IT: Welcome to Derry Episode 4 has confirmed if the Galloo was Pennywise or not. HBO Max's prequel series continued its exploration of the horrors in Derry, Maine, that were brought to the forefront by the ancient evil that took the form of Pennywise the Dancing Clown to lure victims into its bait. While Pennywise is in its usual form, the ancient evil has brought a plethora of transformations (such as Derry's towering Paul Bunyan statue) to deliver horrifying visions to its prey, and it is usually fueled by its victims' fear.
The latest episode of IT: Welcome to Derry pulled back the curtain on Pennywise's arrival in Derry, Maine, and how the town's ancient natives first encountered the terrifying creature. However, the monster featured in the flashback was a Galloo, a fearsome demonic entity, that led some to wonder if it was really Pennywise.
Is The Galloo Pennywise In 'Welcome to Derry'?
In Sumerian mythology, a Galloo (or Gallu in some territories) are demons of the ancient Mesopotamian Underworld. These creatures' role includes hauling victims off to the underworld, and they are described as one of the offspring of hell.
While the proto Losers' Club is busy finding proof of Pennywise's existence in Derry, the military (led by General Francis Shaw, who may or may not be doomed in IT: Welcome to Derry) is on the verge of unpacking the truth about the ancient evil that they are trying to find by restraining one of the town's natives, Taniel, and using Dick Hallorann's "shining" ability to learn the evil's origins through him.
Through his psychic connection with Taniel, Hallorann learned of the natives' attempts to vanquish an ancient evil (even before it took the form of Pennywise), and the creature they were trying to defeat transformed into a Gallo.
Given that every horror that takes place in Derry is due to the ancient evil that arrived on Earth millions of years ago, this Galloo is confirmed to be Pennywise in disguise, with it being one of its first forms.
The fact that Pennywise used the Galloo to torment Derry's Indian natives makes sense because the entity would've been made aware that this demonic creature is what scares them the most. Given that the Galloo's primary role is to lure souls into the underworld, Pennywise mirrors the creatures' purpose by slaughtering the townspeople and driving them to their deaths.
IT: Welcome to Derry Episode 4's Ending Explains More of Pennywise's Origin
IT: Welcome to Derry Episode 4 explains more of Pennywise's origins, expanding on the lore introduced in 2019's IT: Chapter Two. Through a vision, a young Taniel told Dick the story about Pennywise's arrival on Earth, with the natives calling it a monster, which they named "The Galloo" and they stayed away from its hunting ground in the Western Woods.
"Millions of years ago, before the time of the first people, an evil spirit was cast down from the darkest part of the night sky, bound inside of a falling star. But when the star struck the Earth, it broke open, and the spirit was set free. It roamed the woods for many snows and countless moons until the creation of our first ancestors. The star that carried the monster had been its cage, and the stone it was made from still held power.
Our wisest took a shard from that star and carved a weapon to protect our people from the monster, which we named 'The Galloo.' We kept the dagger close and stayed away from the Western Wood."
The revelation about Pennywise's origin is significant to The Galloo's lore because it means that this is the ancient evil's first name, way before it took the form of a circus clown. The natives also explained that the ancient evil initially stayed within its territory, but it was disrupted due to the arrival of the settlers.
"As years went by, the legend of The Galloo was passed down from generation to generation. We lived in balance with the monster by staying outside of its reach and never hunting in its territory. Until one day, the settlers arrived.
We warned them of the danger in the Western Wood, but they chose to ignore us. They hunted the woods. And just as we had warned them, they were hunted. The Galloo fed on them and grew stronger and more powerful."
After Pennywise grew stronger, it was able to hunt outside of the Western Wood. As a result, the natives decided to find a solution to keep the entity caged in its hunting grounds.
They used the shards of the creatures' old bindings and buried them within the boundaries of their hunting ground (which later turned out to be Derry, Maine), and this finally explains why Pennywise could not leave the confines of the town.
"They found the cave and broke off shards of the ancient star The Galloo had arrived in. A plan was formed. Not to kill it, but to cage it. They would use the shards of its old bindings, the only thing the Galloo feared, to keep our people safe again. The children circled the Western Wood, which had been the monster's hunting ground for so long. And they buried 13 sacred shards deep into the Earth. Over each stone, they lit a fire to mark its place, a line the Galloo could not cross."
Whether it is Pennywise or The Galloo, the ancient evil proved to be terrifying in every one of its cycles, and the fact that it took countless lives to trap him in his own hunting grounds further cements how dangerous this creature really is.
Read more about every IT: Welcome to Derry character related to the IT movie characters.
