Title: SUPERNATURAL Episode 1-02: "Wendigo". Writer: Eric Kripke (Tele-play) Story By: Ron Milbauer, Terri Hughes Burton Director: David Nutter Guest Starring: Gina Holden, Alden Caleb Ehrenreich, Callum Keith Rennie Air Date: September 20th, 2005

WARNING! COMPLETE EPISODE RECAP; CONTAINS UNHOLY BUTTLOAD OF SPOILERS!

SUPERNATURAL Episode 1-02: “Wendigo” Summary

T he episode begins in the Blackwater Ridge, in Lost Creek, Colorado (the place, not coincidentally, that the coordinates in John Winchester’s journal were sending the brothers at the end of the pilot episode), where it is late at night. Three young men are in a couple of tents “camping”; two of them (we later find out that they are name Brad and Gary) are playing videogames on portable systems in one tent, while the third (who we later find out is named Tommy) is in the other tent, sending a video message via his high-tech phone to someone named Hailey, telling her that it is “Day Six”, that they are still out at Blackwater Ridge, and that they are okay. As he does so, a shadow can be seen flitting across the wall of the tent, as something passes between the tent and the campfire outside. After losing at the game, Brad gets up and goes outside to go to the bathroom. Unsurprisingly, growls ensue, followed by screaming. Gary opens the tent to see what was going on and is promptly dragged through the tent flap by unseen hands (or more likely, paws and/or claws). His screaming alerts Tommy that all is far from well, and he turns off lamp in his tent, hoping that whatever is out there won’t notice him. As you may have guessed, this doesn’t work, and soon he too is gone.

Next we are in Palo Altos, California, where we see Sam standing before a grave marked “Jessica Lee Moore”. This is the grave of Sam’s girlfriend, who was killed at the end of the first episode. Sam vows to her that he will find whatever killed her, but as he places the flowers on the grave, a hand bursts up out of the earth and grabs his wrist.

Sam wakes up suddenly in the Impala; the whole thing was just a dream, or rather a memory that had been corrupted by the horrors that Sam has seen. They are driving towards Blackwater Ridge, and are currently just outside Grand Juncture. Dean is obviously concerned about Sam and his nightmares, which have been happening since Jess died. He even offers to let Sam drive, which is something he has apparently never let him do before, but Sam turns him down, telling him that he is fine. He then changes the subject, filling us in on where they are heading. Though they dug around for a week in San Francisco after Jess died, they came up with nothing on what killed her. Dean points out that it is no coincident that their father disappeared at the same time as the thing that killed Sam’s mother suddenly came back after twenty years, killing Jess as well. Figuring that the two must be connected, they decided to look for their father, John Winchester, in hopes that he would be able to lead them to Jess’ killer. In the pilot episode the boys found their missing father’s journal, which details all he knows about the supernatural. Inside was also a page with just Dean’s name and a set of coordinates, “35-111”, which is what led them to Blackwater Ridge, which is a area of uninhabited woods out in the middle of nowhere. With nothing better to go on, that is where they are now heading. They finish their conversation as they reach Lost Creek, a National Forest located in a Colorado town of the same name.

They go to a Ranger’s station, and begin looking at topographic maps of the area, while running over what they know of the area: Blackwater is a ridge in the middle of the Lost Creek National forest, cut off from the rest of the area by canyons, with abandoned silver and gold mines dotting the area. There are also a lot of grizzly bears in the area, making it even more dangerous. As they are discussing it, an officer whose nametag identifies him as Ranger Wilkinson interrupts them. He asks them if they are planning on going up to Blackwater Ridge. Though they deny it, claiming that they are environmental studies majors from UC Boulder, the ranger doesn’t believe them. Fortuitously, he thinks they must be friends of “that Hailey girl” who is looking for her missing brother. They play along, and find out that he isn’t even expected back for a while, according to a permit that he filled out for the rangers, getting permission to backpack in the forest. Dean, playing along, manages to get a copy of the permit, supposedly in order to show set her mind at ease by showing her the return date on the official form.

Sam, however, is impatient. He has no interest in the missing boy or Hailey, and just wants to get to the coordinates that his father left for them. Though Dean convinces him that it is better to know what they are getting into than jumping in blindly, it is obvious that Jess’ death has made Sam, who is normally the more even headed of the two, impatient and reckless. He just wants to find their dad, and through him, Jess’ killer.

He eventually relents, and soon they are at Hailey Collins’ house, questioning her about her brother. They are claiming to be part of the Rangers with the Park Service, and that they are finally taking her missing person report seriously. They claim that they were sent by Ranger Wilkinson to talk to her about her missing brother, Tommy. She is dubious at first, but let’s them in after Dean shows her his Ranger I.D. (which we know is obviously faked, just like all his identification). She is gorgeous (of course), and Dean is obviously as impressed by her as she is by the Impala, which she sees parked out front.

Once they are inside, she says that the reason that she thinks something happened to Tommy, even though he isn’t due back for a while, is because he usually checks in every day by camera phone, sending video messages to let them know he is okay, but that she hasn’t gotten one in three days. Even if he didn’t have cell reception, he would have checked in by satellite phone. He, Hailey, and their younger brother Ben are very close and keep close tabs on one another, since their parents are dead and all they have are one another. Ben and Hailey say there is no way he would go three days without letting them know he was okay, and so they know that something is wrong. Sam asks to see the photos that Tommy sent them, and we are shown the video message that we saw Tommy send at the beginning of the episode. Dean tells her that they will be heading out to Blackwater Ridge first thing in the morning to look for her brother, to which Hailey replies that maybe they will see them out there: she has hired a guide and decided to look for her brother herself. Dean sympathizes, obviously feeling a connection to her because of his own missing father. Knowing they won’t be able to talk her out of it, Sam asks her to send him copies of the files that Tommy had sent her.

The scene then jumps to a honky-tonk bar, where Sam and Dean have gone to discuss what they have learned about the area. Though the area is remote, a couple of hikers went missing at Blackwater Ridge in April and were never found. In 1982, eight people went missing in the same area, and the local authorities claimed it was due to a grizzly attack. Others went missing in 1959 and 1936; in other words, people go missing in Blackwater Ridge every 23 years. Sam then shows Dean what he was looking for in the video that Tommy had sent Hailey. By slowing down the video, they are able to see a man-like shape’s shadow on the wall of the tent behind Tommy, something outside that had passed between the tent and the campfire. Whatever the thing outside was, it was fast, as it was only in the frame for a fraction of second, moving from one side of the image to the other in only three frames. In other words, it weren’t no grizzly. The last piece of information that Sam came up with was that there was one survivor of the 1959 “grizzly” attack; he was just a kid, and barely made it out of the woods alive.

The scene jumps now to Sam and Dean questioning this survivor, still claiming to be Park Rangers. The survivor, Mr. Shaw (they never say his first name) tells them that it is all a matter of public record, and doesn’t know why they are asking him about it now. They ask him whether or not it was a grizzly that attacked him, to which he hesitantly answers that it was. Sensing his reluctance, Dean pushes asking him if the other disappearances in ’59 were also grizzly attacks, or the current round of disappearances. Sensing that they’re on to something, Dean tells Mr. Shaw that maybe if they knew what was causing the disappearances, they would be able to stop it, to which Shaw replies that he doubts it. Even if he did tell them, he says, they won’t believe him, just like no one before them believed him. After a little convincing, he admits that it was no grizzly; whatever killed his parents moved so fast that he couldn’t see it. Whatever it was got into his family’s cabin, not by breaking a window or smashing a door, but by unlocking it. Whatever it was dragged his parents out into the night, leaving him alone with only the memory of its unnatural growl, unlike any human or animal he had ever heard before or since, and a scar of three wide claw marks across his chest. He believes it was some sort of demon.

As they walk away from Mr. Shaw’s house, Dean points out to Sam that spirits and demons don’t need to unlock doors to get into houses, they just pass through the walls, to which Sam replies that it obviously has to be something else, something corporeal (i.e. with a solid material, rather than ghostly, form). Dean says that with its claws and the speed at which it moves it could be a Skinwalker or a Black Dog, and that if it has a corporeal form, than they can kill it.

As such, they go to the car and start loading up a duffle bag with weapons. Sam tells Dean that they can’t let Hailey go out there because it is too dangerous, to which Dean replies that he knows they won’t be able to stop her, so all they can do is go with her and protect her. Sam gets agitated that their “babysitting” is getting in the way of finding their dad, and thus finding out what killed Jess. Dean says nothing but is obviously concerned for what Sam is becoming.

The next morning Sam and Dean catch up with Hailey, Ben and their tracker, Roy, right outside of the forest leading towards Blackwater Ridge. Hailey seems to be newly irritated with the Winchesters, both with the fact that they’re the “best that the Park Ranger service can muster up", and because they not dressed for a hike through the wilderness, wearing the same clothes that they always do. Furthermore, they don’t have much by way of supplies; no tent, no sleeping bags, and no food. It also becomes obvious that Roy is jealous of his position as alpha dog, and isn’t above pissing on their legs.

The next scene shows us Tommy and Gary, skill alive but hanging like sides of beef in a stone cavern. Above them light shows through the slats in some wooden floorboards, suggesting they are under a building of some sort. Gary wakes up just in time to be eaten by a humanoid beast that we see only in shadows, while Tommy closes his eyes and looks away without making a sound. At least we know he’s still alive.

In the meantime, Dean is giving Roy a hard time, asking him what he hunts. When Roy replies deer, and sometimes bear, Dean mocks him, asking, “Does Bambi or Yogi ever hunt you back”? Despite this, Roy responds by stopping Dean from stepping in a bear trap, saving him from a mangled, and/or broken leg. This just compounds what Hailey already suspected, since they are only carrying a duffle bag and no provisions; that they aren’t Park Rangers. Caught in the lie, Dean tells her an edited version of their real story; that he and Sam are brothers and that they are looking for their missing father, who might or might not be at Blackwater Ridge. She seems to accept this, so Dean pushes it even further, saying, “What do you mean we didn’t pack provisions?” while pulling a partially eaten one-pound bag of peanut M&M’s from his coat pocket as they continue their hike.

Soon they arrive at Blackwater Ridge, at the exact coordinates that their father left for them. Dean and Sam immediately notice that there are no animal sounds in the wooded area, not even crickets. Despite Sam’s warnings not to, Roy sets off alone to check out the area. Dean insists that the rest of them, at least, stay together, and they set off looking for Tommy’s camp. However, Roy finds it first and calls them over. The camp is ripped up, and blood is spattered all over the tents. Roy says it looks like it was a grizzly. After looking around a bit, Dean pulls Sam aside and points out some tracks. It seems that the bodies were dragged from the campsite, but at one point the tracks just disappear. Somehow this tells Dean that it is no Skinwalker or Black Dog.

Hailey finds Tommy’s phone, but it is shattered and covered in dirt, mulch, and leaves. Dean tries to tell her that Tommy could still be alive, but she looks incredulous, thinking that Dean is just trying to comfort her. Just then they hear a male voice off in the woods, screaming for help, and they take off after it. However, when they get to where it sounded like the voice was coming from, it stops. Suddenly nervous, Sam suggests they hurry back to the campsite. His fears turn out to be justified, as something has taken all their gear, including their radios and GPS systems. Sam says that this means that the creature is smart, and is trying to cut them off from any means of communication with the outside world, from any help. Roy says that it must be some “nutjob” who is out there with them, and who stole all their stuff.

Sam pulls Dean aside and asks to see their dad’s journal. He opens it to a particular page and shows it to Dean, but Dean isn’t convinced. The page refers to a Native American mythological creature called a Wendigo, but Dean points out that they are only in the woods of northern Michigan, or maybe Minnesota, and that he’s never heard of one this far west. Sam convinces him by pointing out its ability to mimic a human voice, which, along with the claws and the speed, tells him it is a Wendigo. Dean relents, holding up his pistol and saying “Great. Well, than this is useless”. The Wendigo is apparently immune to normal firearms.

When they get back, Sam announces that it is time to pack up and get the hell out of dodge, but Roy is cocky, feeling safe since he is armed with a shotgun. Sam says that if he shoots the thing with the gun, then he is just going to piss it off. Sam further gets Roy’s hackles up by telling him that he never should have let him come with them, that it is too dangerous and the thing is a perfect hunter. Roy, of course, doesn’t listen, and Sam, impatient, tells him that it is going to kill him and eat him unless they get his “stupid, sorry ass” out of there. He is so annoyed that he almost tells Roy that it is a Wendigo, which would have just made him think Sam was crazy as well as pathetic. Hailey manages to calm them down, but tells them that she isn’t leaving without her brother either. Again knowing that he isn’t going to change her mind, Dean says that the creature, while a great hunter by day, is an unbelievable hunter by night. So with night coming on, they have to hunker down and protect themselves.

The scene then jumps forward to nightfall, with the group preparing to defend themselves from the Wendigo’s attack. The first part of this involves drawing Anasazi symbols on the ground in a circle around the camp, which Dean says the Wendigo can’t cross. Roy gets a chuckle out of this, obviously not buying the whole “monster” angle. Sam, for his part, is moping. He realizes that their father was never there, so he just wants to get the people out of there safely and move on rather than taking out the Wendigo. This isn’t due to fear, but rather that he just wants to get going with his quest to find Jess’ killer; he doesn’t care about killing monsters for the good of humanity. Dean on the other hand, believes that their father wants them to go on with his work, hunting monsters and saving people. That is why he left his journal, which was his single most valuable possession, filled with everything he knows about every evil thing, for the boys to find, so that they can continue his work. Sam doesn’t really care what their dad WANTS him to do; he just wants to find his dad and Jess’ killer. Dean replies that he promises that they will find their dad, but that Sam has to come to terms with the fact that it may take a while. In the meantime, he says that Sam has to let go of his rage and impatience, or else he will get himself recklessly killed. Sam asks Dean how he and his dad do what they do, after having lost so much when Sam and Dean’s mother died. Dean replies that it helps make them feel better to help out people like Hailey and Ben; since their own family is irrevocably screwed up, that it makes them feel better to save others from the same fate. Plus, he adds, “Killing as many evil sons of bitches as I can” makes him feel better as well.

Before Sam can respond, a male voice begins harshly calling for help from somewhere deep within the woods. Dean tells everyone that this is just the Wendigo trying to call them out, and that they just have to stay put and be cool, as Roy puts it “Inside the magic circle”. After trying this tactic for a while the Wendigo gives up and begins growling and rapidly circling the camp. Roy begins taking some potshots at it, and it eventually snarls and whimpers. Roy, convinced that he must have tagged it, runs out of the protective circle and out into the darkness towards where he “hit” the thing, which promptly gets him killed as something reaches down from the trees, snaps his neck, and drags him up into the darkness.

The rest of them make it through until morning. Sam is sitting with his father’s journal, deep in though, while Dean is dodging the inevitable questions from Hailey about how he knows so much about unnatural things. He does so successfully by simply saying “It runs in the family”. Sam then comes over with an encouraging personal revelation; he now wants to “kill the evil son of a bitch”, mirroring his brother’s bold words from the night before.

Now that he’s in the game, Sam gives the rest of them a rundown on the Wendigo. He explains that “Wendigo” is a Cree Indian word meaning “Evil That Devours”. Dean chimes in, saying that each is hundreds of years old, and that they were once men, usually an Indian scout, but other times a frontiersman, miner, or hunter (in other words, a Caucasian). What they all have in common is that each one of them were stranded during a harsh winter, cut off from supplies and food, and cannibalized their own tribe or group to survive. “Like the Donner Party”, as Ben points out. Sam then jumps back in, explaining that cultures from all over the world believe that eating human flesh gives the one eating special abilities, such as supernatural speed, strength, and immortality. Dean says that over time, if someone eats enough of it, the person begins to change into something less than human. They become always hungry for human flesh. In other words, they become a Wendigo. Hailey then asks if this is the case, then why does Dean think that Tommy is still alive? He explains that the Wendigo, more than anything, knows how to survive long winters, and, as such, keeps some of its victims alive to feed on later, storing them in preparation for hibernation. He says if her brother is still alive, then he is being stored somewhere dark, hidden, and safe, and that they need to track the Wendigo to this place. Guns are useless against it, as are knives, so basically their only option is to torch the thing with mini propane tanks from the camping gear and Molotov Cocktails. They then set off to do just that.

They search the woods until Sam notices something strange in the trees; there are several bloody claw prints gouged into the bark of the trees high above their heads. He also realizes that they are a little too distinct, as if the thing is trying to get them to follow it. Before he even finishes his thought, the Wendigo can be heard moving rapidly through the trees around them, moving almost faster than the eye can follow. That is when Roy’s body falls out of the trees above them, landing almost right on Hailey. They stop long enough to confirm that he is dead, and then take off running, realizing that the Wendigo has the advantage in that kind of terrain. During their frenzied flight they become separated; Sam sticks close to Ben and helps him to his feet when he falls. Dean and Hailey get ambushed by the Wendigo, and before they can try to fight back, they are taken. Sam and Ben arrive at the site of the struggle, but find them already gone. The only sign that they were ever there is the broken bottle from the Molotov Cocktail that Dean left behind when he was taken. Sam yells for them, but they don’t respond.

They immediately set out looking for them, and Ben asks Sam why the Wendigo would kill Roy if it normally stores its victims for food. Sam replies that he thinks Roy pissed it off by shooting at it. They then stumble across a cluster of brightly colored M&Ms that seem to trail off deeper into the woods. I bet you thought the thing with Dean’s “provisions” was just a joke, didn’t you? Anyway, they follow the trail to the boarded up entrance to an old abandoned mine, and quickly duck inside. They follow the damp tunnel down for a while, barely stepping into a small alcove in time to avoid the stalking Wendigo. Going even deeper inside, Ben and Sam step on a section of wooden flooring, which gives out, dumping them into a subterranean room full of broken human bones. Luckily they aren’t hurt, and, even more luckily, Dean and Hailey are also in this chamber, unconscious and hanging from the rafters. In no time Ben have them down and awake.

They also find Tommy, surprisingly still alive and well, if a tad worse for wear. They cut him down while Dean checks the nearby piles of gear and come up with some treasures; a couple of flare guns, which will make burning the Wendigo a lot easier. He takes one and gives the other to Sam. They get Tommy on his feet and take off for the exit, Tommy propped up and limping exhaustedly between his siblings.

The Wendigo has other plans, of course, and it soon becomes apparent that they aren’t going to be able to outrun it. Dean leaves Sam in charge of protecting the herd and takes off into the darkness, hooting and hollering; he’s going to be the bait to lead it away from the others. It seems to work, and once they get near the path leading back to the surface, Sam sends the three siblings towards the entrance without him, determined to stay behind and help his brother and take out the Wendigo. He ducks into the shadows next to the path leading towards the surface, knowing that they will present a bait that the creature can’t ignore.

It works a little too well, as Sam is soon face to face with the Wendigo, which snuck up behind him in the dark. He fires a flare at it but it is way to fast and the flare strikes harmlessly against the wall where it was once standing. Only having one shot, Sam is out of options, and takes off running after the Collins siblings, determined to protect them no matter what. They manage to stay away from it for a little while, but soon they are cornered. Sam orders the others to stay behind him as the Wendigo makes its way in for the kill. Before it can reach them, however, Dean is there. He yells, causing the Wendigo to turn around, and then fires his flare into the beast, directly below the ribcage. In no time at all, the Wendigo is gone, disappearing into a spectacular cloud of ash and flame, and leaving behind nothing but a shriveled, blackened husk.

Soon they are back at the Ranger Station, getting everyone the medical attention they need and giving their statements to the authorities. However, the story Ben is telling is about an 800-pound Grizzly; they know that no one would believe the real story. Meanwhile, Dean is macking on Hailey. Despite this, Hailey makes it clear how grateful she is and tells him that she hopes he finds his dad before she and Ben ride off in the ambulance with Tommy.

Once they are gone, Dean assures his brother that they WILL find their father. Sam smiles and says that he knows they will… but until then, he’s driving. Which he does, as the boys drive off and the episode ends.

The two guys playing videogames in the tent at the beginning of the episode (Brad and Gary) are playing METROID PRIME: HUNTERS on the Nintendo DS. They are able to do so without cords because the handheld systems run on internal lithium ion batteries and communicate with one another through Wi-Fi. Interestingly enough, though the episode aired on September 20th, 2005, the actual game wasn't released until March 20th, 2006. However, when the DS launched on November 21st, 2004, it came with a demo version of HUNTERS right out of the box, which included a multiplayer mode. This demo has to be what Brad and Gary were playing.

The book that Tommy is reading in the opening sequence, after having sent the video message to Hailey, is THE HERO WITH A THOUSAND FACES by Joseph Campbell. Originally published in 1949, this books was not only one of the reasons that George Lucas created STAR WARS, but is also one of the most important works on Mythology, Legend and Folklore ever written. Though it doesn't deal directly with the Wendigo myth, the book's message is that myths are important, and though we may have heard a tale in one form or another thousands of time through the years, it is the myth that is important, not the words themselves. It also points out that a culture that doesn't pay attention to it's myths is doomed to extinction. Anyone interested in the myths and monsters of SUPERNATURAL would do well to check out Joeseph Campell's work. If you would like to know more about myths or Joeseph Campell, check out your local library. Or Amazon.com.

When the hand busts up out of the ground and grabs Sam's wrist at the end of the dream sequence, this is a direct visual reference to the end of Brian DePalma's horror classic, CARRIE, based on the book by Stephen King. It is an almost perfect visual replica to the last scene in the movie.

Dean is picking on the fact that Roy says that he hunts deer, and sometimes bear. This is yet another reference to American cartoon characters. Bambi is an animated baby deer from the 1939 Walt Disney cartoon of the same name, while Yogi refers to Yogi Bear, the main character from various Hanna-Barbera cartoon's including one named after him. As you may have guessed, Yogi is a goofy, completely harmless bear, who steals the Park Ranger's "Pick-a-Nick" basket rather than hunting and eating living meat like grizzlies sometimes do.

"Like the Donner Party?" -Ben

The Donner Party are the most famous group of American cannibals. In 1846 the Donner Party headed west across the Sierra Nevada mountains on their way to settle in California. They got stuck during a fierce winter storm and turned to cannibalism to survive. They aren't the only ones to have ever done so, but they are the most famous example of the phenomenon in the United States.

"It's better than breadcrumbs." -Sam

Sam is refering to the fairytale of Hansel and Gretel, in which the two eponymous youngsters leave a trail of breadcrumbs for themselves to lead them back out of the woods. In the fairytale, the trail got eaten by birds, leaving the kids stranded, which is what I guess Sam meant by Dean's trail of M&M's being better.

The Wendigo is a Native American myth which appears with diverse variations in various tribes. The Crow describe it as a large, human-wolf hybrid that was once a man, having given up his life and soul to protect the tribe from its enemies. After the tribe is safe, the Crow Wendigo is exiled to wander the wilderness alone, being too terrible to live among normal men. A Mayan version of the myth is similar, but makes the Wendigo out to be more skeletal in form. To Algonquin-speaking tribes, the Wendigo is also skeletal and thin, so much so that when it turns sideways it cannot be seen. Sometimes the Wendigo is a solitary creature, one of a kind and immortal. In other versions there are many Wendigo, all men turned into monsters by their unnatural hungers. What is always the same is their hunger for human flesh, have large nasty claws, and can move through the wilderness unseen by those they are stalking. They are also almost always created through an act of canibalism. In the mythology of SUPERNATURAL, they were once Native American tribesmen or a hunter or someone trapped in the woods, forced to canibalise other humans to stay alive, but cursed by the act to become monsters. They are preternaturally fast and strong, immune to gunfire, amazing mimics of the human voice, and can climb trees. They also hibernate, awakening every 23 years to feed. They keep a larder of humans to feed upon when awake so that they can eat at their leisure, without having to constantly hunt for food. The Winchester brothers kill it with shot to the chest from a flaregun. It is not expressly said that this was the necessary way of killing a Wendigo, but in some myths the Wendigo, seen as a spirit of the frigid north, can only be killed by thawing its frozen heart (which the magnesium flare fired from a flaregun would certainly do). For the full article on the mythological Wendigo, click here.

"The claws, the speed that it moves... it could be a Skinwalker..." -Dean

A Skinwalker, acording to various mythologies, is a shape changer like a werewolf, but one that uses the skin of a totem animal to take it's form. The most commonly known examples of Skinwalkers come from Navajo mythology, but they exist also in Hopi and even Norse mythologies. The Norse most famous norse Skinwalkers were those that put on the skins of bears to gain their strength and ferocity, and were called "bear shirts" or "ber sarkur" in the Norse tongue, which is the source of the anglicised term "Berserkers". For a the full article on Skinwalkers, click here.

"...maybe a Black Dog..." -Dean

Black Dogs are more than ordinary darkly hued canines. Instead Black Dogs are, according to folklore, spectral creatures that are usually harbingers of doom. The tale originates in comes to us from England, but most likely has its roots in Norse mythology. The most famous cases of Black Dog sitings are the Barghest of Yorkshire or the Black Shuck of East Anglia, though there have been dozens of sitings all over the world. Normally the Black Dog appears as a huge, black dog with glowing eyes. Though in most cases it is not a threat in and of itself, rarely attacking those that see it, they are harbingers of a calamity to follow, often a fire, earthquake or flood. In other versions of the myth, those that see the dog know that their own death will soon come, usually within a few days after seeing the Black Dog. However, in the mythology of SUPERNATURAL, they seem to be corporeal, very fast, and have nasty claws, according to Dean's comments. For the full article on Black Dogs, click here.

"Not even crickets..." -Sam

This is significant because in many cases animals can detect the presence of the supernatural even when humans can't. In many cases of supernatural phenomena, animals either fall silent and hide, as if hoping that whatever it is that they can sense will leave them alone, or else start hissing, barking, or otherwise freaking out about something that humans can't even see. Animals seem to have some kind of sixth sense, or perhaps it is that the other five are simply far more advanced and thus can detect things outside of the human range of senses. Even in the natural world, animals are known to be able to detect natural disasters before they occur. For example, during the 2005 tsunami that destroyed much of Indonesia, there was surprisingly few animal and livestock deaths, even though hundreds of thousands of humans died. This is because the animals somehow detected what was going to happen and headed for the high ground before the tsunami hit; thus they were safe high above the waters when the floods came. For more information on Heightened Animal Senses and the Supernatural, click here.

"Anasazi symbols... for protection." -Dean

The Anasazi were a large Native American tribe who lived in the Four Corners region of the American southwest. Amongst their many cultural achievements were their great towns and pueblos built right into the walls of mesas and canyons, such as the so-called "Cliff Palace" in what is now Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado, and the "White House Ruin" in Canyon de Chelly National Monument in Arizona. Also of importance was their destinctive petroglyphs, or rock drawings, and pictographs, which are used to represent things, places, or ideas in the form of drawing. These symbols are most likely what Dean was drawing around the camp as protective symbols. What makes the Anasazi such an interesting culture for portrayal in TV, Books, and film is the fact that the entire culture disappeared off the face of the map somewhere around 1150 A.D., leaving behind only beautiful ruins and writing in the dusty stone of the south west. This makes them a fertile source for ancient American horror stories, for anything from wholesale slaughter by monsters to largescale abduction by UFOs. More likely they were fleeing unfavorable climate conditions and went south, eventually merging with other indegenous cultures. Regardless, they remain an interesting source of mystery and intrigue, as well as leaving behind gorgeous examples of ancient Amerindian art and architecture. The Anasazi are too complex and diverse a topic for me to write about and do the culture justice, but clicking here will bring you to a Wikipedia article about this amazing ancient culture.

"Basically, we have to torch the sucker." -Dean

While fire is often used in folklore as a weapon against the supernatural, due to its "purifying" qualities, there is a reason that they have to use fire that is particular to the Wendigo myth. Since the Wendigo is in many ways a personification of the harsh, cruel realities of winter, its heart is a frozen lump in its chest. In many of the myths, the heart needs to be shattered with a silver stake and then the body needs to be dismembered by a silver axe. However, in other versions of the myth, the Wendigo can be killed by melting its frozen heart... with love. Just kidding. The melting must be done with naked flames, which is why the flare works so well in this episode. Embarassingly, the whores of CHARMED did the same thing in their Wendigo episode, but we won't judge SUPERNATURAL for copying them, since killing an ice beast with a signal flare to the heart is just too cool an opportunity to pass up.

Lost Creek is an actual 119,790 acre wilderness area located in central Colorado in Jefferson and Park counties, due south of the town of Bailey. However, it isn't a National Forest proper as is portrayed in this episode, but rather a wilderness area within the National Forest called Pike. Blackwater Ridge, on the other hand, is entirely fictional. As it is presented in the episode, the area is secluded, cut off from the rest of the area by canyons and dotted with abandoned gold and silver mines. There aren't an awful lot of visitors there, first of all because it is fictional, and second of all because of the large number of grizzlies and thus grizzly attacks in the area. The area is located at cooridinates "35 -111", as per the coordinates left in his journal by John Winchester for his sons, which they found in the pilot episode.

Palo Alto

Palo Alto is an actual town in the San Francisco Bay Area of California. It is the home of Stanford University, where Sam had been attending school until his family screwed it up. It is named after a local species of redwood tree called "El Palo Alto", which means "the tall trees" in Spanish. Wow. Those Spaniards sure have a way with words.

"Down South Jukin'" by Lynyrd Skynyrd.

"Fly By Night" by Rush

"Out of My Hands" by The Dave Mathews Band.