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| | In the episode "[[4.07 It's The Great Pumpkin, Sam Winchester|The Great Pumpkin, Sam Winchester]]" Samhain shows multiple abilities. Sam tells Dean that Samhain, if risen, will have the ability to raise monsters such as zombies and demons to do his bidding. This is proven when Samhain locks a group of students in a mausoleum and zombies attack them. Also, he seems to share with [[Lilith]] the ability to have the fiery white light emanate from his palms. | | In the episode "[[4.07 It's The Great Pumpkin, Sam Winchester|The Great Pumpkin, Sam Winchester]]" Samhain shows multiple abilities. Sam tells Dean that Samhain, if risen, will have the ability to raise monsters such as zombies and demons to do his bidding. This is proven when Samhain locks a group of students in a mausoleum and zombies attack them. Also, he seems to share with [[Lilith]] the ability to have the fiery white light emanate from his palms. |
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| − | ===Background - The Myth of Samhain=== | + | ===Links=== |
| − | | + | * [http://www.religioustolerance.org/hallo_sa.htm The myth of Samhain: Celtic god of the dead] |
| − | The myth of Samhain, the "Celtic God of the Dead" was born in the 19th century by Christians, meant to "demonisize" the Pagan celebration of Samhain. The creation of Samhain as a Celtic God can be traced back to a book by Godfrey Higgins in 1827 in which he tried to prove that the druids originated in India (Higgins referenced Samana, a Hindu/Vedic deity, God of the Dead.) The first reference though came from a man called Vallency, who mentioned the name in the late 18th century.
| + | * [http://www.circlesanctuary.org/pholidays/Samhain.html Celebrating the seasons" Samhain] |
| − | | + | * [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samhain Samhain] on Wikipedia |
| − | The word Samhain is derived from Old Irish and refers to the first of November. The proper pronunciation, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, is /ˈsaʊɪn/ or /ˈsawɪn/. Samhain is the Festival of the Dead and symbolizes the end of the summer and the Celtic New Year. Traditionally, it was the day of the last harvest and the time to take inventory of live stock to be slaughtered.
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| − | According to Celtic lore Samhain is the time of year when the boundaries between the worlds of the living and the dead become transparent, allowing supernatural beings to pass between the worlds. Usually, it's the time of year where ancestors were especially honored (see "All Saints' Day). The Samhain Festival involved bonfires, as well as costumes and masks to disguise the living and make them mimic the evil spirits that walked the earth on Samhain.However it is note worthy that the Samhain Demon is also a reference to the Legend of Stingy Jack, the drunken Irishman who was said to be cursed by both God and the Devil for causing trouble for both realms.Many Irish Catholics began calling Stingy Jack the "Samhain Demon" or "Great Samhain" because that was the time of the year that he likes to cause the most trouble, although he is said to wander the World all of the time with his mischief.Otherwise known as Jack the Smith and Jack of the Lantern, is a mythological character often associated with Old Hallows Eve.The "Jack-o-Lantern" is derived from the tale of Jack the Smith.As the story goes, several centuries ago amongst the myriad of towns and villages in Ireland there lived a drunkard known as "Jack the Smith". [1] Jack was known throughout the land as a deceiver, manipulator, and otherwise dreg of society. On a fateful night the Devil overheard the tale of Jack's evil deeds and silver-tongue. Unconvinced (and envious) of the rumors, the Devil went to find out for himself whether or not Jack lived up to his vile reputation.
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| − | Typical of Jack, he was drunk and wandering through the countryside at night when he came upon a body on his cobblestone path; the body with an eerie grimace on its face turned out to be the Devil. Jack in a somber mood realized this was his end, the Devil had finally come to collect his malevolent soul. Jack made a last request: he asked the Devil to let him drink ale before he departed to Hell. The Devil finding no reason not to acquiesce the request took Jack to the local pub and supplied him with many drinks of alcoholic beverages. Upon quenching his thirst Jack asked the Devil to pay the tab on the ale, this to the Devils surprise. Jack convinced the Devil to metamorphose into a silver coin (In another version of the story,a Golden Coin) with which to pay the bartender (impressed upon by Jack's unyielding nefarious tactics). Shrewdly, Jack stuck the now transmogrified devil (coin) into his pocket, which also contained a crucifix. The Devil, unable to escape his form (bound by the crucifix) agreed to a demand of Jack that his soul be spared for ten years (in exchange for the Devil's freedom).
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| − | Exactly ten years senior to the date upon which Jack originally struck his deal, he found himself once again in the presence of the Devil. Same as the setting before, Jack happened upon the Devil and seemingly accepted it was his time to go to Hell for good. As the Devil prepared to take him to the underworld, Jack asked if he could have one apple, with which to feed his starving belly.Foolishly the Devil once again agreed to this last request. As the Devil climbed up the branches of a nearby apple tree, Jack surrounded its base with crucifixes.Other stories claim that he simply took his knife and carved the sign of the Cross on the Tree. The Devil, frustrated at the fact that he been entrapped again, demanded his release. As Jack did before, he demanded that his soul never be taken by the Devil into Hell, the Devil agreed and was set free.
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| − | Eventually the drinking and unstable lifestyle took its toll on Jack, he died the way he had lived. As Jack's soul prepared to enter Heaven through the gates of St. Peter he was stopped. He was told that due to the lifestyle he had led, the life full of deceit, drinking, and sinful behavior, he was not permitted entrance into Heaven.Jack in a dreary state now went and stood before the Gates of Hell and begged for commission into underworld.The Devil, fulfilling his obligation to Jack, could not take his soul; to warn others he gave Jack an ember, marking him as a denizen of Hell. From that day on till eternity's end, Jack is doomed to roam the world between the planes of good and evil, with only an ember inside a hollowed Turnip (Jack's second favorite food, after rutabagas) to light his way.The Turnip was carved by him into the first Jack-O'-Lantern.In fact the original Jack-O'-Lanterns were carved out of Potatoes and other small vegetables.The Practice of using Pumpkins came when Irish immigrants came to America and saw that using Pumpkins and not Turnips,Potatoes, or even rutabagas was easier.Stories from around that time claim that God and Satan had become so angry at the chaos that Jack was causing on Samhain and others days of the year that they both Cursed Jack again by transforming his head into a Giant Pumpkin Jack-O'-Lantern.Hence depictions of Jack as a monster Jack-O'-Lantern in Halloween lore.Strangely enough,a Demonic being has been spotted bearing a resemblence to Jack.In Pennsylvania sightings of a strange beast that the people of the rural areas now dub "the goblin scarcrow" has terrorized the residence there.A Scarecrow under the control of a Demonic spirit with a Jack-O'-Lantern for a head that can move it's carved features as if they were real facial features has been known to attack people wandering the Country side.In one account two Hunters with there dogs searching for Animals were attacked by the creature, but according to them when one of them shot it, instead of Blood or even Straw coming out of the wound dozens of insects came out.So it is believed that the creature uses it's Demonic will or influence to control insects and use them to create a physical form with which the being can Possess.Many believe that the creature is actually the cursed soul of Stingy Jack himself wandering the Earth and causing trouble as if his tradition to do.
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| − | Many Halloween traditions come from Irish and Scottish Lore - the carving of the pumpkins and lighting candles inside of them, the disguising as supernatural or evil creatures, the fireworks and bonfires. Trick-or-Treating derives from the tradition of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mischief_Night Mischief Night]. In America, some holiday-specific games are dunking for apples or eating strung up doughnuts without the use of hands.
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| | [[Category: Canon]] [[Category:Characters]] [[Category:Demons]] [[Category:Library]] [[Category:Demonology]] | | [[Category: Canon]] [[Category:Characters]] [[Category:Demons]] [[Category:Library]] [[Category:Demonology]] |
The Demon Samhain in Supernatural
The demon Samhain can be summoned by two powerful witches through "three blood sacrifices over three days, the last on the final day of harvest," which is the 31st of October, Halloween. Once Samhain has risen, he is able to raise ghosts, zombies, and ghouls and unleash them onto the world.
Samhain is the origin of Halloween. When he rained on earth, people kept their children in that night. People wore costumes to hide from him, carved pumpkins to worship him and left sweets at their doors to appease him.
Samhain, once summoned by Tracy Davis and Don Harding, he possesses the dead body of Don Harding. When he enters the body, the corpse's irises turn milky white, while his pupils stay black, marking him as a different kind of Demon than has appeared on the show before.
Powers and Abilities
In the episode "The Great Pumpkin, Sam Winchester" Samhain shows multiple abilities. Sam tells Dean that Samhain, if risen, will have the ability to raise monsters such as zombies and demons to do his bidding. This is proven when Samhain locks a group of students in a mausoleum and zombies attack them. Also, he seems to share with Lilith the ability to have the fiery white light emanate from his palms.
Links
