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[july_july_july]

Seriously, no ranting below the cut.  Just spoilers and things I need your help with.  Cross my heart.

Comments

[faryfly]

Ooo, thanks for the Milton quotes! All I can remember is "Better to reign in Hell than serve in Heaven", which I find kind of cool with the whole Boy-King/Dean doing work for God stuff. And something about angels not needing the approval of men too. My dad teaches Paradise Lost and he liked the "Miltons" detail. He also says Uriel plays a part in it, though I don't recall.

I'm an art major and you're right with the royalty and female symbolism with purple. I want to say I remember something about it symbolizing meekness from the way violets bloom. Anna's kind of timid (but probably more traumatized). The meek shall inherit the earth? I like her but don't predict she lasts long.

[july_july_july]

I would LOVE to hear what your Dad has to say on the subject. I know that some angels are named, but it's been ages since I read the thing. I may have to sack up and read it again...

[taxidryer]

According to that Gospel, she was an aged Jewish prophetess who prophesied about Jesus at the Temple of Jerusalem.
Just wondering: who could Jesus be? *scratches head* If Dean is Jesus, then Sam must be John the Baptist. Naaah, if there is a Christ in the picture, I don't think we've met him yet. Any idea?

[july_july_july]

Here's my thoughts on Jesus: I don't think we're actually looking at the Second Coming. I mean...we certainly could be. But if this is, in fact, the second coming. That would be the rapture and de juro end of plot as we know it.

I do think we're looking at the return of a savior or a redeemer (just not the Christian Savior and Redeemer). And I think that might be one of the boys. Or maybe both. Who knows. It could also just be a nice nod to prophecy in general.

[izhilzha]

HAHAHA, I am such a doofus, I didn't even think about Anna being named after the prophetess.

Purple, in the liturgical tradition of the church, means penitence, repentance, etc. That's why you'll see purple draping and robes and such during Lent.

"Violet is used during Advent and from Septuagesima to Easter, on vigils that are fast days, and on ember-days, except the vigil of Pentecost and the ember-days during the octave of Pentecost. Violet is also used for Mass on rogation-days, for votive Masses of the Passion and of penitential character, at the blessing of candles and of holy water. The stole used in the administration of penance and of extreme unction and in the first part of the baptismal ceremonies must be violet....violet, the gloomy cast of the mortified, denotes affliction and melancholy;" (from Catholic Encyclopedia: Liturgical Colors)

(I love this show, though I have no idea how this fits in.)

[july_july_july]

I can't believe I forgot about Advent! And Lent! They used to cover the altar at school with purple during Lent. And the Advent wreath always had purple ribbons. The whole mortified, affliction, and melancholy bit seems to be pretty par for the apocalyptic course. Thanks for the info! And the source. That's going straight to bookmarks.

[izhilzha]

I sort of wonder if it has anything to do with Sam, given that this is his episode. *totally reaching*

Now, if they ever put Sam in a purple shirt...

[patita_fea]

4) There's a long list of saints often depicted holding staffs, but the least obscure is probably St. Joseph. Joey-boy is said to have been marked as chosen by God when his staff flowered like a lily. I didn't see anything on that stained glass to identify the dude, but then I'm no expert. There's a brooch holding his cloak together - maybe someone else recognizes the symbol on it

[july_july_july]

St. Joseph as in Jesus' foster father? That's...way more interesting than I thought it was. Especially with the use of 'Anna' and, as you pointed out, the purple of Advent. O_O

[patita_fea]

Yep, that dude. :) The Catholic Church got a lot of mileage out of holding up the Holy Family as the role model for husband/wife relations (particularly in their campaign to vilify sexuality by maintaining Mary's perpetual virginity and insisting that she and Joseph only ever engaged in a "spiritual" marriage) and so there's a lot of extra-Biblical lore surrounding those two.

[july_july_july]

But what about James? I thought there were half-siblings involved...

And, also, how do you be fruitful and multiply while vilifying sex? I just...never got the Catholic Church. Like at all.

[tahirire]

BLOOODY. MARY.

That is all.

Would it be spoilery to tell you what I researched about who (possibly) the demon Allastor is? 'Cos I just wikipedia'ed it. If you want to know I'll tell you.

It's really cooool. *glee*

[feliciakw]

If you're going where I think you're going with it, that was one of my first thoughts. I plan to bring it up in my own write-up as well. 'Cause it could hold some interesting implications.

[july_july_july]

Was it Alastair Crowley? *crosses fingers*

[feliciakw]

Yeah, that's the general direction my brain went. I'll go into more details of why I find this interesting when I get my freakin' DL from iTunes and can watch it hi-res and widescreen. (Someone is seriously asleep at the switch at iTunes. Usually the eps are available Friday morning, Friday afternoon at the latest. If I have to wait until Sunday, I shall be very put out.)