Andonos and Cosmo

Upon my first reading of A Midsummer Night's Dream, I have gained an insatiable appreciation for the "Story Within a Story." For me, the most exciting use of this inclusion is when the mini-narrative holds some great significance to the whole of the text.

In Phantastes, the tiny tale of Cosmo von Wehrstahl, found in a book in the library of the fairy palace, bears resemblance to that of the journey of the protagonist who reads it.

Andonos reads the story of Cosmo around the half-way point of his odyssey through Fairy Land. In many ways, it functions as foreshadowing, or a guide, to what is to come as the traveler proceeds. The story of Cosmos is a road map; a mirror in which Andonos may soon, if he follows the proper course, see himself.

For starters, the names of the respective main characters garner a second look. The name "Andonos" means "without a road," which is a very apt title for the character, considering his ever-changing path as he ambles through Fairy Land. The name "Cosmo," on the other hand, signifies order, harmony, and beauty. Though there are glimpses of these traits in Andonos's journey, it cannot be said that his tumultuous and perilous encounters fall under these words.

In the tale Andonos reads, Cosmo puts aside devotion to his own gain in order to die in the act of rescuing his love. In the old tradition of St. Cosmo, he fittingly dies a martyr. In the same way, Andonos ends up a martyr in, one could say, two different ways. For one, he learns the value of humility and rejects his pride when he loses his evil Shadow. In that way, he dies to himself, and is able to perceive people, and all of Fairy Land, through a much clearer lens. Secondly, his exportation from Fairy Land back to "reality" is brought on by his literal martyrdom in destroying the wooden idol.

These are but a few parallels between the stories of Andonos and Cosmo. Perhaps, in his acts of martyrdom, Andonos would have earned a name akin to "Cosmo," finding much deeper balance and harmony.

From a Christian perspective, perhaps MacDonald, by naming the character who first demonstrates martyrdom in the story Cosmo, is commenting on the fact that the stuff of the universe (the vast cosmos) isn't made up of acts of selfish personal gain or conquests, but of small but powerful acts of sacrifice.