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SARAH: ONCE UPON A TIME,SARAH: THERE WAS A BEAUTIFUL YOUNG GIRL
SARAH: WHOSE STEPMOTHER ALWAYS MADE HER STAY HOME WITH THE BABY.
SARAH: THE BABY WAS A SPOILED CHILD.
SARAH: HE WANTED EVERYTHING FOR HIMSELF,
SARAH: AND THE GIRL WAS PRACTICALLY A SLAVE.
SARAH: BUT WHAT NO ONE KNEW
SARAH: WAS THAT THE GOBLIN KING FELL IN LOVE WITH HER
SARAH: AND GAVE HER CERTAIN POWERS.
SARAH: SO ONE NIGHT,
SARAH: WHEN THE BABY HAD BEEN PARTICULARLY CRUEL TO HER,
SARAH: SHE ASKED THE GOBLINS FOR HELP.
SARAH: "SAY YOUR RIGHT WORDS," THE GOBLINS SAID,
SARAH: "AND WE'LL TAKE THE BABY TO THE GOBLIN CITY,
SARAH: AND YOU WILL BE FREE."
SARAH: BUT THE GIRL KNEW THE KING OF THE GOBLINS
SARAH: WOULD KEEP THE BABY IN HIS CASTLE FOREVER AND EVER
SARAH: AND TURN IT INTO A GOBLIN,
SARAH: SO SHE SUFFERED IN SILENCE
SARAH: UNTIL ONE NIGHT
SARAH: WHEN SHE WAS TIRED FROM DOING HOUSEWORK
SARAH: AND HURT BY THE HARSH WORDS OF HER STEPMOTHER
SARAH: AND SHE COULD NO LONGER STAND IT.
SARAH: OH, ALL RIGHT! ALL RIGHT!
SARAH: KNOCK IT OFF.
SARAH: COME ON.
SARAH: STOP IT! STOP IT!
SARAH: I'LL SAY THE WORDS,
SARAH: NO, I MUSTN'T.
SARAH: I MUSTN'T SAY...
SARAH: I WISH...
SARAH: I WISH!
SARAH: I CAN BEAR IT NO LONGER!
SARAH: GOBLIN KING! GOBLIN KING!
SARAH: WHEREVER YOU MAY BE,
SARAH: TAKE THIS CHILD OF MINE FAR AWAY FROM ME!
SARAH: OH, TOBY, STOP IT!
SARAH: I WISH I DID KNOW WHAT TO SAY
SARAH: TO MAKE THE GOBLINS TAKE YOU AWAY.
SARAH: I WISH...
SARAH: I WISH...
SARAH: I WISH THE GOBLINS WOULD COME TAKE YOU AWAY...
SARAH: RIGHT NOW.
SARAH: YOU'RE HIM, AREN'T YOU?
SARAH: YOU'RE THE GOBLIN KING.
Jareth is the Goblin King of The Labyrinth, a vast kingdom within a realm known as "the underground," although it is not literally under the ground. His powers include the ability to form crystal orbs in his hands, which can create illusions of all types or to view things from a distance. He can transform into a barn owl at will. According to the Return to Labyrinth manga, Jareth has ruled the Labyrinth for 1,300 years. Though ruler of the goblins, Jareth actually is not a goblin, but believed by many fans to be a Fae. In the manga, however, Mizumi calls him a sorcerer. He appears human but he has quite a few magical abilities and does not appear to age between the film and the events of Return to Labyrinth, which happen many years later.
Jareth is also a master of disguise. He can take the form of a barn owl, a beer swilling Australian who likes to smoke weed, he can disguise himself as a blind beggar as well as the Labyrinth novelization as an actor, Jeremy, who looks suspiciously like David Bowie. In Return to Labyrinth, he also slicks his hair back and wears spectacles while wearing a suit as Toby's guidance counselor.Jareth resents his position as Goblin King and yearns for a different life, probably somewhere down in Soho according to rock legend David Bowie, who first portrayed Jareth in 1986. He has a great deal of angst that only grows when he develops an affection for Labyrinth protagonist, Sarah, as revealed through David Bowie's songs from the film and the Return to Labyrinth manga. Little is known about Jareth's personal life or history. As revealed in Volume 2 of the manga, Jareth at one point or another had a romantic relationship with Mizumi, the Queen of Moraine. However, the relationship failed when Mizumi did something Jareth could not forgive her for. To protect himself from all others, Jareth built the Labyrinth to keep everyone else out, including Mizumi.According to the music video for Underground and Return to Labyrinth and hinted at in the Labyrinth novelization, Jareth has a human alter ego named Jeremy. In the novelization of Labyrinth Jeremy is the man whom Sarah's biological mother, an actress, happened to run off with years before. In the novelization, Jeremy was an actor and co-star in a play in which Sarah's mother had starred. In the novelization, Jeremy is the man who gave Sarah her music box, which in the book plays "Greensleeves," and in the movie plays "As the World Falls Down," the same song that Jareth uses to try to seduce Sarah while within his Labyrinth.In the novelization and according to the song "Within You" part of what Jareth wants from Sarah is for her to believe in him so that he may become a real being and not just exist within her fantasy. Though Sarah renounces the power Jareth holds over her it does appear she actually gives him what he wants.
Goblin King's letters
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(You can ignore me if you want, I just wanted to say this)
P.S. I sometimes thought that Jareth's guidance counselor form could've been a younger version of my freshman history teacher. (I'll be graduating from high school next year.)
P.P.S. Did you know Elvis Presley and David Bowie have the same birthday?!