No, it doesn’t mean Fern will die.
Summary:
- A number of fans thought that the grave in the ending was Fern’s.
- They see it as a foreshadowing of Fern’s death.
- The ending symbolized the bond between Frieren and Fern.
The ending of the Frieren: Beyond Journey's End (Sousou no Frieren) anime is not only good at charming you with a wonderful catchy soundtrack and peculiar visuals, it can also generate a lot of theories about the story of the series.
The ending starts with Frieren standing by a grave, followed by a scene of her lying on her back beside it. And it ends with her lying in Fern’s lap just the same way, which made so many fans believe that this was Fern’s grave and a foreshadowing for the girl’s death.
The theory about Fern dying in the finale of the series has been around for quite some time. It’s obvious that Frieren will outlive Fern, since she’s an elven mage and can live for centuries, while Fern is human and will die within 100 years. This understanding makes fans extremely worried, and the ending makes it worse.
No need to panic
Although we don’t really know what the true meaning of the ending is, most fans think that it has nothing to do with foreshadowing Fern’s death. On the contrary, it is about the bond that Frieren and Fern share.
The story starts with Frieren losing Himmel, and although she never fully understood that, fans are sure she loved him back. That’s why his death became a turning point in her life and that’s why she decided to reevaluate human connections.
Frieren was sad and perhaps even lost, she didn’t understand why someone who was with her for a mere moment (well, for 10 years) could influence her so much. Frieren needed someone to save her and explain her feelings to her.
And this is where Fern comes into the picture. This is a girl that showed Frieren the importance of connections and gave her some meaning in life.
Symbolism of the ending
When Frieren was lying by the grave in the opening, her earring turned into a drop, which reached a butterfly. This butterfly symbolizes Fern. Then we see Frieren wandering around as if she was lost and didn’t know where to go, and the butterfly was always near.
Frieren is reaching out to a blue flower in the opening, and fans think the flower symbolizes Himmel. But the butterfly envelopes the flower and helps Frieren, which is an allusion to how Fern helped Frieren deal with the loss and gave her a new meaning.
That’s why most fans don’t think that there’s a reason to be worried about Fern’s fate yet. The ending is not about her dying, it’s about Frieren finding a person who can soothe her pain and make her feel.