My Lion King Forum

So what I did not quite understand is how; well you know the part where Simba sighs on the edge of that cliff and then the dust or feathers or grass... you know let's just call it "stuff" that floats through the air and then Rafiki grabs it as it floats by and I just do not get the whole symbolism of it and also wanted to hear what other people think about it.

So some points to think about for example would be:

Why did he grab the dust, before he knew it was from Simba? what could he have possibly wanted to do with it before that?

How after examining the extracted dust, was he able to tell it was from Simba?

And also; how did he know where Simba would be?'

So what do you people think about this? I mean it is pretty clear to me that Rafiki has some kind of mystical abilities but I do not really get the whole visual metaphor of this scene...

Had to be scent no?

It's how animals pretty much track others.

Dont forget mufasa was the wind, in tlk sp mufasa was the wind talking to rafiki... but dont ask me how he knew... maybe shome of simbas fur floated aswell?

I've always thought that the particles had some of Simba's fur/scent with it. ^^ And about him knowing where Simba was.. maybe Rafiki simply followed where the wind was coming from to find Simba..?
Also, I believe Rafiki is some kind of Shaman, which is why he grabbed the "Stuff" from the air for some shamanistic ritual thing.. He just happened to find Simba's scent/fur with it too maybe.

I thought that it was Mufasa that blew the grass toward Rafiki and because of the scent in the grass, Rafiki knew it was Simba. As for the whole knowing where Simba is part, I honestly have no clue but my best guess is that Rafiki used his force powers (like Yoda) to communicate with Mufasa or something

*Agrees aswell whit zeke* Ho would even else he could find? mufasa is the spirit up in the sky in tlk 1 and 2. So he saw where simba is and leaded rafiki to simba.... ofcourse *shudders*

yup, it had to be scent

[quote="FlipMode"]Why did he grab the dust, before he knew it was from Simba? what could he have possibly wanted to do with it before that?[/quote]
I think he would have done this alot, to see what's going on in the animal kingdom. Maybee it was his morning routine or something to make sure everything is in balance (by examining the scents)

[quote="FlipMode"]How after examining the extracted dust, was he able to tell it was from Simba?[/quote]
He would have remembered the smell from the presentation. It took him a while to remember, and even a trigger (opening the gourd in the same way he did at Simba's presentation) to help his memory. The scent was obviously how he knew it was Simba, Rafiki did a lot of it in that scene

[quote="FlipMode"]And also; how did he know where Simba would be?[/quote]
The direction of the wind and any other scents in the air that came from where Simba was. And meybe a touch of Mufasa's guidance along the way

It is the way he examined the particles that made me question it; he just kind of stared at it for a few seconds and then... I dunno but it seemed like he noticed and by that I mean saw something. But yes I do think the general idea you guys are saying about the scent, does make the most sense.

I always thought the dust itself was special. I've seen it in Pocahontas and other Disney films.