- It's 1976. Madness reigns at the Anderson farm. Contrary to all logic, the headiest ingredient of their moonshine is unfiltered water from Cauldron Lake. The Andersons felt like gods. Odin can't stop laughing. He contemplates cutting his eye out. Tor runs across the field, naked, shrieking, hammer in his hand, trying to catch lightning. Their songs have power, something ancient is stirring in the depths, coming back.
- ― Excerpt from "Departure", by Alan Wake.
The 1976 Bright Falls AWE (also known as AWE-10 by the Federal Bureau of Control) was an Altered World Event that took place in the town of Bright Falls, Washington on September 17 of 1976. It was one of recurring AWEs in the area of Bright Falls. It was caused by the rock band Old Gods of Asgard, involving the Anderson Brothers, when they performed during Deerfest and apparently fought a large group of Taken, lead by the Dark Presence, originating from Cauldron Lake.
History[]
Prelude[]
The area of Bright Falls, Washington has a long history of reported paranatural phenomena and urban legends, some predating the official statehood of Washington. The indigenous tribes that inhabited the area originally believed Cauldron Lake, a lake formed by a caldera of a dead volcano, was a gateway to the underworld.[1] In reality, Cauldron Lake is a Threshold leading to an alternate dimension called the Dark Place, inhabited by supernatural entities, namely the Dark Presence and its counterpart, the Bright Presence. The lake itself is a Place of Power that allows the works of art created in its vicinity to shape reality. Due to this power, the Dark Presence manipulates local artists into its bidding by shaping reality in its image through the works of art created in Bright Falls with the goal of escaping from the Dark Place.
Bright Falls AWE (1970)[]
Main article: Bright Falls AWE (1970)
On July of 1970, after the death of Barbara Jagger, her lover, Thomas Zane, attempted to revive her using the supernatural properties of Cauldron Lake. Zane was partially successful; while he managed to bring Jagger back to life, the young woman's body was taken over by the Dark Presence. After realizing what he had done, Zane dived into the lake, taking the possessed Jagger with him, and used its power once again to erase himself out of existence in an attempt to stop to dark entity. While Zane was not able to completely destroy the Dark Presence, he managed to vanish it back to the Dark Place and put it into a "deep sleep".[2]
Old Gods of Asgard[]
In 1971, the Anderson Brothers, a duo of professional, albeit unsuccessful, musicians from Bright Falls, formed a heavy metal rock band known as the Old Gods of Asgard. The band was influenced by the brother's Scandinavian roots, which, they believed, would help them to gain more popularity and achieve a stage presence, with them going as far as to legally changing their names to those of Nordic deities. In accordance with his namesake, Odin served as the band's leader as well as the lead singer and guitarist, while his brother, Tor, who was known for his energetic personality and unpredictable mood swings, was the drummer. They were later joined by "Fat" Bob Balder and Loki Darkens. However, Darkens' undependable and even cruel behavior led to constant arguments with his band mates. Shortly after the release of the band's second album "Follow Me Underground" in 1972, Darkens disappeared under unclear circumstances, with his current whereabouts being unknown.[3]
Event[]
During the annual Deerfest festival, after having spent "days" drinking their home-brewed moonshine while celebrating the festival, the Anderson Brothers were rehearsing in a field outside their Farm. Under the effects of the moonshine, which had unfiltered water from Cauldron Lake as one of its ingredients, Odin contemplated cutting one of his eyes out while his brother, Tor, was running naked across the field, trying to catch a lightning with his hammer.[4] While exact details of what followed at the farm are unclear, it seems that, as a result of their music, the Dark Presence, still wearing the guise of the late Barbara Jagger, emerged from Cauldron Lake once again, leading an army of Taken, which the Anderson Brothers somehow managed to repel.[5] Based on it lyrics, the song "Children of the Elder God" may have been inspired by or caused the AWE.
While the residents of Bright Falls were celebrating the Deerfest in the town's southwestern fields, a thunderstorm began to form near the Anderson Farm, alongside a tornado rising from Cauldron Lake. The rain that followed caused a flash flood that destroyed the festival grounds, which led to the Deerfest being cancelled, ending one day early.[6] After guiding the crowd to safety, Sheriff Frank Breaker was asked by Freya Anderson, daughter of Tor, to check on her father and uncle. Breaker drove to the Anderson Farm, where he found the brothers alive but in need of medical attention, as Tor had been struck by lightning while Odin had cut out his own right eye.[5]
Aftermath[]
After this incident, Odin and Tor Anderson were listed as persons of interests by the Federal Bureau of Control, which continued to monitor the area of Bright Falls and Cauldron Lake. Frank Breaker later moved to New York City, where he was eventually recruited by the FBC.[6] Due to the Andersons' actions the Dark Presence was reawaken, albeit not fully.[2] The following year, a young local couple claimed to have seen an "inky dark cloud" floating above the lake, with "snake-like tendrils" emerging from it and a "unearthly shrieking sound".[7] Legends soon began to circulate about "The Scratching Hag" of Bright Falls,[1] some of them resembling the Slavic folklore legend of Baba Yaga, though not many residents believed in them and the tale was mostly shared among children.[8] A third Altered World Event took place two years later in 1978. While details of this AWE are scarce, it appears that the Anderson Brothers were also involved in it.
Altered History[]
After writer Alan Wake was trapped in the Dark Place following the 2010 Bright Falls AWE, he wrote a reality altering manuscript titled Return. In it, it was stated that Odin did not lose his right eye in 1976, but instead twelve years later during a confrontation, alongside his brother, against the supernatural entity known as Warlin Door on Cauldron Lake.[9]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Alan Wake: Episode 3: Ransom
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Alan Wake: Episode 3: Ransom, page "The Dark Presence Sleeps"
- ↑ Old Gods of Asgard website
- ↑ Alan Wake: Episode 4: The Truth, page "The Anderson Brothers in the 70s"
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Control: AWE, file "Bright Falls (1976) Supplement"
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Control: AWE, file "Bright Falls (1976) Summary"
- ↑ The Alan Wake Files, pages 104-105
- ↑ The Alan Wake Files, pages 110-111
- ↑ Alan Wake 2: Return 5: Old Gods, page "Odin Loses An Eye"