Disney’s adaptation of The Hunchback of Notre Dame is considered a classic masterpiece and its best animated movie. Despite it being marketed toward a general audience, the movie has a lot of underlying themes that are indeed dark, serious, and inappropriate for children.
With such a complex and rich story, The Hunchback of Notre Dame has a lot of theories and urban legends wrapped around its plot. The cathedral in real-life is also full of mystery and charm. The story might be straightforward, but there is more to it than what we know:
The Court Of Miracles
The Court of Miracles is known as the hiding place as well as a refuge for the Romani in the movie. Claude Frollo has been planning to destroy the place. However, it is very well hidden from the public eye unless a Romani would tell you where it is.
Yet, in real life, the place is not a safe haven but actually a slum where the poorest people live. The inhabitants are known to fake their disabilities to gain alms or food. After doing so, they return to the slums in their original able-bodied state.
The Devil’s Doors
During the first scene of the film, the audience could see Quasimodo’s mother knocking on the door of the cathedral. It is possible that this is the wicked Devil’s Doors.
There is a legend about a metalsmith named Biscornet who traded his soul in exchange for the completion of the detail-oriented church’s doors. It is also not coincidental that his name translates to ‘two horns’. People say that the door won’t open unless you spray some holy water in it.
Quasimodo
While this narrative is based on a novel, people most likely debate whether it is a true story or just a folktale. Quasimodo’s description of being an ugly hunchback who lives in the hidden-most part of a church really does sound like an old maid’s tale.
However, a Canadian news outlet addressed this issue. According to it, there was a 19th-century sculptor who worked at the Notre Dame and saw a stone carver who looks exactly like Quasimodo. He never talked about it nor brought up what he saw.
Haunted Notre Dame
There is an eerie and mystifying ambiance within the walls of the Notre Dame church. Some believed that spirits are roaming around the halls, according to a YouTube channel.
One of the ghosts is a woman who ran past the church guards. She climbed up the spires, and then jumped off. Some residents blame these spirits for the 2019 incident that burned the church’s roofs.
Hugo’s Novel Saved The Church
Victor Hugo is a French novelist who wrote the famous gothic story, Notre-Dame de Paris or more popularly known as The Hunchback of Notre Dame. During the French revolution, the church was not as majestic as it is regarded today.
After the novel’s publication, people suddenly wanted to save the church. The government funded a contest to repair the building. Today, it is known as one of the most beautiful pieces of architecture in the world.
