SPN FINALE, HERE BE SPOILERS
heidi8, you will love me for this. :D
Okay, so I totally buy Heidi's (and others') theory that there will be some harrowing of hell, with Sam as Orpheus. So, if you're Orpheus, what do you need?
A Hermes.
Hermes is the one who can move freely between heaven, earth, and the Underworld. If you need a guide, he's your man -- he's the one who gets souls in and out of the Underworld. He is the psychopomp.
So, Sam needs to get in touch with the Trickster!
Seriously, go with me here. Show's Trickster is much nastier than Hermes was ever reputed to be -- in fact, Hermes was considered the friendliest and sweetest-natured of the Greek gods* -- but, since Kripke is going with his Joseph Campbell-ian archetypal bullshit**, Hermes and Show's Trickster are brothers under the skin. Hermes is a trickster, but he's also your last, best friend, who will get you where you need to go. Show seemed to hint at that: for all the Trickster's cruelty, he was invested in teaching lessons, and wasn't totally unkind -- well, for a given value of "kind," and it's definitely on his terms. But he *can* bring people back from the dead, if you make it worth his while.
Since Trickster has already fixed Dean's death once, he's unlikely to do it so directly again -- but I really, really want him to *help*, somehow. Not just because the Trickster rocks, but because it would work, emotionally, within the show. The Trickster keeps getting identified with Dean: in fact, he's like Dean with unlimited power and no moral center. Gluttony, lust, targeting those who deserve it or are after him personally, refusing to take anything seriously until he has to, can wiggle out of just about anything -- it's no wonder Dean likes his style. And moreover, the Trickster's "The way you two keep sacrificing yourselves" speech in "Mystery Spot" directly anticipates Dean's "No more martyrs" speech.
Anyway. This isn't really a theory, so much as me going WAAAAAAAANT. Because it would RULE. And there would be SNARK! And when they got him out, Dean would be all, "WTF is HE doing here?" And there would be some really fucked-up twist, and it would be funny and mean and sad and AWESOME.
At some point, I'm going to write a post about race in SPN, specifically the way Hoodoo is used and misused; I need to get it past the point of "I wouldn't use goofer dust against a hellhound unless I WANTED to piss it off." But actually, it does tie into some of my Trickster love -- another one of Trickster's divine aspects is Legba, guardian of the crossroads. And if you really look at recorded Hoodoo crossroads rituals, it becomes clear that whatever is being called up, it doesn't really behave like the Christian devil -- which is why many scholars think that the crossroads spirit is related to Legba. but i don't want to completely blow my wad here, so will save it for another day.
P.S. RUBY CLOCKING DEAN AND CALLING HIM A SPINELESS DICK WAS THE BEST THING EVER.
P.P.S. I cried my eyes out when watching, but knowing that Dean will definitely be getting better helps, hence lack of wibbling here.
P.P.P.S. Also, fandom: bring on the mad hot post-hell h/c porn, people! SOME DO NOT REVERE THE HEALING SAMCOCK, BUT I DO. Shut up, it's a kink.
* I love how in the Greek pantheon, the trickster is the nice one. <3
** Campbell is fine as a way to structure a (male-oriented) fictional narrative (for a Western audience), but is crap as any kind of actual comment on mythology. No, really. You want to see folklorists' eyes roll RIGHT out of their heads, mention Campbell. He's loathed almost as much as Bettelheim is.
Okay, so I totally buy Heidi's (and others') theory that there will be some harrowing of hell, with Sam as Orpheus. So, if you're Orpheus, what do you need?
A Hermes.
Hermes is the one who can move freely between heaven, earth, and the Underworld. If you need a guide, he's your man -- he's the one who gets souls in and out of the Underworld. He is the psychopomp.
So, Sam needs to get in touch with the Trickster!
Seriously, go with me here. Show's Trickster is much nastier than Hermes was ever reputed to be -- in fact, Hermes was considered the friendliest and sweetest-natured of the Greek gods* -- but, since Kripke is going with his Joseph Campbell-ian archetypal bullshit**, Hermes and Show's Trickster are brothers under the skin. Hermes is a trickster, but he's also your last, best friend, who will get you where you need to go. Show seemed to hint at that: for all the Trickster's cruelty, he was invested in teaching lessons, and wasn't totally unkind -- well, for a given value of "kind," and it's definitely on his terms. But he *can* bring people back from the dead, if you make it worth his while.
Since Trickster has already fixed Dean's death once, he's unlikely to do it so directly again -- but I really, really want him to *help*, somehow. Not just because the Trickster rocks, but because it would work, emotionally, within the show. The Trickster keeps getting identified with Dean: in fact, he's like Dean with unlimited power and no moral center. Gluttony, lust, targeting those who deserve it or are after him personally, refusing to take anything seriously until he has to, can wiggle out of just about anything -- it's no wonder Dean likes his style. And moreover, the Trickster's "The way you two keep sacrificing yourselves" speech in "Mystery Spot" directly anticipates Dean's "No more martyrs" speech.
Anyway. This isn't really a theory, so much as me going WAAAAAAAANT. Because it would RULE. And there would be SNARK! And when they got him out, Dean would be all, "WTF is HE doing here?" And there would be some really fucked-up twist, and it would be funny and mean and sad and AWESOME.
At some point, I'm going to write a post about race in SPN, specifically the way Hoodoo is used and misused; I need to get it past the point of "I wouldn't use goofer dust against a hellhound unless I WANTED to piss it off." But actually, it does tie into some of my Trickster love -- another one of Trickster's divine aspects is Legba, guardian of the crossroads. And if you really look at recorded Hoodoo crossroads rituals, it becomes clear that whatever is being called up, it doesn't really behave like the Christian devil -- which is why many scholars think that the crossroads spirit is related to Legba. but i don't want to completely blow my wad here, so will save it for another day.
P.S. RUBY CLOCKING DEAN AND CALLING HIM A SPINELESS DICK WAS THE BEST THING EVER.
P.P.S. I cried my eyes out when watching, but knowing that Dean will definitely be getting better helps, hence lack of wibbling here.
P.P.P.S. Also, fandom: bring on the mad hot post-hell h/c porn, people! SOME DO NOT REVERE THE HEALING SAMCOCK, BUT I DO. Shut up, it's a kink.
* I love how in the Greek pantheon, the trickster is the nice one. <3
** Campbell is fine as a way to structure a (male-oriented) fictional narrative (for a Western audience), but is crap as any kind of actual comment on mythology. No, really. You want to see folklorists' eyes roll RIGHT out of their heads, mention Campbell. He's loathed almost as much as Bettelheim is.