Zoe ,'War Stories'
[NAFDA]. This is where we talk about the CW series Supernatural! Anything that's aired in the US on TV (including promos) is fair game. No spoilers though — if you post one by accident, an admin will delete it.
Dean doing that didn't bother me as he has been shown as a man of no religious faith and they eat people. He's killed Gods before.
It didn't bother me in terms of Dean--it totally fit his character. It just strikes me as unfortunate that the writers went that route. Having the boys dragged to a Gods' council without making the Gods monsters would have been better, IMO, and Dean would still have bitched at them, because he's Dean.
The writers have it wrong anyway, I think. Zao Shen's page doesn't mention the world turtle, but Wiki says this:
The turtle has a prominent position as a symbol of steadfastness and tranquility in religion, mythology, and folklore from around the world.[6] A tortoise’s longevity is suggested by its long lifespan and its shell, which was thought to protect it from any foe.[2] In the creation myths of several cultures, the turtle or tortoise carries the world upon its back or supports the heavens.[5]
In Chinese tradition the creator goddess Nu Gua cuts the legs off a sea turtle and uses them to prop up the sky after Gong Gong destroys the mountain that had supported the sky. The flat undershell and round domed upper shell of a turtle resembles the ancient Chinese idea of a flat earth and round domed sky.[7]
The World Turtle carries the Earth upon its back in myths from North America. In Cheyenne tradition, the great creator spirit Maheo kneads some mud he takes from a coot's beak until it expands so much that only Old Grandmother Turtle can support it on her back. In Mohawk tradition, the trembling or shaking of the Earth is thought of as a sign that the World Turtle is stretching beneath the great weight that she carries.[5]
I generally felt multicultural ick for this episode's treatment of other faiths/gods. That said, I wish some of the deities represented would have taken God's approach (from what we understand) and said they did not want to be involved, or acknowledged that there were other crises on the other side of the globe that may have needed their immediate attention.
It does make me wonder what advice Buddha might give the Winchester brothers? Or if not Buddha, a well connected Buddhist monk? Perhaps the bigger question: Does any of this belong in a narrative that is so thoroughly rooted in Christian themes?
A little OT from discssion of last night's ep, but I caught Devil's Trap this morning. The last scene really lacked its customary punch without Bad Moon Rising wailing in the background.
I wish some of the deities represented would have taken God's approach (from what we understand) and said they did not want to be involved
Yeah, it was a bit neat and tidy to assume pre-selection.
I wonder if we'll hear anything again about the fact that the guys are still theoretically blood tied to Kali? That would be cool.
I like the idea that there were a lot of invitations sent and only a handful RSVP'd but I agree with the general fail-ness of the episode especially when it comes to Ganesha and Baldur. I should be used to the show ignoring mythology in favor of telling the story they want to tell so I'm not sure why this one got under my skin so much.
I can actually see Odin and Baldur and Mercury being not very powerful. Dead religions, kept mainly alive via comic books. (And there are actually a few people who have revived worship of the Norse gods, but I think they number a few thousand worldwide and are mostly in fandom. ) But the Hindu gods - I think around half as many Hindu's worldwide as Christians. So Kali and Ganesh combined ought have been able to give Lucifer a harder time than they did.
Not touching the rest of the issues cause everything else I'd say on the subject has been said.
Also (and this is me getting my occult nitpicky on), Baron Samedi doesn't eat people or demand human sacrifices. He demands rum and tobacco. He's the loa of death and resurrection.
Baron Samedi doesn't eat people or demand human sacrifices
Do any of the others?
Even the gods who demand human sacrifices mostly don't eat them (at least not the ones in that room). Sacrifices to Odin are hung. Kali only eats what she kills on special occasions.) Baldur and Ganesh are also not into human sacrifices at all.