Exorcism

From the Pad of Definitions

From 1.04 Phantom Traveler (episode).

Exorcism is the act of driving out or warding off demons from persons, places or things that are possessed or infested by them, or are liable to become victims or instruments of their malice. During the exorcism ritual, a solemn and authoritative adjuration of the demon is applied in the name of God or any of the higher powers to which the demon is subject.

Fan-submitted information below. Please do not edit above this line.

See also the Latin Translation page.

Exorcisms in general

Generally speaking, no, one doesn't need to be an ordained priest to perform an exorcism. All the documents I have found specify that exorcisms can be practiced by anyone, even though it is preferable that a priest or someone ordained by the Esorcistato (order dedicated to the study and practice of Exorcism) would practice it.

The proper ritual should include: INVOCATIO - PSALMS - EXORCISM (a prayer, psalms and the exorcism proper). The invocatio can be to minor powers than God, for example Saint Michael the Archangel

'EXORCISMUS IN SATANAM ET ANGELOS APOSTATICOS
Jussu Leonis Pp. XIII editus
Acta Sanctae Sedis vol. XXIII
(Exorcism against Satan and the Rebels Angels, as approved by Pope Leone 13th)

Excerpt from the invocatio:

Priinceps gloriosissime cælestis militiæ, sancte Michaël Archangele, defende nos in prælio et colluctatione, quæ nobis adversus principes et potestates, adversus mundi rectores tenebrarum harum, contra spiritualia nequitiæ, in cælestibusus. Veni in auxilium hominum, quos Deus creavit inexterminabiles, et ad imaginem similitudinis suæ fecit, et a tyrannide diaboli emit pretio magno.

Most glorious prince of the divine army, Saint Michael Archangel, defend us in this fight of ours against the hostile princes and powers, against those that want to govern the world in the darkness, against the negativity of all things spiritual. Do come to help men, those that God created in great number, those that He made in his image, and with great (effort) free (them) by the tyranny of the devil.

{rushed transl. by me - basic meaning}

Excerpt from the Exorcism proper:

Exorcizamus te, omnis immundus spiritus, omnis satanica potestas, omnis incursio infernalis adversarii, omnis legio, omnis congregatio et secta diabolica, in nomine et virtute Domini Nostri Jesu Christi, eradicare et effugare a Dei Ecclesia, ab animabus ad imaginem Dei conditis ac pretioso divini Agni sanguine redemptis.

It's clear, from what Sam says in Phantom Traveller and Devil's Trap, that the boys jump directly to the Exorcism proper - it is understandable, given that it's not as if they have all the time in the world, especially in Phantom Traveller.

My impression, as I said, it's that the Supernatural production team/writers did a cut and past from bits and pieces of at least one version of the ritual and possibly some other prayer.

However, if you want to quote a full exorcism, or parts of it, in your fiction (or, I don't know, as a party trick? In which case, let us know how it goes :D)

At the Traditional Catholic Resource Center web-site, you can find:

• the full text of the Ritual of Exorcism from 1614 with English translation in PDF format and also
• the 1999 NEW Ritual of Exorcism: The Novus Ordo Rite of Exorcism - De Exorcismis et Supplicationibus Quibusdam. again with full Latin text and English translation.

The web-master and translator says: "Every so often you read or hear something in the news about it, but the actual text is nigh-impossible to find, let alone in an English translation that can be understood and (let alone relied upon) by the average American Catholic. Have no fear; this, to the best of my knowledge, is the first-ever English translation of the New Rite of Exorcism promulgated by Pope John Paul II in 1999."

As far as I could see, he is right. There are plenty of articles but no translations apart from this one. He has also included a table of comparison between the old and new ritual.

This portal is also quite informative and provides interesting links.

A text that seems very intriguing is:

"Flagellum Daemonum exorcismos terribiles potentissimo et efficace" by Hieronimo Mengo, XVI century Friar Girolamo Menghi was one of the most authoritative exorcists, both in practice and in theory. His Flagello Daemonum is a practical manual to teach how to cross-interrogate demons in order to obtain information, and gives precise intrunctions on what to do and say to exorcise the demons. The manual soon became a precious point of reference for exorcists. Friar Menghi wrote that 'since Christ delegated his power to the exorcist, therefore the exorcists were not just equal but superior to the demons.

Exorcisms in Supernatural episodes

RaeSofSunshine 07:38, 20 May 2007 (PDT)

I've gone through the exorcism rituals in the episodes 1.22 Devil's Trap, 2.08 Crossroad Blues and 2.14 Born Under a Bad Sign. The ritual in 1.04 Phantom Traveler is completely incomprehensible to me, so I have not covered it here.

First, I've included the rituals with my notes on sources, problems, et cetera, and then I've split them according to what appeared in each version of the ritual in 1.22 Devil's Trap, 2.08 Crossroad Blues and 2.14 Born Under a Bad Sign, along with the best English translations I can manage.

This is from part of Psalm 68(67 in some versions):

Regna terrae, cantate Deo, psallite Domino
Kingdoms of Earth, sing to God, praises to the Lord
qui fertis ("ascendit" in most versions of the psalm, but it is very clearly something more like "fertis" in the Supernatural episodes) super caelum
that you carry above the sky
caeli ad Orientem
of heaven to the east.
Ecce dabit voci suae (in the hymn, it is "suae;" Dean clearly says "suum," but that would be incorrect according to Latin grammar, so - "suae".) vocem virtutis,
Behold, he sends forth his own voice, the voice of virtue,
tribuite virtutem deo.
Attribute the virtue to God. (This line is completely different in the Latin version of Psalm 68, but both versions have a similar meaning in English...)
[There is also a 17th century hymn called "Regna Terrae, Cantate Deo," which uses the same Latin words as this part of the ritual.]

[This part is only in "Crossroad Blues" - it comes from the Rituale Romanum]
Deus caeli, deus terrae,
The god of heaven, the god of earth,
humiliter majestati gloriae tuae supplicamus
humbly by the majesty of Your Glory we implore
ut ab omni infernalium spirituum potestate,
that from every power of the infernal spirits,
laqueo, deceptione et nequitia,
from their snare, their deception and their wickedness,
omnis fallaciae, libera nos, domine.
from every deceit, free us, lord.

[until otherwise noted, the rest of this is from the Rituale Romanum:]
Vade, Satana, inventor et magister
Go away, Satan, inventor and master
omnis fallaciae, hostis humanae salutis.
of all deceit, enemy of humanity's salvation.
Humiliare sub potenti manu dei--(Dean stops here in 2.08 Crossroad Blues)
To be humble under the powerful hand of god--

Exorcizamus te, omnis immundus spiritus
We exorcise you, every impure spirit
omnis satanica potestas, omnis incursio
every satanic power, every incursion
infernalis adversarii, omnis legio,
of the infernal adversary, every legion
omnis congregatio et secta diabolica.
every congregation and diabolical sect.

[*1 In "Devil's Trap," the rest of this line and more is mostly unintelligible - however, this is what was lifted in between "ergo" and "perditionis" (which begins the next part that Sam says clearly) from the Rituale Romanum online: draco maledicte et omnis legio diabolica adjuramus te (up to here I'm pretty sure I can hear it, or the rhythm at least) per Deum + vivum, per Deum + verum, per Deum + sanctum, per Deum, qui sic dilexit mundum, ut Filium suum unigenitum daret, ut omnis, qui credit in eum, non pereat, sed habeat vitam aeternae: (with everything in between that cut out and Sam maybe picking it up here:) cessa decipere humanas creaturas, eisque aeternae... (- because there was not time for Sam to say all of that; they must have edited a bit, and what Bobby says in the "Born Under A Bad Sign" version seems to support this way of editing the original Catholic ritual... this is what I think they say:]

Ergo draco maledicte
Thus cursed demon
et omnis legio diabolica
and every diabolical legion
adjuramus te.
we adjure you.
Cessa decipere humanas creaturas,
Cease to deceive human creatures
eisque aeternae Perditionis venenum propinare.
and to give to them the poison of eternal Perdition.

Vade, Satana, inventor et magister
Go away, Satan, the inventer and master
omnis fallaciae, hostis humanae salutis.
of all deceit, the enemy of humanity's salvation.
Humiliare sub potenti manu dei,
To be humble under the powerful hand of god --
contremisce et effuge, invocato a
tremble and flee -- I envoke by
nobis sancto et terribili nomine,
us the sacred and terrible name
quem inferi tremunt.
at which those down below tremble.
[Or perhaps more readable: By us, I envoke the sacred and terrible name, at which those down below tremble, to humble, under the powerful hand of god (tremble and flee).]

Ab insidiis diaboli, libera nos, Domine.
From the snares of the devil, free us, lord.
Ut Ecclesiam tuam secura tibi facias libertate servire
That your Church may serve you in safety (this I got from an online English translation of the ritual because I was having a hard time trying to translate it literally, but I think it's pretty close, and certainly as close as it's going to get as far as what I can do with it)
te rogamus, audi nos.
we ask you, hear us.
Ut inimicos sanctae Ecclesiae humiliare digneris,
That you may destroy the enemies of your sacred Church, (again, same problem as above)
te rogamus, audi nos.
we ask you, hear us!

(2* Sam pauses when Demon-Possessed!Meg starts talking... when he starts the ritual again, it goes like this:) Ut inimicos sanctae Ecclesiae,
[but without "humiliare digneris" there is no verb, it only says:] That ... the enemies of the sacred Church [I think]
te rogamus, audi nos.
we ask you, hear us!

[3* This next part took some doing to decipher, but I'm pretty sure this is it now, despite the fact that it really sounds like Sam says "In nominis deus" - but the cases are all wrong for that to have been what he said - "in nominis deus" is something like "The god of the name in". "In nomine dei" would be correct, meaning "in the name of god," but the "-is" and "-us" are pretty clear, so this makes me think Sam said something else entirely. And pretty much everything else matches up with some Latin versions of verse 36(35 of some) of Pslam 68(67), which would kinda go along with the "regna terrae" part of the ritual which is from the same Psalm.]

Terribilis Deus de sanctuario suo. [It really sounds like Sam says "tuo" here, but as explained above and below, there are issues with this whole part of the ritual.]
God is frightening about his own sacred place. [I've seen other translations of this line, but I don't like them. It's difficult to translate. I don't think it really is the present continuous verb tense being used here, but that's how I've translated it. It could be another tense of the same verb that just sounds very similar to this form, not sure. I'm still hoping for another exorcism using these lines so I can try to hear it again. For now, this is the best I can figure.]
Deus [It sounds like Sam says "Dei" here, but that doesn't make sense grammatically.] Israhel ipse truderit virtutem
The God of Israel Himself will have thrust excellence
et fortitudinem plebi Suae.
and strength to His Own people.
Benedictus deus. Gloria patri.
Blessed God. The Glory of the Father.

"Devil's Trap" Ritual

Regna terrae, cantate Deo,
psallite Domino
qui fertis super caelum
caeli ad Orientem
Ecce dabit voci suae
vocem virtutis,
tribuite virtutem deo.

Exorcizamus te, omnis immundus spiritus
omnis satanica potestas, omnis incursio
infernalis adversarii, omnis legio,
omnis congregatio et secta diabolica.

Ergo draco maledicte
et omnis legio diabolica adjuramus te.
cessa decipere humanas creaturas,
eisque aeternae Perditionis venenum propinare. [*1 See note about the problem with this section above.]

Vade, Satana, inventor et magister
omnis fallaciae, hostis humanae salutis.
Humiliare sub potenti manu dei,
contremisce et effuge, invocato a
nobis sancto et terribili nomine,
quem inferi tremunt.

Ab insidiis diaboli, libera nos, Domine.
Ut Ecclesiam tuam secura tibi facias
libertate servire, te rogamus, audi nos.
Ut inimicos sanctae Ecclesiae humiliare digneris,
te rogamus, audi nos.

Ut inimicos sanctae Ecclesiae
te rogamus, audi nos. [2* see problem with this section detailed above]

Terribilis Deus de sanctuario suo. [3*]
Deus Israhel ipse truderit virtutem
et fortitudinem plebi Suae.
Benedictus deus. Gloria patri.

English Translation:

Kingdoms of the Earth, sing unto God,
Praises to the Lord
that carry above the sky
of heaven to the East.
Behold, He sends forth His Own Voice,
the Voice of Virtue.
Attribute the Virtue to God.

We exorcise you, every impure spirit,
every satanic power, every incursion
of the infernal adversary, every legion,
every congregation and diabolical sect.

Thus, cursed demon
and every diabolical legion, we adjure you.
Cease to deceive human creatures,
and to give to them the Poison of Eternal Perdition.

Go away, Satan, inventor and master
of all deceit, enemy of humanity's salvation.
To be humble under the Powerful Hand of God --
tremble and flee -- I invoke by
us the Sacred and Terrible Name
at which those down below tremble.

From the snares of the devil, free us, Lord.
That Your Church may serve You in safety
we ask You, hear us.
That You may destroy the enemies of Your Sacred Church,
we ask You, hear us!

That ... the enemies of Your sacred Church [2* see issue noted above]
we ask You, hear us!

God is frightening about his own sacred place. [3*]
The God of Israel Himself will have thrust excellence
and strength to His Own people.
Blessed God. The Glory of the Father.

"Crossroad Blues" Ritual

Regna terrae, cantate Deo,
psallite Domino
qui fertis super caelum
caeli ad Orientem
Ecce dabit voci suae
vocem virtutis,
tribuite virtutem deo.

Deus caeli, deus terrae,
humiliter majestati gloriae tuae supplicamus
ut ab omni infernalium spirituum potestate,
laqueo, deceptione et nequitia,
omnis fallaciae, libera nos, domine.

Vade, Satana, inventor et magister
omnis fallaciae, hostis humanae salutis.
Humiliare sub potenti manu dei-- [This is where Dean cuts off.]

English Translation:

Kingdoms of the Earth, sing unto God,
Praises to the Lord
that carry above the sky
of heaven to the East.
Behold, He sends forth His Own Voice,
the Voice of Virtue.
Attribute the Virtue to God.

God of Heaven, God of the Earth,
humbly by the Majesty of Your Glory we implore
that from every power of the infernal spirits,
from their snare, their deception and their wickedness,
from every deceit, free us, Lord.
[Or, less word-for-word, but perhaps more easily understood: God of Heaven, God of the Earth, humbly we implore, by the Majesty of Your Glory, that You free us, Lord, from every power of the infernal spirits, from their snare, their deception and their wickedness, from every deceit.]

Go away, Satan, inventor and master
of all deceit, enemy of humanity's salvation.
To be humble under the Powerful Hand of God--[Dean stops...]

"Born Under a Bad Sign" Ritual

Exorcizamus te, omnis immundus spiritus
omnis satanica potestas, omnis incursio
infernalis adversarii, omnis legio,
omnis congregatio et secta diabolica.

Ergo draco maledicte
et omnis legio diabolica adjuramus te.
cessa decipere humanas creaturas,
eisque aeternae Perditionis venenum propinare. [Bobby pauses.]

[skips two lines that are in the other exorcisms.]
Humiliare sub potenti manu dei-- [Bobby stops cause it's not working...]

English Translation:

We exorcise you, every impure spirit,
every satanic power, every incursion
of the infernal adversary, every legion,
every congregation and diabolical sect.

Thus cursed demon
and every diabolical legion, we adjure you.
Cease to deceive human creatures,
and to give to them the Poison of Eternal Perdition. [Bobby pauses.]

To be humble under the Powerful Hand of God--[Bobby stops 'cause it's not working...]