Book of the Damned
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| Name | Book of the Damned |
| Manufacturer | Sister Agnes |
| Powers | Ability to create and undo any curse. |
| Location/Owners | Rowena |
| Episodes | 10.18 Book of the Damned 10.19 The Werther Project 10.21 Dark Dynasty 10.22 The Prisoner 10.23 Brother's Keeper 11.03 The Bad Seed 11.09 O Brother, Where Art Thou? |
According to Charlie Bradbury, the Book of the Damned is a dark magic spell book for "creating or undoing any kind of damnation."[1] Using the book, like all dark magic comes with a price; when spells derived from it are used, there is a negative reaction of epic proportions.
Contents
History
Charlie relates that around 700 years ago, a Spanish nun named Agnes who had "visions of darkness," and made it her business to undo curses. Agnes discovered that balance was required to cure a curse, she had to know how to inflict another. With that knowledge Agnes spent a number of decades in isolation and wrote the book. Each page is made out of slices of her own skin written in her blood, in an encoded obscure Sumerian dialect. The Book of the Damned has been owned and used by cults, covens, and even the Vatican possessed it at one point. Its last known owners were the Styne family, until they lost it in the early 20th century.
In 2015 the book was uncovered by Charlie Bradbury, who was able to locate it in the ruins of a burned down monastery in Spain. Unearthing the book brought her to the attention of the Styne family, who sent one of their members -- Jacob Styne -- to track it down. Jacob and his men hunted Charlie all through Europe, Russia, and eventually the United States. Sam and Dean became interested in it in hopes that it could be used to remove the Mark of Cain. While Rowena eventually did manage to use the Book to remove the Mark, she escaped with it and the Darkness was unleashed by the Mark's destruction.
Episodes
10.18 Book of the Damned
After acquiring the Book of the Damned, Charlie makes her way back to America with the book. South of Des Moines, Jacob Styne is able to track Charlie down using a special compass that points to the direction where the Book of the Damned can be found. When he and his henchman attempt to take the book from Charlie she goes on the offensive and is able to escape, but not before being shot. Wounded, Charlie calls Sam and Dean to tell them of her predicament, and that she has found the Book of the Damned, and it may hold the key to removing the Mark of Cain from Dean, with this new information Sam and Dean direct Charlie to one of Bobby's old hunting cabins to lay low until they get to her. While preparing to leave, Dean finds a lead lined curse box in the Bunker storage room, and suggests they use it to hide the book in.
When the Winchesters finally arrive to the cabin, Dean becomes entranced by the book and has to be snapped out of it by Sam, he hands the book back to Charlie and tells them to keep it away from him. While Dean researches the Styne family using the Men of Letters files, Sam and Charlie are busy at work translating the Book of the Damned, but hit a wall in translating it, until Charlie realizes that the book, in addition to being written in an ancient and obscure Sumerian dialect, is also in code. Noticing Dean's strange attention on the book, Sam puts it away in the curse box and suggest they use his notes to work on the decoding.
After reading up on the Styne family and their use of the book, Dean tries to dissuade Sam and Charlie from trying to translate the book. Dean tells them that the book has been calling out to him and the Mark, and that he can hear it like it's alive, and that it wants him to use it but not for good. He demands that they destroy it before anything bad happens from using it before heading out to get supplies.
At a convenience store, Dean runs into Styne, who has been tracking down Charlie and the book. Styne and his henchman attack Dean who manages to escape. He races to the cabin to destroy the book in a fire of holy oil. Jacob and his men arrive at the cabin and a fight ensues in which they are killed. Sam pretends to burn the book, but actually hides it.
Seeing the book as the only chance to save Dean, Sam decides to make a deal with Rowena to use it.
10.19 The Werther Project
Rowena confirms that she is likely the only person alive who could handle the book's power, however, she can't read it in her current state. The only person who could was a Grand Coven witch named Nadya who was murdered by the Men of Letters and her decoding codex stolen. Sam begins a search to find the codex and locates it in the Werther Box, a warded creation of Cuthbert Sinclair. Sam and Dean manage to break the warding spells on the Box and get the codex. Sam takes it to Rowena, but locks her up so that she will only decode the cure for the Mark of Cain at which time he will destroy the book though he intends to keep his deal with her.
10.21 Dark Dynasty
10.22 The Prisoner
10.23 Brother's Keeper
11.03 The Bad Seed
Rowena uses the Book of the Damned to incinerate a trio of witches who refused to join her new "Mega Coven."
11.09 O Brother, Where Art Thou?
In order to get Sam a face to face with Lucifer, Crowley has his minions kidnap Rowena so they can use a spell to communicate with Lucifer without opening the Cage. In exchange for her help, Crowley promises to call off his assassins. With a deal in place Rowena gets to work decoding the Book of the Damned at the Men of Letters Bunker, under Sam's supervision. Rowena eventually finds a spell, and along with Sam and Crowley descends into Hell to perform it.
Gallery
The Real Book of the Damned
The Book of the Damned is a work of nonfiction by Charles Fort and was published in 1919. The book deals with various types of paranormal phenomenon ranging from UFOs to the existence of giants and fairies. The version that appears in Supernatural has more in common with the Necronomicon Ex-Mortis from the Evil Dead film series, which was bound in human flesh and inked blood, and written in ancient Sumerian.
