The Representation of Witchcraft and Usage of Symbols in Supernatural
First appearing in season 3 episode 9, "Malleus Maleficarum," (Supernatural Wiki: Malleus Maleficarum) and later gaining popularity with the appearance of ex-Grand Coven witch Rowena (Ruth Connell) witchcraft transformed the way that the Winchester brothers hunted by introducing them to a whole new world of the occult, with a focus on rituals and séances. Sam and Dean have used the different rituals to contact the deceased, to travel in the dream world, and to summon demons and when one is preparing for it there are certain tools involved in order to make them happen. As what is seen in most pop culture occult shows, such as Charmed, there are usually candles, herbs, and stones present upon an altar while the leader of the ritual uses more specific items, such as an athame, a cauldron, and a Book of Shadows (Supernatural Wiki: Witch). An athame is a double-edged dagger that is used as an energy director. A cauldron is where small ingredients are put in to and mashed up in order to make a special concoction for a spell. And a Book of Shadows is what a coven uses to record all of their magical history and spell experiments. A more specific item that the boys use the most when it comes to witchcraft is the hex bag. The most famous example being season 5 episode 1, "Sympathy For the Devil" (Supernatural Wiki: Sympathy for the Devil) where Sam reveals to Dean that Ruby taught him how to put them together so that he could stay under the radar from Lucifer, which eventually doesn't end up working (Supernatural Wiki). What these rituals do for Sam and Dean is help find them answers along their journey as hunters, answers that can only be found through the veil of the occult. Sometimes though it takes symbols, or sigils, in order for the boys to get what they came for.
Perhaps the most common symbol in the whole of Supernatural is that of the anti-possession. Used to ward off demonic possession, it is normally depicted as a five-pointed star with waves rotating in a clockwise circle around it (Supernatural Wiki: Anti-Possession). Later on in the season the Sam and Dean get the symbol tattooed on their chests so that they don't have to worry about that in the future. Other popular symbols within the show are the Aquarian star and the mark of Cain. The Aquarian Star is a six-pointed star with a circle around it that represents the Men of Letters, the demon exorcism group that Henry Winchester, Sam and Dean's grandfather, was a part of. It appear in season/episode and soon became a pop culture symbol within the fandom (Supernatural Wiki: Aquarian Star). That is, before the infamous Mark of Cain cursed Dean Winchester. Appearing in season 9, Dean Winchester has to acquire the First Blade from the Biblical Cain himself and in order to do so he must have the ownership transferred to him. Once the process was complete, a scar that looks like a backwards "F" appeared on his arm (Supernatural Wiki: Mark of Cain). This mark contains all the rage that Cain held inside of himself thus plaguing Dean's mind and driving him to become a mad killing man. These symbols eventually get used as branding for the Supernatural fandom which deepens their meaning within the show as they drive plot points and open up new doors of exploration within the Supernatural world.
Besides symbols being prevalent throughout the show, there are also sigils, which is a painted symbol believed to have magical powers. Sigils in the show are used to trap demons (Devil's Trap) or banish Angel's. The difference between the symbols and sigils in the show is that the symbols are representations of something important and sigils are an object that can be used. For example, the first time a Devil's Trap sigil is used within the show is season 1 episode 22, "Devil's Trap" (Supernatural Wiki: Devil's Trap) where the boys trap Meg, a demon. Normally, if a demon cannot see a devil's trap, then they can unknowingly walk into it and are trapped until someone outside of the trap breaks the circle. Sam and Dean mostly use spray paint to create the sigil and it is usually under something so that the demons cannot see it. The Angel Banishing sigil is first used by rogue angel Anna in season 4 episode 10, "Heaven and Hell" (Supernatural Wiki: Heaven and Hell) to banish Castiel and Uriel from capturing her. What is so interesting about this sigil is that it must be done in blood, and angels can do it to each other because of their human vessels. The use of sigils is constant in the show, with them being used in about every other episode in a season. They are important because they can provide opportunities for Sam and Dean to interrogate demons for answers or protect themselves from raging angels as they go about saving the world.
In conclusion, the use of witchcraft, symbols, and sigils throughout Supernatural provide the fans an in depth look into their universe and how deeply connected everything is that happens to Sam and Dean. The occult is a topic that most people shy away from, but for the fans of Supernatural they are intrigued by the mysticism behind it and helped these ancient practices gain popularity by researching them and reposting them all over social media. As for the practices within the show, it is easy to see that they help shape the sphere of Supernatural canon and is significant to understand within the canon so that the show could continue forward.
Works Cited
"Witch." Supernatural Wiki. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Feb. 2016.
"Symbols & Runes." Supernatural Wiki. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Feb. 2016
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"Anti-possession Tattoo." Supernatural Wiki. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Feb. 2016
"Angel Banishing Sigil." Supernatural Wiki. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Feb. 2016
"Devil's Trap (Object)." Supernatural Wiki. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Feb. 2016
"Malleus Maleficarum." Supernatural Wiki. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Feb. 2016
"Heaven and Hell." Supernatural Wiki. N.p., n.d. Web 03 Feb. 2016
"Mark of Cain." Supernatural Wiki. N.p., n.d. Web 03 Feb. 2016
"Aquarian Star." Supernatural Wiki. N.p., n.d. Web 03 Feb. 2016
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