Texts In Supernatural
Real world monitoring can also lead to fruitful exploration of texts: the medieval Celtic coin suggesting that Sam delve further into the lore surrounding Samhain and what the hex bag’s creator possibly had in store; the tale of Anna’s grace and where the holy meteor landed; Dean’s ghost sickness prompting a call to Bobby who found the type of spirit they were dealing with in a Japanese book, a Ripple-scented not-really-evil pimp Santa eventually leading to the online discovery of a pagan god, or gods, as it were.
DEAN: Like Greek myth siren? The Odyssey?
Sam looks surprised.
DEAN: Hey, I read.
Through 4+ seasons, can we observe a discernible refinement of their research techniques? Given that filming multi-hour trips to the local library would make for terrible television, it’s difficult to say. What *does* appear on film is their resourcefulness, their willingness to adapt based on past experience (and give Bobby a call when they’re extra stuck), and part of that experience surely comes from perusing website after microfiche after grimy box of centuries-old arrest records. They’ve developed their own time-tested systems and apply them to the available information in order to come up with a workable solution. If that fails, there’s always à la John Wayne.
Mad, Bad and Dangerous To Know
From Dr. Ellicott’s files documenting highly questionable experiments on his patients to Sue Ann Le Grange’s naughty piece of twisted Christianity, Supernatural is chock full of little black books, and problems arise when lay people tinker with texts they shouldn’t. Happily for most of them, that’s when the brothers swoop in to clean up their mess, an obvious example being the aforementioned black magic text from Faith. Remember, I said most; there’s always a little bit of spilled blood.
In the Supernatural world, perhaps even more than in our own, words and symbols can be treacherous and the perilous lack of knowledge (or concern) pertaining to a text is illustrated in Hell House, where a Tibetan spirit sigil, pulled from a theology textbook and scrawled without Zen-like reflection upon a decaying wall, leads to the creation of Mordecai. Good thing for Texas that the logo for Blue Oyster Cult didn’t lead to the appearance of a certain radioactive reptile from Japan.
Hollywood Babylon provides another textbook *groan* example with Walter’s screenplay. The man got the necromantic summing rituals right, as Sam astutely noticed while droning through the dailies of The Movie That Sucked, but got everything else wrong, and was well on his way to butchering half the crew. The desperate housewives of Malleus Maleficarum weren’t using their Book of Shadows to stop, hammer time, but they did lose something of value.
Everyone knows that Children Shouldn’t Play With Dead Things, but since when do kids listen and *not* pick up an ancient Greek text, perhaps the Resurrection of a dead body fragment from section XIII of Greek magical papyri. Since Romero-based tactics wouldn’t work, the boys had to go into research overdrive and suss out the unequivocal way to finish off a zombie.
Bedtime Stories puts on a three-star performance of a warped morality play, namely that Grimm’s Fairy Tales aren’t as harmless as you were once taught. The inherent danger in texts should not be taken lightly but always with a heaping bowl of salt. Dexter Hasselback, Truth Warrior, learned this the hard way through his magazine columns and blog, his reach exceeding his grasp. Hot stoves are everywhere in Supernatural, and when if you aren’t careful, pray you get burned and not thrown into a wormhole.
Since they know better, the brothers are indeed careful. Official paperwork certainly qualifies as a dangerous text, and in The Benders, Dean demonstrates why he shouldn’t fill out a missing person’s report. One, he knows time is of the essence and two, any involvement by law enforcement offers nothing but discord and the faintest aroma of jail. As we see in Time Is On My Side, Dean, despite Sam’s heartfelt desperation, refuses to have anything to do with Doc Benton’s alchemy text. His decision is quite personal, but one informed by a knowledge of his world and how it operates. As we’ve seen, not everyone possesses such skills.
But even those in the know stumble now and again. Witness Skin. An innocent email (that noted something horrific, I’ll grant) led to an outcome of Dean being framed for murder and one or both brothers nearly being added to the existing list of victims. Even when you know to watch your step, texts can be hazardous to your health, though congratulations on redeeming yourself in the face of cubicle evil. It’s not so terrible a life, after all.
Water, Water Everywhere
PROFESSOR: Supposedly, yes. They have god-like power. They can alter reality however they want –- past, present, future.
DEAN: Why would the Djinn do it? Self-defense? Or maybe it’s not really evil.
PROFESSOR: Son?
DEAN: Mm?
PROFESSOR: Have you been drinking?
DEAN: Everybody keeps asking me that. But no.
Most everything in the Supernatural universe – and in ours – isn’t cut and dried black and white. There are shades of grey, but whereas most would see a quotidian November sky as nothing more than an opaque sheet of slate heralding SAD, others of an artistic bent discern shifting timbres, bagatelles of distinct ashen hues that gently play upon eye and mind while concealing frigid temperatures, the vanguard of an approaching storm. Texts are fluid and what appears to be calm on the surface can be hiding a nasty undertow, a wholly unexpected current. There is artistry to discovery and through ever-expanding cultural caches, one can, to their benefit, learn the techniques of critique.
Umberto Eco, in his Limits of Interpretation, states that “many texts aim at producing two Model Readers, a first level, or a naive one, supposed to understand semantically what the text says, and a second level, or critical one, supposed to appreciate the way in which the text says so.” Applying a theory where real people delineate fiction to fictional people delineate reality in a fictional world? Why the hell not. When you or I read an obituary or an article detailing a grisly murder, we are the naive Model Reader. To us, it is what it is: someone died a horrible death. But for those versed in reading critically, those trained as hunters, it can mean something altogether different.
In My Time of Dying saw John give Sam a list of ingredients, ostensibly for a protective spell, a view which Sam accepted. Bobby, through his greater interpretive skill-set predicated on years of experience within the hunting culture, was able to see the list in an entirely different light. The brilliant triptych that closes out the premier season is set in motion by more second level readings.
In the midst of searching for a fresh case in Dead Man’s Blood, Sam comes across the murder in Colorado of a man named Daniel Elkins. The name strikes a chord with Dean, and he chimes in that he’s seen it before in their dad’s journal. Thus, the boys are Rocky Mountain way. While searching Elkins’ home, they find a string of alphanumeric characters desperately scratched into the hardwood floor.
SAM: Three letters, six digits – the location and combination of a post office box. It’s a mail drop.
DEAN: That’s just the way dad does it.
And what should be there but a letter from Elkins to a J.W., probably not John Waters. Without these second level readings, and given their father’s fluctuating reluctance to have them involved in going after such a “bad sonofabitch,” it’s plausible that Sam and Dean might never have gotten involved in the business of the Colt until it was too late to save their father, one thread unraveling among many.
There’s a particularly rich second level reading in Bloody Mary where the names of killers and victims are subsequently found by Sam and Dean upon the backs of crime scene mirrors. During the final confrontation, Dean smartly does some manipulating of his own and grabs a mirror, forcing Mary to see her own reflection and thus end the threat. Names are more than signifiers for a person, more than the collective relationship to Mary’s unique brand of vengeance; they are a clue to her Achilles’ heel, the mistletoe to her Baldur.
Returning to Hell House, we again see the malleability of the text in Sam and Dean’s attempt at subversion. Initially credulous until actually coming face-to-face with Mordecai, their completely fabricated story of wrought iron rounds would have wasted this MOTW if not for a server crash. But, as is often the case, a little fire’ll show ‘em who’s boss.
“Well, that’s exactly the kind of crack police work I’d expect out of you guys.”
Mais au contraire, the civilian population isn’t completely devoid of second level readers. Despite the incorrect identification of the shapeshifter, Ronald qualifies. Whether this lends legitimacy to the Fortean Times is a question beyond my pay grade, and his scatterbrained recklessness would have likely gotten him killed in the field, but he knew at least part of the score. Though two-thirds unfamiliar with the spirit world, the non-douchebag magicians easily saw through the brothers’ authorial façade, as few have.
Lastly *the audience applauds* I’d be remiss in not mentioning the lovely and perverse juxtaposition of the protecting mother in No Rest for the Wicked reading to her protected daughter, who just happens to be the first demon. Muahahahaha, etc.
More Than Pretty Faces
Supernatural is many things to a lot of people, and we all have our particular reasons for enjoying such a rich tapestry of blood n’ guts, but in penning this neverending story, I hope everyone will take an extra moment to appreciate the primacy of the written word in our favorite television show and, more importantly, the intelligence that Sam and Dean wield in gathering and processing these words in order to successfully snatch victory from evil’s hungry jaws. They’ll need it, for
This is the way the world ends
This is the way the world ends
This is the way the world ends
Not with a whimper but a bang.
Sorry, Tommy, we *are* dealing with the devil.
Randal, canny scoundrel that you are, ;-), I’ll take that kind of blame any time. This is awesome.
You wonderfully touch on an important aspect of this show – one, they use books (paper and/or computer), second, they are books: be it the archetypical elements (don’t worry, ole buddy Jung would have probably loved this, too), Campbell, Arthurian legends (well, Lancelot was flawed, but still he was the greatest knight of all), Homer, Shakespeare, the list could go on.
There’s hardly a way to describe the joy of discovering the undercurrents of texts or listening to someone reading/reciting lines you’ve heard before and thus finding some new aspects.
That our Winchesters keep using literature (albeit primarily paranormal stuff) and other written sources to solve the mysteries at hand has always been a testimony to their intelligence (and, secretly, we’ve all somehow sensed that Dean did read as well, though not becoming a scholar). Unfortunately, as one tiny weak spot, their exorcisms wouldn’t work… in the early episodes they mix up the incantations, prayers and commands… in real life (if you believe in such a thing) the possessed would only laugh and barf pea-soup at them…(I probably couldn’t order pizza in Latin, but it comes handy when reading the inscriptions on Elizabeth I’s grave). They haven’t been exorcising a lot lately, perhaps it will get better (I kind of miss them doing that).
Many of the books the brothers use, are found in ‘musty folios and gilded leather bindings’, wherever they get them from, be it Dad’s journal or some mythological dictionary, and they are put to good use. Gosh, I wish I had that kind of library at home…
Thank you so much for this astounding piece and for acknowledging one important aspect of the show (and thereby the great minds behind the scenes). I hope someone there will read this, too.
This was great. Jas
Thank you for such kind words, but I think Gawain might have a problem with your statement. 😎
Fresh light is what I love about the show. We know that the writers do their research too, they tie bits of their cultural base into what they pen (type, I guess) and each of us brings our own to the table, everything colored by multiple viewpoints to enrich the story. Sure, one one level it’s an action/dramatic yarn with definite set points, and I love that, but there’s so much more, as you said in detailing the brothers’ psychology, to cite one great example. We all add our small piece to appreciation.
Yeah, Sam might win an IQ test (did I just open a can of worms?) but Dean ain’t no slouch. “Slaughterhouse Five Vonnegut?” Good catch on the exorcising gig. I suppose we could chalk that up to the 952 different writers the first couple of seasons used to have; how many different rituals were used?
Hear that Kripke & Co.? Devil’s trap, medieval Latin and demonic angst, get to it!
Computers are great (obviously), but as a famous monster-fighting librarian once said, books are wonderful because they’re smelly.
Randal – I am in awe of both you and Jasminka. I have to remain almost speechless as I could never make comments worthy of this.
I am happy that our little show has attracted such insightful thinkers as the two of you. If you keep contributing such pieces, the hellatus will go much more quickly for myself and others.
Thank you so much.
Well damn. I wish like I could write like you, too.
You’re lovely, thank you, Bevie… too much praise… But, I have to admit, all this is so much fun… time flies…
:D, Jas
Randal, I haven’t counted the number of rituals they used early on, but there is only one Rituale Romanum, and all their quotes are parts of the ritual, albeit in the wrong order…Maybe you’re right, too many cooks spoil…
And yes, the smell of books… ahhhhh… I just relocated. Packing the books was an ordeal, but the smell was great…
Take care,Jas
What a lovely and well done article, Randal. So many new and well written article are posted here lately…..I really wish I could log in more often than I do.
I have always loved the shows use of ancient texts. …add such an allure of mystery to the series. And their use of symbols like the drawings and devil traps….seems to be right out of a Dan Brown novel. Your writing about them in such depths is amazing….where do you find the time? :-?:
Thanks for writing and sharing. Love to read your articles.
Bevie, thanks, but I think the show certainly deserves the bulk of the credit. If it didn’t exist, we might be writing about the tripe on MSNBC or Fox News. 😎
joelsteinlover, thanks!
Jas, if I’m not mistaken, they only used that in Phantom Traveler, right? I know there were at least two more different ones from 1.22/3.4/3.12; was the one Bobby used in 2.14 the other? I’m going to have to rewatch or this is going to bug the hell out of me.
sablegreen, thanks, and I agree. There’s some great stuff here (then there’s mine). The time? The key is to ignore the wife and kids. I kid. Maybe. 😉
You forgot ” Demon-Slaying For Dummies ” I’m sure they’ve got that one somewhere too. 😆
That’s a nice book, but an interactive DVD would have helped. 😉
I’m waiting for the pop-up version … 😆
Oh, I think they are using only the Rituale Romanum, if my Latin was not mistaken, but they use the chapters/incantations in a mixed up manner. What you hear in those episodes are parts of one long ritual. Who knows, perhaps they chose to stick to certain elements easier to pronounce? And it’s shorter… if you need to call on all kinds of angels and saints… gosh… would take hours… Maybe we should ask the grand inquisitor…
Happy exorcising!
Jas
Wow Randal…great article.
I love that the research has been a big part of the show.
To have them not know everything off the top their heads and to be wrong at times on their first hunches made it more realistic for me.
By the way “Demon-slaying for Dummiesâ€, interactive DVD’s and Pop-ups,they all work for me.
🙂
Hmm, Sablegreen just did do an article on declining ratings, and you guys hit on a way to expand the audience to the coveted infant-to-12 bracket, pop up books!
Any little bit helps???
My head is spinning Randal! What a great article!
I love to read (in fact books are the only thing I spend money gladly) and I would love to have a big library that included all the books uncle Bobby has.