Difference between revisions of "Trickster"

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==The Trickster==
 
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{{Infobox character
 
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| colour      = Black
 
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| colour text = Violet
 
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| name        = The Trickster
 
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| series      = [[Supernatural (TV series)|Supernatural]]
 
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| image      = [[Image:TheTrickster-SupernaturalTVSeries.jpg|220px]]
 
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| caption    = The Trickster, as seen in "Tall Tales" of Season 2
 
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| first      = "Tall Tales"
 
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| last        = 
 
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| cause      =
 
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| creator    = [[Eric Kripke]]
 
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| portrayer  = [[Richard Speight, Jr.]]
 
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| episode    = 2
 
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| species    = Trickster God
 
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| gender      = Male
 
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| age        =
 
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| born        =
 
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| death      =
 
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| specialty  =
 
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| occupation  =
 
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| title      =
 
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| family      =
 
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| spouse      =
 
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| children    =
 
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| residence  =
 
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| imdb_id    =
 
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}}
 
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The Trickster is a member of a race of demigods well known for their ability to cause chaos and destruction, and usually in the form of morbidly (and often deadly) humorous pranks designed to punish the more arrogant members of society.  They are immensely powerful beings, and it is said that only stakes coated in goat's blood can kill them.  Names like [[Loki]] and [[Anansi]] are associated with them, but the Trickster himself goes unnamed in the series.  He makes his first appearance in the episode "Tall Tales", where he is the source of several violent urban legends coming to life and punishing those residing there.  Sam and Dean go to investigate upon hearing of the strange deaths there, unknowingly encountering him in his guise as the school's night janitor.  It isn't until much later do the brothers put two and two together and go hunt him down.  However, the Trickster is waiting for them, and he offers them a peaceful resolution so long as they let him leave to terrorize another town.  Naturally, the Winchesters refuse and attack him, along with the help of Bobby.  However, he easily rebuffs them by conjuring various familiars to fight for him, while he sits back and enjoys the show that is put on before him. Nonetheless, Dean manages to stab the Trickster while he is distracted, causing his creations to disappear and the fight to end.
 
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Although the hunters believe they bested him, the Trickster survives the ordeal, having created a copy to replace him during the fight.  He reappears nearly a season later in "Mystery Spot", where he is once again the source of a bizarre phenomenon.  Sam and Dean get caught in a seemingly infinite time loop, where Dean continually dies in increasingly strange ways, and Sam continually fails to save him.  It is only after a hundred or so repeats of the situation does Sam finally realizes a trickster must be at work, and manages to locate the culprit.  He threatens their tormentor with a blood covered stake, causing the Trickster to reveal himself and agree to break the loop.  However, in spite of the loop breaking, Dean once again dies, with no loop to revive him.  Throughout the next several months, Sam becomes a far colder and more calculated person as he attempts to track down the Trickster, killing whatever threat he can along the way.  Eventually, it is the Trickster who calls the younger Winchester to him, where he tries to drive in a point: that the two brothers continually sacrificing themselves for one another would bring no good, and when people die, you just have to learn to accept it and live with it.  Nonetheless, Sam pleads with the godlike being to turn back time to that Wednesday so that he could save Dean.  Reluctantly, the Trickster agrees, lamenting that the whole situation had become boring months ago for him anyway.
 
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The Trickster plays a unique role in the show, in that he's not entirely against or with the Winchester brothers.  Although he plays an antagonistic role in both of his appearances, he does not kill either of the hunters when given the chance, and even attempts to teach Sam a valuable lesson.  He even goes as far as turning back time so that Dean's death can be reversed, but only after warning Sam that he would have to learn how to let his brother go.  Nonetheless, his morbid sense of humor isn't shared by the brothers, and his playful pranks usually end up being brutally violent or completely fatal.  Hence why he is their target to be slain in both the episodes he appears in.
 
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===Powers and abilities===
 
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The Trickster numbers among one of the most powerful beings in the Supernatural world.  He can effortlessly create anything from thin air, whether it be chainsaw wielding psychopaths, scantily clad women, food, and even an exact duplicate of himself.  Each creation of his functions as it would as if it were real, even being entirely capable of harming others and having the capacity to live and die.  He has also displayed a potent degree of time manipulation, being able to trap an entire town in a time loop, and yet singling out only Sam as being completely aware of it.  He can also turn back time to seemingly any point he wishes, going so far as to send Sam back several months and preventing Dean's death (for the time being).  He has also displayed the ability to disguise himself (although he generally maintains a central human image), and is effectively immortal.  The only thing capable of killing him is a special kind of stake, and even then he has managed to escape being killed several times.
 
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===Appearances===
 
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;Season 2 -
 
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:"[[Tall Tales (Supernatural)|Tall Tales]]"
 
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;Season 3 -
 
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:"[[Mystery Spot (Supernatural)|Mystery Spot]]"
 
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{{Quotation
 
{{Quotation
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|title=[[Pad of Definitions]]
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|title=Trickster
 
|text=Demigod-like immortal creatures that thrive on creating mischief and mayhem. With the power to make objects materialize out of thin air, the Trickster accomplishes its destructive feats via unusual and oftern humorous means, its intent to humble the self-important. The Tricker's metabolism is such that it craves sugary treats and consumes calories voraciously. To kill a Trickster one must obtain a stake dipped in the blood of its victim and plunge it into the creature's heart. Famous Tricksters include [[Loki]] of Scandinavian myth and [[Anansi]] of West Africa.
 
|text=Demigod-like immortal creatures that thrive on creating mischief and mayhem. With the power to make objects materialize out of thin air, the Trickster accomplishes its destructive feats via unusual and oftern humorous means, its intent to humble the self-important. The Tricker's metabolism is such that it craves sugary treats and consumes calories voraciously. To kill a Trickster one must obtain a stake dipped in the blood of its victim and plunge it into the creature's heart. Famous Tricksters include [[Loki]] of Scandinavian myth and [[Anansi]] of West Africa.
 
|author= [[Pad of Definitions]] ([[2.15 Tall Tales (episode)|2.15 Tall Tales]])
 
|author= [[Pad of Definitions]] ([[2.15 Tall Tales (episode)|2.15 Tall Tales]])
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}}
 
}}
  
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==History==
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During their first encounters (in [[2.15 Tall Tales]] and [[3.11 Mystery Spot]]) with [[Gabriel]], the Winchester brothers thought he was a Trickster because that was the role he was playing. Reputedly a Trickster described by Bobby as a type of [[Pagan Gods|demi-god]] that could be killed by a stake dipped in the blood of one of its victims.
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==Tricksters in Myth and Folklore==
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There are a number of divine, semi-divine, or mortal beings in world mythology and folklore that fall under the broad category "trickster."  Depending on the mythology in question, these characters serve a variety of functions.  Some (especially the mortals) limit themselves to pranks, but most play crucial roles in the creation, destruction, or functioning of the universe; a defining characteristic of trickster figures is their ability to cross boundaries, any boundaries.  Several First Nations myth cycles attribute the creation of the universe itself to the trickster Raven (Inuit) or Coyote (Chinook).  Loki, in Norse myth, will lead the forces of chaos at Ragnorak (the Norse end times).  The best-known (and probably the most benevolent) trickster figure in world myth is the Greek god Hermes, who serves not just as a messenger, but also as a guide for the newly dead, getting their souls safely to the Underworld.  (Interestingly, Hermes was often given gifts and offerings of honey and other sweet foods, and is often depicted in Greek comedy as having a sweet tooth.)  It is difficult or impossible to kill tricksters -- even the mortal ones, like Sisyphus or Reynard the Fox, have a talent for cheating death -- and certainly no consistent method of doing so.  In the case of those who are full-blown gods, it is inadvisable to even try. 
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==See also==
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* [[Anansi]] and [[Loki]], both of whom are well known Trickster figures.
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==Trickster in Fandom/External Links==
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* [http://twitter.com/TricksterAngel @TricksterAngel] - the Trickster on Twitter
  
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[[Category:Canon]][[Category:Characters]]
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[[Category:Library]][[Category:Deities]][[Category:Pad of Definitions]]
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[[Category:Library]][[Category:Creatures & Spirits]]
 
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[[Category:Gods]]
 
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[[Category:Pad of Definitions]]
 

Revision as of 23:43, 3 May 2013

Trickster

Demigod-like immortal creatures that thrive on creating mischief and mayhem. With the power to make objects materialize out of thin air, the Trickster accomplishes its destructive feats via unusual and oftern humorous means, its intent to humble the self-important. The Tricker's metabolism is such that it craves sugary treats and consumes calories voraciously. To kill a Trickster one must obtain a stake dipped in the blood of its victim and plunge it into the creature's heart. Famous Tricksters include Loki of Scandinavian myth and Anansi of West Africa.

– Pad of Definitions (2.15 Tall Tales), Official Website

History

During their first encounters (in 2.15 Tall Tales and 3.11 Mystery Spot) with Gabriel, the Winchester brothers thought he was a Trickster because that was the role he was playing. Reputedly a Trickster described by Bobby as a type of demi-god that could be killed by a stake dipped in the blood of one of its victims.

Tricksters in Myth and Folklore

There are a number of divine, semi-divine, or mortal beings in world mythology and folklore that fall under the broad category "trickster." Depending on the mythology in question, these characters serve a variety of functions. Some (especially the mortals) limit themselves to pranks, but most play crucial roles in the creation, destruction, or functioning of the universe; a defining characteristic of trickster figures is their ability to cross boundaries, any boundaries. Several First Nations myth cycles attribute the creation of the universe itself to the trickster Raven (Inuit) or Coyote (Chinook). Loki, in Norse myth, will lead the forces of chaos at Ragnorak (the Norse end times). The best-known (and probably the most benevolent) trickster figure in world myth is the Greek god Hermes, who serves not just as a messenger, but also as a guide for the newly dead, getting their souls safely to the Underworld. (Interestingly, Hermes was often given gifts and offerings of honey and other sweet foods, and is often depicted in Greek comedy as having a sweet tooth.) It is difficult or impossible to kill tricksters -- even the mortal ones, like Sisyphus or Reynard the Fox, have a talent for cheating death -- and certainly no consistent method of doing so. In the case of those who are full-blown gods, it is inadvisable to even try.

See also

  • Anansi and Loki, both of whom are well known Trickster figures.

Trickster in Fandom/External Links

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