Difference between revisions of "Samhain"

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[[Image:4-07-Great-Pumpkin-SW-samhain.jpg|right|thumb|350px|Screencap from [[4.07 It's The Great Pumpkin, Sam Winchester]]: Samhain is exorcized.]]
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__NOTOC__
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{{RecurringCharacters
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|image= [[File:Samhain001.jpg|350px]]
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|name= Samhain
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|actor= [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0573134/ Don McManus]
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|dates= ???? – 1408 ([[exorcised]])<ref name="four07">[[4.07 It's the Great Pumpkin, Sam Winchester]]</ref><br>2008 (exorcised by [[Sam Winchester]])<ref name="four07" />
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|location= [[Hell]]
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|occupation= [[Demon]] [[Demon Mutations|Mutation]]<br>The Lord of the Dead<ref name="essential">[[The Essential Supernatural: On the Road with Sam and Dean Winchester]]</ref>
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|episodes= [[4.07 It's the Great Pumpkin, Sam Winchester]]  
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}}
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{{Quotation
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|title=
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|text= Dean, Samhain is the damn origin of Halloween. The Celts believe that October 31st was the one night of the year when the veil was the thinnest between the living and the dead, and it was Samhain’s night. I mean, masks were put on to hide from him, sweets left on doorsteps to appease him, faces carved into pumpkins to worship him. He was exorcised centuries ago.
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|author= [[Sam Winchester]]
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|source= [[4.07 It's the Great Pumpkin, Sam Winchester]]  
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}}
  
* '''Played by''' [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0573134/ Don McManus]
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==History==
* '''Appears in''' [[4.07 It's The Great Pumpkin, Sam Winchester]]
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Samhain is a special type of [[demon]] or more a "[[demon mutation]]<ref name="essential">[[The Essential Supernatural: On the Road with Sam and Dean Winchester]]</ref>". When he reigned on Earth on Halloween night, people kept their children inside and wore masks to hide from him, carved pumpkins to worship him, and left sweets at their doors to appease him. In this way, Samhain was the origin of modern-day Halloween. He was known to have had brother and sister [[witch]]es serving him; these witches would later be known by the aliases [[Don Harding]] and [[Tracy Davis]]. At the time, Samhain took Tracy for a lover as well as a servant. In 1408, Samhain was [[exorcise]]d by an unknown force.<ref name="four07" />
  
===The Demon Samhain in Supernatural===
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Samhain can be summoned out of the confines of [[Hell]] by two witches through three human sacrifices over three days, the last of which must occur on the final day of Celtic harvest, the 31st of October, the American Halloween. This ritual can only be attempted every 600 years. As such, Samhain's servants had to wait and prepare until the year 2008 before they could attempt to raise him again. They succeeded, but Don was killed for the third sacrifice and Tracy was murdered by Samhain himself, with Samhain using Don's corpse as his host.<ref name="four07" />
  
The demon Samhain can be summoned by 2 powerful [[witches]] through "3 blood sacrifices over 3 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.  
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Samhain's rise is one of [[the 66 Seals]] holding [[Lucifer's Cage]]. The summoning of the demon in 2008, during the time the seals were being broken by [[Lilith]]'s forces, broke this seal despite the efforts of the hunters [[Sam]] and [[Dean Winchester]] and of the [[angels]] [[Castiel]] and [[Uriel]].<ref name="four07" />
  
Samhain is the oragin 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 apease him.
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==Characteristics==
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Samhain has pale gray (or possibly blue<ref>''[[Supernatural: Bobby Singer's Guide to Hunting]]''</ref>) irises, black pupils, and white sclerae.<ref name="four07" />. His unique eye color is possibly be due to his poor eyesight. He could be classified as a third [[white-eyed demon]] as Anna Milton's drawing of him possessing Don Harding shows him displaying white eyes. Howsoever, he's classified as a [[demon mutation]]  together with the [[Acheri demons]], the [[Seven Deadly Sins]] and also the [[Croatoan Virus]].<ref name="essential">[[The Essential Supernatural: On the Road with Sam and Dean Winchester]]</ref>
  
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 the ones that have appeared on the show before.
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===Powers and abilities===
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* Demonic energy – Samhain can emanate a demonic blast of white energy from his palms that can decimate almost any target.<ref name="four07" />
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* [[Necromancy]] – As the Lord of the Dead once on Earth, Samhain can raise supernatural creatures such as [[ghosts]] and [[zombies]] at will, without the use of any [[spell]]s.<ref name="four07" />
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* Superhuman strength and durability – Samhain strength power far exceed that of regular demons. He was shown to be resitant to [[iron]] as well as the [[demon-killing knife]] when Sam slices his arm. If Sam realized that the whitish-eyed demon is as he self said "So, this demon’s pretty powerful", he has been hinted that Samhain may have been truly immune to it's killing power. <ref name="four07" />
  
===Powers and Abilities===
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===Weaknesses===
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 the same ability as [[Lilith]] as far as being able to have the firey white light emanate from his palms.  Other than these abilities, not much more is known about his powers.
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* [[Demon-killing knife]] – While the knife was able to cause Samhain great pain, it is unknown if it could have killed him. As Sam self said "Might take more than the usual weapons" that means that Samhain maybe truly immune to Ruby's knife.
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* [[Exorcism]] – Like all demons, Samhain can be exorcised back to Hell. While in Hell, the ritual to raise Samhain can only be attempted once every 600 years.<ref name="four07" />
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* Poor Eyesight – Unusual for a [[demon]], Samhain's eyesight is incredibly poor. In this way, he can be tricked by obstructions to people's faces (e.g. blood, a mask) into believing them to be dead or non-human, and leaving them alone.<ref name="four07" />
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* [[Special Children]] – [[Sam Winchester]] was shown to be immune to Samhain's white light attack and was able to [[Exorcism|exorcise]] Samhain with his powers even when low on [[demon blood]], albeit with great concentration and difficulty.<ref name="four07" />
  
===Background - The Myth of Samhain===
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==Episodes==
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[[File:SamhainExorcism.jpg|thumb|right|350px|Samhain's [[meatsuit]] after being [[exorcise]]d by [[Sam]].]]
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===[[4.07 It's the Great Pumpkin, Sam Winchester]]===
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Wanting to summon Samhain, two [[witches]] named [[Tracy Davis]] and [[Don Harding]] (actually centuries-old siblings) start performing the sacrifices needed to summon Samhain. This draws the attention of the Winchesters and the [[angel]]s as the raising of Samhain is one of [[the 66 Seals]]. [[Sam]] and [[Dean]] kill Don, but Tracy reveals herself and successfully summons Samhain, breaking the seal. Samhain possesses Don's body and recognizes Tracy before killing her. Samhain is unable to tell that Sam and Dean are alive due to a "mask" of blood they smeared on their faces so he leaves them alone.
  
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.  
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Samhain travels to a mausoleum where a bunch of high school students are having a party, locks them in and summons [[zombie]]s and at least one [[ghost]] that attack. Sam and Dean rescue most of the kids and Dean deals with the monsters while Sam faces Samhain. Sam proves immune to Samhain's power so they fight hand to hand, but even with the [[demon-killing knife]], Sam is no match for the [[demon]]. Finally, in the end, Sam manages to [[exorcise]] Samhain with his powers and sends him back to [[Hell]].
  
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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===[[4.09 I Know What You Did Last Summer]]===
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A drawing of Samhain can be seen in Anna Milton's journal. The description says "Samhain. The next seal is broken." In Anna's drawing, Samhain's eyes are completely white, implying that Samhain may be classified as a third white eyed demon.
  
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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==Samhain in Lore==
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Samhain - properly pronounced "sa-win" as opposed to how the [[demon]]'s name is pronounced in the show (which is as spelled). It is the name of a Celtic festival that originated as an end of summer and harvest festival and was named after the Celtic name for the month. It later became associated with the Christian [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_Souls'_Day All Souls' Day]. Some of the rituals associated with Samhain are now seen in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halloween Halloween] traditions.
  
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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==Trivia==
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* Samhain may be classified as a third [[white-eyed demon]], but unlike Lilith and [[Alastair]], his eyes have pale gray irises and black pupils, possibly due to his poor eyesight. Howsoever, Samhain self is etablished to be the Lord of the Dead and an [[demon mutation]] alongside the [[Acheri demons]], the [[Seven Deadly Sins]], the [[Croatoan Virus]]. [[<ref name="essential">[[The Essential Supernatural: On the Road with Sam and Dean Winchester]]</ref>
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* [[Tracy Davis]]'s complaint about her experiences when waiting 600 years to summon her master indicates that Samhain was [[exorcise]]d in the year 1408. 1+4+0+8 also adds up to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/13_(number) the number 13], which has a number of meanings but is most notorious as an unlucky number to the superstitious.
  
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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==External links==
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* [http://www.religioustolerance.org/hallo_sa.htm The Myth of Samhain: Celtic God of the Dead]
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* [http://www.circlesanctuary.org/pholidays/Samhain.html Celebrating the Seasons: Samhain]
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* [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samhain Samhain] on Wikipedia
  
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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==References==
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{{reflist}}
  
 
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[[Category:Canon]][[Category:Characters]][[Category:Demons]]
 
 
 
 
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]. At Hollywood parties, typical games are dunking for apples or eating strung up scones without the use of hands.
 
 
 
 
 
[[Category: Canon]] [[Category:Characters]] [[Category:Demons]]  [[Category:Library]] [[Category:Demonology]]
 

Revision as of 21:59, 14 February 2021



Samhain001.jpg
Name Samhain
Actor Don McManus
Dates  ???? – 1408 (exorcised)[1]
2008 (exorcised by Sam Winchester)[1]
Location Hell
Occupation Demon Mutation
The Lord of the Dead[2]
Episode(s) 4.07 It's the Great Pumpkin, Sam Winchester

Dean, Samhain is the damn origin of Halloween. The Celts believe that October 31st was the one night of the year when the veil was the thinnest between the living and the dead, and it was Samhain’s night. I mean, masks were put on to hide from him, sweets left on doorsteps to appease him, faces carved into pumpkins to worship him. He was exorcised centuries ago.

Sam Winchester, 4.07 It's the Great Pumpkin, Sam Winchester

History

Samhain is a special type of demon or more a "demon mutation[2]". When he reigned on Earth on Halloween night, people kept their children inside and wore masks to hide from him, carved pumpkins to worship him, and left sweets at their doors to appease him. In this way, Samhain was the origin of modern-day Halloween. He was known to have had brother and sister witches serving him; these witches would later be known by the aliases Don Harding and Tracy Davis. At the time, Samhain took Tracy for a lover as well as a servant. In 1408, Samhain was exorcised by an unknown force.[1]

Samhain can be summoned out of the confines of Hell by two witches through three human sacrifices over three days, the last of which must occur on the final day of Celtic harvest, the 31st of October, the American Halloween. This ritual can only be attempted every 600 years. As such, Samhain's servants had to wait and prepare until the year 2008 before they could attempt to raise him again. They succeeded, but Don was killed for the third sacrifice and Tracy was murdered by Samhain himself, with Samhain using Don's corpse as his host.[1]

Samhain's rise is one of the 66 Seals holding Lucifer's Cage. The summoning of the demon in 2008, during the time the seals were being broken by Lilith's forces, broke this seal despite the efforts of the hunters Sam and Dean Winchester and of the angels Castiel and Uriel.[1]

Characteristics

Samhain has pale gray (or possibly blue[3]) irises, black pupils, and white sclerae.[1]. His unique eye color is possibly be due to his poor eyesight. He could be classified as a third white-eyed demon as Anna Milton's drawing of him possessing Don Harding shows him displaying white eyes. Howsoever, he's classified as a demon mutation together with the Acheri demons, the Seven Deadly Sins and also the Croatoan Virus.[2]

Powers and abilities

  • Demonic energy – Samhain can emanate a demonic blast of white energy from his palms that can decimate almost any target.[1]
  • Necromancy – As the Lord of the Dead once on Earth, Samhain can raise supernatural creatures such as ghosts and zombies at will, without the use of any spells.[1]
  • Superhuman strength and durability – Samhain strength power far exceed that of regular demons. He was shown to be resitant to iron as well as the demon-killing knife when Sam slices his arm. If Sam realized that the whitish-eyed demon is as he self said "So, this demon’s pretty powerful", he has been hinted that Samhain may have been truly immune to it's killing power. [1]

Weaknesses

  • Demon-killing knife – While the knife was able to cause Samhain great pain, it is unknown if it could have killed him. As Sam self said "Might take more than the usual weapons" that means that Samhain maybe truly immune to Ruby's knife.
  • Exorcism – Like all demons, Samhain can be exorcised back to Hell. While in Hell, the ritual to raise Samhain can only be attempted once every 600 years.[1]
  • Poor Eyesight – Unusual for a demon, Samhain's eyesight is incredibly poor. In this way, he can be tricked by obstructions to people's faces (e.g. blood, a mask) into believing them to be dead or non-human, and leaving them alone.[1]
  • Special ChildrenSam Winchester was shown to be immune to Samhain's white light attack and was able to exorcise Samhain with his powers even when low on demon blood, albeit with great concentration and difficulty.[1]

Episodes

Samhain's meatsuit after being exorcised by Sam.

4.07 It's the Great Pumpkin, Sam Winchester

Wanting to summon Samhain, two witches named Tracy Davis and Don Harding (actually centuries-old siblings) start performing the sacrifices needed to summon Samhain. This draws the attention of the Winchesters and the angels as the raising of Samhain is one of the 66 Seals. Sam and Dean kill Don, but Tracy reveals herself and successfully summons Samhain, breaking the seal. Samhain possesses Don's body and recognizes Tracy before killing her. Samhain is unable to tell that Sam and Dean are alive due to a "mask" of blood they smeared on their faces so he leaves them alone.

Samhain travels to a mausoleum where a bunch of high school students are having a party, locks them in and summons zombies and at least one ghost that attack. Sam and Dean rescue most of the kids and Dean deals with the monsters while Sam faces Samhain. Sam proves immune to Samhain's power so they fight hand to hand, but even with the demon-killing knife, Sam is no match for the demon. Finally, in the end, Sam manages to exorcise Samhain with his powers and sends him back to Hell.

4.09 I Know What You Did Last Summer

A drawing of Samhain can be seen in Anna Milton's journal. The description says "Samhain. The next seal is broken." In Anna's drawing, Samhain's eyes are completely white, implying that Samhain may be classified as a third white eyed demon.

Samhain in Lore

Samhain - properly pronounced "sa-win" as opposed to how the demon's name is pronounced in the show (which is as spelled). It is the name of a Celtic festival that originated as an end of summer and harvest festival and was named after the Celtic name for the month. It later became associated with the Christian All Souls' Day. Some of the rituals associated with Samhain are now seen in Halloween traditions.

Trivia

  • Samhain may be classified as a third white-eyed demon, but unlike Lilith and Alastair, his eyes have pale gray irises and black pupils, possibly due to his poor eyesight. Howsoever, Samhain self is etablished to be the Lord of the Dead and an demon mutation alongside the Acheri demons, the Seven Deadly Sins, the Croatoan Virus. [[[2]
  • Tracy Davis's complaint about her experiences when waiting 600 years to summon her master indicates that Samhain was exorcised in the year 1408. 1+4+0+8 also adds up to the number 13, which has a number of meanings but is most notorious as an unlucky number to the superstitious.

External links

References