Dean's necklace

[Velvet Sky]

Okay, I'm currently writing a Supernatural fanfic... actually the starting episode for a whole take off series, a 'web series'. And I was thinking about Dean's necklace. I watched Skin the other night and noticed he took it back with some meaning from the shifter.

I haven't noticed any specific meaning that's been given to the necklace, but Dean always is wearing it, and in Skin the way they focused on his taking it off the shifter, and holding in, spinning it into his hand. It seems that there must be some important meaning to that necklace. It's gotta mean something to him. But what is what I wonder. I don't even have a theory. So I wondered if anyone else did?

[prydain]

I read somewhere that it was a turtle...and is a Native American symbol. I guess you could do research on what the turtle means in Native American culture? And when you find it, post it here? :p

I hope that helps.

[kierens25]

I heard it was a scarab. It kinda looks like one and in Ancient Egypt scarabs were used at protection amulets. That's why a lot of mummies were burried with them.

[darkangl2025]

I've been wondering what it is. Anyone know for sure what it is? Or is it all speculation at this point?

[historylover]

According to a behind-the-scenes interview, Jensen admitted that it's an Egyptian scarab. Supposed to be used for protection, the same reason that some people wear crosses.

I want to find a necklace like that.

Kat

[prydain]

Egyptian? Bleh.

[Kathryn Merteuil]

Was reading some info on super-wiki which is dedicated to Supernatural and read the following

In a behind-the-scenes Supernatural special, Jensen Ackles (Dean) calls the amulet his character is wearing an "Egyptian safety symbol".


Speculation

Photograph of a replica of the amulet taken by a fan.It's a male head with horns, and they appear to be bull-horns (pointing upwards), not ram-horns (pointing down).
It's certainly not Egyptian, or at least it's not typically Egyptian, judging by its stylistic elements.

Bull gods or gods with horns in a variety of cultures and religions include:

Hathor, of the Egyptians, the cow god; but it's a female God (nonetheless with horns, both male and female cattle have horns naturally.) Also, I've never seen her depicted with a human face while I researched. It makes not much sense - Egyptian chimeras never have a human face + horns.
The Egyptian Apis Bull looks completely different, and as with Hathor, the problem is that Egyptian gods are usually depicted with a human body and animal heads - while Dean's "Egyptian Symbol" shows a human face with bull's attributes.
The Minotaurus seemed a logical connection, of course, but the Minotaurus Myth is Greek and is geographically totally off the charts.

The most likely candidate seems to be:




Mesopotamian Bull-man
According to Mesopotamian mythology,


The Bull-man is a demon. He is a man above the waist and a bull below the waist. He also has the horns and the ears of a bull.


The Bull-man helps people fight evil and chaos. He holds the gates of dawn open for the sun god Shamash and supports the sun disc. He is often shown on cylinder seals. (source)


Further info:

Mesopotamian Gods, Goddesses, Demons and Monsters
Mesopotamian Mythology at Wikipedia
Bull-man at Wikipedia



Another possibility, that slots into the Zoroastrianism present in Supernatural, could be:




[edit]Mithras - Zoroastrian
Mithras was a Zoroastrian god - he is often shown slaying a sacred bull. Mitra or Mitras, is another spelling.


Mithra is not present in the Gathas of Zarathustra (Zoroaster) but appears in the younger Yashts of the Avesta (Campbell p 257). There, Mithra comes to the fore among the created beings. "I created him" Ahura Mazda declares to Zoroaster, "to be as worthy of sacrifice and as worthy of prayer as myself" (Campbell, loc. cit.). In the Yashts, Mithra gains the title of "Judge of Souls" and is assigned the domain of human welfare (which He shares with the Creator). Mithra occupies an intermediate position in the Zoroastrian hierarchy as the greatest of the yazatas, the beings created by Ahura Mazda (Ormuzd in later Persian) to aid in the destruction of evil and the administration of the world. He is then the divine representative of the Creator on earth, and is directed to protect the righteous from the demonic forces of Angra Mainyu (Ahriman in later Persian). (WIKI)


In the Roman Empire the Mithras-Cult was a cult very popular among soldiers.





Plate from The Hero with a Thousand Faces[edit]Possible connection to Joseph Campbell's Hero's Journey
This plate appears in Joseph Campbell's The Hero with a Thousand Faces, which documents his Hero's Journey. This theory has been acknowledged by Eric Kripke and other creators of Supernatural as being highly influential to the narrative arc of the show.

The note for the plate reads: The Monster Tamer (Sumer) Shell inlay (perhaps ornamenting a harp) from royal tomb at Ur, ca. 3200 B.C. The central figure is probably Gilgamesh. (Courtesy of The University Museum, Philadelphia).

It is the first plate in the 1993 edition printed by Fontana Press in Great Britain. It appears after p.168.

The concepts of heroism and the heroic figure, such as this image, can be found in Sumerian culture in forms not seen in earlier incarnations. This is due to the ways the concept of 'good versus evil' was changing. This change resulted, as detailed in the excerpt below, with the rise of Zoroastrian dualism as a method of thought.

Persian mythology is rooted in the common Indo-European system that was carried out of the Aral-Caspian steppes into India and Iran, as well as into Europe. The principal divinities of the ealiest sacred writings of the Persians correspond very closely to those of the earliest Indian texts. But the two branches came under greatly differing influences in their new homes, the Vedic tradition submitting gradually to Dravidian Indian forces, the Persian to Sumero-Babylonian.

Early in the first millennium BC, Persian belief was reorganised by the prophet Zarathrustra (Zoroaster) according to a strict dualism of good and evil principles, light and dark, angels and devils. This crisis profoundly affected not only the Persian, but also the subject Hebrew beliefs and thereby (centuries later) Christianity. It represents a radical departure from the more usual mythological interpretation of good and evil effects proceeding from a unique source of being that transcends and reconciles all polarity. (ibid, p.348n)




Here are pics

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v474/Bittenstaked/Supernatural%20Fanstuff/Amulet.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v474/Bittenstaked/Supernatural%20Fanstuff/Amulet03.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v474/Bittenstaked/Supernatural%20Fanstuff/Deanamulet.jpg

[Vilandra]

Look Thai or something to me

[Velvet Sky]

In the 'extra' disc in my DVD, the interview with the some of the creative people and Jared and Jensen, someone asked about the necklace. It appears they have some explaination for like where and why Dean has it, but it's a 'secret' still. *L* I'm hopeing maybe sometime this season they'll reveal something about who gave Dean the pendant and why. I still want to know. *L*

[Kathryn Merteuil]

Yeah I saw that too, maybe it will be revealed this season. I hope so, that necklace/amulet thing has been driving me insane.