Bandersnatch

For other uses, see Bandersnatch (disambiguation).

Bandersnatch
Alice character
Peter Newell's illustration of the Jubjub bird (left) and the Bandersnatch (right).
First appearance	Through the Looking Glass
Created by	Lewis Carroll
Portrayed by	Peter Newell

A bandersnatch is a fictional creature in Lewis Carroll's 1871 novel Through the Looking-Glass and his 1874 poem The Hunting of the Snark. Although neither work describes the appearance of a bandersnatch in great detail, in The Hunting of the Snark, it has a long neck and snapping jaws, and both works describe it as ferocious and extraordinarily fast. Through the Looking-Glass implies that bandersnatches may be found in the world behind the looking-glass,^[1] and in The Hunting of the Snark, a bandersnatch is found by a party of adventurers after crossing an ocean.^[2] Bandersnatches have appeared in various adaptations of Carroll's works; they have also been used in other authors' works and in other forms of media.

Description

Carroll's first mention of a Bandersnatch, in the poem "Jabberwocky" (which appears in Through the Looking-Glass), is very brief: the narrator of the poem admonishes his son to "shun / The frumious Bandersnatch", the name describing the creature's fuming and furious character.^[3] Later in the novel, the White King says of his wife (the White Queen): "She runs so fearfully quick. You might as well try to catch a Bandersnatch!"^[1]

In "The Hunting of the Snark," while the party searches for the Snark, the Banker runs ahead and encounters a Bandersnatch:

And the Banker, inspired with a courage so new
It was matter for general remark,
Rushed madly ahead and was lost to their view
In his zeal to discover the Snark.

But while he was seeking with thimbles and care,
A Bandersnatch swiftly drew nigh
And grabbed at the Banker, who shrieked in despair,
For he knew it was useless to fly.

He offered large discount — he offered a cheque
(Drawn "to bearer") for seven-pounds-ten:
But the Bandersnatch merely extended its neck
And grabbed at the Banker again.

Without rest or pause — while those frumious jaws
Went savagely snapping around —
He skipped and he hopped, and he floundered and flopped,
Till fainting he fell to the ground.

The Bandersnatch fled as the others appeared
Led on by that fear-stricken yell:
And the Bellman remarked "It is just as I feared!"
And solemnly tolled on his bell.

In other media

The Bandersnatch from Anna Matlack Richards' A New Alice in the Old Wonderland

Literature

• Anna Matlack Richards' A New Alice in the Old Wonderland (1895) contains a broader description given of the Bandersnatch within the poem Bandersnatchy.^[4] In this poem, another hero sets out to slay the Bandersnatch so as to gain respect from his people against the hero who slew the Jabberwock (a story he would sit and tell till after ten o'clock).^[4] The author writes that it is necessary to be armed with a vorpal sword or a winxy pistol, because one never can tell what a Bandersnatch might do. The hero describes the creature as being extremely long-legged with a long tail and the ability to fly. It could be understood that the Bandersnatch perhaps camouflages itself as a tree. Richards' daughter, Anna Richards Brewster, illustrated the hero's encounter with the Bandersnatch.^[4]
• In a letter from 1959, C. S. Lewis wrote, "No one ever influenced Tolkien – you might as well try to influence a bandersnatch."^[5]
• In Larry Niven's Known Space series (1965 to present), there is a heavy-gravity species somewhat resembling a giant slug, which has the scientific name Frumious bandersnatch.
• In Roger Zelazny’s (1987) Sign of Chaos (part of Chronicles of Amber) the protagonist encounters a Bandersnatch. The creature is described as segmented, with a side-to-side gait, leaving a trail of steaming saliva, and hissing like a leaky pressure cooker.^[6]
• In Wilfrid Blunt's 1966 novel Omar, the character Omar is a hyrax who speaks English and certain dialects of horses and rhinoceroses. Omar claims that the word bandersnatch refers to hyraxes, and that the warning to "shun a bandersnatch" only pertains if it happens to be frumious.^[7]
• The Frumious Bandersnatch is the title of a 2003 police procedural novel by Ed McBain, one of the last in his 87th Precinct series of detective crime fiction.
• In Eric Nylund's 2006 novel Ghosts of Onyx, the code-name 'Bandersnatch' is used to warn UNSC troops for a radiological or energy-based disaster.^[8] It was previously used on occasions where Covenant troops had 'glassed' former human colonies.

Television and film

• In Pandora Hearts (2006), Lily's chain is a large black dog named Bandersnatch.
• In the Young Justice episode "Earthlings", Adam Strange improvises a performance of the second verse of Jabberwocky in order to distract a patrol while on the planet Rann. Additionally, Strange's ally Sardath is shown to own a bird-like alien with an appearance not unlike some illustrations of a Jubjub bird.
• In the 2010 film Alice in Wonderland, the Bandersnatch appears as a large white beast somewhat resembling a mix of bulldog, snow leopard and bear with long fur, black spots, a long tail, and multiple rows of teeth. It is a creature under the control of the Red Queen until Alice returns its eye, which it had lost to the Dormouse. It helps Alice to escape and joins the White Queen's forces. In the video game adaptation of the film, it serves a similar role.
• The Bandersnatch appears in the Once Upon a Time in Wonderland episode "Forget-Me-Not." This version is a monstrous wild boar who Alice encountered in the past. In the present, Jafar and the Red Queen send the female Bandersnatch after Alice and the Knave of Hearts in order to get Alice to use up one of her wishes from Cyrus, only for the Knave to stab and kill it.
• In the adult animated film Mardock Scramble: The First Compression (2010), a dockside warehouse owned by the livestock export company "Bander Snatch" is used as a clandestine meeting location.
• In Date A Live season 2, the robotic creatures of Deus Ex Machina are called the Bandersnatch.
• In the television series Once Upon a Time, the Bandersnatch is mentioned by Alice in the episode "The Girl in the Tower" as a reference to her speed; she states that she once outran a Bandersnatch.
• Black Mirror: Bandersnatch is a standalone interactive film released in between the fourth and fifth seasons of the Netflix anthology series Black Mirror.

Music

• San Francisco psychedelic rock band Frumious Bandersnatch named themselves after Carroll's work.
• Seattle rock band Forgive Durden released a single entitled "Beware the Jubjub Bird and Shun the Frumious Bandersnatch!" (2006) from the album Wonderland.^[9]
• Dutch composer Theo Verbey wrote a piece called Bandersnatch for cello and pianola, which was premiered during the 2010 Amsterdam Cello Biennale.

Comics

• In the 2010 graphic novel Calamity Jack, sequel to Rapunzel's Revenge (published in 2006), the giant Blunderboar has a pet Bandersnatch named Lewis, presumably after Lewis Carroll. This Bandersnatch appears as a giant toadlike being with a massive mouth, two small mouths in place of eyes, a long froglike tongue, and the ability to spit acid. It is killed by the Jabblewocky [sic?].^[10]
• In the visual novel Sekien no Inganock - What a Beautiful People, Bandersnatch appears as a fantastic Creature that manifests itself inside the "engine space" within the City's computer network and preys upon hackers who access the virtual reality.
• In Ursula Vernon's webcomic Digger, a bandersnatch appears as a two-headed, sentient, exiled draft animal.^[11]
• In the online comic Skin Deep, the Bandersnatch is shown to be a harmless creature.^[12]

Games

• Bandersnatch is a children’s tabletop game published by Mattel in 1968. Players compete in a card game to acquire pieces of a 4-inch tall plastic figure of a bandersnatch. The player who completely assembles his figure first wins the game.
• Bandersnatch, a 1984 vaporware game project by Imagine Software that led to the 1986 game Brataccas.
• Bandersnatch is the name of several enemies in the Final Fantasy video game series (1987–present). In most games, it is a common enemy that does not create much difficulty for the player, and it usually has qualities of wolves or lions in appearance. In Final Fantasy IX, the Bandersnatch is a slightly stronger enemy resembling a large, demonic poodle with an expansive toothy grin. The Bandersnatch of Final Fantasy XV is a bipedal reptile vaguely resembling a Tyrannosaurus with rows of teeth and spines across its body.
• In the MMORPG games Mabinogi (2004) and LaTale (2006), the Bandersnatch makes an appearance. In Mabinogi, a Bandersnatch is an ice monster located in "Par Dungeon". A normal Bandersnatch can only be killed with one of the fire spells, or a giant's stomp ability, due to their high defense. The Giant Bandersnatch can be killed as a normal monster and is the boss of the dungeon. Both normal and Giant Bandersnatches move slowly and will not normally attack unless first hit is activated. In Latale, the Bandersnatch is a dog-like creature that either lunges or headbutts to attack.
• Bandersnatches are a powerful type of enemy in Kingdom Rush: Origins, appearing as a large, blue and purple monster with a spiny back and the ability to roll into a ball.
• The indie game Welcome to the Fells depicts Bandersnatches as small, brown, feline creatures with matted fur. If the player gets close the Bandersnatch will wake up and chase them at high speeds.
• In the Shadowrun universe, bandersnatches are humanoid creatures whose bodies can refract light. They can blend in almost perfectly with their surroundings, making them difficult to see, even with the use of thermal detectors, since the radiation of their body heat is also masked.
• Bandersnatch is the name of an enemy in Resident Evil – Code: Veronica. It shares nothing in common with the source material other than an extendable arm, giving it the 'long reach' of its namesake.
• Frumious Bandersnatch is the name of a familiar in the browser-based multiplayer online role-playing game Kingdom of Loathing, obtained by buying a special monthly item in March 2009.
• In the Tera universe, Bandersnatch is a name given to the last boss in Wonderholme's dungeon.
• In the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, the bandersnatch, along with the Jub-Jub Bird and Jabberwock, is one of a group of monsters called The Tane invented by the fey lords as living weapons.
• In Fate/Grand Order, Alice Kuonji summons a Bandersnatch using her Noble Phantasm Great Three, Wandersnatch to attack the enemies.
• In the game Nightingale, Bandersnatches are a common enemy that can be found in many places, most prominently Sylvan's Cradle.

Computer science

• Bandersnatches are the subject of a difficult algorithm design project for an apparently NP-complete problem in the academic theoretical computer science book by M. R. Garey and D. S. Johnson, Computers and Intractability: A Guide to the Theory of NP-Completeness.^[13]

Physical locations

• In Ashland, OR, USA there is a hiking trail above Lithia Park named Bandersnatch Trail.
• Denison University in Granville, OH, USA has a student-run cafe called The Bandersnatch.
• Previously a student-run cafe at the University of Chicago (circa late 1960s-early 1970s).
• The minor planet 9780 Bandersnatch is named for the Bandersnatch.

References

1. Carroll, Lewis (1971). Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass. London: Oxford University Press.
2. Carroll, Lewis. "The Hunting of the Snark". Poetry Foundation. Retrieved 21 November 2013.
3. "Jaberwocky Definitions". Archived from the original on 2008-09-08.
4. Richards, Anna Matlock (1895). A New Alice in the Old Wonderland. London, UK: J.B. Lippincott Company.
5. Jones, Leslie (2003). J.R.R. Tolkien: A biography. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 72.
6. Zelazny, Roger (2001). Sign of Chaos. Thorndike, ME: G.K. Hall. ISBN 0783892918.
7. Blunt, Wilfrid (1968) [1966]. Omar: A fantasy for animal lovers. Garden City, NY; London, UK: Doubleday; Chapman & Hall. ISBN 978-0-4125-2180-5.
8. Nylund, Eric (2007). Halo: Ghosts of Onyx (1st mass market ed.). New York, NY: Tor. ISBN 978-0765354709 – via Archive.org.
9. Weber, Scott. "Forgive Durden - Wonderland". Absolutepunk.net. Retrieved 21 November 2013.
10. Hale, Shannon; Dean Hale (2010). Calamity Jack. Hale, [illustrated by] Nathan (1st U.S. ed.). New York: Bloomsbury. ISBN 978-1599903736.
11. "Ursula Vernon" (w, a). Digger, vol. 8 (13 May 2008).
12. KoryBing (w, a). "Handshakes: The Wonderlanders Exchanges" Skin Deep, vol. 2, p. 19 (2 June 2009). Retrieved on 20 January 2024.
13. Garey, Michael R.; Johnson, D. S. (1979). Computers and Intractability: A Guide to the Theory of NP-Completeness. San Francisco, CA: W. H. Freeman and Co. ISBN 0716710455.