Supernatural Wiki

Architecture of the afterlife

People have already been speculating about what or more correctly who, Dean might run into in Purgatory. So I thought I’ve have a bit of a look about what we know about the afterlife in Supernatural.

This is a huge topic, so I am going to stick to a rather straightforward look at death, ghosts, Hell, Heaven and Purgatory.

Things that fascinate me but I won’t cover here include:
• the relationship of how the Show constructs the afterlife to actual religious concepts (but I do promise to finish my Big Damn Jewish meta over hellatus!)
• the fact that Supernatural is a polytheistic universe. How all the gods and their different theologies fit together is a discussion for another day and a few glasses of red. This meta will focus only on what I like to think of as the American God of the show.
• Body and souls. We know that the body and the soul can be separated, but the relationship is not entirely clear – especially when we enter other realms. Souls are our source of power – both literal and metaphoric . We know both angels and demons need to have a corporeal form on Earth, but why? This is vital obviously in determining the answer to the vital question – will Dean grow a beard in Purgatory?


So – in Supernatural, what happens when you die?

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Release the Kraken

A while back, Ben Edlund characterized Dean and Sam as heroes in the classical sense. That is they are more than human now, not gods quite, but even death seems to have no dominion over them. On a broader level, we know Joseph Campbell’s Hero’s Journey which describes the narrative of much mythology, also was the template for Supernatural:

A hero ventures forth from the world of common day into a region of supernatural wonder: fabulous forces are there encountered and a decisive victory is won: the hero comes back from this mysterious adventure with the power to bestow boons on his fellow man.

I think Season 8 may hark to Greek mythology for inspiration. Our heroes have been given trials – Sam to search for and rescue his brother, while battling the remaining leviathans. Dean must survive as series of supernatural monsters while in a hostile land.

Supernatural always has a mythological arc, alongside the more personal one, and I think perhaps the religious mythology of purgatory may inform the boy’s emotional journey.

In Supernatural, purgatory has been presented as a giant cage (Welcome to Thunderdome!). But in some religious mythology, purgatory (or something similar) is a place where souls get a chance to be cleansed or punished before entering Heaven (or its equivalent).

I can’t help but think it may be a place where both Cas may go through trials that allow him finally to return to a state of grace, and for the “punishment resurrections” to end.

Dean has long seen himself as a monster, and I can only think that placed in a place of monsters, he may connect with his humanity, his self, in a way that lets him find what is of value under what he currently thinks is 95% crap.

Sam is in his own personal purgatory, fighting what it is to be without Dean. Sam did save Dean along with the whole world, when he took Lucifer into the cage, but last time Dean was taken from him, Sam couldn’t rescue him, couldn’t prove that he is the man he thinks he needs to be, to be worthy of Dean’s love.

Heroes.

(Source: supernaturalwiki.com)

my new theory for Season 8

Season 8 = Hunger Games?

Dean as Katniss and Cas as Peeta battling the monsters. With Sam as Gale.

Hopefully fandom can parachute in some weapons and a cheeseburger to Dean!

So in season 8….

Speculation not spoilers…

But what if the first half of Season 8 is like a retelling of Ladyhawke, with Cas in the role of Mouse, carrying messages back and forth between Sam and Dean???

Oh the angst would be delicious!!! And all shippers would be happy!

(Source: supernaturalwiki.com)