The Mythology of Supernatural

by Nathan Robert Brown

  Eventually, a nobleman named Sir Francis Drake arrived at the Roanoke colony in 1587. He had just finished wiping out a nearby Spanish colony. What Drake found, however, was a village of colonists that looked more like living skeletons. Most were near the point of starving to death. Drake loaded up his ship with as many of the worst-case survivors as he could and took them back to England. Among the colonists Drake took with him was Ralph Lane. For reasons unknown, perhaps to make room on the ship, Drake left behind fifteen of his own men to reinforce the remaining colonists that he’d left behind. What happened after that remains a total mystery.

  Neither Drake’s men nor any colonists left behind were ever seen or heard from again. The missing included fifteen of Drake’s men, nineteen male colonists, seventeen women, and nine children. To this day, no one knows for sure what became of them. However, the colonists left at least one clue behind.

  No one was even aware of the fact that the Roanoke colony had vanished until almost three years later when in 1590 the delayed supply ship promised by Sir Grenville roughly five years before finally arrived under the leadership of John White. The supply ship’s crew found nothing but a ghost town. The only clue the ship’s crew could find as to the fate of the colony was a single word, CROATOAN, carved into the wood of a post near the fortification’s gate (conflicting accounts claim it was carved into a nearby tree).

  Some have argued that Croatoan was a Native American name for a nearby island located near present-day Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, which was inhabited by several local tribes. These history scholars have speculated that the remaining colonists, in order to survive, chose to integrate themselves into the Native American tribes on the neighboring island. However, no additional evidence has ever been found that could conclusively prove this theory. To this day, the fate of the Lost Colony of Roanoke remains a complete mystery.

  Supernatural offered its own explanation for the lost Roanoke colony. According to Sam, John Winchester wrote in his journal that he believed Croatoan was the name of a demon of disease or pestilence, “sometimes known as Dever, sometimes Resheph.” Dever likely refers to an ancient Mesopotamian name for a destructive spirit (remember that the ancient Mesopotamians did not really have a word for “demon”) or class of malevolent spirits associated with disease. Resheph is the name of a god from the ancient religion of the Canaanites, which was later demonized by the monotheistic YHVH tradition of Judaism. This is not just an idea in Supernatural; there are some in the paranormal community who speculate that Croatoan is the name of a demon that just so happened to resemble the Native American name for the nearby island.

  A CHILD OF DOOM

  This child is half-demon and half-human, but he’s far more powerful than either. Other cultures call this hybrid Cambien or Kateko. You know him as the Antichrist.

  —CASTIEL, “I BELIEVE THE CHILDREN ARE OUR FUTURE” (5-6)

  Perhaps the most notable thing about Supernatural’s portrayal of the Antichrist is Castiel’s use of Cambien and Kateko. Figuring out why he would use these words takes a bit of digging. The only related meaning of the word Cambien comes from the Spanish language and translates as “to change.” This may have been used on the show in order to refer to the power of Supernatural’s demon-human hybrid to “change” physical reality at will.

  Uncovering the meaning of Kateko, however, is a little more involved. The word Kateko comes from classical Greek and occurs in one of the oldest translations of the Christian Bible. Mentions of the Antichrist are not restricted to the book of Revelation. This figure is mentioned in Second Epistle of Paul to the Thessalonians (or 2 Thessalonians for short). This was a letter, supposedly written by Paul of Tarsus (more commonly known as Saint Paul the Apostle), to the newly established Christian communities in the city of Thessalonica. As with many religious texts, there is some debate as to the authenticity of this claim, but that’s not really an issue we need to deal with in this book.

  In this early Greek translation of 2 Thessalonians the word Kateko, roughly meaning something like “withheld,” “restrained,” or “not allowed,” is used in reference to the Antichrist that is to come. This usage basically meant that the Antichrist and/or his abilities would remain “restrained” until the appointed time. Some have interpreted the usage of this word to mean that the Antichrist is Lucifer or Satan himself, who at the time of Paul was restrained in the prison of Hell.

  The specific passage written by Paul of Tarsus is as follows (emphasis added):

  Don’t you remember that when I was with you I used to tell you these things? And now you know what is holding him back [Kateko], so that he may be revealed at the proper time. For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work; but the one who now holds it back will continue to do so till he is taken out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming. The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with the work of Satan displayed in all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders, and in every sort of evil that deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved.

  —2 THESSALONIANS 2:5–10

  Another mention regarding the Antichrist comes from the first book of John (or 1 John for short). This passage explains that there will be many antichrists, but that only the final Antichrist will become the Beast mentioned in Revelation. This seems contradictory to the idea that an antichrist must be the devil (after all, if God only had one son, it doesn’t reason that Lucifer would have several). John discusses the existence of these antichrist figures as follows:

  Dear children, this is our final hour; and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now I tell you that many antichrists have already come. This is how we know it is the final hour.

  —1 JOHN 2:18

  LUCIFER’S CAGE AND THE GRAND MILLENNIUM

  SAM: What if you guys lead the devil to the edge, and I jump in? It’d be just like when you turned the knife around on yourself. One action . . . just one leap.

  BOBBY: Are you idjits trying to KILL me?

  —SAM WINCHESTER AND BOBBY SINGER, “THE DEVIL YOU KNOW” (5-20)

  The idea that Lucifer is imprisoned comes from the book of Revelation.

  And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold on the dragon, that serpent of old, which is the Devil, and the Great Adversary, and the angel bound him for a thousand years, and cast him into the bottomless pit, and sealed him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed for a season. . . . But the rest of the dead would not live again until these thousand years were finished . . . They shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.

  —REVELATION 20:1–6

  Lucifer will not stay in his cage forever, though, and after a thousand years he will be released from his cage (presumably during the time of Armageddon). Paul explains this as follows (comments are provided in brackets):

  After one thousand years are over, Satan will be set free from his prison and will go out to deceive the nations at all four corners of the Earth—Gog and Magog—to gather them for battle. And their numbers will be like the sand on the seashore. They will march across the breadth of the Earth and surround the camp of God’s people [presumably the Jews], the city he loves [some interpret this to mean Jerusalem]. But fire will come down from Heaven and devour them. And the devil, the great deceiver, will be thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and his false prophet will be thrown before him. They will be tormented for all time.

  —REVELATION 20:7–10

  After Lucifer (or, some would say, the generic agent of evil often referred to as the devil) is defeated, God will appear for the Final Judgment of humankind.

  The Winchester boys and their com
rades-in-arms succeeded in tossing Lucifer’s troublesome butt back into his cage, of course, and so have succeeded in placing a temporary hold on the Judeo-Christian Apocalypse. Prophecy states, however, that Lucifer’s eternal imprisonment will only come during the final days of the Apocalypse. So, if the world does not end, neither does the devil. This, of course, would leave some questions to be asked: Just how long will Lucifer be kept in his cage this time around? And, of course, what does all of this mean for Sam Winchester? Only time will tell.

  CONCLUSION

  Chuck Shurley is right: endings are hard.

  What does one say to wrap up a book about a show as incredible as Supernatural? After all, it’s hard to neatly close up everything about Supernatural (not that this book even comes close to covering “everything” about the show) when the story of the Winchester brothers has not yet come to a conclusion. Season 5 left us with so many questions, and for every answer season 6 provides we are left with even more questions. As the show moves into its seventh season, the answered questions are likely to be replaced with a whole new set of mysteries.

  I could talk about stuff like “brotherhood” and “loyalty,” or I could end with some idealistic gibberish about how Sam and Dean may get knocked down, but they always get up again. After all, “wounds heal, chicks dig scars, but pride and honor are forever.” So maybe this book should, like the site of the battle between Michael and Lucifer, “end where it all began.” A wise man once said something along these lines: “No matter what you want to say, someone has probably already said it better.” Perhaps it would be best to let someone else’s words end the book for me.

  Let us close with some insight from the great Supernatural prophet Chuck Shurley, author of what will one day come to be known as the “Winchester Gospel”:

  So, what’s it all add up to? It’s hard to say. But me, I’d say this was a test . . . of Sam and Dean. And I think they did all right. Up against good, evil . . . angels, devils . . . destiny . . . and God himself, they made their own choice. They chose family. And, well, isn’t that the whole point? No doubt. Endings are hard. But, then again, nothing ever really ends . . . does it?

  —CHUCK SHURLEY (AKA CARVER EDLUND), “SWAN SONG” (5-22)

  Now . . . if only the writers of Supernatural would explain to us exactly why Chuck Shurley vanished into thin air, immediately after he finished the writing of all of this. Honestly, it’s almost enough to drive a person nuts, trying to figure all of this out. As Dean Winchester might say, “Good luck with that, Chuckles.”

  Enjoy the rest of Supernatural!

  BIBLIOGRAPHY

  The author would like to acknowledge his consultation of the following works during his research for and writing of this book:

  Anderson, Rasmus B., and Snorri Sturlson. The Prose Edda: Norse Mythology. Lawrence, Kansas: Digireads.com, 2010.

  Brown, Nathan. The Rape of Lilith: The Degradation of the Dark Mother. Germany: VDM Verlag, 2009.

  Brown, Ronald K. Editor. The Book of Enoch. San Antonio, Texas: Guadalupe Baptist Theological Seminary Press, 2000.

  Campbell, Joseph. The Hero with a Thousand Faces. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 1973.

  ———. With Bill Moyers. The Power of Myth. New York: Anchor Books, 1991.

  Davidson, Gustav. A Dictionary of Angels. New York: The Free Press, 1967.

  Graves, Robert, and Raphael Patai. Hebrew Myths: The Book of Genesis. New York: Greenwich House, 1983.

  Hurwitz, Sigmund. Lilith, the First Eve: Historical and Psychological Aspects of the Dark Feminine. Einsiedeln, Switzerland: Daimon Verlag, 1992.

  Koltuv, Barbara Black. The Book of Lilith. Berwick, Maine: Nicolas-Hays Publishing, 1986.

  Kramer, Samuel Noah. Sumerian Mythology. Philadelphia: Pennsylvania Paperback, 1972.

  Krishna, Dharma. Ramayana: India’s Immortal Tale of Adventure, Love, and Wisdom . India: Torchlight Publications, 2000.

  Leach, Maria. Editor. Funk & Wagnalls Standard Dictionary of Folklore, Mythology, and Legend. Harper and Row, 1984.

  Patai, Raphael. The Hebrew Goddess. Detroit, Michigan: Wayne State University Press, 1990.

  ———. Gates to the Old City: A Book of Jewish Legends. New York: Avon, 1980.

  ———. On Jewish Folklore. Detroit, Michigan: Wayne State University Press, 1983.

  Smith, Evans Lansing. The Hero Journey in Literature. Lanham, Maryland: University Press of America, 1996.

  Sproul, Barbara. Primal Myths: Creation Myths from Around the World. San Francisco: Harper and Row, 1979.

  Wolkstein, Diana, and Samuel Noah Kramer. Inanna: Queen of Heaven and Earth. New York: Harper and Row, 1983.

  The following Biblical translations were consulted and cited throughout this book:

  King James Version (KJV)

  New King James Version (NKJV)

  New International Version (NIV)

  New Century Version (NCV)

  Catholic/Latin blessings and Rite of Exorcism were cited from the Rituale Romanum: Pauli V Pontificis Maximi, published by the Vatican on June 10, 1925.

  INDEX

  Acheri

  Aesir

  ahuras

  Ahura Mazda

  Alastair (Supernatural character)

  Alastor (see Alastair)

  Aleister (see Crowley, Aleister)

  Alpha Bet of Ben Sira

  Alphabet (Enochian)

  Andy (Supernatural character)

  Angelic orders

  angelology

  Angra Mainyu

  Anna (Supernatural character)

  Antichrist

  Anu

  Anubis

  Anzu (or Zu bird)

  Apocalypse

  Apostles’ Creed

  Archangels

  archetypes

  ark (Noah)

  ark (of the Covenant)

  Ash (Supernatural character)

  Ashmodai

  Ava (Supernatural character)

  Azazel (fallen angel and Supernatural character)

  Azrael

  Baldur (Norse god and Supernatural character)

  Baphomet

  Beast of Gévaudan

  Beauterne, Antoine de

  Bobby (Supernatural character)

  book of Enoch

  Book of Shadows (see grimoire)

  Brahma

  Castiel (Supernatural character)

  Charon

  Chastel, Jean

  Colt (firearm)

  Colt, Samuel

  Croatoan

  crossroads

  Crowley

  Crowley, Aleister

  daevas

  Dante, Alighieri

  Dead Sea Scrolls

  Dee, John

  devas

  Devil’s Shoestring

  Devil’s Trap

  djinn

  Draupnir

  Dudael (desert)

  Dunstan, Saint

  Edda

  Eden (see Garden of Eden)

  Edlund, Carver (see Shurley, Chuck)

  Ellen (Supernatural character)

  Elysium

  EMF (electromagnetic field)

  Enoch (see book of Enoch)

  Enochian magic

  Erica tree

  Espiritismo

  Evergreen stakes

  Eye Colors (Supernatural demons)

  Fairies

  Fallen angel

  Fire

  Freya

  Gabriel

  Garden of Eden

  George (Supernatural character)

  Geshtinanna

  gematria

  Gilgamesh

  goofer dust

  Gordon (Supernatural character)

  Grigori (Watchers)

  grimoire

  Gungnir

  Halley’s Comet

  Hanuman

  Harrowing of Hell

  Heaven

  Hel

  Hell

  Hellhounds

  Herakles (Hercules)

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  Hodur

  holy land

  holy oil

  holy water

  hoodoo

  House, Son

  huluppu tree

  Iblis

  ifrit

  iron

  Isaac (Supernatural character)

  Isis

  isopsephy

  Jah

  jann

  Jehovah

  Jo

  Johnson, Robert

  Joshua (Biblical and Supernatural character)

  Kabala

  Kali (Hindu goddess and Supernatural character)

  Kali Yuga

  Kalki

  Kama Sutra

  Kaph–Bet

  Kelley, Sir Edward

  Kerubiel

  Key of Solomon

  Knife (aka “the Knife” of Supernatural)

  Knife with the white hilt

  Krishna

  Lamech

  Lamia

  Lamashtu

  Lemegeton

  lignum vitae

  lilin/lilum

  Lilith (demon and Supernatural character)

  Lily (Supernatural character)

  Limbo

  Loki

  Lot

  loup–garou

  Lucifer (fallen angel and Supernatural character)

  Malebolge

  Malebranche

  Meg (Supernatural character)

  Mercury

  Methuselah

  Methushael

  Michael (archangel and Supernatural character)

  Milton, John,

  mikvah