Samhain
| |
| Name | Samhain |
| Actor | Don McManus |
| Dates | Exorcised centuries ago. Exorcised in 2008 by Sam Winchester. |
| Location | Hell |
| Occupation | Upper-class Demon |
| Episode(s) | 4.07 It's the Great Pumpkin, Sam Winchester |
History
Samhain, also known as the origin of Halloween, is a special type of demon.
When he reigned on Earth on Halloween night, people kept their children in that night, they wore masks to hide from him, carved pumpkins to worship him, and left sweets at their doors to appease him.[1]
He 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 six-hundred years. Once Samhain rises, he is able to summon ghosts, zombies, and ghouls from the depths of the Pit and unleash these morbid entities on the world.
He was released centuries ago but was exorcised by an unknown force, sending him back down to Hell.
In 2008, Samhain was summoned by two witches - Tracy Davis and Don Harding. He used the dead body of Don Harding as a vessel.
Characteristics
Samhain has pale gray (or possibly blue[2]) irises, black pupils, and white sclerae.[1] His unique eye color may mean that he is somewhere between the white-eyed demons, such as Lilith, and the black-eyed demons, such as Ruby.
Powers and Abilities
- Once on Earth, Samhain can raise supernatural creatures (such as ghosts and zombies) at will, without the use of any spells.[1]
- Samhain has superhuman strength and durability.[1]
- Samhain can emanate a demonic blast of white energy from his palms that can decimate almost any target.[1]
Weaknesses
- Unusually for a demon, Samhain has incredibly poor vision. 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]
- The ritual to raise Samhain can only be attempted every 600 years.[1]
- It is possible that Samhain can be killed with Ruby's knife.[1]
- Sam Winchester is immune to Samhain's white light attack and can exorcise him with his powers even when low on demon blood, albeit with great concentration and difficulty.[1]
Episodes
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 Ruby's 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.
Samhain in Lore
Samhain - actually pronounced "sa-win" - originated as a Celtic 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, also known as the Day of the Dead (Dia de los Muertos) in Spanish cultures. Some of the rituals associated with Samhain are now seen in Halloween traditions.
