The Woodsman is a character who appears in Over the Garden Wall. The Woodsman is an ex-follower of the Beast and can be seen as the secondary antagonist for the majority of the series. He is considered to be a tragic villain, regretting his antagonistic actions against the brothers. The Woodsman is voiced by Christopher Lloyd, best known for his role as Doc Brown in the Back to the Future films.
History
Before the events of Over the Garden Wall occurred, he was a municipal judge who cultivated power enemies, forcing him out the city and into a country house living with his wife and daughter.
They lived peacefully until his wife was injured by an unknown animal (possibly the Beast), and died of the wound.
The Woodsman was able to fight the beast and took his Dark lantern as his own. The beast had made a deal with the Woodsman to put his daughter's soul inside the Lantern and would live on as the flame inside the lantern as long as it stayed lit. To keep the lantern lit the Woodsman had chopped down Edelwood trees (trees of oil) to feed the lantern, unbeknownst to the woodsman, the Edelwood trees originated from the lost souls of children.
"The Old Grist Mill"
As brothers Wirt and Gregory arrived in the woods of the Unknown, they were found by the Woodsman who offered temporary hospitality, pointed them in the direction of a nearby town, told Greg to give his pet frog a proper name and warned them of the beast.
"Songs of the Dark Lantern"
After Wirt, Greg, and Beatrice journey to a mysterious tavern, the locals warn the brothers of the Beast, an unholy creature who stalks the night and captures children who are lost. Once caught he turns them into trees of oil so they could feed his dark lantern, Wirt is confused saying that although the Woodsman fitted that description for having a lantern he never douses and grinds edelwood trees to keep it lit. He states that the Woodsman had tried to keep them from the Beast's wrath and pointed them to the direction away from the Beast, but they all state about his advice that it lead to no progress at all and the one who carries the lantern must be the Beast. A scream is heard beyond the tavern, Wirt goes and finds an unconscious Beatrice right by the woodsman and an edelwood tree, now believing he is the Beast. He runs off with Beatrice. The real Beast arrives and notices the Woodsman is running out of oil and suggests that he take the lantern for a while, but he refuses and is willing to fight him again as he did before for the lantern, but the Beast states that violence isn't needed and asks him where the children went. The Woodsman demands the Beast to leave the children be not saying a word of which direction they went.
"The Ringing of the Bell"
The Woodsman arrives to warn Wirt and Greg that the beast knows of their presence and is hunting them as they speak. The woodsman tries to give the brothers useful advice but they immediately run off not heeding a word of his warning. The Beast comes to have words with the Woodsman wanting to discuss the situation. Afterwards, both the Beast and Woodsman watch as Wirt is losing hope of returning home. The Beast sees this as a blessing that the brothers had not heed the warning. The Beast asks him why he had been trying to help the brothers saying he already had problems with keeping his daughter's flame from going out, but he says that one can not trade the souls of children as if they were tokens and believes there would be another way to keep the lantern left. but the Beast says that there was only his way and he would soon turn the brothers into edelwood trees.
"The Unknown"
The Woodsman is searching through his house to find spare edelwood to keep his daughter's light shining, but to no avail. The Woodsman hears the beast's song and follows the music right to him. The Woodsman sees both the beast and Greg who is nearly transformed into an edelwood tree. The Woodsman refuses to grind Greg into oil for the lantern stating that he didn't know the lost souls of children were where the trees came from; the beast asks, mockingly, whether it would really have mattered had he known. Saying that his daughter would not have wanted this, the Woodsman tries to free Greg and fights the beast in an attempt to save him. As soon as Wirt and Beatrice arrive, they find Greg and the Woodsman who has been overpowered by the beast. Knowing the Woodsman would no longer be of any use to him, the beast, saying Greg is too weak to return home, offers to put Gregory's soul inside the lantern if Wirt will become its bearer; Wirt, seeming at first to assent, turns the Beast down, noting the Beast's obsession with keeping the lantern lit, as if it were his own soul there. Wirt threatens to blow the flame out, causing the Beast to immediately scream "No!" and prove Wirt's suspicions true. Wirt then gives the Woodsman the Lantern back stating it was his problem, and leaves after freeing his brother from the edelwood branches. The Beast tries to manipulate the Woodsman into killing Wirt and Greg so they could feed the Lantern, but he comes to his senses and willingly blows out the flame ridding the world of the Beast once and for all. In the epilogue, the Woodsman is reunited with his daughter.
Gallery
