Text and spoilers for those not caught up with Gravity Falls.







Religion in media is always a touchy subject, whether it’s misinterpretation, based on opinion, or just something that has always been a slippery slope. Yes, it is one, but back in ye old times (in other words, the last several centuries in the Western world) religious themes were actually the best way to convey a message. Religion was something that almost everyone already had a wide knowledge of. Jude the Obscure was a story that depended much on religious context to talk about the problems that come with society and how terrible fate can be. Gravity Falls isn’t without its themes either.

Just as a warning, I will try to be accurate, but my own knowledge of religion might not be completely accurate, so I apologize in advance.





To start this off, I think it’s important to focus on which religion and it’s symbols we’ll be talking about. It’s been hinted at throughout the first season of Gravity Falls that the Pines family is Jewish. The best reasoning for this is actually during the Bottomless Pit, where as the twins and Soos are walking around the pinball machine Mabel whispers “sweet Moses.” This isn’t a one-time phrase either, as Stan also repeats it after falling into the cavern in The Land Before Swine. There are other hints, but this is a phrase that isn’t common and wouldn’t be said unless they were a part of Jewish faith.

But this is just a children’s show, how could religious themes fit into it? Actually, there’s a theory that fits into one of the older traditions in the religion, the Passover Sacrifice. This refers to Exodus 12 of the Hebrew Bible, where God slayed the firstborn of the Egyptians. However, He would not touch the residents of a household that’s door was sprinkled with the blood of a lamb or goat.

Stan already owns a goat for unknown reasons, but this also goes back to the Sacrificial Lamb Theory and the heavy lamb imagery that comes with the show.

Speaking of imagery and symbolism, one particular concept that also perked my interest was the Seal of Solomon. It was the ring that belonged to the son of David and gave him the power to control demons and other magical powers. The symbol on the ring being the Star of David (though sometimes the symbol is changed with the Lesser Key of Solomon) also goes back to medieval Arabic traditions and also may have some links to alchemy. In one variation of the story, Asmodeus, the king of demons ruled Solomon’s throne for forty days before fleeing the king’s wrath when he returned.

My reasoning for bringing up the Seal of Solomon and the Star of David is because of Bill Cipher and the Universe Portal. Layering over the two creates a hexagram and fits into some of the lore around the Seal, as well as creating some possible points for the future of Gravity Falls.

This is only the beginning, but there is only so much that I can touch upon due to my own limited knowledge of the subject. While there may be symbols and themes, ultimately the story of Gravity Falls isn’t centered around religion. It is a supplement to the story to help tell it and develop themes as it goes along.







If any of you have anything to add to the subject or if some of my information is wrong, please do inform me. This turned out to be a little tougher than I expected, but hopefully someone else who knows more can flesh this out a little further. My next post should come within the week, sorry for the delays!

As I’m sure most of you are aware, we have another batch of shorts coming up, and this time it looks like Mabel is going to be the focus! I’m not sure when it will appear, but I suggest that everyone keep an eye out for it.

Send in your questions, comments, suggestions, or anything you want to talk about regarding Gravity Falls and I’ll get back to you soon!







Stay intrigued.