Vetala
| |
| Vetala | |
|---|---|
| Powers and Abilities | Strong and produce venom |
| Vulnerabilities | Can be killed with a silver knife to the heart |
| Appearance | Humanoid with snake-like eyes with a vertical iris and four pointed fangs, will revert to a reptilian look upon death. |
| Episode(s) | 7.11 Adventures in Babysitting |
Characteristics
Vetalas are creatures that sedate their victims with venom and then feed on their blood over a number of days. The victim usually dies after three or four feedings. Vetala prefer to hunt in pairs, although John Winchester hunted a single vetala and documented it in his journal. Dean hunted a pair of them on his own while Sam was at Stanford.[1]
Powers and abilities
- Fangs – A vetala's razor sharp teeth allow them to feed off their victims. Vetala attacks can sometimes be mistaken for vampire attacks due to similar neck wounds that come from their feedings.[1]
- Super strength – Vetala are very strong and capable of overpowering fully grown men.[1]
- Venom – Vetala produce a venom that paralyzes and sedates its victims, allowing them to feed over a course of several days.[1]
Weaknesses
- Silver – Vetala can be killed with a silver knife; stabbing the heart and twisting the blade to finish them off. After their death, a vetala will revert to a more reptilian form.[1]
Episodes
7.11 Adventures in Babysitting
Sally and Marlene are two vetala who are hunting together in Kansas, targeting truckers. Sally poses as a sex worker to lure them into the dark, while Marlene works as a waitress at a small diner. Together they kidnap the men, hide their trucks, and then hold them captive over several days to feed. They keep multiple victims alive at one time. They manage to capture hunter Lee Chambers, and later catch Sam who is looking for Lee. They are killed by Sam and by Lee's daughter Krissy, who tagged along with Dean to look for the missing hunters.
 Detail on vetala from John's journal. |
9.05 Dog Dean Afternoon
While trying to figure out what killed Max Alexander by constriction and attacked Dylan and Olivia Camrose by spraying venom in their faces, Sam guesses they may be looking for vetala. Dean nixes the idea, telling him that Max Alexander didn't have any bite marks on his body, and was only constricted to death. Dean is impressed to learn this fact.
14.11 Damaged Goods
While telling Dean about helping Jody Mills train her adopted family, Donna Hanscum tells him that Alex Jones single-handedly took out two vetala despite supposedly not wanting to be a hunter.
Vetala in Lore
In India mythology, the vetala is a ghoul or evil spirit that haunts graveyards and possesses corpses. They are said to originate from the souls of children not given proper burial rites. They are from the same group of creatures as Rakshasas.[2]
