Supernatural Sundays – Angel “Rules”
In Season 2, Episode 13, Supernatural first introduced the idea of angels to their story line. It turned out what they were chasing was merely the spirit of a recently murdered priest, Father Gregory, but they used the show to establish Sam’s willingness to believe in angels, and Dean’s disbelief.
Of course, by the end of that show, Dean questions whether he has seen the hand of God, so now his ‘un-faith’ is shaken. And this, in my opinion, is where they opened the door for the angel mythology.
What I really love is that they made up the rules for their angels and they follow them. If a mortal looks directly at an angel, their eyes will burn out. Mortals can’t hear the angels speak – it sounds like a high-pitched squeal. This is a myth I have heard before perhaps in a book, or perhaps in lore somewhere. So the angels in Supernatural had to possess humans in order to be seen and heard.
They differentiated the possession of angels from the possession of demons by making the vessel of the angel have to agree to the possession. This complicated things for Satan when he needed Sam as his vessel, since he is also an angel. It also made for great tension surrounding Michael using Dean as his vessel, and ultimately having to use… well… I don’t want to spoil it for those who haven’t gotten there yet!
The other rules they’ve conjured up for angels is that you can trap them inside a ring of holy fire. This comes in handy on a couple of occasions. Angels carry swords that can kill other angels and demons, too. And when angels die, they leave behind scorched wing marks, which is a totally awesome effect that gives me shivers every time they show it.
What are the other angel “rules” that you have noticed? While you’re contemplating that, here is a slideshow of Supernatural’s angels for you.
Posted on January 27, 2013, in Supernatural Sundays and tagged angels, biblical fanfic, Michelle L. Johnson, Sam and Dean, Supernatural Sundays. Bookmark the permalink. 12 Comments.
I LOVE the angel rules and the slideshow you put together. Poor Alfie. But anyway, the angel wing effect has always been one of the coolest parts of Supernatural for me. It gives me chills every time too. I’ll never forget the awesomeness of when Dean first saw Castiel’s wings. A true WOW moment. It’s always funny to me now to see Zacariah because Kurt Fuller now plays the quirky coroner Woody on Psych, a completely different character. But man, did you hate him on Supernatural!
Thanks Amy! Oh I hated Zachariah, too. I haven’t seen Psych yet – not sure I’m ready to stop hating poor Kurt
I’m loving the slideshows. It’s my plan to have one every week
Awesome! The slideshows are a wonderful addition. #SupernaturalSundayFanGirl
Oh, if you saw Kurt on Psych, you would have to love him. He’s hilarious! TOTALLY different from Zachariah (what a jerk)
Of course my favorite angel has to be Castiel! <3
I’ll have to look him up
Castiel is my favorite, too… followed closely by Anna. I LOVED Anna. Alfie was a cutie, too… poor Alfie
Good taste!
I didn’t like Anna when she was first on but when I saw the episodes again recently, I liked her better. 
Yes Alfie…:( That Naomi is kind of a b*tch. I don’t like her messing w/ Cas!
I know! I’m totally looking forward to her unearthly demise!
Muah ha ha! I know, right? I hope Cas is the one to gank her
Me too!
Gank. Hehe
Great article, and slideshow!
Thank you, I’m glad you enjoyed it!
For some reason, the slide show isn’t showing up for me! Darn!! I’ll try again later. I’m currently re-watching Season Four of Supernatural, so I’m just beginning to review the angel lore. Sticking to the rules you create for your paranormal world is so important, and the creators of Supernatural do a great job of it! To me, it’s the thing that lends credibility and believability to fiction, written or otherwise. Magic in fiction is only as powerful as the limits of that magic are strong. Good boundaries make good conflict… which is critical to a great story… and something Supernatural does very well. Gosh, I love this show!!!
Agree on all counts, Paula! In fact that was the crux of my Keeping it Real seminar in Myrtle Beach. I’m so sorry the slideshow isn’t working!