Once Upon a Time was a deliciously fun show that mashed up classic fairy tales with modern twists and settings, creating new scenarios that often ended with jaw-dropping conclusions. Unfortunately, there were lots of story arcs that were just dropped without resolution, leaving fans with too many questions and so much material to speculate about that fan theories now run amok across the Internet.

These theories are almost as enjoyable as the show itself, and we hope that some of them could be true. On the other hand, some of them are so ghastly and horrifying that if they’re confirmed to be true, we may have to cast a spell to undo it all.

Could Be True: Eric Is Hook’s Father

Hook’s father issues started somewhere, and while we were privy to some of those heartbreaking moments, we still don’t know much about his dad or his origin. Some fans speculate that Prince Eric might be Hook’s father who abandoned the child all those years ago.

Not only would the idea of Hook being a member of royalty be fitting for his relationship with Emma, but it would fit into the whole nautical realm of the show. There are even people who think that, given Hook’s history with mermaids in the show and in other Peter Pan stories, he may have taken out Ariel’s mother.

Doesn’t Work: Ariel Is Rumpel’s Old Flame

With very little evidence, some fans think that Ariel and Rumpelstiltskin have a romantic history. If we support the theory that Eric is Hook’s father, the idea of Ariel and Rumpelstiltskin being a couple at one point is too weird. Everyone in the series seems enchanted by multiple threads, but this one is just too interconnected if the previous theory is true.

This theory doesn’t fit well within any timelines, especially if Rumpel sought out Hook and vice versa, and Ariel lived in Pan’s neck of the woods at all. It would also mean that Rumpel was the boyfriend of two Disney princesses, which is just too much to handle.

How much fun are sibling speculations when it comes to fairy tales? Confirming Tarzan’s sibling status with Anna and Elsa of Frozen fame was everything to fans, so it would be quite fitting to discover that Red and the Huntsman, a true champion of wolves, were related all along.

Graham didn’t get nearly as much time in the show as many fans would have liked, so some prequel material about his time with his shape-shifting family, which may have included Ruby, would be pretty cool to see. This would likely mean an adoptive sibling status, but anything is possible when it comes to fairy tales–and there really aren’t many coincidences that would keep these two wolf-loving people from being so far removed.

Doesn’t Work: Regina And Emma Are Married

One of the theories fans have about the show itself is that it’s all in Emma’s head, and that Emma, who is married to Regina, is dealing with trauma over losing Henry in some way. The theory is that Henry is their child and after losing him, Emma could not deal, so the whole situation is made up in her mind. It’s on par with the theory that Harry Potter is all in poor orphan Harry’s head as a strategy to cope with living with the Dursleys.

We hope this depressing theory isn’t true, because it would mean that magic isn’t real after all, and neither is anything else we witnessed.

Could Be True: Rumpelstiltskin’s Caregivers Are Also Aurora’s

Most of the villains from the Once Upon a Time world know one another, and have even worked with (or against) each other from time to time. That’s why it would make perfect sense for the fairies who cared for Sleeping Beauty and defied Maleficent in the Disney tale to be the same ones who raised Rumpelstiltskin after his father, Peter Pan, abandoned him.

There’s really no proof that the two women were fairy godmothers, and there was only two of them whereas Aurora was cared for by three (Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather), but most people in the fairy tale world are connected somehow, which makes it plausible.

Doesn’t Work: Regina Cursed Herself To Not Have Kids

This terrible theory actually makes sense, but we don’t want it to be true since it would mean no hope for the former evil queen in the future. Regina has redeemed herself in the eyes of many fans, which means she should be able to have kids if she wishes with the right person. Other fans feel like she hasn’t paid for all of the destruction she’s caused, but they wouldn’t want to curse her with infertility.

Fans who subscribe to this painful theory say that she either rendered herself infertile on purpose so she wouldn’t have to provide the king with any children, or that it was an accidental side effect of her dark magic.

Could Be True: Madam Mim Is The Jabberwocky

The Jabberwocky didn’t get a story before or after being set free, which is too bad since there was so much potential for some cool plot ideas. Some fans speculate that she was really Madam Mim, which would have been a nice twist. So many of the characters had dozens of arcs, which left lots of cool fairy tale personalities behind in the dust.

Now that we know that Lily’s father was Zorro, it’s a bummer that the theory that the Jabberwocky was her father has now been debunked. How cool would it be if shape shifting dragons who were both sorceresses have a kid together?

Doesn’t Work: The Dragon Is Mushu

The Dragon in Once Upon a Time is a really cool character, and some fans have speculated that he is none other than the jokester Mushu from the Disney animated feature Mulan. While this might make sense, it would not do service to The Dragon, since he’s such an austere, impressive personality, and Mushu, while entertaining and spunky, is just too goofy for the role.

Another dragon in fairy tale legends would be more appropriate, such as the Jabberwocky (although this would not make sense with the show’s timeline). What would be a fun twist is that he is related to Mulan somehow.

Could Be True: Robin Hood Mentored Snow White

Just where did Snow get her marksmanship skills? How about Robin Hood himself! It’s a fun theory because it certainly wouldn’t disrupt any timelines, and it would make another simple connection that works with all of the rest of the canon material. How fitting would it be for her evil stepmother’s future beau to be the person who helped teach her skills she used to take her down? Now that’s magic at work.

Given that Regina is also the reason why Robin lost his wife in the first place, which is why no matter how much she’s redeemed herself she never really deserves to be with him, it’s also a nice way for him to be involved in her comeuppance.

Doesn’t Work: Hook Is Jack Sparrow

Disney and Once Upon a Time have crossed over too many times for many fans, making the idea that Captain Jack Sparrow of Pirates of the Caribbean fame is also Captain Hook a tiresome one. What’s more, these fans also speculate that Emma Swan is Elizabeth Swan, which also doesn’t work since Jack and Elizabeth certainly don’t fall in love.

Aside from Hook being a pirate and Emma having the last name Swan, there really are no other similarities here, and it would only ruin their relationship if it were proven to be true. Emma and Elizabeth couldn’t be any more different, and frankly, neither could Hook and Jack.