But why don't the Temple Others already have ash spread around the Temple "just in case"?

But why don't the Temple Others already have ash spread around the Temple "just in case"?

Good question. I wondered that myself. If it's that big of a deal, what's the problem with spreading ash around to prevent anything that might happened? It was already done at the cabin (although we did see that it didn't work), but at least around the Temple workers could check to make the sure circle was not interrupted.

But why don't the Temple Others already have ash spread around the Temple "just in case"?

I think it's because they thought he was contained in the cabin. They thought since he was there, there was no need for ash around the temple. Remember, they never knew what happened to Jacob until Hurley told them Jacob died. Thats when they all freaked and sent the rocket into the sky to warn the other Others and Richard Alpert. They knew the Smoke Monster was no longer contained. The next question is WHO broke the ash around the cabin and let Smokie out?

Honestly....SMokey is such a big problem wouldnt you want a back up plan??? I would have plenty of ash already spread to protect my people.

Honestly....SMokey is such a big problem wouldnt you want a back up plan??? I would have plenty of ash already spread to protect my people.

You would think....LOL. Maybe it's a plot hole?

I guess its just to make sure we understand just how scared everyone is, we needed to see them run around frantic and see Richard terrified by what is happening.


The next question is WHO broke the ash around the cabin and let Smokie out?

I think it was Claire when she went to the cabin with Christian...but we have no proof of what happened

Maybe the ash is not readily available so they are careful when they use it. Maybe its the ashes of cremated Others or Jacobs ancesters ?!:confused:

Maybe the ash is not readily available so they are careful when they use it. Maybe its the ashes of cremated Others or Jacobs ancesters ?!:confused:
That makes sense. If the right kind of ash is scarce that would make sense

$20,000,000 a gram:biggrin:

Initially I thought there was a straightforward answer to your question, but now I'm not so sure.

I was going to say: well, rain would wash the ash away all the time, and so they'd be waisting a lot of the ash .... BUT ... we already know the rain doesn't wash the ash away, because the ash stayed around the cabin for who knows how long ....

Any geologists out there? Any particular kind of ash which would stay on the ground for extended periods of time even through rain?

It seems relatively moist around the temple, which would make the ash wash away easily. I say they only put the ash out when they hear Jacob is dead because the idea that Jacob would actually be killed by Smokey is insanely remote.

not a dumb question at all

I have to imagine the Others behave just like all people: if something isn't absolutely necessary, they probably wont do it :p

Maybe the ash is not readily available so they are careful when they use it. Maybe its the ashes of cremated Others or Jacobs ancesters ?!:confused: I think that's an interesting theory and with the temple others I think anything like that is possible.

But are you sure it is ash, or could it maybe be something different like gunpowder? Because the first time I saw the circle around Jacob's Cabin I immediatly thought it was gun powder-but maybe that's just me...

they specifically called it Ash, but not what kind of ash.

but at one point smokey had access to the temple, or atleast the underground part of the temple because that is where he attacked the French team. besides, i dont think smokey was being kept in that cabin, because look at how many people were attacked, eko, locke saw it, (i could go on)the frieghter people who ben called on smokey, so i dont think smokey was trapped...good question though, i was thinking about this same thing the other day...

Here is my question. Why did Smokey run away from Juliet and or Kate in S3.I think it was Juliet.

Smokey didn't run away from Juliet. Smokey was giving chase, and when they arrived at the sonic barrier, Juliet fished the keys to the handcuffs out of her pocket and uncuffed herself, then crossed the barrier (telling Kate it was not on), got Kate across the barrier, and turned it on just in time because Smokey barrelled into it and could not pass it or (we don't know why) go over it.

I think he meant when they were hiding in the trees and Smokey flashed lights then left... and to be honest I dont know the answer as to why he took off

I'm pretty sure Hurley kicked the Cabin ash when the eye @ the window freaked him out... someone brushed it with their foot I swear I remember seeing it happen and they did a close up of the messed up ash too.

Ben, Locke, and Hurley were the only ones there to my knowledge, so I don't think it was Claire, but maybe...

Well in addition to sonic fences, Smokey can't reach through foliage to get to someone. I assumed that he retreated until they felt safe enough to come out, whereupon he pursued them again. Or, maybe he had to review the contents of his flashing Juliet to see if she was a good person or not. Who knows?

I always just assumed the ash was made from those messed-up trees that they used to hide from Smokey in.

Maybe there is a limited supply because the Lorax won't let them cut any more down.

(I'm serious about the ash being from the trees, though . . . and, heck, about the Lorax, too. Nothing they do anymore will seem absurd to me.)

Perhaps Jacob would protect them as long as he were alive, and the ash was more of a last resort? I mean it obviously doesn't work all the time, as seen during Smokey's tantrum after being shot.

I also kinda got the feeling that perhaps Jacob was in the cabin to begin with, and somehow trapped Smokey there via the ash. So no, he wasn't there the entire time, but at some point he was trapped, and at some point, released. My vote's for sometime during the first episode, since otherwise he wouldn't have been able to appear to the losties otherwise. I think it'd be neat if perhaps Jacob had called him to the cabin for a talk, maybe for peace/going home/whatever.. while his buddies outside surrounded the cabin with ash. :x

The only reason the ash didnt work for Bram was because he made his circle too small, and Smokey\Flocke used the environment to knock him out of the tiny circle...

If I remember right, the ash around the cabin was in a trough of sorts which would likely keep it from washing away with the rains. I'd really like to see a closeup of the scene another poster mentioned above when he/she said that Hurley messed up the ring of ash when he saw the eye in the window of the cabin.

Maybe the ash is the ashes of Jacob's cremated followers, and has some sort of sacred protection bestowed upon it? This could be why Richard wanted the bodies of the 2 others that Juliet and Sawyer shot during the attack on the Dharma picnicers? Cremating them is the final "sacrifice" that they can make to Jacob....

Also - Flocke kicked Jacob into the fire after Ben stabbed him, and he apparently was consumed by the fire very quickly; something even Flocke acknowledged when Ben sat there staring unbelievingly into the fire after it all happened. Maybe Jacob has died many times, but had always managed to be "born again" somehow... that would make the ashes of his body pretty damn important to his followers too... not sure where I was really going with all this, just thought I'd throw some thoughts out there :)

they specifically called it Ash, but not what kind of ash.
I assumed it was volcanic ash because in that episode they went out of their way to mention the volcano.

I wonder if Jacob & MIB are the same type of entity meaning they can both appear in a smoke-like form and both can be contained by ash substance.

I'm pretty sure Hurley kicked the Cabin ash when the eye @ the window freaked him out... someone brushed it with their foot I swear I remember seeing it happen and they did a close up of the messed up ash too.

Ben, Locke, and Hurley were the only ones there to my knowledge, so I don't think it was Claire, but maybe...

They haven't shown the ash get kicked yet, or else we would all know about it - that kind of thing would be too big to get missed here. There was a close-up of the disturbance in the ash though which must be what you're thinking of.

Claire was in the cabin the last time Locke visited it, hanging out with "Christian."

I son't think much of the ash protection policy. Ir can be moved and certainly would be washed away in some of those downpours we used to see all the time. Why ash? It appears to be too easily destroyed.

Why does anyone think the Smoke Monster is contained in the cabin? Have we not seen the Monster roaming the island? He killed the Pilot of 815, chased Juliet, killed Eko... etc.

We were told that Horus built the cabin. Makes sense, since they built Dharma on top of Smokies cave, they knew about the original inhabitants of the Island.
It seems logical to assume that Horus put the ash around his own cabin to protect themselves from the Smoke Monster. Perhaps Horus has trapped himself in there?
We can assume that the Others maintain the ash ring, because we know it rains often on the Island. Perhaps after each rain, someone checks on the circle of ash? Maybe it doesn't rain at the cabin?

So, who was Ilanna going to see at the cabin? Horus? Alvar Hanso?

horis is at the mass grave of dharmas' that ben killed. i have always wondered why horis built the cabin out there though, isnt everything outside of dharmaville considered hostile territory?

the ash comes from the volcano,i believe smokie has an allergy to it....maybe a firehose-type device
should be used to "extinguish" smokie...just blast it (in the face) and it will sneeze itself to death.....
looks like the other Others are stocked up on ash (i like that it could be cremated remains)
and will be ready for big bad smokie. trap him in a bottle already,geez.....:)

I think it's because they thought he was contained in the cabin. They thought since he was there, there was no need for ash around the temple. Remember, they never knew what happened to Jacob until Hurley told them Jacob died. Thats when they all freaked and sent the rocket into the sky to warn the other Others and Richard Alpert. They knew the Smoke Monster was no longer contained. The next question is WHO broke the ash around the cabin and let Smokie out?


Ummm...for 5 seasons the Monster has been roaming the island killing people - - starting with the first episode. It's a pretty loud Monster too and draws a lot of attention to it when attacking. How in the world could the Others not hear it or wonder who is going around uprooting trees all over the place?