The Mythology of Supernatural

by Nathan Robert Brown

  Most people know this story as the “Drilling to Hell” incident. The story first gained widespread acceptance, especially among the conservative Christian community, when it was televised by the Trinity Broadcast Network (TBN) during the late 1980s and early’90s. Many investigators, skeptics and believers alike, of the purported incident called into the station asking for details. Station representatives always claimed to have “irrefutable evidence” to prove the story’s validity.

  The irrefutable evidence, however, was a little sketchy. According to TBN, which published the account repeatedly in its newsletter, the story was translated from an article found in a Finnish newspaper called Ammennusatia. The TBN station, however, did not receive the article directly from the source. It originally received the story from a Texas evangelist named R. W. Schambach, a regular guest and lecturer on the network’s programs. However, even Schambach had not received the article directly from Ammennusatia . He had received the story from a Norwegian man named Age Rendalen, who had written a letter of confirmation supporting the validity of the story to Schambach. According to Rendalen, reports about the incident were all over Finland. Along with the letter, Rendalen included what he claimed to be a translation of the original Ammennusatia article. He also assured Schambach and TBN that Ammennusatia was one of Finland’s most reputable newspapers as well as a notable scientific journal. Rendalen also claimed to have gone to the site himself and included details about witnessing a winged creature rise up out of the hole and escape from the drill site (presumably a demon).

  When skeptics and journalists began looking into this, as will eventually happen in such cases, the story began to fall apart. As it turned out, Ammennusatia was most definitely not a respected newspaper—and certainly not a scientific journal. In fact, Ammennusatia was just a monthly newsletter published by Finnish Christian groups. The story published in Ammennusatia had actually been a secondhand account written by a staff member who claimed to have read it in an article published in Etela-Suomen, which is a real Finnish newspaper.

  So now investigators began ringing the phones at Etela-Suomen , trying to find the root of the news story. It turned out to be a good news–bad news situation. The good news was that the story had, in fact, appeared in the Finnish paper. The bad news was that it hadn’t been a news article. The story had been published in an op-ed section of the paper, in which the public could send in letters about whatever they wished.

  A small number of skeptics and investigators (basically, those who hadn’t given up on it) tried to track down the man who had originally sent in the story to Etela-Suomen. The gentleman was now in the later years of his life. The funny thing was that he told investigators that he had come across the story while reading a publication called Vaeltajat—a newsletter published by a Finnish Christian missionary group. And the search for the story’s true origins continued.

  When the investigators got in touch with Vaeltajat, they learned that the story had appeared in the July 1989 issue of the newsletter. The editor of Vaeltajat claimed that the story was sent in from one of its readers, who claimed to have read it in a U.S. publication called Jewels of Jericho, which was supposedly published by a group of Messianic Jews in California.

  So the story had been spread in the United States under the pretense that it came from a source in Finland and had been published in Finland by a newsletter that believed it had gotten the story form a source in the States.

  And the search continued.

  But what about Rendalen, the Norwegian man who wrote letters to Schambach and TBN, who claimed to have been to the site himself? When investigators caught up with Rendalen, he finally came clean about the whole thing.

  Rendalen explained that while on a trip to the United States he had seen a TBN broadcast about the so-called Drilling to Hell incident. He had been absolutely dumbfounded by the idea that anyone could believe such a thing. So, when he got back home to Norway he decided to play a little gag on Schambach and the folks at TBN. He wrote the letters about his experience seeing the winged creature emerge from the hole. Along with his letter, he included his name, address, and telephone number as well as the contact information of a pastor he knew who lived in California. He also included his “translation,” along with a Finnish article that he claimed to be the original.

  Rendalen had figured that any fool who was willing to do even a little investigating would be able to figure out the story was a hoax in a heartbeat. Both Rendalen and his pastor friend had even resolved that they would tell the truth if anyone from TBN or Schambach’s office contacted either one of them. They did not. In fact, it seems that neither of the groups so much as checked out a single detail of the story, not even the translation. The original “article” that Rendalen had included was actually a piece from his own local paper that had nothing to do with the story he claimed it was about. Apparently, no one had even bothered to check the accuracy of the translation. And yet they ran the story for years—and a staggering number of independent Christian newsletters continue to publish it despite the fact that an account of this entire chain of events (regarding the truth behind the story) was even published in a fairly reputable scholarly magazine, the Biblical Archaeology Review.

  Many believers have sadly been duped by the scams of religious con artists looking to cash in on the hoax. In 1990 at least one skeptic investigator was contacted by an Arizona pastor who claimed that one of his parishioners had shown him proof that the Drilling to Hell incident was real. The parishioner claimed to have a PhD in physics from MIT and had explained to the pastor and his congregation how he had been a member of a secret scientific research team that had spent a year collecting data from the “Hell hole” site. He claimed that the microphones used to record sounds in the hole were continually being melted by the extreme heat. They had succeeded in recording only seventeen seconds at a time. According to the parishioner, the scientific team was about to reassemble once more in order to bring back conclusive proof of the existence of Hell. He also claimed that his role would be crucial, as he had designed a cooling system for the microphone that could withstand the 2,000 degree Fahrenheit temperature. However, he did not have the funding to make the return trip, so the congregation was planning to help him raise the funds.

  Of course, just about everything the parishioner had told the pastor and his congregation later turned out to be a lie. He did not have a PhD in physics (or anything else, for that matter), and MIT had never heard of him. The man had never been a scientist, let alone a member of any secret scientific research team. The only thing the man had done was take off with the roughly twenty thousand dollars in funds that the congregation had raised for what was supposed to be his return trip to Siberia. Once the guy had his money, he bailed town and neither the pastor nor his congregation ever heard from him again.

  Perhaps Dean Winchester said it best: “There’s some legends you just file under ‘bull-crap.’ ”

  6

  BEYOND THE GATES OF HEAVEN

  This ain’t the first time you’ve been here. I mean, you boys die more than anyone I’ve ever met.

  —ASH (AKA “DR. BADASS”), “DARK SIDE OF THE MOON” (5-16)

  As already stated in the previous chapter, the Winchester boys have made quite a few trips into the afterlife—both Heaven and Hell. Of course, Sam and Dean don’t know this because the angels have “Windexed their brains.” It is not until the abovementioned episode, when they go to Heaven after being killed by a couple of misguided hunters who believe that Sam is some kind of Hell spawn, that the boys are allowed to remember their little side trip upstairs.

  Aside from being the first episode to feature the character Ash since his death near the end of season 2, this is the only Supernatural episode to offer a glimpse into the more pleasant “flip side” of the afterlife—Heaven.

  STAIRWAYS TO HEAVEN

  CASTIEL: What do you see?

  DEAN: What? Nothing!

  CASTIEL: Some people see a tunnel or a ri
ver . . . what do you see?

  DEAN: Nothing, my dash. I’m in my car; I’m on the road.

  CASTIEL: All right . . . a road. For you, it’s a road.

  —DEAN WINCHESTER AND CASTIEL, “DARK SIDE OF THE MOON” (5-16)

  Mythology is littered with different paths meant to lead a soul to the afterlife or Heaven. This is especially true of ancient or “primal” myths. Primal myths are those that attempt to explain the creation of the world and humankind. In one African myth, for example, Heaven and Earth were once connected by a ladder or rope. Horrified at the violence of humans, however, the gods eventually decided to cut the rope and leave us to our own devices. But this is not the end of such symbolism. Different thresholds between Heaven and Earth can be found across the mythological spectrum.

  Here are some additional examples of these mythical “stairways to Heaven”:

  • In Greek myth, one had to travel over the river Titan Oceanus to reach heavenly Elysium.

  • In one myth of the Pacific Northwest Tlingit tribe, a hero ascends to Heaven by shooting arrows into various celestial bodies and jumping from one to the next.

  • In Roman Catholic lore, one must meet Saint Peter (said to have been given the keys to Heaven when he became the first pope) at the gates of Heaven, often called the pearly gates, in order to gain entrance.

  • The Mayans believed that a there was rope that souls climbed to gain access to a sort of “road to Heaven.”

  • In Norse myths there was a bridge like a “burning rainbow” called Bifröst that connected the human realm (Midgard) with the realm of the gods (Asgard).

  • In Hawaiian myths, there is a “road to Hana” (road to Heaven).

  • In Judeo-Christian lore, Jacob, son of Isaac, ascended to Heaven by way of a ladder (hence the term Jacob’s ladder).

  • In Chinese folklore, it is said beings once traveled freely between Heaven and Earth by using a ladder.

  There are all these ladders, roads, bridges, and tunnels—and yet not a single “Stairway to Heaven.” Dean Winchester would be disappointed.

  MY BLUE HEAVEN

  See, you gotta stop thinking about Heaven as one place. It’s more like a butt-load of places, all crammed together... like Disneyland, except without all the anti-Semitism.

  —ASH, “DARK SIDE OF THE MOON” (5-16)

  These days, you don’t see many portrayals of the old “pearly towers, clouds, and harps” stereotype of Heaven. This shift in view most likely stems from the fact that humans have stopped thinking of Heaven as some place “up there.” Considering that humans have walked on the moon, well beyond the clouds of the lower atmosphere that once commonly saturated portrayals of Heaven, perhaps this shouldn’t be much of a surprise.

  Since few can claim to have seen Heaven and lived, and since those who claim to have done so can’t exactly prove it, just about everyone on the planet has a different idea as to exactly what “Heaven” is. However, Supernatural’s portrayal of Heaven seems to be in keeping with an increasingly popular point of view—that Heaven is whatever someone wants it to be. At first it is simply a replay of one’s “greatest hits,” as Sam puts it. However, as time goes on, it would seem that individual souls are able to create their own “personal Heavens” that suit their particular views when it comes to eternal bliss and perfect happiness. After all, isn’t that what Heaven is supposed to be all about?

  SUPERNATURAL FACTS

  As with many other Supernatural episodes, the title of “Dark Side of the Moon” comes from classic rock. Dark Side of the Moon was the title of an extremely successful album by the progressive rock group Pink Floyd, released in 1973.

  Ash’s Heaven, for example, is Harvelle’s Roadhouse. As Dean points out, “It even smells the same,” to which Ash replies, “Bud, blood, and beer nuts . . . Best smell in the world.” For Ash, an eternity in the roadhouse (with an occasional “field trip” here and there, of course) is Heaven. Pamela (who gets her eyes back in Heaven, after having them burned out during her first encounter with Castiel) describes her Heaven to Dean as “one long show at the Meadowlands.” You have to admit, it sounds like a pretty good time.

  WHO GOES UP?

  How’s a dirtbag like me end up in a place like this? Been saved, man. I mean, I was my congregation’s number one snake handler.

  —ASH, “DARK SIDE OF THE MOON” (5-16)

  Rules and concepts regarding the “what, why, and how” of who gets into Heaven are ever evolving. Ever since there has been a concept of the afterlife, there have been varying rules about how one got there. Among ancient cultures, there was often a different afterlife for different types of people. The Norse, for example, had a Heaven for warriors and/or those who died bravely—Valhalla. The Greeks had an underworld, the necropolis ruled by Hades, as well as a paradisiacal afterlife called Elysium.

  Even when it comes to the Christian Heaven, there is no real consensus on what qualifies a person for entrance into the “pearly gates.” Some denominations claim that a person must be baptized (a ceremony in which the adherent is ceremonially dipped into water as a symbol of spiritual purification and rebirth) in order to go to Heaven. Other denominations claim that one must only believe in Jesus in order to gain access to an eternity in Heaven.

  Today, more and more people have begun to adopt a viewpoint that is sometimes called universalism or all paths to God. This view claims that all religions seek to understand God and that no single religious belief is any more or less valid than any other. In Supernatural, it would stand to reason that this is the point of view they used to create their rules about Heaven. This is made evident when Ash explains that he has visited the Heaven of Vatsyayana, the author of the Kama Sutra. Since Vatsyayana was of the Hindu Dharma faith, and is spending eternity in his own (as Ash puts it) “sweaty and confusing” Heaven, then it would stand to reason that adherence to any form of Judeo-Christianity would not be a prerequisite for getting into the place.

  If one does get into Heaven, I guess death doesn’t seem like all that big of a deal, especially judging from the following dialogue:

  DEAN: If it makes you feel any better, we got Ash killed, too.

  ASH: I’m COOL with it!

  DEAN: He’s cool with it.

  —DEAN WINCHESTER AND ASH, “DARK SIDE OF THE MOON” (5-16)

  Then again, it’s probably a little hard to hold a grudge when you’re living in a state of eternal bliss.

  JOSHUA THE BRANCH AND HEAVEN’S GARDEN

  At the center of it all is the Magic Kingdom . . . the Garden.

  —ASH, “DARK SIDE OF THE MOON” (5-16)

  In “Dark Side of the Moon,” you may have noticed that Joshua is not like the other angels. Well, that’s because he isn’t like them (or, at least, he hasn’t always been one of them). In the Old Testament Judeo-Christian book of the prophet Zechariah, there is mention of a “high priest” named Joshua being given a special place in Heaven. Joshua, unlike the other angels, was once a human being (if, of course, the character in Supernatural is the same Joshua mentioned in Zechariah).

  Evidence of this can be found in the following excerpt of one particular vision of the prophet Zechariah:

  And he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord, and Satan [sometimes “the adversary” or “accusing angel”] standing at his right side to accuse him. The Lord said to Satan, “The Lord rebukes you, Satan! The Lord who has chosen Jerusalem, rebukes you! Is not this man a burning stick snatched from the fire?” Now Joshua was clothed in filthy garments as he stood before the angel. The angel said to those standing before him, “Remove his filthy clothes.” Then he said to Joshua, “See, I have taken away your iniquity, and will dress you in a change of clean and rich garments.” Then I [Zechariah] said, “Put a clean turban [sometimes “mitre” or “crown”] on his head.” So they put a clean turban on his head and clothed him, while the angel of the Lord stood by.The angel of the Lord gave this charge to Joshua: “This is what the Lord Almigh
ty says: ‘If you will walk in my ways and keep my charge, then you will govern my house and have charge of my courts, and I will give you a place among these standing here.’ ”

  —ZECHARIAH 3:1–7

  The identity of the Joshua mentioned in the above citation and the significance of his mention are both matters of some debate. Some claim that Joshua was a high priest who had perhaps been accused of rebelling (maybe by creating his own sect of the monotheistic YHVH/Jehovah cult of the Jews). However, this would not seem to make sense considering how he is exalted with a heavenly position in the text. Some claim that this may be because Joshua repented of his rebellion and returned to traditional Judaism. Others have claimed that “Joshua the high priest” was not supposed to be a literal person at all, but that this name and title were instead intended to serve as a metaphor for the entire nation of Israel. Arguing either of these points of view will result in no definitive proof.