George MacDonald's novel, The Princess and the Goblin, includes all aspects of your typical children's fairy tale fantasy, fused with various religious ideologies. Such Christian analogies can be found throughout the novel as seen in the development of some of the main characters, the symbolism of specific items and actions, and concepts leading to divinity. .
Of the several Christian parallels in The Princess and the Goblin, I found the religious connections to the characters' to be particularly significant. The great-great grandmother takes on the role of an all-powerful and omniscient character, much like the role of God in Christian theology. The introduction of the grandmother paints the image of an elderly woman with great beauty and youthful skin, yet is several hundreds of years old, which is impossible for any earthly being. Thus, it is no coincidence that the grandmother is later specified to be 2,000 years old, which happens to be when Christian theology reads God's first coming to Earth. Alluding to her incarnation as God, the grandmother lives in the attic of blue walls and "stars of silver" where from an elevated position she is able to see all, which is comparable to the sky which Christians describe God to reside (MacDonald 94). By acknowledging the grandmother to be an embodiment of God, one can better comprehend the concept of the grandmother's age and eternal beauty, however her magical powers and ability to remain unknown by some are notions that take readers to a deeper level of religious application.
Throughout the novel, the grandmother serves as a protector and guide for Princess Irene and Curdie through spiritual means. Spun by her grandmother, the invisible thread guides those who can see it to safety and was given to Irene so that she may never truly be lost. This magical thread enables the grandmother to be with Irene where ever she may be as long as she believes, similar to the idea that God is always with his believers and never leads them astray, as discussed in more detail later.
