SPN meta: Red Tape and Demon Blood
So here's a lil something that's had me puzzled since 4.03. Exactly what rules must demons abide by? Clearly there are some; crossroads demons are bound to honor their contracts, and Azazel whines about red tape in 2.01. So how have these rules affected the Winchesters' relationships with demons - particularly Sam's?
Possibly I'm very late to the party when it comes to this particular puzzlement.
You can keep your soul. In ten years, I need to swing by your house for a little something, that's all.
For what?
Relax. As long as I'm not interrupted, nobody gets hurt. I promise.
Azazel, man, what are you talking about?
We've seen numerous demons swing by numerous people's houses. They barge in, they redecorate in red, and they leave a little sulfur behind. Unless you lay down salt or build panic rooms, ain't nothing stopping 'em. So why would Azazel go to the trouble of murdering Mary's entire family to secure an engraved invitation?
Well, Azazel didn't actually tell Mary what she was selling him. He just told her to relax.
One thing that struck me about the scene in AHBL1 in which Azazel drips blood into baby Sammy's mouth was that the whole process looked like a baptism. Pretty infant dressed in flowing white, head uncovered, getting liquid dripped on him. And one tiny detail cemented the comparison for me: Azazel raising a hand for quiet when Mary walked in. It reminded me intensely of the days when I was an acolyte, watching the priest gently bounce the little caterwauling thing so he would pipe down. It's a ritual, a solemn occasion, and we need quiet and a minimum of squirming.
Granted, that's a flimsy correlation, but it's what prodded my brain.
Probably most Westerners know what I mean by baptism, but here's what I think is important to the parallels I'm drawing:
There are remarkable differences across denominations in the reasons for and significance of baptism. (For instance, some Protestant denominations don't permit baptism until the child is old enough to elect it for themselves - so as to be responsible for their own souls.) My understanding of the Catholic tradition is that baptism negates original sin and confers God's grace. In the tradition I was raised in, baptism is more of a blessing and a "Welcome to the Episcopal Church!" Our priest described it as "dedicating your child to God."
This is not a wholesale commitment of the kids' soul to the faith, though - that still requires the more adult, informed ritual of confirmation. Moreover, there is a theme that spiritual strength and purity must be maintained throughout life by consuming Jesus' body and blood in the ritual of communion.
So basically, many churches recognize the right of parents to "dedicate their children to God" and make spiritual decisions for their munchkins. I'm wondering if this dedication is what Mary sold to Azazel. Not access to the house, not Sam's soul forever and ever amen - just that dedication.
If baby Sammy + demon blood = baptism, then...
Could the events in Cold Oak be considered a confirmation ritual? Now you're grown enough to make decisions about your own soul and renew your commitment. Here's what we're about. Here's how you join. What do you say?
What, then, would equate to communion? Could it be whatever shady activity Ruby was referring to in "Heaven and Hell" when she told Sam he'd gotten flabby, and that he knew what he had to do to power up? The thing he told her in "Criss Angel" he just wasn't going to do anymore?
Just tossing thinky around, seeing what sticks to the wall.
Possibly I'm very late to the party when it comes to this particular puzzlement.
You can keep your soul. In ten years, I need to swing by your house for a little something, that's all.
For what?
Relax. As long as I'm not interrupted, nobody gets hurt. I promise.
Azazel, man, what are you talking about?
We've seen numerous demons swing by numerous people's houses. They barge in, they redecorate in red, and they leave a little sulfur behind. Unless you lay down salt or build panic rooms, ain't nothing stopping 'em. So why would Azazel go to the trouble of murdering Mary's entire family to secure an engraved invitation?
Well, Azazel didn't actually tell Mary what she was selling him. He just told her to relax.
One thing that struck me about the scene in AHBL1 in which Azazel drips blood into baby Sammy's mouth was that the whole process looked like a baptism. Pretty infant dressed in flowing white, head uncovered, getting liquid dripped on him. And one tiny detail cemented the comparison for me: Azazel raising a hand for quiet when Mary walked in. It reminded me intensely of the days when I was an acolyte, watching the priest gently bounce the little caterwauling thing so he would pipe down. It's a ritual, a solemn occasion, and we need quiet and a minimum of squirming.
Granted, that's a flimsy correlation, but it's what prodded my brain.
Probably most Westerners know what I mean by baptism, but here's what I think is important to the parallels I'm drawing:
There are remarkable differences across denominations in the reasons for and significance of baptism. (For instance, some Protestant denominations don't permit baptism until the child is old enough to elect it for themselves - so as to be responsible for their own souls.) My understanding of the Catholic tradition is that baptism negates original sin and confers God's grace. In the tradition I was raised in, baptism is more of a blessing and a "Welcome to the Episcopal Church!" Our priest described it as "dedicating your child to God."
This is not a wholesale commitment of the kids' soul to the faith, though - that still requires the more adult, informed ritual of confirmation. Moreover, there is a theme that spiritual strength and purity must be maintained throughout life by consuming Jesus' body and blood in the ritual of communion.
So basically, many churches recognize the right of parents to "dedicate their children to God" and make spiritual decisions for their munchkins. I'm wondering if this dedication is what Mary sold to Azazel. Not access to the house, not Sam's soul forever and ever amen - just that dedication.
If baby Sammy + demon blood = baptism, then...
Could the events in Cold Oak be considered a confirmation ritual? Now you're grown enough to make decisions about your own soul and renew your commitment. Here's what we're about. Here's how you join. What do you say?
What, then, would equate to communion? Could it be whatever shady activity Ruby was referring to in "Heaven and Hell" when she told Sam he'd gotten flabby, and that he knew what he had to do to power up? The thing he told her in "Criss Angel" he just wasn't going to do anymore?
Just tossing thinky around, seeing what sticks to the wall.