Architecture of the Afterlife

[missyjack]

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

Comments

[elliemurasaki]

I protest the inclusion of Emma in the list of people Dean might meet in purgatory. Amazons are the product of meddling by a Greek goddess, not meddling by Eve.

Also I think it was just the spell that brought Eve out of purgatory; the virgins were so there'd be a selection for her to possess. The only one who seems to have been actually harmed is the one who got chucked in the firepit, and she survived the experience (though not, of course, how she'd prefer to have survived it).

[missyjack]

Yeah, fair call on Emma.

[borgmama1of5]

Good grief, what kind of escapist television entertainment provokes such pondering of their worldview? :)

[hells_half_acre]

Very well described!

I'll be very interested to see how they explore purgatory next season (and I'm hoping they will). I wrote a meta back in 2010 about death in Supernatural (http://hells-half-acre.livejournal.com/225651.html) and described how I view deaths by angel-blade, The Colt, Ruby's knife, etc.

Basically, I felt that there had to be a permanent death in Supernatural. So, demons killed by the Colt ceased to exist. I'm willing to be a bit more lax on angel-blades, and part of me does wonder if maybe dead-angels end up in purgatory too.

It does raise the question about whether the human soul can be destroyed. We know it can be consumed (Shtriga, Famine), but does that destroy it? Anyway...very interesting stuff to ponder!

[missyjack]

Oh it was YOU! I remembered reading that meta but obviously hadn't saved it! Must re-read. I wodner about angels, given they have no soul...is havign a soul a prequisist for the afterlife? And ye, where do the really dead (like Colt-killed things) go?

[hells_half_acre]

Haha, yeah, I very rarely write meta. Unless you don't count my epic rewatch fests, which I don't.

Anyway- I ALSO HAVE THE SAME QUESTIONS. Is an angel's grace like a soul? When Anna ripped out her grace, did she replace it with a human soul - and then the grace destroyed the human soul when she rejoined with it? Is there such a thing as permanent "atheist" no-afterlife death?

These questions are one of the many reasons that I'm really intrigued with where they might go in S8. :)

[missyjack]

Oh it was YOU! I remembered reading that meta but obviously hadn't saved it! Must re-read. I wodner about angels, given they have no soul...is having a soul a rerequisite for the afterlife? And ye, where do the really dead (like Colt-killed things) go?

[katsheswims]

Very thoughtful. I share many of these ponderings.

I'm really hoping that Dean runs into Gordon in purgatory.

It's true we don't know what happens to the demons & angels who are killed.

Also ghosts. I don't know if they get a different destination if they eventually move on like Molly or let a reaper take them-or it takes a salt & burn to get rid of them. That is definitely painful for the ghost. I think it depends on their actions if they go to heaven or hell even if they are a ghost-but we don't know if ghosts go to purgatory. I'm leaning on saying they don't, but you never know. Just Ash saying he couldn't find John or Mary in heaven (and they were both ghosts-or sort of a ghost in John's case) makes me wonder.

[locknkey]

I'm guessing ultimate destination and belief have something to do with each other. Supernatural has played around, but never entirely explored belief as the force behind creation - from the idea of urban legends as manifestations of belief (why they only show up regionally - Scarecrow and most directly behind the entire episode of Hell House) to the idea that Gods are powerful based on their believers and their believers strength of worship (Fallen Idols & Hammer of the Gods