I'm a sucker for mythology and am happy to study it in school or read about it for fun. Supernatural is a show that is rich in the subject, so it's not surprising that I was happy to read a new book that combined two of my favorite things. "The Mythology of Supernatural" is available today from Berkley Trade.
The author is a mythologist who has has covered this subject extensively before in such books as "The Complete Idiot's Guide to World Mythology" and "The Complete Idiot's Guide to the Paranormal". The set-up of the book makes it easy to navigate. Essentially, the author groups together the mythological elements of Supernatural by chapter. Demons are covered in one chapter, Hell in another, and so on. One by one the author tackles the various mythological aspects of the show. Did you know that goofer dust, for example, is a real powder used in voodoo? Well, you do now. Except it's not really used in the manner that the Winchester boys used it in season 2. The history of various objects, sigils and entities are explained, as well as how how they might differ from the liberties taken by the writers.
Since the subjects of Heaven, Hell and angels (including fallen angels like Lucifer) were examined so extensively in the later years of the show, so too does the author take us through the mythological roots of these places and entities. One by one he talks about the archangels and how they correspond to the characters we saw on the show. You'll take a trip through Dante's "Divine Comedy" to learn about the different rings in Hell and the origin of Lucifer's cage. The author makes a point not only to explain the Judeo-Christian roots of various mythological places and entities, but also the sources in other world religions and texts.
Overall, the book is an enjoyable read, and there's a lot of material there that you might not have known. The author chronicles the origin of the entity known as Lilith in historical texts, her appearance throughout history and how aspects of different "evil" female entities could have been combined by the writers to create the character we ended up seeing on our screens. Supernatural fans are known for devouring materials related to the series: comic books, tie-in novels, etc. This one will definitely help you expand your personal knowledge while also filling in some blanks on the show.
Check out the book on Amazon: The Mythology of Supernatural: The Signs and Symbols Behind the Popular TV Show
good times!! :)