Skin
The Main Legend
This episode is centred around legends of shape shifters in general, and doppelgängyr
in particular.
Unfortunately, the episode is very confused to say the least. The monster is
almost certainly some manner of doppelganger, but of a rather sci-fi variety:
"This thing was born human but was different. Hideous and hated. Until he learned to become someone else."
Further, even the general shapeshifter law is wrong:
"SAM: Let me ask you this—in all this shapeshifter lore, can any of them fly?
DEAN: Not that I know of."
Wrong - many shape shifters can turn themselves
into birds, in Celtic Mythology, Llew for example could turn into an eagle. And
if we include those who can change with the use of feather cloaks, we come across
even more bird-changers.
DEAN: "You know, I just had a sick thought. When the shapeshifter changes shape—maybe it sheds."
Not so wrong per se - because he's only talking about this particular shapeshifter,
but I've never heard tale of this aspect before.
"DEAN: no matter what kind of shapeshifter it is, there’s one sure way to kill it.
SAM: Silver bullet to the heart."
Wrong - silver bullets are only really deadly to European or USA folkloric
creatures. A Japanese obake-kitsune (transforming fox spirit) would be quite likely to (if not ignore it) at
least survive it.
So as we can see, a lot of misstated folklore here I'm afraid. Fundementally, a doppelgangyr (choose your own spelling ;>)
usually is only one persons' double, not the double of many people. All in all I'm tempted
to suggest that the creature in this episode is not really a doppelgangr at all, but there have
been a few media examples of doppelgaengr as shape-shifters (e.g. in dungeons
and dragons.) So we'll just have to just conclude that Skin contains a very "Supernatural"
supernatural creature.
Other Minor Legends
A Thoughtform - Possibly the one redeeming folklore reference to this
episode is the thoughtform, and even that is thrown in like the camera. A thoughtform is
an energy shape which has been created through long meditation to focus will on it. For
example, if I think long enough of a dog, and with enough clarity, eventually a kind
of spirit dog will be created. However, the big problem with thought forms, is that
once they gain enough independence from your thoughts not to need you to focus on them
all the time, they gain a degree of independence, and at that time they start being a
possible threat - they chose for themselves what to do. This must have been what the brothers' father was fighting, although it
seems strange that it could shapeshift. - Perhaps it was an emotional kind of thoughtform
rather than a thoughtful one.
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something to add? Did I get it wrong?
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Page created: 19/11/07.
Last page edit: 19/11/07.
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