Difference between revisions of "Soul"
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| − | A soul is a person's essence, and what persists after death. In the natural order, souls are transported to the afterlife by [[reapers]], and with the supervision of [[Death]]. The reaper [[Tessa]] | + | A soul is a person's essence, and what persists after death. In the natural order, souls are transported to the afterlife by [[reapers]], and with the supervision of [[Death]]. The reaper [[Tessa]] refused to tell [[Dean]], on more than one occasion, where she takes the souls. Known destinations of souls are [[Heaven]], [[Hell]] and [[Purgatory]]. |
In ''[[Supernatural]]'', a soul separate from its body is visualized as a blinding white light. [[Death]] and [[Famine]] have transported souls in a doctor's bag and briefcase respectively. [[Angels]] can determine whether or not someone has a soul, or the taste of it, via a painful procedure in which the angel reaches inside a person to touch the soul.<ref name="six03">[[6.03 The Third Man]]</ref> | In ''[[Supernatural]]'', a soul separate from its body is visualized as a blinding white light. [[Death]] and [[Famine]] have transported souls in a doctor's bag and briefcase respectively. [[Angels]] can determine whether or not someone has a soul, or the taste of it, via a painful procedure in which the angel reaches inside a person to touch the soul.<ref name="six03">[[6.03 The Third Man]]</ref> | ||
[[File:SamReleasesSoul.jpg|thumb|right|350px|[[Sam]] releases a soul, allowing it to return to its body.]] | [[File:SamReleasesSoul.jpg|thumb|right|350px|[[Sam]] releases a soul, allowing it to return to its body.]] | ||
| − | Souls are also a powerful energy source, [[Famine]] was able to consume them to strengthen himself, and [[demon]]s bargain for them, and even [[angel]]s have traded in them. Souls also provide sustenance for certain supernatural creatures like the [[crocotta]] and the [[shtriga]]. | + | Souls are also a powerful energy source, [[Famine]] was able to consume them to strengthen himself, and [[demon]]s bargain for them, and even [[angel]]s have traded in them. Souls also provide sustenance for certain supernatural creatures like the [[crocotta]] and the [[shtriga]]. The [[Grigori]] find human souls to be a delicacy and have fed on them since their expulsion from Heaven thousands of years ago. |
| − | + | [[Death]] revealed to Dean that souls are so powerful that even he can't break them. They can be damaged, but never broken. When [[Ghost|ghosts]] are put to rest, their souls are not destroyed; they are simply ferried by a reaper to their final destination, though it had been believed by many hunters to be "death" for them with oblivion waiting for them afterwards. [[Amara]] -- the manifestation of [[the Darkness]] also consumed souls, which helped to accelerate her growth and strength. | |
| − | [[Death]] | + | When [[Castiel]] rescues [[Sam]] from [[Lucifer's Cage]], his soul remained trapped in the Cage until Death retrieved it for him. Without his soul, [[Sam]] felt no empathy, guilt or compassion. However, he was not evil, but rather lacked any moral compass, and was willing to resort to more questionable actions, such as allowing [[Dean]] to become a [[vampire]] to help them find an [[Alpha]], albeit also knowing that there was a cure for vampirism, than he might consider when normal. While he continued to have physical needs for food and sex, he didn't require sleep, and had a high tolerance for pain. On other occasions that people have lost their souls, they have had different reactions. When souls were stolen by [[Abaddon]]'s demons, they appeared to act on basic instinct with the littlest thing setting them off. As this was different from Soulless Sam, Sam suggests that different people have different reactions to losing their soul.<ref name="nine17">[[9.17 Mother's Little Helper]]</ref> Additionally, [[Amara]]'s soulless victims tended to quickly become homicidal and one noted that it felt like something dark was hatching inside of him.<ref name="eleven05">[[11.05 Thin Lizzie]]</ref><ref name="eleven06">[[11.06 Our Little World]]</ref> In the instance where a soul is forcefully removed, if it is released from whatever is binding it it will return to its body. |
| − | + | After losing his soul, [[Donatello Redfield]] remained mostly the same by using "what would Mr. Rogers do?" as his moral compass.<ref name="thirteen02">[[13.02 The Rising Son]]</ref> The only time this changed was when Donatello was corrupted by the power of the [[tablet|demon tablet]] without his soul there to filter out whatever darkness existed inside of the tablet.<ref name="thirteen14">[[13.14 Good Intentions]]</ref> After his brain is restored by Castiel, Donatello resumed his usual [[soulless]] personality without the corruption nor any memory of the events during this time.<ref name="fourteen12">[[14.12 Prophet and Loss]]</ref> He would later describe to [[Jack Kline]] having no soul as emptiness: no pity, no empathy, no humanity though he stated that losing your soul doesn't make you anything. He believed that by following the example of the best person you knew in uncertain situations, a soulless person could learn how to live a relatively normal life.<ref name="fourteen15" /> | |
| − | + | It is possible for a human to use Enochian magic to gain angel-like abilities, but the cost of this is that each time a piece of their soul is burned away until it is completely gone. However, if even a sliver of soul still exists, that sliver will go onto whatever the person's final destination may be.<ref name="twelve10">[[12.10 Lily Sunder Has Some Regrets]]</ref><ref name="fourteen08">[[14.08 Byzantium]]</ref> | |
| − | |||
| − | [[ | ||
| − | + | [[Anubis]], an Egyptian [[deities|deity]] used as a judge by [[Heaven]] following the departure of [[God]], reveals that a soul's final destination is not chosen by Death, the reapers or even God himself. Instead, a soul's final destination is chosen by the person themselves and their actions in life. Anubis will "weigh" the soul and determine where it will go, though their final destination can be changed by something such as a final selfless sacrificial act.<ref name="fourteen08" /> However, the claim Anubis made about God not deciding where a soul goes upon death is disproved when it's revealed that [[Chuck]] caused [[Kevin]] to go to Hell instead of Heaven and changing the rules by making it impossible for souls from Hell to go to Heaven.<ref name="fifteen02" /> | |
| − | + | During his time working with Dumah, it's revealed that Jack can transform humans into angels by forging human souls into angelic grace with ease.<ref name="fourteen19">[[14.19 Jack in the Box]]</ref> | |
==After Death== | ==After Death== | ||
Most spirits are transported by [[reaper]]s after death to the next destination. Those who refuse to move on can become [[ghost]]s or [[Vengeful Spirits|vengeful spirits]]<ref name="two01">[[2.01 In My Time of Dying]]</ref> | Most spirits are transported by [[reaper]]s after death to the next destination. Those who refuse to move on can become [[ghost]]s or [[Vengeful Spirits|vengeful spirits]]<ref name="two01">[[2.01 In My Time of Dying]]</ref> | ||
| − | ===Hell=== | + | ===[[Hell]]=== |
| − | [[Demons]] are formed in [[Hell]] by the corruption of a human soul over time. [[Lucifer]] made [[Lilith]] into the first demon in order to mock [[God]]'s creation of humanity.<ref name="four21">[[4.21 When the Levee Breaks]]</ref> While in Hell, [[Dean]] eventually broke under [[Alastair]]'s torture and started torturing souls himself, and so likely would have been transformed without [[ | + | [[Demons]] are formed in [[Hell]] by the corruption of a human soul over time. [[Lucifer]] made [[Lilith]] into the first demon in order to mock [[God]]'s creation of humanity.<ref name="four21">[[4.21 When the Levee Breaks]]</ref> While in Hell, [[Dean]] eventually broke under [[Alastair]]'s torture and started torturing souls himself, and so likely would have been transformed without [[Heaven]]'s intervention.<ref name="four10">[[4.10 Heaven and Hell]]</ref> [[Angel Lore|Angels]] are able to rescue souls from Hell, though this generally requires a massive incursion,<ref name="four01">[[4.01 Lazarus Rising]]</ref> but a human can rescue a soul as well if they can sneak into and out of [[Hell]] with said soul.<ref name="eight19" /> |
| − | The process of converting a soul into a demon essentially | + | The process of converting a soul into a demon essentially corrupts the soul; when Crowley attempted to offer his soul to [[Plutus]] for the [[Tablets|demon tablet]], the offer was rejected as he did not have a soul to offer.<ref name="eight02">[[8.02 What's Up, Tiger Mommy?]]</ref> |
| − | When the demons of Hell prove reluctant to abandon their loyalty to Crowley, [[Abaddon]] decides to create her own demons by taking souls from still living humans, in order to create her own | + | When the demons of Hell prove reluctant to abandon their loyalty to Crowley, [[Abaddon]] decides to create her own demons by taking souls from still living humans, in order to create her own demonic army to take Hell.<ref name="nine17" /> |
| − | + | [[Father Max Thompson]] developed a way to wash away the corruption a demon endures during its time in Hell and restores their humanity through [[Demon Cure|a ritual]] of purified or sanctified blood.<ref name="eight22">[[8.22 Clip Show]]</ref><ref name="eight23">[[8.23 Sacrifice]]</ref><ref name="ten03">[[10.03 Soul Survivor]]</ref> | |
| − | |||
| − | + | According to the [[demon]] [[Belphegor]], once a soul has been condemned, it can never get into [[Heaven]]. Though [[John Winchester]]<ref name="two22">[[2.22 All Hell Breaks Loose: Part Two]]</ref> and [[Bobby Singer]]<ref name="eight19" /> got in, Belphegor believed that [[God]] had simply made exceptions for them and without God's help, it would be impossible.<ref name="fifteen02" /> However, this doesn't address the issue of the 50,000 souls that [[Crowley]] gave [[Castiel]] in order to fight [[Raphael]] in Heaven unless God also intervened in that situation as well <ref>[[[6.20 The Man Who Would Be King]]</ref> | |
| − | [[ | ||
| − | + | ===[[Heaven]]=== | |
| + | Another destination for souls is [[Heaven]], although the criteria for entrance depends on the person's choices in life. [[Raphael]] mentions devoutness as one possibility, which trumps all others, such as in Ken Lay's case.<ref name="six20">[[6.20 The Man Who Would Be King]]</ref> In Heaven, each soul has its own version of Heaven where he or she relives their happiest memories. According to [[Ash]] these Heavens are individual, except in the case of soulmates, who share the same [[Heaven]], which [[Sam]] and [[Dean]] appeared to share as they were easily able to travel to and form each other's happy memories. Personal Heaven's are grouped alphabetically, and divided into individual sections pertaining to the deceased names. | ||
| + | |||
| + | Most souls cannot leave their own allotted space, although Ash worked out a way to move between them freely.<ref name="five16">[[5.16 Dark Side of the Moon]]</ref> [[Bobby Singer]] was able to find his Heaven's escape hatch and wander the halls of Heaven where the angels perform their maintenance duties on the individual Heavens. Jack Kline's nature as a [[Nephilim]], allowed him to realize something was wrong in his personal Heaven and exit it when the [[Cosmic Entity]] from [[the Empty]] invaded to retrieve Jack. | ||
| + | |||
| + | ===[[Purgatory]]=== | ||
| + | [[Purgatory]] is a spiritual realm where the souls of supernatural creatures such as [[vampires]] and [[Shapeshifter|shapeshifters]] go after they die. This place is not connected with [[Heaven]] or [[Hell]], though [[Crowley]] and the rogue [[reaper]] [[Ajay]] have said that it is Hell adjacent. After resurrecting [[Samuel Campbell]], Crowley has him tracking down high-ranking creatures, specifically [[Alpha]]s, so that he can question them about the location of Purgatory, which he wants for "development purposes." Though in truth, Crowley and [[Castiel]] had joined forces to find Purgatory in order to get the souls, which would aid Castiel in his war against [[Raphael]]. When [[Dean]] kills [[Leviathan]] leader [[Dick Roman]], both he and Castiel get transported there without dying due to their proximity to Dick Roman when he was stabbed with the righteous bone of a mortal. | ||
| + | |||
| + | Due to Dean being a living human being, a portal was created in Purgatory specificity to "spit him out"<ref>{{8.05}}</ref> according to the vampire [[Benny Lafitte]], who helped Dean find it in exchange for Dean taking him through the portal. Dean escapes Purgatory with Benny's soul inside his arm, allowing him to resurrect the vampire. When Dean is released Benny's soul from his body onto Benny's bones he speaks the words: ''Anima. Corpori. Fuerit corpus totem resurgent''. Which roughly translates as "Soul. Body. Whole body shall be raised." When Sam later escapes from Hell with [[Bobby Singer]]'s soul, he carries it out of Purgatory in a similar way to what Dean did with Benny's soul. | ||
==Deals and Markers== | ==Deals and Markers== | ||
| − | Souls are first mentioned in relation to the [[deal]]s made by [[crossroads demon]]s, wherein a person agrees to give their soul to the [[demon]] upon death in exchange for some benefit when they are alive. | + | Souls are first mentioned in relation to the [[deal]]s made by [[crossroads demon]]s, wherein a person agrees to give their soul to the [[demon]] upon death in exchange for some benefit when they are alive. Deals are traditionally sealed with a kiss, but more formal contracts can be made up in lieu of the act. A deal with the [[White-eyed Demon|demon]] [[Lilith]], however, required sexual intercourse to be officially sealed. |
| − | [[John Winchester]] sold his soul to [[Azazel]] in exchange for [[Dean]]'s life,<ref>[[2.01 In My Time of Dying]]</ref> and Dean sold his soul | + | Deals have a set time limit at the end of which the subject of a deal, if still living, is killed. [[John Winchester]] gave up [[the Colt]] and sold his soul to [[Azazel]] in exchange for [[Dean]]'s life,<ref>[[2.01 In My Time of Dying]]</ref> and Dean sold his soul, with a one year marker, to [[Resurrection|resurrect]] [[Sam]] after he was killed by [[Jake Talley]]. Sam also attempted to sell his own soul to bring back Dean, but the demons refused to make a deal as they wanted to keep Dean in [[Hell]].<ref name="four09">[[4.09 I Know What You Did Last Summer]]</ref> |
| − | [[Bobby]] | + | [[Bobby Singer]] agreed to temporarily sell his soul to [[Crowley]] to get information on [[Death]]'s whereabouts in order to help stop the [[Apocalypse]] (with the added bonus of getting the use of his legs back). Crowley was able to make the details of the contract he made with Bobby manifest as writing on his skin.<ref name="six04" /> When Crowley refused to give back Bobby's soul per their agreement, citing that he only needed to make best efforts to return Bobby's soul, the deal was undone when Bobby, with help from Sam and Dean, threatened to destroy Crowley by burning the bones of his human self.<ref name="six04">[[6.04 Weekend at Bobby's]]</ref> |
In trading for [[Aaron Birch]]'s soul, the [[angel]] [[Balthazar]] left an identifying mark on it. [[Castiel]] detected it when he "read" Aaron's soul.<ref name="six03"/> | In trading for [[Aaron Birch]]'s soul, the [[angel]] [[Balthazar]] left an identifying mark on it. [[Castiel]] detected it when he "read" Aaron's soul.<ref name="six03"/> | ||
| − | While bidding on the Word of God tablet, [[Linda Tran]] and Crowley each offered souls as a price for the auction, with Crowley initially offering three million souls from Hell while Linda offered her own soul. [[Plutus]] accepted Linda's offer over Crowley's due to the potential sacrifice of Linda's bid, prompting Crowley to offer his own soul, but this bid was rejected as he didn't have a soul to barter. Plutus noted that he owned various other souls from his past deals, but he was killed by [[Beau]] and Crowley before he could take Linda's soul.<ref | + | While bidding on the Word of God tablet, [[Linda Tran]] and Crowley each offered souls as a price for the auction, with Crowley initially offering three million souls from Hell while Linda offered her own soul. [[Plutus]] accepted Linda's offer over Crowley's due to the potential sacrifice of Linda's bid, prompting Crowley to offer his own soul, but this bid was rejected as he didn't have a soul to barter. Plutus noted that he owned various other souls from his past deals, but he was killed by [[Beau]] and Crowley before he could take Linda's soul.<ref name="eight02" /> |
==The Power of Souls== | ==The Power of Souls== | ||
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Souls are extremely powerful sources of energy, often likened to nuclear weapons.<ref name="six19">[[6.19 Mommy Dearest]]</ref><ref name="six18">[[6.18 Frontierland]]</ref><ref name="six20" /> The Horseman [[Famine]] sought out the souls of others because of their power so he could strengthen himself by ingesting them. | Souls are extremely powerful sources of energy, often likened to nuclear weapons.<ref name="six19">[[6.19 Mommy Dearest]]</ref><ref name="six18">[[6.18 Frontierland]]</ref><ref name="six20" /> The Horseman [[Famine]] sought out the souls of others because of their power so he could strengthen himself by ingesting them. | ||
| − | [[Balthazar]] bought the soul of a boy, [[Aaron Birch]], in exchange for a part of the [[Staff of Moses]]. When asked why he bought it, Balthazar | + | [[Balthazar]] bought the soul of a boy, [[Aaron Birch]], in exchange for a part of the [[Staff of Moses]]. When asked why he bought it, Balthazar refered to souls as the only thing left of value; he was eventually forced to return it by Castiel.<ref name="six03" /> [[Death]] hinted at the value of souls when he talked to [[Dean]], saying that even he could not destroy a soul, or alter it. Death also said that a soul was "vulnerable, impermanent, but stronger than you know. And more valuable than you can imagine."<ref name="six11">[[6.11 Appointment in Samarra]]</ref> |
| − | [[Angel]]s can channel the power of souls. During a fight with [[Rachel]], [[Castiel]] is severely wounded by an [[angel blade]]. The injury drains much of his power, making it impossible for him to retrieve Dean and | + | [[Angel]]s can channel the power of souls. During a fight with [[Rachel]], [[Castiel]] is severely wounded by an [[angel blade]]. The injury drains much of his power, making it impossible for him to retrieve Dean and Sam from the past. He tells [[Bobby]] that the human soul is pure energy, and if he touches Bobby's soul he might be able to draw on that energy to revitalize himself. Castiel tells him that if done incorrectly, the procedure could cause Bobby to explode. Bobby agrees and endures great pain, and Castiel is able to bring back Sam and Dean through time from 1861.<ref name="six18">[[6.18 Frontierland]]</ref> |
| − | [[Crowley]]'s interest in [[Purgatory]], the resting place of the souls of | + | [[Crowley]]'s interest in [[Purgatory]], the resting place of the souls of [[monsters]], relates to the untapped power inside. Before her death [[Eve]] explains that her actions in rising from Purgatory, and mobilizing all the monsters, were in reaction to Crowley capturing and torturing "her children." She speculated that Crowley is after the souls from Purgatory as together they would form a powerful weapon.<ref name="six19" /> |
| − | Crowley's partner in the search for Purgatory was Castiel | + | Crowley's partner in the search for Purgatory was Castiel, who was convinced by Crowley that the souls from Purgatory would give him the power to fight Raphael, as without some extra force he is no match for the [[archangel]]. A loan of 50,000 souls from [[Hell]] from Crowley allowed Castiel to briefly overpower Raphael.<ref name="six20" /> Later, [[Atropos]] accused Castiel of sinking the Titanic to create 50,000 more souls in order to "fund his war machine." She said that "He (Castiel) couldn't mint money, that it was wrong and dangerous and she wouldn't let him."<ref name="six17">[[6.17 My Heart Will Go On]]</ref> |
| − | Balthazar | + | Balthazar warned Castiel that if he takes in the souls of Purgatory, he may not be able to contain them and may explode "taking a substantial chunk of the planet" along with him.<ref name="six21">[[6.21 Let It Bleed]]</ref> When Crowley and Castiel finally determine how to access Purgatory and the souls there, Castiel cuts Crowley out of the deal, refusing him access to that power. Castiel opened the gate to Purgatory and absorbed all the souls, which allowed him to destroy Raphael with a snap of his fingers. He then declared himself the new [[Godstiel|God]].<ref name="six22">[[6.22 The Man Who Knew Too Much]]</ref> |
| − | + | After Castiel ingested all of the souls of Purgatory, he became a God-like being, or as [[Death]] put it a "mutated angel," for a time before he returned the souls. However, the [[Leviathans]] hung on and briefly able to take control of Castiel, which allowed them to escape into the world.<ref name="six22" /><ref name="seven01">[[7.01 Meet The New Boss]]</ref> | |
| − | As part of a spell to travel through time, [[Henry Winchester]] | + | As part of a spell to travel through time, [[Henry Winchester]] used his own soul as a power source, something that surprised Sam and Dean as they thought only angels could do that. According to Henry, he would need a week for his soul to recharge enough to safely travel in time again, though in desperation he tried to make the trip early despite the possible risks.<ref name="eight12">[[8.12 As Time Goes By]]</ref> |
| − | Lily Sunder | + | [[Lily Sunder]] was able to use [[Enochian]] magic, which allowed her strength and longevity, among other abilities. However, that magic came with a price. Every time she used the magic, a piece of her soul burned away, and would continue to do so until there was nothing and she was a soulless husk.<ref name="twelve10" /> When Lily stopped using this magic, she began to age again with only a sliver of her soul that remained. |
| + | |||
| + | Lily was able to use this same magic to cure [[Jack Kline]]'s condition after his [[resurrection]]. Like with Lily, using Enochian magic burned away a piece of Jack's soul, but Lily stated that it won't be anything he will miss as long as its only used to sustain his body.<ref name="fourteen08" /> In a desperate moment, Jack was able to use the magic keeping him alive to tap into the power of his soul like Lily did. When Jack used this power to disintegrate five attacking [[monsters]], it manifested in a manner similar to Jack using his powers while he still had his grace. Like with Lily's use of Enochian magic, Jack burned away another piece of his soul to accomplish this feat.<ref name="fourteen10" /> On another occasion, Jack was able to use the power of his soul to [[exorcism|exorcise]] the [[archangel]] [[Michael (Apocalypse World)|Michael]] out of [[Rowena]] and destroy him, leaving behind only Michael's [[grace]] which Jack consumed to restore his original powers.<ref name="fourteen14" /> However, doing so burned away a great deal of Jack's soul, possibly all of it.<ref name="fourteen15" /> | ||
| + | |||
| + | The demon [[Belphegor]] attempted to use [[Lilith's Crook]] to absorb all the demons and [[Hell Ghosts]] that escaped from [[Portal|the rupture]] Chuck created. He wanted to make himself akin to a god and eventually take over Hell, Heaven, and Earth. While the horn manages to absorb a large number of ghosts, Castiel manages to make his way to Belphegor and kill him, destroying the crook in the process. Rowena manages to use a spell from the ''Book of the Damned'' to absorb all the souls into her body and imprison them in Hell along with herself. | ||
==Characters' Souls== | ==Characters' Souls== | ||
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}} | }} | ||
| − | After his return from [[Lucifer's Cage]], [[Sam]] | + | After his return from [[Lucifer's Cage]], [[Sam]] appeared different, especially to [[Dean]]. He exhibited little compassion, which caused Dean to become increasingly suspicious that Sam may be possessed by [[Lucifer]]. [[Castiel]] refutes the idea, saying that if Lucifer were free they would know.<ref name="six06" /> It was eventually [[Veritas]], the Goddess of Truth, who confirmed Dean's worst fears that Sam was "not human" when he proves to be immune to her power. Sam admits that he knows something is deeply wrong.<ref name="six06">[[6.06 You Can't Handle the Truth]]</ref> Dean calls on Castiel, who ascertains that Sam was resurrected without his soul.<ref name="six07">[[6.07 Family Matters]]</ref><br> |
| − | [[Crowley]] | + | [[Crowley]] claimed that he pulled Sam out of Lucifer's Cage, but kept the soul "hostage" and that he would return Sam's soul if the Winchesters help him find [[Purgatory]] -- a task he has had [[Samuel Campbell]] working on since his resurrection. Crowley later revealed to Dean, Sam and Castiel that he is incapable of raising Sam's soul from Lucifer's Cage, stating that raising Sam's body from the Cage was a very difficult task to perform.<ref name="six10">[[6.10 Caged Heat]]</ref> |
| − | + | Castiel later revealed that it was he who pulled Sam from [[Hell]], but that he was not powerful enough to do it completely, thus leaving Sam's soul behind. | |
{{Quotation | {{Quotation | ||
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}} | }} | ||
| − | For a while | + | For a while Sam continued to insist to Dean that he is still Sam -- "same melon, same memories" -- just without his soul, but Dean finally confronted Sam: |
<blockquote> | <blockquote> | ||
| − | '''Dean:''' I mean, it's your gigantor body and maybe your brain, but it's not you. So just...stop pretending. Do us both a favor.</blockquote> | + | '''Dean:''' I mean, it's your gigantor body and maybe your brain, but it's not you. So just...stop pretending. Do us both a favor. |
| − | Sam eventually admits that "I'm not your brother. I'm not Sam". | + | </blockquote> |
| + | Sam eventually admits that "I'm not your brother. I'm not Sam." to Dean. Before he confessed that he doesn't think having no soul is "better or worse, just different", but decided that he should get his soul back.<ref name="six08">[[6.08 All Dogs Go to Heaven]]</ref> | ||
| − | In [[6.09 Clap Your Hands If You Believe...]], the [[Wayne Whittaker|Leprechaun]] senses | + | In [[6.09 Clap Your Hands If You Believe...]], the [[Wayne Whittaker|Leprechaun]] senses Sam's lack of soul. |
<blockquote> | <blockquote> | ||
'''Leprechaun:''' The human soul gives off a certain perfume. Your soul is far away, but not completely out of reach. | '''Leprechaun:''' The human soul gives off a certain perfume. Your soul is far away, but not completely out of reach. | ||
</blockquote> | </blockquote> | ||
| − | He | + | He tells Sam that he could get his soul out of Lucifer's Cage though the use of real magic, but Sam banishes him back to his realm. |
| − | + | Castiel and Crowley both predicted that Sam's soul will have been tortured by Lucifer and [[Michael]], and would be so severely damaged that it would harm Sam to have it returned, even drive him insane.<ref name="six10" /> Following this revelation, Sam decided he didn't want his soul back, and summoned [[Balthazar]] to see if there is a way to keep a soul out of its body. Balthazar informs him of a ritual that involves him defiling his body, that needed the blood of his father (that needn't come from the "father of your blood") to keep his soul out his body. This led Sam to try and kill [[Bobby Singer]], only to be stopped at the last moment by Dean.<ref name="six11">[[6.11 Appointment in Samarra]]</ref> | |
| − | + | Sam ws eventually reunited with his soul when Dean approached [[Death]] for help.<ref name="six11" /> Death himself liberated it from Hell and personally delivered it back to Sam's body, despite his protests. Death installed it with the promise that a wall would be erected in Sam's mind which will prevent him from remembering his torment in Hell, but advises him to not "scratch away at it" lest the wall collapse and his memories come flooding back -- though he suggests that this may happen over time regardless. Castiel says of the soul's condition once it is returned that it feels like it has been skinned alive.<ref name="six12">[[6.12 Like a Virgin]]</ref> | |
| − | As | + | As Castiel got closer to accessing [[Purgatory]], he plead with the Winchesters not to fight against him, but they refused. Castiel touched Sam's forehead, which cracked the mental barrier that was planted there by Death, saying, "I'll fix him when this is all over." The breaking of the wall in Sam's mind caused him to have a breakdown; and become trapped inside his mind with the memories of what he did when he was soulless and what happened to him in Hell. Sam managed to overcome this long enough to make his way to help Dean and Bobby in their efforts to stop Castiel. However, Sam began hallucinating [[Hallucifer|Lucifer]] and slowly went insane until Castiel transferred the madness into his own mind, solving Sam's problems but driving Castiel insane instead. According to Castiel, Sam's hallucinations of Lucifer are an "aftertaste" of his time in Hell and simply projections of his own mind. |
* [http://insidetv.ew.com/2011/09/09/supernatural-dvd-sneak-peek/ Jared, Jensen and Kripke talk about Sam and his soul.] | * [http://insidetv.ew.com/2011/09/09/supernatural-dvd-sneak-peek/ Jared, Jensen and Kripke talk about Sam and his soul.] | ||
===Dean's Soul=== | ===Dean's Soul=== | ||
| − | [[Dean]] | + | [[Dean]] made a [[deal]] with a [[crossroads demon]] and exchanged his soul for [[Sam]]'s [[resurrection]]. The [[demon]] revived [[Sam]] but only gave Dean a year rather than the standard ten. At the end of the allotted time in the deal, Dean's soul gots dragged to [[Hell]] by a [[hellhound]] and was constantly abused and tortured by the [[demon]] [[Alastair]]. After much painful torment, Dean agreed to torture other souls to stop his own torment. His soul is later retrieved by the [[angel]] [[Castiel]] and brought back to Earth. |
| − | + | Dean's stoicism and disinterest in the pleasures of life are discussed by [[Famine]] in terms of his soul. | |
<blockquote> | <blockquote> | ||
'''Famine:''' Hunger doesn't just come from the body it also come from the soul.<br> | '''Famine:''' Hunger doesn't just come from the body it also come from the soul.<br> | ||
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</blockquote> | </blockquote> | ||
| − | After touching his chest, | + | After touching his chest, Famine tells Dean that while his soul is still in place, he is empty inside, which is why his powers don't affect Dean. |
| − | In [[9.23 Do You Believe in Miracles?]] Dean's soul is transformed into a | + | In [[9.23 Do You Believe in Miracles?]] Dean's soul is transformed into a demon by the [[Mark of Cain]] after he is killed by [[Metatron]]. In [[10.03 Soul Survivor]], Sam reverses this with the [[demon cure]]. |
===Bobby's Soul=== | ===Bobby's Soul=== | ||
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[[Bobby Singer]], seeing no other way to locate [[Death]], the last Horseman of the Apocalypse, sells his soul to [[Crowley]] to gain the Horseman's location. Crowley takes advantage of the [[deal]] to blackmail the Winchesters into not killing him, but also restores Bobby's legs out of apparent altruism with the deal. Crowley later reluctantly gives it back after Bobby threatens to have [[Sam]] and [[Dean]] burn his original human bones.<ref name="five20">[[5.20 The Devil You Know]]</ref><ref name="six04">[[6.04 Weekend at Bobby's]]</ref> | [[Bobby Singer]], seeing no other way to locate [[Death]], the last Horseman of the Apocalypse, sells his soul to [[Crowley]] to gain the Horseman's location. Crowley takes advantage of the [[deal]] to blackmail the Winchesters into not killing him, but also restores Bobby's legs out of apparent altruism with the deal. Crowley later reluctantly gives it back after Bobby threatens to have [[Sam]] and [[Dean]] burn his original human bones.<ref name="five20">[[5.20 The Devil You Know]]</ref><ref name="six04">[[6.04 Weekend at Bobby's]]</ref> | ||
| − | After his fight with [[Rachel]], [[Castiel]], severely wounded and drained of his power, finds it impossible to retrieve | + | After his fight with [[Rachel]], [[Castiel]], severely wounded and drained of his power, finds it impossible to retrieve Dean and Sam from the past. He tells Bobby that if he touches his soul he might siphon off enough power to bring them back. Bobby agrees, but experiences extreme pain in the process.<ref name="six18">[[6.18 Frontierland]]</ref> |
| + | |||
| + | After death, instead of going to his afterlife where he belonged, Bobby's soul stayed behind on Earth as a [[Ghost|ghost]] to help Sam and Dean stop [[Dick Roman]].<ref name="seven10">[[7.10 Death's Door]]</ref><ref name="seven18">[[7.18 Party On, Garth]]</ref> However, when Bobby's ghost begins exhibiting [[vengeful spirit]] behavior at the mere sight of Dick Roman, he agrees to have Sam and Dean lay him to rest. After his flask is burned, Bobby's soul is taken by rogue [[reaper]] [[Ajay]] to [[Hell]] instead of [[Heaven]] on Crowley's orders as a result of what Bobby has done to him and his men. Bobby's soul spends the better part of a year in Hell before being rescued by Sam as part of the second [[Trials|trial]] to close the [[Hell Gates|Gates of Hell]]. Bobby's soul was carried back to Earth in Sam's arm as they escaped from Hell and [[Purgatory]]. On Earth, Sam released Bobby's soul unto Heaven, but Crowley intercepted it with the intention to take it back to Hell. [[Naomi]] intervened and released Bobby's soul, allowing it to rise to its true resting place in Heaven.<ref name="eight19">[[8.19 Taxi Driver]]</ref> | ||
| − | After | + | After Bobby broke out of his personal Heaven to aid Sam and Castiel in breaking [[Metatron]] out of Heaven's prison, he is visited by by some angels, and his fate in Heaven is left unknown. |
===Jimmy's Soul=== | ===Jimmy's Soul=== | ||
| − | Initially, the soul of [[Jimmy Novak]] remained in his body, but was rendered dormant after [[Castiel]] took Jimmy as a [[vessel]]. When Jimmy regained control of his body, he compared the experience to being strapped to a comet, unaware of most of Castiel's actions while in control apart from bits and pieces of recollection. He eventually consented to let Castiel use him as a vessel again, but after his body was disintegrated in a confrontation with [[Michael]], his soul passed on as the body could only retain a soul if it also retained a certain structural integrity. Jimmy's soul is now in [[Heaven]] where he has been reunited with [[Amelia Novak|his wife]] after her own death, indicating that they could be soulmates. | + | Initially, the soul of [[Jimmy Novak]] remained in his body, but was rendered dormant after [[Castiel]] took Jimmy as a [[vessel]]. When Jimmy regained control of his body, he compared the experience to being strapped to a comet, unaware of most of Castiel's actions while in control apart from bits and pieces of recollection. He eventually consented to let Castiel use him as a vessel again after Castiel possessed his daughter [[Claire]], but after his body was disintegrated in a confrontation with [[Michael]], his soul passed on as the body could only retain a soul if it also retained a certain structural integrity. Jimmy's soul is now in [[Heaven]] where he has been reunited with [[Amelia Novak|his wife]] after her own death, indicating that they could be soulmates. |
===Amelia's Soul=== | ===Amelia's Soul=== | ||
| − | After being captured by the [[Grigori]] [[Tamiel]], [[Amelia Novak]]'s soul was fed upon by the angel while she was in a dream state where she was in her perfect [[Heaven]] of being reunited with her missing husband [[Jimmy Novak]]. As a result of the feedings, she was left in a weakened state and even a fully restored [[Castiel]] couldn't heal her. Tamiel also indicated that she would eventually die of it. It is unknown if this is true or not as Tamiel killed her with his [[angel sword]] and Amelia's soul reunited with Jimmy in Heaven, her ability to share a Heaven with him indicating that they could are | + | After being captured by the [[Grigori]] [[Tamiel]], [[Amelia Novak]]'s soul was fed upon by the angel while she was in a dream state where she was in her perfect [[Heaven]] of being reunited with her missing husband [[Jimmy Novak]]. As a result of the feedings, she was left in a weakened state and even a fully restored [[Castiel]] couldn't heal her. Tamiel also indicated that she would eventually die of it. It is unknown if this is true or not as Tamiel killed her with his [[angel sword]] and Amelia's soul reunited with Jimmy in Heaven, her ability to share a Heaven with him indicating that they could are soulmates. |
===Donatello's Soul=== | ===Donatello's Soul=== | ||
| − | While trying to track down [[God]], [[Amara]] consumed the soul of newly-made [[prophet]] [[Donatello Redfield]]. Despite losing his soul, Donatello retained the same general personality and states that with his loss of conscience he bases his actions upon the motto " | + | While trying to track down [[God]], [[Amara]] consumed the soul of newly-made [[prophet]] [[Donatello Redfield]]. Despite losing his soul, Donatello retained the same general personality and states that with his loss of conscience he bases his actions upon the motto "What would Mr. Rogers do?" Even with the loss of his soul, Donatello still retains his prophet powers and status. However, without his soul acting as filter, Donatello would become corrupted by the demon tablet's dark influence, attempting to kill Sam, Dean and Castiel in order to keep it's secrets and power to himself. After being reawakened by Castiel months later, Donatello still lacked a soul, but his original personality was restored without the corruption of the demon tablet. |
===Lily Sunder's Soul=== | ===Lily Sunder's Soul=== | ||
| − | In her effort to gain revenge upon [[Ishim]], Lily began using [[Enochian]] magic which burned away a piece of her soul every time she used it. Like Soulless Sam, she lost her ability to dream and lost much of her humanity by the time she got her revenge.<ref name="twelve10" /> After getting her revenge, Lily stopped using her powers as she still had a sliver of her soul left which she wanted to go to [[Heaven]] and be reunited with her daughter. When Lily originally met [[Anubis]], he weighed her soul and determined that she would go to [[Hell]]. After dying of a heart attack following the [[resurrection]] of [[Jack Kline]], Lily met with Anubis who weighed her soul again and determined that she was worthy to go to Heaven. What was left of Lily's soul then passed on to her final resting place in Heaven where she would be reunited with her daughter.<ref name="fourteen08" /> | + | In her effort to gain revenge upon [[Ishim]], Lily began using [[Enochian]] magic which burned away a piece of her soul every time she used it. Like Soulless Sam, she lost her ability to dream and lost much of her humanity by the time she got her revenge.<ref name="twelve10" /> |
| + | |||
| + | After getting her revenge, Lily stopped using her powers as she still had a sliver of her soul left, which she wanted to go to [[Heaven]] and be reunited with her daughter. When Lily originally met [[Anubis]], he weighed her soul and determined that she would go to [[Hell]]. After dying of a heart attack following the [[resurrection]] of [[Jack Kline]], Lily met with Anubis who weighed her soul again and determined that she was worthy to go to Heaven. What was left of Lily's soul then passed on to her final resting place in Heaven where she would be reunited with her daughter.<ref name="fourteen08" /> | ||
===Jack Kline's Soul=== | ===Jack Kline's Soul=== | ||
| − | As a [[Nephilim]], Jack possessed both a soul and [[archangel]] [[grace]] with the combination making him stronger than even [[Lucifer]]. After Jack's death, his soul got its own [[Heaven]] like any deceased human, but it was also sought after by the [[Cosmic Entity]] who believed that Jack's [[angel]] half meant that his soul belonged in [[the Empty]] instead. After making a deal with the | + | As a [[Nephilim]], Jack possessed both a soul and [[archangel]] [[grace]] with the combination making him stronger than even [[Lucifer]]. After Jack's death, his soul got its own [[Heaven]] like any deceased human, but it was also sought after by the [[Cosmic Entity]] who believed that Jack's [[angel]] half meant that his soul belonged in [[the Empty]] instead. After making a deal with the Entity, [[Castiel]] returned Jack's soul to his body briefly, and then Jack who completed an Enochian spell provided by [[Lily Sunder]] that used part of his soul to sustain his body and cure him. In the process, this piece of Jack's soul was burned away, but Lily believed that it wouldn't be anything that he would miss.<ref name="fourteen08" /> Later, during an attack by [[Michael's Monsters]], Jack was able to use the magic keeping him alive to tap into the power of his soul and disintegrate five attacking monsters in a similar manner to what he could do while Jack still had his grace. Due to the nature of the magic, another piece of Jack's soul was burned away doing this leading to Castiel warning Jack of the consequences of the continued use of his soul in this way.<ref name="fourteen10">[[14.10 Nihilism]]</ref> Although he continues to use his soul primarily to stay alive, having to use it to heal himself of a re-occurrence of his illness at least once, Jack used his powers to heal Castiel after he gets poisoned by the [[gorgon]] [[Noah Ophis]] and the antidote fails to work. After [[Michael (Apocalypse World)|Michael]] escapes Dean's mind and possesses [[Rowena]], Jack uses his powers to [[exorcism|exorcise]] the archangel from her and destroy Michael, leaving only his grace. When Jack consumes Michael's grace, his powers are restored, eliminating the need for him to use his soul to access his powers.<ref name="fourteen14">[[14.14 Ouroboros]]</ref> |
| + | |||
| + | It's later revealed that Jack burned away a great deal of his soul in the process, leaving him mostly, if not completely, [[soulless]]. However, Castiel expresses a belief that Jack still has some of his soul left, but he doesn't know how much.<ref name="fourteen15">[[14.15 Peace of Mind]]</ref> Castiel later admits that Jack's soul is completely gone, something that he knew since witnessing Jack kill the snake [[Felix]].<ref name="fourteen17">[[14.17 Game Night]]</ref><ref name="fourteen18">[[14.18 Absence]]</ref> Though Castiel sought [[God]]'s help to restore Jack's soul,<ref name="fourteen17" /> [[Chuck]] claimed that He couldn't as souls are complicated, even for Him. The veracity of Chuck's claim could not be confirmed nor denied. After his death, Jack ended up in [[the Empty]] where he was greeted by the [[Cosmic Entity|Entity]] and [[Billie]].<ref name="fourteen20">[[14.20 Moriah]]</ref> | ||
| + | |||
| + | ===Eileen Leahy's Soul=== | ||
| + | After being killed by a [[hellhound]] controlled by [[Arthur Ketch]],<ref name="twelve21">[[12.21 There's Something About Mary]]</ref> Eileen's soul was dragged to [[Hell]].<ref name="fifteen06">[[15.06 Golden Time]]</ref> When [[God]] unleashed all of the souls of Hell upon the Earth,<ref name="fourteen20" /> Eileen's soul escaped as well and quickly fled the area in time to avoid the magical barrier established by [[Belphegor]] that contained all of the escaped souls.<ref name="fifteen01">[[15.01 Back and to the Future]]</ref> Left as a [[ghost]], Eileen eventually managed to reach out to the Winchesters in hopes of getting into Heaven with their help, but they had learned that souls that had been condemned to Hell could not get into Heaven.<ref name="fifteen02">[[15.02 Raising Hell]]</ref> Instead, while looking for [[Rowena]]'s journals to discover how to make a Soul Catcher, Sam discovered a [[resurrection]] spell Rowena had been creating that could bring the dead back by turning spirit to flesh. Sam was able to use this spell to resurrect Eileen.<ref name="fifteen06" /> | ||
==Souls in Religion and Lore== | ==Souls in Religion and Lore== | ||
| Line 185: | Line 203: | ||
==See also== | ==See also== | ||
| − | *[[Soullessness]] | + | * [[Soullessness]] |
==References== | ==References== | ||
Revision as of 02:20, 13 December 2019
You throw away your life because you've come to assume that it'll bounce right back into your lap, but the human soul is not a rubber ball. It's vulnerable, impermanent, but stronger than you know. And more valuable than you can imagine.
Contents
Nature of Souls
Well, what about souls? They fuel your demon deals. Souls are living batteries. They're full of energy. They're full of light. Each one is as powerful as... 100 suns?
A soul is a person's essence, and what persists after death. In the natural order, souls are transported to the afterlife by reapers, and with the supervision of Death. The reaper Tessa refused to tell Dean, on more than one occasion, where she takes the souls. Known destinations of souls are Heaven, Hell and Purgatory.
In Supernatural, a soul separate from its body is visualized as a blinding white light. Death and Famine have transported souls in a doctor's bag and briefcase respectively. Angels can determine whether or not someone has a soul, or the taste of it, via a painful procedure in which the angel reaches inside a person to touch the soul.[1]
Souls are also a powerful energy source, Famine was able to consume them to strengthen himself, and demons bargain for them, and even angels have traded in them. Souls also provide sustenance for certain supernatural creatures like the crocotta and the shtriga. The Grigori find human souls to be a delicacy and have fed on them since their expulsion from Heaven thousands of years ago.
Death revealed to Dean that souls are so powerful that even he can't break them. They can be damaged, but never broken. When ghosts are put to rest, their souls are not destroyed; they are simply ferried by a reaper to their final destination, though it had been believed by many hunters to be "death" for them with oblivion waiting for them afterwards. Amara -- the manifestation of the Darkness also consumed souls, which helped to accelerate her growth and strength.
When Castiel rescues Sam from Lucifer's Cage, his soul remained trapped in the Cage until Death retrieved it for him. Without his soul, Sam felt no empathy, guilt or compassion. However, he was not evil, but rather lacked any moral compass, and was willing to resort to more questionable actions, such as allowing Dean to become a vampire to help them find an Alpha, albeit also knowing that there was a cure for vampirism, than he might consider when normal. While he continued to have physical needs for food and sex, he didn't require sleep, and had a high tolerance for pain. On other occasions that people have lost their souls, they have had different reactions. When souls were stolen by Abaddon's demons, they appeared to act on basic instinct with the littlest thing setting them off. As this was different from Soulless Sam, Sam suggests that different people have different reactions to losing their soul.[2] Additionally, Amara's soulless victims tended to quickly become homicidal and one noted that it felt like something dark was hatching inside of him.[3][4] In the instance where a soul is forcefully removed, if it is released from whatever is binding it it will return to its body.
After losing his soul, Donatello Redfield remained mostly the same by using "what would Mr. Rogers do?" as his moral compass.[5] The only time this changed was when Donatello was corrupted by the power of the demon tablet without his soul there to filter out whatever darkness existed inside of the tablet.[6] After his brain is restored by Castiel, Donatello resumed his usual soulless personality without the corruption nor any memory of the events during this time.[7] He would later describe to Jack Kline having no soul as emptiness: no pity, no empathy, no humanity though he stated that losing your soul doesn't make you anything. He believed that by following the example of the best person you knew in uncertain situations, a soulless person could learn how to live a relatively normal life.[8]
It is possible for a human to use Enochian magic to gain angel-like abilities, but the cost of this is that each time a piece of their soul is burned away until it is completely gone. However, if even a sliver of soul still exists, that sliver will go onto whatever the person's final destination may be.[9][10]
Anubis, an Egyptian deity used as a judge by Heaven following the departure of God, reveals that a soul's final destination is not chosen by Death, the reapers or even God himself. Instead, a soul's final destination is chosen by the person themselves and their actions in life. Anubis will "weigh" the soul and determine where it will go, though their final destination can be changed by something such as a final selfless sacrificial act.[10] However, the claim Anubis made about God not deciding where a soul goes upon death is disproved when it's revealed that Chuck caused Kevin to go to Hell instead of Heaven and changing the rules by making it impossible for souls from Hell to go to Heaven.[11]
During his time working with Dumah, it's revealed that Jack can transform humans into angels by forging human souls into angelic grace with ease.[12]
After Death
Most spirits are transported by reapers after death to the next destination. Those who refuse to move on can become ghosts or vengeful spirits[13]
Hell
Demons are formed in Hell by the corruption of a human soul over time. Lucifer made Lilith into the first demon in order to mock God's creation of humanity.[14] While in Hell, Dean eventually broke under Alastair's torture and started torturing souls himself, and so likely would have been transformed without Heaven's intervention.[15] Angels are able to rescue souls from Hell, though this generally requires a massive incursion,[16] but a human can rescue a soul as well if they can sneak into and out of Hell with said soul.[17]
The process of converting a soul into a demon essentially corrupts the soul; when Crowley attempted to offer his soul to Plutus for the demon tablet, the offer was rejected as he did not have a soul to offer.[18]
When the demons of Hell prove reluctant to abandon their loyalty to Crowley, Abaddon decides to create her own demons by taking souls from still living humans, in order to create her own demonic army to take Hell.[2]
Father Max Thompson developed a way to wash away the corruption a demon endures during its time in Hell and restores their humanity through a ritual of purified or sanctified blood.[19][20][21]
According to the demon Belphegor, once a soul has been condemned, it can never get into Heaven. Though John Winchester[22] and Bobby Singer[17] got in, Belphegor believed that God had simply made exceptions for them and without God's help, it would be impossible.[11] However, this doesn't address the issue of the 50,000 souls that Crowley gave Castiel in order to fight Raphael in Heaven unless God also intervened in that situation as well [23]
Heaven
Another destination for souls is Heaven, although the criteria for entrance depends on the person's choices in life. Raphael mentions devoutness as one possibility, which trumps all others, such as in Ken Lay's case.[24] In Heaven, each soul has its own version of Heaven where he or she relives their happiest memories. According to Ash these Heavens are individual, except in the case of soulmates, who share the same Heaven, which Sam and Dean appeared to share as they were easily able to travel to and form each other's happy memories. Personal Heaven's are grouped alphabetically, and divided into individual sections pertaining to the deceased names.
Most souls cannot leave their own allotted space, although Ash worked out a way to move between them freely.[25] Bobby Singer was able to find his Heaven's escape hatch and wander the halls of Heaven where the angels perform their maintenance duties on the individual Heavens. Jack Kline's nature as a Nephilim, allowed him to realize something was wrong in his personal Heaven and exit it when the Cosmic Entity from the Empty invaded to retrieve Jack.
Purgatory
Purgatory is a spiritual realm where the souls of supernatural creatures such as vampires and shapeshifters go after they die. This place is not connected with Heaven or Hell, though Crowley and the rogue reaper Ajay have said that it is Hell adjacent. After resurrecting Samuel Campbell, Crowley has him tracking down high-ranking creatures, specifically Alphas, so that he can question them about the location of Purgatory, which he wants for "development purposes." Though in truth, Crowley and Castiel had joined forces to find Purgatory in order to get the souls, which would aid Castiel in his war against Raphael. When Dean kills Leviathan leader Dick Roman, both he and Castiel get transported there without dying due to their proximity to Dick Roman when he was stabbed with the righteous bone of a mortal.
Due to Dean being a living human being, a portal was created in Purgatory specificity to "spit him out"[26] according to the vampire Benny Lafitte, who helped Dean find it in exchange for Dean taking him through the portal. Dean escapes Purgatory with Benny's soul inside his arm, allowing him to resurrect the vampire. When Dean is released Benny's soul from his body onto Benny's bones he speaks the words: Anima. Corpori. Fuerit corpus totem resurgent. Which roughly translates as "Soul. Body. Whole body shall be raised." When Sam later escapes from Hell with Bobby Singer's soul, he carries it out of Purgatory in a similar way to what Dean did with Benny's soul.
Deals and Markers
Souls are first mentioned in relation to the deals made by crossroads demons, wherein a person agrees to give their soul to the demon upon death in exchange for some benefit when they are alive. Deals are traditionally sealed with a kiss, but more formal contracts can be made up in lieu of the act. A deal with the demon Lilith, however, required sexual intercourse to be officially sealed.
Deals have a set time limit at the end of which the subject of a deal, if still living, is killed. John Winchester gave up the Colt and sold his soul to Azazel in exchange for Dean's life,[27] and Dean sold his soul, with a one year marker, to resurrect Sam after he was killed by Jake Talley. Sam also attempted to sell his own soul to bring back Dean, but the demons refused to make a deal as they wanted to keep Dean in Hell.[28]
Bobby Singer agreed to temporarily sell his soul to Crowley to get information on Death's whereabouts in order to help stop the Apocalypse (with the added bonus of getting the use of his legs back). Crowley was able to make the details of the contract he made with Bobby manifest as writing on his skin.[29] When Crowley refused to give back Bobby's soul per their agreement, citing that he only needed to make best efforts to return Bobby's soul, the deal was undone when Bobby, with help from Sam and Dean, threatened to destroy Crowley by burning the bones of his human self.[29]
In trading for Aaron Birch's soul, the angel Balthazar left an identifying mark on it. Castiel detected it when he "read" Aaron's soul.[1]
While bidding on the Word of God tablet, Linda Tran and Crowley each offered souls as a price for the auction, with Crowley initially offering three million souls from Hell while Linda offered her own soul. Plutus accepted Linda's offer over Crowley's due to the potential sacrifice of Linda's bid, prompting Crowley to offer his own soul, but this bid was rejected as he didn't have a soul to barter. Plutus noted that he owned various other souls from his past deals, but he was killed by Beau and Crowley before he could take Linda's soul.[18]
The Power of Souls
Each soul a beautiful little nuclear reactor. Put 'em together, you have the sun.
Souls are extremely powerful sources of energy, often likened to nuclear weapons.[30][31][24] The Horseman Famine sought out the souls of others because of their power so he could strengthen himself by ingesting them.
Balthazar bought the soul of a boy, Aaron Birch, in exchange for a part of the Staff of Moses. When asked why he bought it, Balthazar refered to souls as the only thing left of value; he was eventually forced to return it by Castiel.[1] Death hinted at the value of souls when he talked to Dean, saying that even he could not destroy a soul, or alter it. Death also said that a soul was "vulnerable, impermanent, but stronger than you know. And more valuable than you can imagine."[32]
Angels can channel the power of souls. During a fight with Rachel, Castiel is severely wounded by an angel blade. The injury drains much of his power, making it impossible for him to retrieve Dean and Sam from the past. He tells Bobby that the human soul is pure energy, and if he touches Bobby's soul he might be able to draw on that energy to revitalize himself. Castiel tells him that if done incorrectly, the procedure could cause Bobby to explode. Bobby agrees and endures great pain, and Castiel is able to bring back Sam and Dean through time from 1861.[31]
Crowley's interest in Purgatory, the resting place of the souls of monsters, relates to the untapped power inside. Before her death Eve explains that her actions in rising from Purgatory, and mobilizing all the monsters, were in reaction to Crowley capturing and torturing "her children." She speculated that Crowley is after the souls from Purgatory as together they would form a powerful weapon.[30]
Crowley's partner in the search for Purgatory was Castiel, who was convinced by Crowley that the souls from Purgatory would give him the power to fight Raphael, as without some extra force he is no match for the archangel. A loan of 50,000 souls from Hell from Crowley allowed Castiel to briefly overpower Raphael.[24] Later, Atropos accused Castiel of sinking the Titanic to create 50,000 more souls in order to "fund his war machine." She said that "He (Castiel) couldn't mint money, that it was wrong and dangerous and she wouldn't let him."[33]
Balthazar warned Castiel that if he takes in the souls of Purgatory, he may not be able to contain them and may explode "taking a substantial chunk of the planet" along with him.[34] When Crowley and Castiel finally determine how to access Purgatory and the souls there, Castiel cuts Crowley out of the deal, refusing him access to that power. Castiel opened the gate to Purgatory and absorbed all the souls, which allowed him to destroy Raphael with a snap of his fingers. He then declared himself the new God.[35]
After Castiel ingested all of the souls of Purgatory, he became a God-like being, or as Death put it a "mutated angel," for a time before he returned the souls. However, the Leviathans hung on and briefly able to take control of Castiel, which allowed them to escape into the world.[35][36]
As part of a spell to travel through time, Henry Winchester used his own soul as a power source, something that surprised Sam and Dean as they thought only angels could do that. According to Henry, he would need a week for his soul to recharge enough to safely travel in time again, though in desperation he tried to make the trip early despite the possible risks.[37]
Lily Sunder was able to use Enochian magic, which allowed her strength and longevity, among other abilities. However, that magic came with a price. Every time she used the magic, a piece of her soul burned away, and would continue to do so until there was nothing and she was a soulless husk.[9] When Lily stopped using this magic, she began to age again with only a sliver of her soul that remained.
Lily was able to use this same magic to cure Jack Kline's condition after his resurrection. Like with Lily, using Enochian magic burned away a piece of Jack's soul, but Lily stated that it won't be anything he will miss as long as its only used to sustain his body.[10] In a desperate moment, Jack was able to use the magic keeping him alive to tap into the power of his soul like Lily did. When Jack used this power to disintegrate five attacking monsters, it manifested in a manner similar to Jack using his powers while he still had his grace. Like with Lily's use of Enochian magic, Jack burned away another piece of his soul to accomplish this feat.[38] On another occasion, Jack was able to use the power of his soul to exorcise the archangel Michael out of Rowena and destroy him, leaving behind only Michael's grace which Jack consumed to restore his original powers.[39] However, doing so burned away a great deal of Jack's soul, possibly all of it.[8]
The demon Belphegor attempted to use Lilith's Crook to absorb all the demons and Hell Ghosts that escaped from the rupture Chuck created. He wanted to make himself akin to a god and eventually take over Hell, Heaven, and Earth. While the horn manages to absorb a large number of ghosts, Castiel manages to make his way to Belphegor and kill him, destroying the crook in the process. Rowena manages to use a spell from the Book of the Damned to absorb all the souls into her body and imprison them in Hell along with herself.
Characters' Souls
Sam's Soul
Castiel: Somehow, when Sam was resurrected, it was without his soul.
Dean: So where is it?
Castiel: Well, you pose an interesting philosophical question.
Castiel: My guess is still in the cage with Michael and Lucifer.
Dean: So is he even still Sam?
– Dean and Castiel discuss Sam, 6.07 Family Matters
After his return from Lucifer's Cage, Sam appeared different, especially to Dean. He exhibited little compassion, which caused Dean to become increasingly suspicious that Sam may be possessed by Lucifer. Castiel refutes the idea, saying that if Lucifer were free they would know.[40] It was eventually Veritas, the Goddess of Truth, who confirmed Dean's worst fears that Sam was "not human" when he proves to be immune to her power. Sam admits that he knows something is deeply wrong.[40] Dean calls on Castiel, who ascertains that Sam was resurrected without his soul.[41]
Crowley claimed that he pulled Sam out of Lucifer's Cage, but kept the soul "hostage" and that he would return Sam's soul if the Winchesters help him find Purgatory -- a task he has had Samuel Campbell working on since his resurrection. Crowley later revealed to Dean, Sam and Castiel that he is incapable of raising Sam's soul from Lucifer's Cage, stating that raising Sam's body from the Cage was a very difficult task to perform.[42]
Castiel later revealed that it was he who pulled Sam from Hell, but that he was not powerful enough to do it completely, thus leaving Sam's soul behind.
Once again, I went to harrow Hell, to free Sam from Lucifer's cage. It was nearly impossible, but I was so full of confidence, of mission. I see now that was arrogance... hubris... because, of course, I hadn't truly raised Sam -- not all of him.
For a while Sam continued to insist to Dean that he is still Sam -- "same melon, same memories" -- just without his soul, but Dean finally confronted Sam:
Dean: I mean, it's your gigantor body and maybe your brain, but it's not you. So just...stop pretending. Do us both a favor.
Sam eventually admits that "I'm not your brother. I'm not Sam." to Dean. Before he confessed that he doesn't think having no soul is "better or worse, just different", but decided that he should get his soul back.[43]
In 6.09 Clap Your Hands If You Believe..., the Leprechaun senses Sam's lack of soul.
Leprechaun: The human soul gives off a certain perfume. Your soul is far away, but not completely out of reach.
He tells Sam that he could get his soul out of Lucifer's Cage though the use of real magic, but Sam banishes him back to his realm.
Castiel and Crowley both predicted that Sam's soul will have been tortured by Lucifer and Michael, and would be so severely damaged that it would harm Sam to have it returned, even drive him insane.[42] Following this revelation, Sam decided he didn't want his soul back, and summoned Balthazar to see if there is a way to keep a soul out of its body. Balthazar informs him of a ritual that involves him defiling his body, that needed the blood of his father (that needn't come from the "father of your blood") to keep his soul out his body. This led Sam to try and kill Bobby Singer, only to be stopped at the last moment by Dean.[32]
Sam ws eventually reunited with his soul when Dean approached Death for help.[32] Death himself liberated it from Hell and personally delivered it back to Sam's body, despite his protests. Death installed it with the promise that a wall would be erected in Sam's mind which will prevent him from remembering his torment in Hell, but advises him to not "scratch away at it" lest the wall collapse and his memories come flooding back -- though he suggests that this may happen over time regardless. Castiel says of the soul's condition once it is returned that it feels like it has been skinned alive.[44]
As Castiel got closer to accessing Purgatory, he plead with the Winchesters not to fight against him, but they refused. Castiel touched Sam's forehead, which cracked the mental barrier that was planted there by Death, saying, "I'll fix him when this is all over." The breaking of the wall in Sam's mind caused him to have a breakdown; and become trapped inside his mind with the memories of what he did when he was soulless and what happened to him in Hell. Sam managed to overcome this long enough to make his way to help Dean and Bobby in their efforts to stop Castiel. However, Sam began hallucinating Lucifer and slowly went insane until Castiel transferred the madness into his own mind, solving Sam's problems but driving Castiel insane instead. According to Castiel, Sam's hallucinations of Lucifer are an "aftertaste" of his time in Hell and simply projections of his own mind.
Dean's Soul
Dean made a deal with a crossroads demon and exchanged his soul for Sam's resurrection. The demon revived Sam but only gave Dean a year rather than the standard ten. At the end of the allotted time in the deal, Dean's soul gots dragged to Hell by a hellhound and was constantly abused and tortured by the demon Alastair. After much painful torment, Dean agreed to torture other souls to stop his own torment. His soul is later retrieved by the angel Castiel and brought back to Earth.
Dean's stoicism and disinterest in the pleasures of life are discussed by Famine in terms of his soul.
Famine: Hunger doesn't just come from the body it also come from the soul.
Dean: Funny, it doesn't seem to be coming from mine.
Famine: Yes, I've noticed that.
After touching his chest, Famine tells Dean that while his soul is still in place, he is empty inside, which is why his powers don't affect Dean.
In 9.23 Do You Believe in Miracles? Dean's soul is transformed into a demon by the Mark of Cain after he is killed by Metatron. In 10.03 Soul Survivor, Sam reverses this with the demon cure.
Bobby's Soul
Bobby Singer, seeing no other way to locate Death, the last Horseman of the Apocalypse, sells his soul to Crowley to gain the Horseman's location. Crowley takes advantage of the deal to blackmail the Winchesters into not killing him, but also restores Bobby's legs out of apparent altruism with the deal. Crowley later reluctantly gives it back after Bobby threatens to have Sam and Dean burn his original human bones.[45][29]
After his fight with Rachel, Castiel, severely wounded and drained of his power, finds it impossible to retrieve Dean and Sam from the past. He tells Bobby that if he touches his soul he might siphon off enough power to bring them back. Bobby agrees, but experiences extreme pain in the process.[31]
After death, instead of going to his afterlife where he belonged, Bobby's soul stayed behind on Earth as a ghost to help Sam and Dean stop Dick Roman.[46][47] However, when Bobby's ghost begins exhibiting vengeful spirit behavior at the mere sight of Dick Roman, he agrees to have Sam and Dean lay him to rest. After his flask is burned, Bobby's soul is taken by rogue reaper Ajay to Hell instead of Heaven on Crowley's orders as a result of what Bobby has done to him and his men. Bobby's soul spends the better part of a year in Hell before being rescued by Sam as part of the second trial to close the Gates of Hell. Bobby's soul was carried back to Earth in Sam's arm as they escaped from Hell and Purgatory. On Earth, Sam released Bobby's soul unto Heaven, but Crowley intercepted it with the intention to take it back to Hell. Naomi intervened and released Bobby's soul, allowing it to rise to its true resting place in Heaven.[17]
After Bobby broke out of his personal Heaven to aid Sam and Castiel in breaking Metatron out of Heaven's prison, he is visited by by some angels, and his fate in Heaven is left unknown.
Jimmy's Soul
Initially, the soul of Jimmy Novak remained in his body, but was rendered dormant after Castiel took Jimmy as a vessel. When Jimmy regained control of his body, he compared the experience to being strapped to a comet, unaware of most of Castiel's actions while in control apart from bits and pieces of recollection. He eventually consented to let Castiel use him as a vessel again after Castiel possessed his daughter Claire, but after his body was disintegrated in a confrontation with Michael, his soul passed on as the body could only retain a soul if it also retained a certain structural integrity. Jimmy's soul is now in Heaven where he has been reunited with his wife after her own death, indicating that they could be soulmates.
Amelia's Soul
After being captured by the Grigori Tamiel, Amelia Novak's soul was fed upon by the angel while she was in a dream state where she was in her perfect Heaven of being reunited with her missing husband Jimmy Novak. As a result of the feedings, she was left in a weakened state and even a fully restored Castiel couldn't heal her. Tamiel also indicated that she would eventually die of it. It is unknown if this is true or not as Tamiel killed her with his angel sword and Amelia's soul reunited with Jimmy in Heaven, her ability to share a Heaven with him indicating that they could are soulmates.
Donatello's Soul
While trying to track down God, Amara consumed the soul of newly-made prophet Donatello Redfield. Despite losing his soul, Donatello retained the same general personality and states that with his loss of conscience he bases his actions upon the motto "What would Mr. Rogers do?" Even with the loss of his soul, Donatello still retains his prophet powers and status. However, without his soul acting as filter, Donatello would become corrupted by the demon tablet's dark influence, attempting to kill Sam, Dean and Castiel in order to keep it's secrets and power to himself. After being reawakened by Castiel months later, Donatello still lacked a soul, but his original personality was restored without the corruption of the demon tablet.
Lily Sunder's Soul
In her effort to gain revenge upon Ishim, Lily began using Enochian magic which burned away a piece of her soul every time she used it. Like Soulless Sam, she lost her ability to dream and lost much of her humanity by the time she got her revenge.[9]
After getting her revenge, Lily stopped using her powers as she still had a sliver of her soul left, which she wanted to go to Heaven and be reunited with her daughter. When Lily originally met Anubis, he weighed her soul and determined that she would go to Hell. After dying of a heart attack following the resurrection of Jack Kline, Lily met with Anubis who weighed her soul again and determined that she was worthy to go to Heaven. What was left of Lily's soul then passed on to her final resting place in Heaven where she would be reunited with her daughter.[10]
Jack Kline's Soul
As a Nephilim, Jack possessed both a soul and archangel grace with the combination making him stronger than even Lucifer. After Jack's death, his soul got its own Heaven like any deceased human, but it was also sought after by the Cosmic Entity who believed that Jack's angel half meant that his soul belonged in the Empty instead. After making a deal with the Entity, Castiel returned Jack's soul to his body briefly, and then Jack who completed an Enochian spell provided by Lily Sunder that used part of his soul to sustain his body and cure him. In the process, this piece of Jack's soul was burned away, but Lily believed that it wouldn't be anything that he would miss.[10] Later, during an attack by Michael's Monsters, Jack was able to use the magic keeping him alive to tap into the power of his soul and disintegrate five attacking monsters in a similar manner to what he could do while Jack still had his grace. Due to the nature of the magic, another piece of Jack's soul was burned away doing this leading to Castiel warning Jack of the consequences of the continued use of his soul in this way.[38] Although he continues to use his soul primarily to stay alive, having to use it to heal himself of a re-occurrence of his illness at least once, Jack used his powers to heal Castiel after he gets poisoned by the gorgon Noah Ophis and the antidote fails to work. After Michael escapes Dean's mind and possesses Rowena, Jack uses his powers to exorcise the archangel from her and destroy Michael, leaving only his grace. When Jack consumes Michael's grace, his powers are restored, eliminating the need for him to use his soul to access his powers.[39]
It's later revealed that Jack burned away a great deal of his soul in the process, leaving him mostly, if not completely, soulless. However, Castiel expresses a belief that Jack still has some of his soul left, but he doesn't know how much.[8] Castiel later admits that Jack's soul is completely gone, something that he knew since witnessing Jack kill the snake Felix.[48][49] Though Castiel sought God's help to restore Jack's soul,[48] Chuck claimed that He couldn't as souls are complicated, even for Him. The veracity of Chuck's claim could not be confirmed nor denied. After his death, Jack ended up in the Empty where he was greeted by the Entity and Billie.[50]
Eileen Leahy's Soul
After being killed by a hellhound controlled by Arthur Ketch,[51] Eileen's soul was dragged to Hell.[52] When God unleashed all of the souls of Hell upon the Earth,[50] Eileen's soul escaped as well and quickly fled the area in time to avoid the magical barrier established by Belphegor that contained all of the escaped souls.[53] Left as a ghost, Eileen eventually managed to reach out to the Winchesters in hopes of getting into Heaven with their help, but they had learned that souls that had been condemned to Hell could not get into Heaven.[11] Instead, while looking for Rowena's journals to discover how to make a Soul Catcher, Sam discovered a resurrection spell Rowena had been creating that could bring the dead back by turning spirit to flesh. Sam was able to use this spell to resurrect Eileen.[52]
Souls in Religion and Lore
The key events in the 1.01 Pilot- the night when Sam is fed demon blood by Azazel and Mary dies as well as the night Jessica dies exactly 22 years later- occur on November the second which is known as All Souls Day.
- Chassidic concepts of souls
- The soul in religion and philosophy from the Catholic Encylopedia
- Wikipedia entry on souls.
Trivia
- The "human soul in the briefcase" device is a reference to the urban legend of the 1994 movie Pulp Fiction where the mysterious shining object in the briefcase (which is never seen or identified) is said to be the soul of Marsellus Wallace.
See also
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 6.03 The Third Man
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 9.17 Mother's Little Helper
- ↑ 11.05 Thin Lizzie
- ↑ 11.06 Our Little World
- ↑ 13.02 The Rising Son
- ↑ 13.14 Good Intentions
- ↑ 14.12 Prophet and Loss
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 14.15 Peace of Mind
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 12.10 Lily Sunder Has Some Regrets
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 14.08 Byzantium
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 15.02 Raising Hell
- ↑ 14.19 Jack in the Box
- ↑ 2.01 In My Time of Dying
- ↑ 4.21 When the Levee Breaks
- ↑ 4.10 Heaven and Hell
- ↑ 4.01 Lazarus Rising
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 8.19 Taxi Driver
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 8.02 What's Up, Tiger Mommy?
- ↑ 8.22 Clip Show
- ↑ 8.23 Sacrifice
- ↑ 10.03 Soul Survivor
- ↑ 2.22 All Hell Breaks Loose: Part Two
- ↑ [[[6.20 The Man Who Would Be King]]
- ↑ 24.0 24.1 24.2 6.20 The Man Who Would Be King
- ↑ 5.16 Dark Side of the Moon
- ↑ 8.05 Blood Brother
- ↑ 2.01 In My Time of Dying
- ↑ 4.09 I Know What You Did Last Summer
- ↑ 29.0 29.1 29.2 6.04 Weekend at Bobby's
- ↑ 30.0 30.1 6.19 Mommy Dearest
- ↑ 31.0 31.1 31.2 6.18 Frontierland
- ↑ 32.0 32.1 32.2 6.11 Appointment in Samarra
- ↑ 6.17 My Heart Will Go On
- ↑ 6.21 Let It Bleed
- ↑ 35.0 35.1 6.22 The Man Who Knew Too Much
- ↑ 7.01 Meet The New Boss
- ↑ 8.12 As Time Goes By
- ↑ 38.0 38.1 14.10 Nihilism
- ↑ 39.0 39.1 14.14 Ouroboros
- ↑ 40.0 40.1 6.06 You Can't Handle the Truth
- ↑ 6.07 Family Matters
- ↑ 42.0 42.1 6.10 Caged Heat
- ↑ 6.08 All Dogs Go to Heaven
- ↑ 6.12 Like a Virgin
- ↑ 5.20 The Devil You Know
- ↑ 7.10 Death's Door
- ↑ 7.18 Party On, Garth
- ↑ 48.0 48.1 14.17 Game Night
- ↑ 14.18 Absence
- ↑ 50.0 50.1 14.20 Moriah
- ↑ 12.21 There's Something About Mary
- ↑ 52.0 52.1 15.06 Golden Time
- ↑ 15.01 Back and to the Future
