Season 2 – Episode 5 – Honing trough

Return to the honey trough:
childhood memories and a looming secret

Ki Generated Lecture and Podcast

Summary:

Podcast:

Alenwen and Skaldiv return to the place of their childhood, the honey hollow. But what begins as a joyful reunion is soon clouded by a shadow from the past. Alenwen is plagued by a nightmare that takes her back to a dark swampland where Skaldiv is desperately calling for her mother. The boundaries between dream and reality become blurred, and Alenwen wonders whether the dream is a message from her subconscious, a forgotten memory or a premonition of what is to come.

The story takes us on a journey back in time to when Alenwen and Skaldiv were still children and spent carefree days in the honey hollow. We witness their adventures, their friendship and their childish pranks.

The differences between the two girls and their families become particularly vivid:

Skaldiv, the daughter of the Beorners Grimbeorn, is wild, impetuous and loves to get into mischief. For example, she smears a signpost with the demand “Wekzoll! Two Honichkuhchen!”, scares Alenwen with a mock attack on the elven guards and “embellishes” her pony Brauni with colour. Her mischievous actions not only drive her parents to despair, but also cause many a laugh: “This child! Well, that worked out really well. You always have ideas…”.
Alenwen, on the other hand, is a typical elven child: polite, well-behaved and always endeavouring to do everything right. She is fascinated by the beauty of nature and the peaceful way of life of the Beornings: “I’m so happy, I’m travelling to the Sea of Flowers! Yay!”. Alenwen longs for friendship and hopes that Skaldiv will one day treat her like a sister.

The dialogues between the children, the parents and Thador, Alenwen’s father, are peppered with humorous yet profound moments:

Als Skaldiv sich über die “albernen” Küsse zwischen Alenwen und Farondis lustig macht, erklärt ihr Vemara geduldig, dass es gerade die kleinen Gesten der Liebe sind, die uns in schweren Zeiten Kraft geben.
Thador, the wise Elf, tries to explain to Skaldiv that strictness and rules are important to become strong and secure in life, but also recognises that freedom and the opportunity to find your own way are just as important.
Grimbeorn, Thador and Vemara share their concerns about a growing threat coming from outside the honey hollow: “This unrest out there is worrying me. A diffuse darkness is moving across the fields.”.

The carefree atmosphere of childhood is increasingly overshadowed by a dark secret. Grimbeorn and Farondis know more than they are telling the children. It is implied that something terrible happened in the past that still affects the two girls today, even if they don’t consciously remember it.

The return to the honey hollow confronts Alenwen and Skaldiv with the unsolved mysteries of their past. The present and the past merge, and the reader senses that the time has come for the truth.

What really happened back then? What role do Alenwen’s dreams play? And what dangers lurk outside the honey trough? The viewer is left with these questions and can hardly wait to find the answers in the next instalment.

Background music:The Snowman cinematic soundtrack accompanies this episode with a mixture of dreamy and dramatic sounds. The soundtrack, which already played a central role in the iconic Snowman episode, perfectly emphasises the balance between childlike innocence and emerging darkness. The orchestral melodies and delicate piano passages blend harmoniously into the emotional moments and reinforce the atmospheric depth of the honey trough