The Destruction of Underland and the gnomes’ return to Bism are the paired consequences of the Witch’s defeat: the magic sustaining her country ends with her, and the gnomes she had summoned there recover their memories and turn toward home. The collapse transforms an apparent escape from captivity into a race through a failing world, while the gnomes’ liberation gives the disaster a second outcome beyond destruction.

The Witch’s death and the collapse

Puddleglum explains that the Witch had arranged her spells so that her kingdom would fall apart at the moment of her death. Her plan made the realm’s destruction part of her death-bound magic: she was prepared to die if the person responsible would also be caught in the catastrophe. Rilian confirms the connection, recognizing that the stroke that ended the Witch’s life also ended her magical works. The travelers are therefore not witnessing an unrelated disaster; the collapse is the immediate consequence of the Witch’s defeat.

Rilian names what they see as the end of Underworld. The explanation changes the meaning of the Witch’s apparent power: the spells that had sustained her rule also bound the fate of her country to her own. Once those works end, the realm can no longer remain as it was. The rescue has broken the enchantment, but it has also set the surrounding world in motion toward destruction.

The gnomes recover their identity

Golg recounts that, before the crash, the gnomes had spent years working for the Witch in a condition of sadness and silence. The sudden noise prompts them to remember pleasures and habits they had been unable to enjoy, including singing, dancing, and setting off small fireworks. They also recognize that their labor has been imposed on them and begin refusing to carry their loads. Their response marks a decisive change from passive service to independent action.

Golg explains that the workers are gnomes from Bism, whom the Witch had brought up by magic. They had forgotten who they were and where they belonged, and could think or act only within the limits of what she put into their minds. With the spell broken, the memory of their origin returns along with a sense of choice. The country where they had been held is the Shallow Lands; Bism, their home, lies deeper below the surface. Their journey is thus not simply an escape from a collapsing place, but a return to an identity and homeland obscured by enchantment.

The return journey and its public news

Rilian orders the party to set out, and Golg leads the way. Rilian rides his charger, while Puddleglum climbs behind Jill. As they travel, Golg announces that the Witch is dead and that the four Overlanders are not dangerous. The news spreads from one listener to another, until cheers and celebration fill Underland. Gnomes gather around Coalblack and Snowflake, leaping, turning cartwheels, standing on their heads, playing leapfrog, and setting off large crackers.

The change in the gnomes is made public through this shared celebration. Their release is not confined to Golg’s account: the news reaches the wider community, and the former workers gather around the travelers without treating them as threats. Rilian, meanwhile, is repeatedly asked to tell the story of his enchantment and deliverance. His account connects the gnomes’ sudden awakening to the rescue that has brought the Witch’s rule to an end.

The closing of the way

The party’s route remains threatened by the upheaval below. A hissing voice rises from the depths of Bism; those present later wonder whether it could have belonged to a salamander. Then the opening in the rock closes with a tremendous crash. The hot smell disappears, and the travelers are left in an Underworld that seems darker than before, with dim lamps showing the direction of the road.

The closure sharply limits what the travelers can do: the route toward the depths is no longer open, and the welcoming movement of the gnomes toward Bism is set against the travelers’ isolation in the dark. The account does not describe the gnomes’ arrival in Bism; it shows their awakening, their departure under Golg’s guidance, and the closing of the way behind the travelers. Underland’s destruction therefore completes the Witch’s defeat while separating the gnomes’ return from the travelers’ continuing escape.