Hello Supernatural fans and welcome to another installment of SUPERNATURAL Thursdays! Just to get this out of the way (since I”m know it’s all we’re thinking about, anyway) how excited is everyone for a season 7 (Read the news here)?! I pretty much can’t wait to see what the writers have in store for us.
This week, I thought we’d delve a little bit inside the mythology of Supernatural and get your opinions on a straight article versus a “top 5″ (or 8, 11, etc.) list. Let us know what you think and if the mythology is something you’re even interested in reading!
Now, without further ado, may I introduce you all to Stull cemetery?
Back in the season finale of season 5 (you know the one – when Sam JUMPED INTO THE PIT OF HELL?) the big show down between Michael and Lucifer went down in a small cemetery right outside of Lawrence, Kansas.
So, what is the significance of Stull cemetery? Why have the huge battle come to an end there? It was sort of poetic to get Sam and Dean back home, but there was much more than that. The writers of Supernatural are pretty smart after all, and let’s face it, more than likely had this planned from the beginning.
See, legend has it that Stull cemetery is actually one of the seven gateways to hell. Do you think it’s coincidence that the Winchester’s grew up so close to this place?
Okay, so – what makes Stull so haunted? Well, according to the stories, back in the 1850s, a suicide occurred in what, at that time, was an old barn in the cemetery. Years after this, the barn was converted into a church, which was then destroyed by a mysterious fire. As we all know (thanks boys!) violent deaths tend to lead to angry spirits, and so began the tales of the church’s old wooden crucifix (which of course, is still hanging on the burned down churches wall) hanging upside down when people would enter the church at midnight.
We’ll come back to that point in a minute.
Other accounts say that the devil himself has appeared in Stull since the 1850s, and that he visits the grave of a witch that is buried in the cemetery. Now, to further this little tidbit of information, there is a gravestone with the name “Wittich” near the old church; and also rumors that witches used to be hanged from a tree in the graveyard.
There are stories of people walking into the cemetery only to be frightened away from a strong wind that came from nowhere. One story tells that two men, after encountering this phantom breeze became so scared they ran back to their car, only to find it on the opposite side of the road where they initially parked it, and facing the other way. Another man states that he felt the wind inside the church, and says that he was pinned down by this wind which wouldn’t let him move for several minutes. There are also statements that despite the fact that the church has no roof, rain will not fall inside of it because it is so evil.
Now here’s where the story becomes less of an urban legend and makes you scratch your head in puzzlement. The locals aren’t pleased that their town is thought to be a host for Lucifer (can you blame them?), or that the police force has to be on had at the cemetery on Halloween… which begs the question – why not do something about it?
The old church was “mysteriously” torn down in 2002, after having no roof and a large crack in the stone due to a lightening strike. It was here that the “stair case to hell” is said to exist (it is really just a staircase leading to nowhere, why not start the rumor of it leading to hell? It makes a GREAT story!). The owner of the property stated that he did not authorize the demolition of the church, and didn’t know why it was torn down.
To further rumors: why not ticket Halloween thrill seekers right when they arrive at the gates of the cemetery? There are documented reports of police officers not even handing out tickets and removing onlookers until 11:30 at night – a convenient half hour before the big show is said to begin.
Since I’m a freak for all this lore and mythology stuff, I knew the legends of Stull cemetery before “Swan Song” aired. When the camera panned to those metal gates that read “Stull Cemetery” I think (but I can’t be sure – reports vary) that I MIGHT have yelled out loud a triumphant “I KNEW IT!”.
Truthfully, I had no idea, but hey – the legend of Stull fits nicely within the mythology of Supernatural, especially the Sam is really Lucifer story line. What better place for Sam to JUMP INTO HELL (that’s never getting old) than at one of the seven gateways?
So! We want to hear your thoughts on this mythology business. While there are fans that care about the background info and want to devour any folklore/myth/religious background information that they can find (like me!!), we want this to be fun for you – the fans – to read.
Let us know in the comments below what you thought and if you’d like other areas of the mythology explored! Thanks for reading and have a Happy Supernatural Thursday!!
Follow me on Twitter @singmesweet
Please make sure to read our comment policy before posting a comment.