Spoilers below for the TV show Agatha All Along.
Who is Rio?
Portrayed by Aubrey Plaza.
The name Rio Vidal, literally translates into ‘River of Life”.
Rio is the literal embodiment of death in the MCU.
We know, death is a universal constant.
It is the cycle of life.
Death comes for us all.
So, let’s explore the characterisation of Death as The Green Witch a bit further.
Rio characterises herself as someone who’s just doing their job by escorting people into the afterlife.
Serving as a guide for the newly deceased.
She’s seen holding a knife in her left hand and a flower in her right. Which further symbolises her cyclical nature.
Also, as seen on the show, death in Tarot symbolises endings and also beginnings.
Rebirth.
So we can pose some questions at this point:
Can a characterisation of death be inherently evil, when death itself is a natural part of life?
Does the idea of dying carry negative connotations?
Can Death take a life?
Can Death be evil?
Can Death fall in love?
Can Death reproduce?
Create life?
Yes.
Maybe.
I don’t know.
Mushrooms
Time is also cyclical, in this universe.
Death can serve as an embodiment of that circularity.
The flower Rio is holding represents creation of new life, through death.
Through herself.
Through decomposition.
Life feeding the soil, leading to the creation of life anew.
That is why Rio is the Green Witch.
She is literally nature itself.
Herself.
Nature sprouts through her.
She creates life.
Green craft is about the cycle of all living things, growth and decay in constant flow.
Like a river.
The river of life.
Life is the road we walk through and death is the destination.
The road on the show is a circle, it represents the never ending cycle of life and death.
A key part of that cycle are mushrooms.
Mushrooms need a lot of decay to grow.
One cannot plant a mushroom per say. But we can grow them by repurposing dead materials. That is why they’re very commonly grown in and around rotting trees.
Mushrooms represent rebirth, rejuvenation and regeneration.
They’re inherently mournful and hopeful.
Which is a rare duality. And a contradiction. But, it’s our reality.
Another reality is that, we live our days knowing the fact that we’re going to die someday.
We develop our consciousness through that knowledge.
Learning about death is the reason humans develop empathy.
So we deny our immanent deaths.
Healthily so.
We can live our lives to the fullest through that denial.
We cannot deny the importance of fungi though.
Fungi generates soils that give life.
Understanding the language and the nature of fungal networks, and how they communicate with it’s surrounding ecosystem may shine a light to better understanding our neural networks.
The connectivity of life. Through death. Through mushrooms.
Mushrooms are not exactly a vegetable or an animal but something in between.
We tend to associate mushrooms and fungi with mold.
We fear it. Myself included.
That phobia has been proven to be evolutionarily beneficial.
Decomposition moves dying organisms and all their nutrients back into the earth, into the life cycle.
That is why, mushrooms are the digestive track of the forest.
They are spooky, weird and fascinating in the most wonderful way.
They connect everything to the earth, support life, convert life, carry life, they are remarkable beings.
Interesting how consuming death in a way transforms us.
Death is a part of us and we become a part of death through consumption.
And yet, we remain alive.
Like magic.
Fermentation is another magical transformation that happens to nutritions.
It is entirely created through the actions of bacteria and fungi.
Microbes.
Dionysus is the God of Fermentation and fermented foods.
Fermentation is one of the ways we build our cultural identities.
The delicious rot.
The pies de Dieu.
The feet of God.
All acquired tastes around the globe involves some sort of fermentation.
The taste of decay.
Creating wonderful flavour.
Consuming death.
Remaining alive.
Promises of something delicious.
Maybe, it’s our unconscious way of being prepared for our own deaths.
Facing our mortality.
Promises of life beyond death.
Life above all.
Love behind loss.
Pain in mourning.
Grief beyond comprehension.
Comfort in dying.
Food for thought.
In the end, everything that dies, gets broken down.
It’s our ultimate fate.
To be reused.
Ecologically.
Naturally.
By The Green Witch.
Herself.
Rio.
