In the Hunt: Unauthorized Essays on Supernatural

by Supernatural. tv,

  Despite the fact that myth, lore, and legend form the fundamental core of our culture, the exchange of ideas about them from an intrapersonal perspective-what we may really think, feel, and believe about certain supernatural events, paranormal stories, and superstitions-remains a controversial form of communication. And yet here, in the earlier conception of Supernatural, we have a show that projects such ideas as definite truths. Watching it, we would have seen unnatural things happening in our world-or at least a version of our world. Then, as we observed the articles being written up, we would know they were true. And once those articles were released, we would then have seen how society reacted to them as sources of “information.”

  So even before the Winchesters, Supernatural was already about legitimizing the marginal source. In the final reworking of the show as two brothers on the road, fighting the truth behind the stories, we see them actually turning to the same types of articles that the journalist would have written. And okay, not all of them are True. Every now and again the show reminds that not every Web maintainer knows what to do with a kelpie or disgruntled pagan god when they meet one. (But who knows? If enough people like what they read, that might just change.) But as seen in the episodes utilizing everyone’s favorite Trickster since Loki was chained to a cave wall, though some things may not be true in the way the sources say they are, even the most outlandish source can hold a degree of truth. And just because there is a reasonable explanation for that truth, that doesn’t make it any less supernatural.

  As the show creates a reality in which the ideas offered by modern sources are true and the modern sources themselves are legitimate, it provides grounds for the audience to believe in a world where the source text could be real. And as the sources that the Winchesters turn to are familiar access points of information to any modern-day audience, they become a unique, interconnecting link between the present real world and the world of Supernatural. The Winchesters’ sources are Supernatural’s writers’ sources. The writers’ sources are the Winchesters’ sources. The people wrote the sources, and the people watch the show.

  I believe that this is a large part of the success of Supernatural as a whole, as there are a lot of us out there who find a degree of truth or relevance in some of the show’s sources. And yet, while we can go out and access them-visit the Web sites, read an old book, or study incantations in Latin on our own-the thing that we cannot do on our own is develop a sense of community, the feeling that there are other people out there who read these sources in that same way, or at least enjoy reading them in the same way whether they believe in them or not. The continuing emergence of the Supernatural community-the collaborative network of the show’s writers, cast, crew, audience, fans, and interfaced media-creates a safe space in which to explore the fringes of our world together through new perspectives, to use the information that we all access every day while allotting it a greater sense of relevance and importance. We can feel comfortable about being interested in Internet Web sites that have popped up in the last seventy-two hours, or intrigued by a guidebook on the “Thirty Most Haunted Places in New England”-sources that may not be accepted in a mainstream or academic setting, but are still valuable reflections of current mythologies, and as such, worthy of consideration.

  As we have seen through episodes like “Hell House,” the way truth in myth develops is through communities, through people and their participation within a given culture or restricted zone. So when culture-conscious and media-linked creations, like Supernatural, provide those boundaries of community in which such truths can be explained, it becomes a way for us to observe culture as it shifts. It allows us to watch the development of folklore-a process that in the past would have taken years or even generations. Now, however, with the fast-paced environment of rapid information exchange, we have the opportunity to gaze upon ourselves and reflect on the development of our culture as it is happening. The Web sites, the tabloids, the networking and convergence of groups through the media, these are all reflections of how we see the world-and what we believe to be in it-today. Some of these sources may be “wrong,” but with folklore they really do not necessarily need to be accurate-just popular or supported enough to catch on and make an impact.

  By interacting and drawing from the modern culture, Supernatural becomes an exercise in all of this. It works to show that mythology is not dead and never was.

  Supernatural is the convergence of myth as it stands in our culture today. And as more people access, watch, and embrace the show, absorbing its contributions to the morphology of myth-faster than one might think-Supernatural itself may soon become a source. In fact, it probably has already.

  LONDON E. BRICKLEY is an undergraduate of English and Classics at the University of Rochester. Having spent the better part of the year studying abroad in the Arctic with nothing but ice, limited light, an iPod stuffed with Supernatural episodes, and a BlackBerry with satellite Internet, she has had rather ample time to marvel at the scope of networking through global media, acquire a secret crush on Ash, and ponder significant questions like “Do ghosts freeze?” She is gratefully indebted to the entire Supernatural team (and fellow fans) for providing limitless, riveting entertainment and for making Latin verb conjugation sexy.

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  Special thanks are due to Sharron Hather (irismay42) for her invaluable assistance with the book’s essay introductions.

  The publisher would like to thank the following for their assistance with the manuscript:

  Christine of Team Winchester (www.teamwinchester.com) Claire/Wenchpixie of Spnfencentral (spnfencentral.livejournal.com) Deannie Warner of spn_heavymeta (spn_heavymeta.livejournal.com)

  Congratulations to our Supernatural.tv/Smart Pop Supernatural Essay Contest finalists:

  Mary F. Dominiak (Bardicvoice)

  Amanda R. Hauck

  Lee C. Hillman (Gwendolyn Grace)

  Laura Kilmartin

  Samara Jensen

  K. Hanna Korossy

  Onuma (Anna) Lakamchua

  Dawn Nyberg

  B.J. Peterson (bjxmas)

  Michelle Shavlik

  Diana Taleski

  Shannon Zufer

  And of course, congratulations to our contest winners-London E. Brickley, Avril Hannah-Jones, and Sheryl A. Rakowski-whose essays appear in this book!

  1

  “Lawrence, Kansas.” Wikipedia. 21 July 2008.

  2

  Bettleheim, Bruno. The Uses of Enchantment: The Meaning and Importance of Fairy Tales. New York: Knopf, 1976. Pages 120-122.

  3

  Tolkien, J. R. R. “On Fairy Stories.” In Poems and Stories, 116-154. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1994. Pages 143-145, 154.

  4

  Lewis, C. S. “Sometimes Fairy Stories May Say Best What’s to Be Said.” In On Stories and Other Essays on Literature, edited by Walter Hooper, 45-48. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1982. Page 47.

  5

  See, for example, the Catechism of the Catholic Church (Strathfield: St Pauls, 2004), sections 309-24.

  6

  Such spirits also provide the clearest evidence offered of the existence of a “Heaven” to match Supernatural’s well-mapped Hell, as they disappear into blinding white light. While Hell is a matter of record, colorfully described by “Meg” as “a prison made of bone and flesh and blood and fear” (“Born Under a Bad Sign,” 2-14), the existence of Heaven remains a matter of hope. As Sam tells Dean, “Doesn’t really matter, Dean. Hope’s kind of the whole point” (“Roadkill”).

  7

  Supernatural creator Eric Kripke has denied that there is anything particularly Christian about the show’s demonology (TV.com Q&A: Supernatural creator Eric Kripke. http://www.tv.com/supernatural/show/30144/story/10682.html, January 10, 2008, accessed on March 31, 2008). However, he has also described Supernatural as “Star Wars in truck-stop America” (Commentary on “Pilot”), and “truck-stop America” has Judeo-C
hristian roots. It is a world dotted by small towns called Jericho, Nazareth, and Salvation; Christian churches are apparently the only places of worship; and the only visible religious professionals are Christian clergy.

  8

  “Aaron shall cast lots on the two goats, one lot for the Lord and the other lot for Azazel. Aaron shall present the goat on which the lot fell for the Lord, and offer it as a sin-offering; but the goat on which the lot fell for Azazel shall be presented alive before the Lord to make atonement over it, so that it may be sent away into the wilderness to Azazel.” Leviticus 16:8-10. All biblical quotes are from the New Revised Standard Version, unless otherwise noted.

  9

  “1 Enoch” in H. F. D. Sparks (ed.), The Apocryphal Old Testament (Oxford; Clarendon Press, 1984), pp. 190-199.

  10

  Edward Langton, Essentials of Demonology: A Study of Jewish and Christian Doctrine, Its Origin and Development (London: The Epworth Press, 1949), pp. 130-132.

  11

  “Wildcats shall meet with hyenas, goat-demons shall call to each other; there too Lilith shall repose, and find a place to rest.” Isaiah 34:14.

  12

  Psalm 91:5.

  13

  Louis Ginzberg, The Legends of the Jews: Volume 1 From the Creation to Jacob (Baltimore and London: The John Hopkins University Press, 1998), pp. 65-66.

  14

  Catechism of the Catholic Church, sections 391-394.

  15

  Don Williams, “‘Supernatural’ Creator Nixes Divine Intervention.” BuddyTv.com. 31 March 2008.

  16

  Henry Ansgar Kelly, Satan: A Biography (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2006), pp. 194-199.

  17

  Meg (“Shadow,” 1-16) and Azazel (“Devil’s Trap,” 1-22). In his conversation with Bobby after bringing Sam back it appeared that Dean agreed with them. He believed his life would only have meaning if he sacrificed it to save Sam (“All Hell Breaks Loose [Part 2],” 2-22). But after a confrontation with a demonic version of himself saying exactly the same thing, Dean finally asserted that he did not deserve to go to Hell and refused to give in to the self-hatred and despair with which demons had tempted him (“Dream a Little Dream of Me,” 3-10).

  18

  2 Peter 1:19; Revelation 22:16.

  19

  T. J. Wray and Gregory Mobley, The Birth of Satan: Tracing the Devil’s Biblical Roots (New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2005), p. 39.

  20

  Sam describes “Christo” as the name of God in Latin. It actually translates as “by Christ.” Presumably John Winchester taught his sons this handy demon-detecting device when they were too young to worry about exact translations, and so simplified it for them. While “Christo” works on demons, Ed yelling “The power of Christ compels you!” had absolutely no effect on Mordecai Murdock. Then again, Murdock was a special case; Dean was outraged to find that rock salt did not work on him either (“Hell House”).

  21

  Except for Azazel, who is apparently immune to holy water (“Devil’s Trap,” 1-22).

  22

  However, hallowed ground only works on minor league demons (“Salvation”).

  23

  Claus Westermann, God’s Angels Need No Wings (Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1979), p. 96.

  24

  See, for example, Joshua 5:13-15.

  25

  See, for example, Genesis 18, Numbers 22:22-35, and Judges 6:11-24.

  26

  Milton, John. Paradise Lost. Project Gutenberg, 1992. 10 June 2008.

  27

  http://www.sequentialtart.com/article.php?id=439

  28

  The Online International Journal of Buffy Studies. Vol. 13/14. October 2004.

  29

  Ibid.

  30

  http://www.tvguide.com/News-Views/Interviews-Features/Article/default.aspx?posting={376215DE-10D7-4281-AF13-9EBF86F8AB5E}

  31

  http://community.tvguide.com/blog-entry/TVGuide-Editors-Blog/Ausiello-Report/Supernatural-Exec-Wont/800019020&start=15

  32

  I will use “masculine” and “feminine” from here forward interchangeably with “male” or “female,” without intention of drawing a distinction between these archetypal qualities and physical gender.

  33

  DVD commentary, “Pilot” (1-1).

  34

  Boris, Cynthia. “Eric Kripke: Satan’s Head Writer.” TV of the Absurd. 25 July 2008.

  35

  Hillman, James. ReVisioning Psychology. New York: HarperPerennial, 1975. pp. 154-155.

  36

  Stern, Daniel. The Interpersonal World of the Infant: A View from Psychoanalysis & Developmental Psychology. New York: Basic Books, 1985/2000.

  37

  Schore, Alan. Affect Regulation and the Repair of the Self. New York: W.W. Norton and Co., 2003.

  38

  Mitchell, Stephen A. and Black, Margaret J. Freud and Beyond: A History of Modern Psychoanalytic Thought. New York: Basic Books, 1995. p. 38.

  39

  Ogden, Thomas. The Matrix of the Mind: Object Relations and the Psychoanalytic Dialogue. Northvale, NJ/London: Jason Aronson, Inc., 1986.

  40

  DVD commentary, “Pilot.”

  41

  A true story, worthy of being made into a Supernatural episode: an heiress of the Winchester rifle fortune was a believer in the occult who was terrified she’d be haunted by the ghosts of everyone killed by a Winchester rifle. The Winchester Mystery House in San Jose, California, is a monument to her superstition.

  42

  DVD commentary, “Pilot.”

  43

  See the Supernatural Fic Link Archive page on the SupernaturalWiki for more information on this research: http://supernaturalwiki.com/index.php?title=Supernatural_Fic_Link_Archive.

  44

  “Supernatural” in that it breaks from the accepted reality of the original text, a reality often similar to our own. In the case of Supernatural crackfic, these classifications are somewhat looser (as discussed below).

  45

  http://blogs.mediavillage.com/sci_fi/archives/2007/06/supernatural_co.html

  46

  http://supernatural.oscillating.net/index.php?title=The_Colt.

  47

  Editor’s Note: See essays by Jules Wilkinson and Mary Fechter in this volume.

  48

  Dr. Timothy R. Tangherlini, interviewed in “Tricksters: Lore & Legend,” Supernatural Season 2 DVD Extra

  49

  Ellen Kushner, “Tricksters,” Sound & Spirit, Week of October 21, 2007.

  50

  Eric Kripke, Teleconference, October, 2006, transcribed on http://www.ramblingsofatvwhore. com/2006/10/05/supernatural-teleconference-transcript/

  51

  Terri Windling quoting Alan Garner, Wile E. Coyote and Other Sly Trickster Tales, 1995.

  52

  Supernatural Woman, “Mystery Spot: ‘No, no, no, no, not like this!’” http://tvguide.liveworld.com/blog-entry/Supernatural-Woman/Mystery-Spot-Quotno/800033353&

  53

  Bill Harley, “Tricksters,” Sound & Spirit, Week of October 21, 2007.

  54

  William J. Hynes. “Mapping the Characteristics of Mythic Tricksters: A Heuristic Guide.” Mythical Trickster Figures: Contours, Contexts, and Criticisms. Tuscaloosa: University of Alabama Press, 1993.

  55

  Richard Pulfer, Supernatural (3.11)-Mystery Spot, http://www.popsyndicate.com/archive/story/supernatural_311_mystery_spot

  56

  C. W. Spinks, “Duck Watch: Peat and Repeat,” Trickster’s Way, Volume 2, Issue 1, http://www.trinity.edu/org/tricksters/TrixWay/