Demons & Witches

Demons and Witches tend to go hand-in-hand as demons usually give witches their power. A brief description of both demons and witches are outlined below, as well as a listing of demons and witches that have appeared on Supernatural.

DEMONS

Demonology is the study of demons. This resource discusses demon history, creation, characteristics, types, and specific examples of demons who - when not possessing humans - appear as smoke.

Episodes:

• 1.04 Phantom Traveler
• 1.21 Salvation
• 1.22 Devil's Trap
• 2.01 In My Time of Dying
• 2.14 Born Under a Bad Sign
• 2.21 All Hell Breaks Loose: Part 1
• 3.01 The Magnificent Seven
• 3.04 Sin City
• 3.09 Malleus Maleficarum
• 3.12 Jus in Bello
• 3.16 No Rest for the Wicked
• 4.03 In the Beginning
• 4.09 I Know What You Did Last Summer
• 4.10 Heaven and Hell
• 4.16 On the Head of a Pin
• 4.20 The Rapture
• 5.22 Swan Song
• 6.04 Weekend at Bobby's
• 8.01 We Need to Talk About Kevin
• 8.02 What's Up, Tiger Mommy?
• 8.07 A Little Slice of Kevin
• 8.10 Torn and Frayed

CREATION & CULTURE

Demon Sunday school story. God prefers humans to angels. Lucifer gets jealous and then he gets creative. And he twists and tempts a human soul into the very first demon as a 'screw you' to God. It's what got him locked up in the first place.

– Ruby, 4.21 When the Levee Breaks

The first demon was created by Lucifer, an archangel, after God banished him from Heaven for refusing to revere humans. In revenge, he took a human woman - Lilith - and stripped away her humanity to make her the first demon. For this offense, God commanded Michael to imprison Lucifer in a cage in Hell.

Demons have a belief system analogous to humans, according to the demon Casey, but while humans believe in God as their higher power, demons view Lucifer as theirs. No demon had ever actually seen Lucifer according to Casey, at least until that point in the show's progression. If this is true, it would mean Lilith was turned into a demon without seeing her maker.

All demons were once originally humans, who become demonic when tortured in Hell until their humanity is lost. Prior to becoming demons, it is unclear on what criteria the human spirits are judged as being worthy of Hell, other than selling one's soul to a crossroads demon or being a witch.

According to Crowley, some demons live together in "nests."

The Hierarchy of Demons

• White-eyed demons - The demon chiefs of staff.
• Yellow-eyed demons - The demon army generals.
• Knights of Hell - Some of the first souls handpicked by Lucifer to become demons.
• Red-eyed demons - The demon deal-makers.
• Black-eyed demons - The soldiers, thugs, henchmen, minions.

HELL

Hell is like, um... Well, it's like Hell. Even for demons. It's a prison, made of bone and flesh and blood and fear. And you sent me back there.

– Meg (possessing Sam), 2.14 Born Under a Bad Sign

Hell was created sometime after Lucifer's rebellion. It is a place where demons are produced from human souls after centuries of torture. Human souls can get sent to Hell after making deals or agreements with crossroads demons or other demons. Hellhounds hunt and then kill humans who made a demonic agreement and then the human's soul is sent to Hell. Black-eyed demons are constantly being created, and they occupy positions on Earth under the demon-favored term for their human shell - "meat-suits." Time itself is also altered in Hell, as 4 months on Earth is equivalent to 40 years in Hell.

The exact structure of Hell remains undefined, although Ruby reveals "there's a real fire in the pit, agonies you can't even imagine." Meg describes this place as "...a prison, made of bone and flesh and blood and fear." Dean is seen suspended from hooks embedded in him when his soul arrives in Hell. Angels can bypass Hell's defenses, enter and retrieve human souls, as Castiel and other angels laid siege to Hell to save Dean. Death can enter Hell and bring souls back to Earth, as shown when he retrieves Sam's soul from Lucifer's Cage. The King of Hell has limited access to Lucifer's Cage, as Crowley was able to raise Sam's body from the Cage after assuming command over Hell, but it is later revealed to be Castiel, who raised Sam's body from Perdition. There is also a portal in Purgatory that reapers use as aback door into Hell to retrieve souls. The part of Hell accessible through the portal, at least in 2013, takes the form of a dungeon.

Azazel was a significant leader among demons, directed as he was by Lucifer in the plans involving the Special Children, and the plot to release him from his prison. Following Azazel's death, Ruby and Lilith continued the plan until their deaths and Lucifer's release. After Lucifer's re-imprisonment, Crowley declares himself King of Hell.

CHARACTERISTICS

You demons. You think you're something special. But you're just spirits. Twisted, perverted, evil spirits. But, end of the day, you're nothing but ghosts with an ego.

– Bobby Singer, 6.04 Weekend at Bobby's

Demons usually do not have bodies of their own, except in the case of Acheri demons, who can "manifest" as human children. Other demons appear as black smoke in their incorporeal form. Their presence may leave traces of sulfur. They manifest by possessing humans, alive or recently deceased, via demonic possession.

Exorcism will drive the demon from its human host and return it to Hell. A possessed human may incur physical damage while the demon is present, including fatal injuries, but will survive until they are dispossessed. A high volume of dispossessed individuals die; Dean commented that demons seem to enjoy wearing out their meatsuits. Humans possessed by demons exhibit black, red, yellow or white eyes depending on the demon involved.

Demons themselves, and people close to the Gates of Hell, see the "real" decaying faces of demons, not just the body they use to walk the earth. It appears that angels can as well.

Demons' abilities and weaknesses vary depending on the apparent rank of the demon. Demons share many strengths and weaknesses with ghosts.

Abilities

Lower-hierarchy powers

• Telepathy and telekinesis - Demons can read minds. Some can influence an object's movement with their minds.
• Superhuman strength and enhanced endurance - While hosting a demonic entity, a human's body can be made to perform extraordinary feats and resist damage. However, when the demon leaves, the host often dies of its injuries.
• Seeing reapers - Like angels, demons can perceive entities that are invisible to human beings, like reapers.
• Can resurrect or heal people, but only if a deal is made.
• Capable of overpowering Alphas; a group of demons captured the Alpha Vampire on Crowley's orders, though only after it had been injected with enough dead man's blood to bring down a nest of regular vampires, and when they all attacked at once.

Upper-hierarchy powers

• Mind control - Demons can influence and control the actions of human beings.
• Pyrokinesis (known: Azazel, Brady; shown: Crowley)
• Injury to humans by thought (shown: Azazel)
• Destruction of objects with telekinesis (shown: Crowley destroys a light) and with the "fiery white light" (shown: Lilith, Samhain)
• Overpowering or possessing reapers (overpowering: Alastair, possessing: Azazel)
• Resurrecting people at will (Crowley, claimed).
• The ability to exorcise and send lower-tier demons back to Hell with a single touch. (Abaddon)

Vulnerabilities & Preventative Measures

Preventing possession and location

• Exorcism - When a demon is exorcised via ritual, it returns to Hell.
• Preventative Charms - After Sam is possessed, Bobby gives the boys charms to protect against possession.
• Preventative symbol tattoos - Sam and Dean reveal that they have the protection symbol tattooed on their chests.
• Hex bags - Hex bags can be used to help disguise and hide a person’s whereabouts from demons.

Hindering Demons

• Holy water and consecrated ground - While most have some vulnerability to holy water, higher level demons, such as Lilith and Azazel, appear immune. Some demons are also able to enter consecrated ground such as churches, as shown by:
  • Meg in 1.21 Salvation
  • Father Gil in 3.04 Sin City
  • Alastair and Ruby in 4.09 I Know What You Did Last Summer
  • Azazel in the flashback scene in 4.22 Lucifer Rising
  • Crowley and the demon possessing Channing in 8.01 We Need to Talk About Kevin
  • Crowley and Abaddon in 8.23 Sacrifice
• Salt - Most cannot cross a line of salt and they feel intense pain when they come in contact with it. Hunters use it in shotguns to wound them.
• Iron - They cannot cross an iron line, and can be hurt with an iron rod.
• Palo Santo - Burns in a similar way to holy water.
• Devil's trap - A symbol that is marked on the floor or ceiling that can trap a demon within it. If carved into a bullet and shot into a demon, it will bind the demon to their meatsuit and make it impossible for them to move far.
• Holy fire - While not capable of killing a demon, it will cause them great pain as shown when Meg was tossed into a ring of it by Castiel to act as a bridge out and when Sam doused Abaddon in it causing her so much pain she fled her meatsuit.

Means of Killing Demons

• The Colt - Until season three, the only method of permanent dispatch was to shoot them with the Colt and one of the original bullets. Bobby rebuilds the Colt with Ruby's help so that it can kill demons with new ammunition.
• Ancient demon-killing knife of the Kurds - The character Ruby introduced a knife that could kill demons, as well. In season eight it was revealed to be an ancient demon-killing knife of the Kurds by Henry Winchester.
• Angels - Angels have the power to kill demons with a touch.
• Sam's powers - Late in season four, Sam's powers also allow him to kill demons.
• Death's scythe: It is mentioned multiple times that Death's scythe can also kill demons.
• Burning earthly remains - Demons, like spirits, can be killed by burning the bones of the bodies they had as humans, before they became demons.
• Spells - According to Ruby, there is a spell that can kill every demon in a one-mile radius that requires the heart of a virgin. As long as the meatsuits haven't been killed already, they will survive the spell. Demons can also be killed by a spell described in The Word of God tablet that completely destroys both the demon and the meatsuit. Kevin Tran and his mother refer to this spell as a "demon bomb" and it requires ingredients from all over the world. According to Kevin, just the first three ingredients are nearly impossible to get.
• Angel sword - An angel's sword is also capable of killing demons.

HISTORY RELATIVE TO THE WINCHESTERS

[to Sam] Stay right there, dreamboat. Can't hurt you. Orders. [to Dean] You, on the other hand? Hurting you's encouraged.

– Julia Wright (possessed), 5.06 I Believe the Children Are Our Future

The most essential aspects of demon history that relate to Sam and Dean begin in 1972. That year, Azazel makes contact with Lucifer by sacrificing a dozen nuns at a convent. He is then instructed to find a "special child" who would be essential in breaking the 66 Seals that are the lock to Lucifer's Cage. Azazel embarks on his plan and in 1973 makes a deal with Mary Winchester for the life of her fiancé, John Winchester. Ten years later he returns and feeds demon blood to an infant Sam Winchester. He kills Mary when she tries to intervene, driving John to become a hunter.

Throughout Sam's childhood, Azazel has demons possess people in Sam's life to keep an eye on him. When Sam leaves hunting for college, he pursues a normal life. To combat Sam's transition, Azazel has a demon possess Sam's friend Brady. Brady introduces Sam to Jess. They fall in love, and Azazel orders her death as a means of propelling Sam back into hunting - and the path to becoming Lucifer's vessel.

John has been searching for the demon that killed his wife for decades, and after Sam returns to hunting, he and Dean join the effort to avenge Mary. They require, and eventually obtain, the Colt, the only weapon that can kill this demon. Azazel also needs the weapon, and possesses John in an attempt to acquire it. He does obtain the gun by later making a deal with John, saving Dean's life in exchange for his soul and the gun. John is sent to Hell.

Eventually Azazel takes Sam, along with other Special Children he has created over the years, to a ghost town where he intends for them to fight to the death. He will allow the sole survivor to live, and has tasks for that individual to perform. One of the other candidates - Jake - kills Sam. To resurrect Sam, Dean sells his soul. Later, it is Jake who helps Azazel open the Devil's Gate in Wyoming, loosing demons on the Earth before Bobby and Ellen can close it. During this confrontation, Dean finally kills Azazel with the Colt, and some help from the spirit of John Winchester, who escaped Hell through the gate.

The demons unleashed by the opening of the Devil's Gate are very powerful, and include Lilith, the first demon. It is revealed that she held the contract for Dean's soul. The demon Ruby also escaped Hell through the gate. She gets close to Sam and gains his trust. She tries to encourage him to use his powers, but he initially resists. The brothers do what they can to combat Lilith and the other escaped demons, but eventually Dean's time is up, and he is killed by hellhounds. Grief stricken after Dean's death, and his failure to save him, Sam grows careless. He is saved by Ruby, who at last convinces Sam to use his powers, ostensibly to save people from demonic possession, with the promise that he will one day be able to kill Lilith, and avenge Dean. The use of his powers requires him to drink demon blood.

In the mean time, the demons are anxious to begin freeing Lucifer. The first seal on Lucifer's Cage is prophesied to be broken when "a righteous man spills blood in Hell." When John Winchester makes his deal with Azazel for Dean's life, he is sent to Hell and tortured continuously. The plan is that he will break the seal - but he manages to resist until he escapes. Dean's deal gives the demons another opportunity to break the first seal. They are successful when Dean, after thirty years of torture by Alastair, surrenders and becomes a torturer.

Dean is saved from Hell by Castiel, who informs him about the seals, and the effort to free Lucifer. Lilith and other demons work to break the required sixty-six seals while Sam, Dean, Bobby, and Castiel try to block their progress. They are unsuccessful, and eventually only one seal remains. Sam chooses to kill Lilith with Ruby's help, leaving Dean behind. Lilith is killed by Sam, high on demon blood, and it is discovered that Lilith is the final seal. Her death frees Lucifer. Ruby has been playing Sam all along in order to get him to kill Lilith and free the Devil. The higher level angels have been complicit in letting this happen, as Michael wishes to kill Lucifer.

Lucifer rises. With demon aid Lucifer wreaks havoc, instigating the Apocalypse. Most demons are anxious to serve him, either because they revere him or because they fear him. Even Meg is glad to follow him. An exception is the demon Crowley, who suspects that Lucifer will kill off the demons as soon as he has destroyed humanity. He gives aid to Sam and Dean, including providing them with the Colt, and then helping them to locate two of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.

Lucifer requires a vessel, and while he finds a temporary one in Nick, Sam is the vessel he needs. In the same manner, Michael needs Dean. The demons attempt on several occasions to capture Sam, and put a price on Dean's head. Sam eventually allows Lucifer to possess him, and is able to overpower him and throw him, along with Michael, into Lucifer's Cage.

Following Lucifer's defeat, Crowley assumes control of Hell. He resurrects Samuel Campbell and begins a quest to find Purgatory, but is apparently killed by Castiel before succeeding. In reality, he is working with the angel to reach the monster souls in Purgatory and share their power. Crowley tortures monsters in an attempt to find the entrance, with limited success, until Castiel captures Eleanor Visyak. They gather the necessary ingredients to open the gate at the next eclipse, but Castiel reneges on their original agreement, so Crowley seeks out Raphael, and makes a deal with him instead. They are not able to stop Castiel from absorbing all the souls in Purgatory, and Crowley flees. Castiel, despite his powers, spares Crowley, leaving him in charge of Hell.

After the leviathans emerge from Castiel, Crowley attempts to create a partnership with their leader, Dick Roman. Dick thinks demons worthless, and declines, so Crowley instead supports Sam and Dean's efforts, restraining demon activity that would harm their anti-Leviathan quest. However, demons, possibly working on Crowley's orders, come into conflict with them a few times over the fallen angel Castiel.

After Dean and Castiel kill Dick, Crowley makes his move: he kidnaps the prophet Kevin Tran, captures the demon Meg who is against him and assisting the Winchesters and brings in an army of demons to deal with the leviathans remaining in SucroCorp who are now disorganized and confused as their leader is dead.

After capturing Kevin, Crowley begins an effort to open the Gates of Hell and release all demons upon the world using information from a Word of God tablet and Kevin. However, Kevin betrays him and escapes, revealing to Sam and Dean the possibility of using the tablet to do the opposite: to close the gates forever and banish all demons from the Earth permanently, something they are now determined to do. Currently, the Winchesters and Crowley each hold one half of the tablet and are both determined to get the other half. After torturing the captured Samandiriel, who is eventually rescued by Sam, Dean and Castiel; Crowley learns that there is a tablet on angels which the angels fear as if it falls into demon hands and they use it, they could cause great evil with it. Crowley begins a search for the tablet, but Sam, Dean and Castiel locate it first with the help of Meg who Crowley kills while Castiel goes on the run with the angel tablet. Some time afterwards, Sam sneaks into Hell and rescues Bobby Singer from the demons that are holding him captive and torturing him. Crowley attempts to stop Sam from releasing Bobby's soul into Heaven, but is stopped by Naomi. Shortly afterwards, Crowley captures Kevin and his notes on the demon tablet, leaving Sam and Dean with no clues on how to complete their mission to close the gates of Hell. Crowley manipulates Kevin into reading his half of the demon tablet, but Kevin eventually realizes the truth and is rescued by Metatron taking with him Crowley's half of the demon tablet. From it and Metatron the Winchesters learn that the third trial is to cure a demon, but at the same time, Crowley gets the angel tablet from Castiel and tells Kevin that he doesn't need him or the demon tablet anymore as he has many deals and plans in the works as well as the angel tablet. Crowley later starts killing people the Winchesters have saved to force them to surrender the demon tablet to him and give up the trials, but they manage to capture him instead and use him for the third trial. They also retrieve the angel tablet from him. Crowley starts to become human, but his attempt to summon help summons Abaddon who wants to take over Hell. Sam douses her in holy fire, destroying her meatsuit and driving her away, but stops before completely curing Crowley as Dean learns that he will die if he completes the trials.

Crowley is held captive by the Winchesters who want to use him to find all the demons on Earth and kill them. He eventually agrees to give them what they want if they help him with what he wants. At the same time, Abaddon gets her meatsuit restored and starts a crusade to take over Hell and Earth and tries to kill the Winchesters and get the location of Crowley from them, but is forced to flee when the angel Ezekiel intervenes.

TYPES OF DEMONS

Acheri Demon

Acheris are a lower rank of demon, that are able to manifest as children, according to Sam. Ava Wilson was shown to be able to summon and control Acheris, and uses them against the other Special Children. They are susceptible to the weakness that affect other demons and spirits; like being dispelled by an iron rod, as well as not being able to cross a salt barrier.

Black-Eyed Demons

I mean, demons, they don't want anything, just death and destruction for its own sake.

– Dean Winchester, 1.04 Phantom Traveler

These demons are the most common types, but they are not a homogeneous group. They occupy positions on earth and in Hell, as they are constantly being deployed and produced throughout Hell.

They appear to hold different ranks in demon society and display a range of abilities and powers. They are grouped together because when they possess a human, they can turn the hosts eyes entirely black at will. Most black-eyed demons serve a higher ranking demon or entity. Both Lilith and Crowley have black-eyed body guards; others serve as members of an entourage, like Lilith's "personal chef." One group of the demons is assigned by Lucifer to care for Famine. They are subject to the typical demon weaknesses - holy water, salt, exorcism, the Colt, Ruby's knife, and the devil's trap. Some of the more powerful black-eyed demons, such as Meg, are impervious to hallowed ground:

Pastor Jim: I know what you are. You can’t be here. This is hallowed ground.
Meg: Please. Maybe that works in the minor leagues, but not with me.

Tammi, the demon in 3.09 Malleus Maleficarum, was one of the strongest black-eyed demons encountered. Like the yellow-eyed Azazel and the white-eyed Lilith, she can pin both Sam and Dean to a wall telekinetically. Tammi also stops a bullet from the Colt in mid-air when Sam tries to shoot her. She provides power to witches in exchange for their souls.

The Knights of Hell are black-eyed demons who were amongst the first fallen humans, handpicked by Lucifer. They were rumored to have all been killed by the archangels. They all have the powers of other lower-ranking demons, but at least one has shown abilities and powers far beyond that of any other demon seen so far.

These stronger black-eyed demons often have an advanced knowledge of magic and spells that helps them achieve their goals. Tammi and Ruby both made extensive use of hex bags. Meg uses a black altar to control daevas in 1.16 Shadow. Later, while she is possessing Sam in 2.14 Born Under a Bad Sign, she manages to resist exorcism for a time using a binding link with him. Both Meg and Brady communicated via the goblet of blood with the Yellow-Eyed Demon and Pestilence respectively. Abaddon knew a spell to travel through time.

As with most demons, their appearance can be accompanied or presaged by odd weather phenomena and electrical interference, as well as the presence of sulfur. Demons are also associated with EVP.

Other examples of black-eyed demons include:

• Airplane Demon
• Brady
• Casey
• Channing
• Christian Campbell
• Cindy McClellan (Lilith’s chef)
• Duane Tanner
• Father Gil
• Jackson
• Jason
• Nora
• Nurse Palomino
• Rosco
• Trucker
• Viggo

Crossroads Demons

A crossroads demon makes bargains with people, granting a wish in exchange for claiming their life and soul at a later date. Deals are sealed with a kiss. They have red eyes, though they tend vary from being completely red to red wit black pupils.

In 3.05 Bedtime Stories, Sam summons a demon, hoping to force her to release Dean from his contract with the Colt. She reveals that "someone higher" than her holds the contract and describes herself as "a saleswoman." Sam kills this demon with the Colt, and stabs another that he summons in 4.09 I Know What You Did Last Summer. On this occasion, it is revealed that crossroads demons can refuse the offer of a soul if they choose. Higher ranking demons who can also make deals include Crowley, Lilith, and Azazel. Another is later captured, tortured and killed by Bobby Singer in 6.04 Weekend at Bobby's after she gives information on Crowley. In 8.19 Taxi Driver another crossroads demon is summoned and tortured by Sam and Dean for information on how to sneak into Hell. After he gives it up, Sam and Dean kill him at his own request.

White-Eyed Demons

White-eyed demons are very powerful, possibly due to being the first of their kind. Known white-eyed demons include Lilith, Alastair and possibly Samhain.

SEE ALSO

• Binsfeld's Classification of Demons
• Demonic Possession
• Wikipedia's entry on Demonology

WITCHES

A witch is a person who has the power to effect change by magical means ("witchcraft"). Most of those encountered by Sam and Dean are practitioners of black magic - that is, spells used for self-gain or to harm others. In 3.09 Malleus Maleficarum, it is stated that witches get their power from demons - presumably in exchange for their souls. It is notable that Sam, Dean, and Bobby often use the same spells and rituals, but would not consider themselves witches.

Witches can be extremely long lived and very powerful. Only three of the witches encountered have been killed by Sam or Dean.

Some witches have a companion known as a Familiar who can appear in either animal or human form.

Episodes:

• 1.18 Something Wicked
• 3.09 Malleus Maleficarum
• 4.07 It's the Great Pumpkin, Sam Winchester
• 4.12 Criss Angel Is a Douchebag
• 5.07 The Curious Case of Dean Winchester
• 6.03 The Third Man (mentioned)
• 7.05 Shut Up, Dr. Phil
• 7.15 Repo Man
• 8.07 A Little Slice of Kevin
• 8.15 Man's Best Friend with Benefits
• 9.04 Slumber Party

EPISODES

1.18 Something Wicked

An Albanian witch known as a shtriga, is discovered by Sam and Dean to be the cause of recent sudden, bizarre illnesses of local children, in Fitchburg, Wisconsin. The shtriga is feeding of the spiritus vitae of the children, and then helping treat them in the local hospital under the guise of Dr. Hydeker. The shtriga can only be stopped with consecrated iron, while it is feeding. Sam and Dean realize this, and talk the brother of a recent victim into being bait, the plan is successful and the shtriga is lured in and finally killed by Dean as it is trying to feed on Sam. Once the shtriga is dead, all of its victims fully recover.

3.09 Malleus Maleficarum

A group of witches are discovered by the brothers when a woman (Janet Dutton) is killed and a hex bag is found under the sink.

It is revealed that most witches perform their magic through either chanting or placing a hex bag in the general area where their target is at the time of the spell. Witches also use a magical tome known as a Book of Shadows or a grimoire.

Sam and Dean discover that the witches have unwittingly, been getting their powers from a demon. In return for their powers they give their unwittingly souls to the demon. The demon whom the coven had sold their souls to, Tammi, stuck around the coven and killed them off when they displeased her. Eventually Tammi is killed by Dean with Ruby's knife.

Ruby reveals that she was originally a witch when she was human. It appears she got her power, and eventually sold her soul, to the demon Tammi.

The  Malleus Maleficarum  (Hammer of Witches) is a manual written for witch hunters in the 15th century. It is one of the most famously misogynistic works in European history; the book is a treatise on how women, due to their inferior and carnal natures, are far more susceptible to the Devil's wiles than are men. While the book was very popular, it wasn't necessarily the most influential witch-hunting text, other witch hunters seemed to consider it went a bit too far in its condemnation of women as a group, which limited its usefulness.

4.07 It's the Great Pumpkin, Sam Winchester

Two very old witches - Don Harding and Tracy Davis - begin sacrificing people in order to raise the demon Samhain from Hell. The spell requires "three blood sacrifices over three days, the last before midnight on the final day of the final harvest." The summoning occurs on Halloween, the day on the Celtic calendar where the veil between the living and the dead is thinnest. Once Samhain returns, he can raise other things from Hell, which promises a bloodbath if he can't be stopped. His raising will break one of the the 66 Seals.

To kill their victims the witches use hex bags, filled with rare objects, to perform the sacrifices and a ritual alter for the final phase of the spell. In one hex bag, Sam finds gold thread, an herb supposedly extinct for 200 years, a centuries-old Celtic coin, and the charred finger bone of an infant. At one point in time, one of the witches was at the scene when one victim was killed, so it stands to reason that she was able to perform the spell earlier and activate its power when she wanted.

When they find that they are low on sacrifices, Don decides to kill Tracy to raise Samhain. Sam and Dean burst in, shooting Don and freeing the apparently innocent Tracy. She incapacitates them and completes the ritual. Once raised, Samhain kills Tracy and goes to a cemetery, where he raises zombies and ghosts to attack them. Sam is immune to his powers and manages to exorcise him, sending him back to Hell.

4.12 Criss Angel Is a Douchebag

Although he is a stage magician, Charlie gained actual powers from an old sorcerer's Grimoire. He uses Tarot cards to cast a sort of supernatural target onto other magicians so that his best friend Jay would survive fatally wounding tricks - thus transferring the performance knowledge of those who took his place in death. He also reveals that he cast an immortality spell on himself and wants to do the same for his friends Jay and Vernon. He is killed when Jay pickpockets his tarot cards and then stabs himself with a knife.

5.07 The Curious Case of Dean Winchester

Patrick is a 900-year-old witch who plays poker with people, gambling with years of their life. When he takes 25 years from Bobby, Dean plays and donates 25 of his own years to Bobby, and loses an additional 25.

Lia, Patrick's partner, gives them a reversal spell. As Dean and Bobby undertake to do it, Sam stalls Patrick by playing cards against him. When the spell fails, Dean's life is in the balance as Sam plays for real. Sam finally wins, saving Dean.

Lia tells Patrick she wants to die, having long outlived her daughter, and they play a hand in which she loses all her years.

6.03 The Third Man

Dean thinks the deaths of two police officers "seem a little witchy." Sam agrees, but notes that no hex bags or other signs were found. The deaths are later revealed to have been revenge killings using an angelic weapon.

7.05 Shut Up, Dr. Phil

Maggie Stark and Don Stark are witches, possibly of Romanian origin. They have been in a relationship with for over 800 years. Maggie has separated from Don after learning of his affair with Wendy Goodson. In her anger, she is killing people associated with Don through spells aided by placing a magical coin near them. Don strikes back, ruining her charity art auction and killing her best friend. Sam and Dean try to vanquish Maggie using a spell that requires chicken feet, but are unsuccessful because the chicken feet were unrefrigerated. Finally, Maggie and Don reconcile after some relationship advice from Sam and Dean. However, Maggie still tries to kill them, thwarted only by Don retrieving the hex coins from their motel room. Don also saves them from a leviathan using a spell that appears to paralyze the creature temporarily.

7.15 Repo Man

Four years ago, Sam and Dean were informed of a possession by local wiccan Nora Havelock. When they return in the present, when it appears the demon has returned, they find she has a mail-order witch business, though she only traffics in "white magic," herbs and talismans. She has been translating Latin spells in connections the demon, and suggests that they talk to the demon's old host Jeffrey. Jeffrey, however, is the real culprit in a series of murders, and has been forcing Nora to help him bring back his demon. He kidnapped her son, so she gave him a summoning spell; it failed, and he sent her the ear of her son. She found a stronger spell, one requiring the blood of the demon's exorcist: Dean. Sam convinces her that they must find Dean to save her son, and Nora uses a tracking spell to locate them. By the time they get there, the demon has been summoned and is possessing her son. Sam manages to lure it into a devil's trap and Nora exorcises it, saving her son while Dean kills Jeffery.

8.07 A Little Slice of Kevin

In order to make "demon bombs," based on instructions from the demon tablet, Linda Tran hires Delta Mendota from Craigslist in order to get all of the ingredients they need. She informs Delta of what they are trying to make, but not how to make them or the amount of ingredients needed for each. Delta gets the needed ingredients, but frustrated with the way Linda is treating her, she tells Crowley where to find Linda and her son the prophet Kevin. Delta brings some of the ingredients, enough for at least one bomb, but claims she won't bring any more until she is paid. Upon arrival, Linda squirts her with holy water to prove that she is not possessed. Using an excuse, Delta gets Kevin, who is attracted to her, to let her go into the backroom where she breaks the salt line there so the demons can get in. Kevin discovers this when he goes to get his mother's purse and the demons arrive. Crowley, annoyed with Delta's attitude, snaps his fingers and sends her away somewhere.

8.15 Man's Best Friend with Benefits

After helping Sam and Dean with a case years before, St. Louis police officer James Frampton becomes a witch and uses his magic to help him on the job. However, he gets dreams of and finds evidence of him committing the brutal murders of four innocent people and his familiar Portia calls in Sam and Dean to help as James doesn't trust anyone in the witch community. Sam and Dean are unhappy due to their previous encounters with witches, but agree to look into it before killing James. They eventually find a spell in Bobby Singer's files that a witch could use to implant a false memory in another witch, but are unsure that James is innocent as all evidence points to his guilt. However, James and Portia are in a relationship and while having sex, Portia sees into James' mind and sees that all he remembers is actually committing the act with no preparations or motive to do it. Dean and Portia also learn that the witch community plans to force James to either leave or kill himself to avoid exposing them. Realizing that police detective Ed Stoltz is hiding something, Sam, Dean and James use astral projection to visit the police station where they learn that Stoltz is building a case against James using James' friend Spencer's familiar Phillippe LeChat as a witness. James confronts Phillippe who tells him that he was framing him under Spencer's orders. Spencer kills Phillippe and reveals that he is framing James because he is jealous of James' relationship with Portia who he had wanted as his own familiar. James engages Spencer in battle, but is no match for him and when Sam and Dean try to intervene, Spencer makes them relive horrible memories. However, Portia attacks Spencer, freeing Sam and Dean who kill Spencer with a witch-killing spell Bobby taught them. James and Portia then leave town to start a new life together, knowing Ed has too good of a case against them and that the witches in St. Louis never really accepted them.

9.04 Slumber Party

In 1935, Dorothy Baum comes to the Men of Letters Bunker to find a way to kill the apparently-invincible Wicked Witch of the West who escaped onto Earth with the plan to get the key to Oz and bring her army here to take over the world. Working with James Haggerty and Peter Jenkins, Dorothy tries to come up with a plan, but the Witch breaks free and possesses Jenkins, forcing Haggerty to kill him. Unable to defeat the Witch, Dorothy casts a spell that binds them together and imprisons them. Haggerty works for the rest of his career on finding a way to defeat the Witch and comes up with the idea that poppy seed extract can stun the Witch from the Oz books. He makes a deal with a fairy in case the Witch returns.

In 2013, while investigating an ancient computer in the Bunker, Dean accidentally knocks over the bottle containing the ingredients Dorothy used to bind herself and the Witch, releasing both. The Witch resumes her search for the key to Oz, attacking Sam and Dorothy before being driven off by a poppy seed extract bullet. She finds Dean and Charlie Bradbury and gets the key from them and kills Charlie who sacrifices herself for Dean. Dean has Ezekiel resurrect Charlie and the Witch attacks him and Sam while they are hunting for her. She takes Sam hostage and unable to get a clean shot, Dean tackles her. The Witch is able to possess them however and sends them after Dorothy and Charlie, revealing her true plan to them through Sam and Dean. The Witch casts a spell to summon her army and opens the door, but Charlie stabs her in the back of the head with one of the Ruby Slippers and then in the face when she turns around, killing her. Charlie manages to close the door in time and the Witch's plan is foiled.

WITCHES IN REAL LIFE AND LORE

The term witch in its broadest sense refers to a person who claims to tap into some form of supernatural power. These people exists in cultures around the world, and may take the role of a healer or wise person in a community. Their powers could be used for either good or harm. The modern use of the term and its associations are rooted in the pogroms of the Middle Ages, against people, particularly women, who practiced any form of belief or healing that could be deemed anti-Christian. During these witch hunts in Europe and later North America, tens of thousands of people were tortured and killed based on the justification that they were in league with Satan.

In the 20th and 21st century, people who follow a form of Neopaganism may refer to themselves as witches. The most well known of these is Wicca, which originated in the 1930s, although its beliefs are formed on older pagan cultures such as those of the Celts and the Greeks. The religion involves the ritual practice of magic.