging” of the island: creating an authentic look by adding odd elements from the island’s history. It’s like all the great old architecture and sculpture in the Lord of the Rings movies. They make the world look “lived in”. The island is very old. The Black Rock is clearly not the oldest thing to land there. I know I would LOVE to know about the four-toed thingy, and have them find out that Richard and the other original Others are a) thousands of years old and b) four-toed!
But if not, the island is more real for having the statue, so I’m happy.
Comment by tomfishstory — March 21, 2008 @ 11:35 am
I think the reason Jacks Father’s body was not in the coffin was because Jack flew with an EMPTY coffin back to L.A. The flashback never reveiled the Oceanic Employee giving in and allowing the body onto the plane. Which would explain why Jack really hasn’t spent anytime looking for his father’s body…. I think that the vision of Jack’s father partly represents his guilt for not taking his father’s body off the australian continent.
Comment by skaught — March 24, 2008 @ 3:49 pm
Four Toes is a 2002 South Korean action and comedy film. The story involves four friends who becomes gangsters. As the film progresses they gain power and eventually find their way to Seoul.
Comment by Byzantine — March 25, 2008 @ 12:22 pm
Ever seen the statues from Easter Island? I don’t think a four-toed statue is that weird.
Comment by Byzantine — March 25, 2008 @ 12:25 pm
I think we will defo find out more about the four-toed statue when we finally see The Others again at The Temple.
Comment by daniel is lost — April 2, 2008 @ 6:00 am
Jdeuce -
Like your dog theory, re: Cerberus. The picture hanging in Jacob’s cabin? Basset hound.
Comment by swivelhips — April 13, 2008 @ 5:40 pm