COMPARATIVE DEMONOLOGY

[vandergraafk]

Is the Source truly the Source of All Evil, as described via exposition in Charmed? Seldom do we see the Source ever use any demonic powers unique to himself. He probably borrows Tempus's powers to reverse time. Whatever else he has is rarely revealed. In Brain Drain, we know that the Source has the ability to psychologically alter reality for Piper and imbue this alternate reality with concrete structures as evidence of its existence. But was there more? More important: just how powerful was the Source when compared with other demons such as Kurzon, Zankou, Raymer, or the TRIAD?

First, I don't know whether we can say the Source was more powerful than Zankou. All we know is that during the battle that brought the Source to power, he was able to defeat his enemies and cause others to hide (Kurzon?) or to be imprisoned (Zankou). Before Zankou was released by a desperate band of demons fearful of the coming threat (the Avatars), some demons voiced dissent. They feared releasing such a powerful demon. A demon more powerful than the Source? How would we know. All we do know is that upon release, Zankou stole a shapeshifter's power. Later, he stole other powers apparently. Was he more powerful now than the Source? Who knows? We never ever fully the learn the extent of the Source's power nor those of Zankou so how could we even begin to compare? Suffice it to say that since the Source is not the Source of All Evil (Powers), he was not necessarily the most powerful demon. Thus, we must compare their powers, but we have no way to do this!

Second, it is of course true that the Source could not be vanquished by a power of three spell. However, the Source does not necessarily know this. Perhaps he could assume that if the sisters could vanquish him, they would have done so at any particular point. The fact that he hadn't yet been vanquished proves nothing to the Source. On the one hand, it took the sisters a long time to pinpoint the Source as the source of many of the demonic attacks against the Charmed Ones: two and one-half seasons. On the other hand, the death of Prue and her replacement with a novice witch might have weakened the power of three enough that this reconstituted power - for the moment - did not have enough magic to vanquish the Source.

Of course, the Source still HAD to vanquish the Charmed Ones. As Cole indicated, by not vanquishing the Charmed Ones, the Source was giving an opportunity to demonic rivals. These putative replacements of the Source could claim that the Source really wasn't a very powerful Source since he apparently couldn't handle three witches. Either the Source underestimated the threat posed by the Charmed Ones and sent woefully unprepared warlocks and demons to attack the Charmed Ones. Or, the Source overestimated the demonic Underworld's ability to deal with the Charmed Ones. At some point, Cole warned, the Source had to deal with the threat himself.

Putting Shax, his personal assasin, on the task showed the Source's full commitment of resources to vanquish the Charmed Ones. His partial success, that is, vanquishing one of the Charmed Ones, redeemed his strategy in part. His failure to eliminate Paige and to prevent reconstitution of the Charmed Ones meant that even greater personal involvement was required, especially as Shax had been vanquished by the new Power of Three.

Ultimately, we never do discover whether Phoebe and Cole truly nailed the Source vanquishing spell. When the Source is vanquished in Charmed and Dangerous, he has already been stripped of his powers by the Hollow. Except perhaps for his demonic aura, he is utterly defenseless. True, the Seer probably orchestrated the appearance of invincibility in order to convince the Charmed Ones that they really had vanquished the Source. But, the Seer did not truly wish for the Source to be vanquished. She needed at least his aura, essence or the uncorrupted part of his being to carry forth in the body of Cole.

[vandergraafk]

Still, we should try to enumerate the Source's powers. Here's a partial list. Notice that many of these powers were evidenced after Cole was possessed by the Source. Feel free to add to the list.

1) Create a psychological alternative universe (Brain Drain)
2) Imbue others with powers by the wave of his hand (Sam I Am)
3) Launch energy balls
4) Summon demons at will (Charmed and Dangerous)
5) Locate minions by sensing their aura (Charmed Again, Part 2)
6) Access the Hollow without a summoning spell
7) Extract powers from the Hollow (Charmed and Dangerous)
8) Access other demonic powers (Tempus in All Hell Breaks Loose)
9) Flame (not shimmer)

[Reality Bites]

"Ultimately, we never do discover whether Phoebe and Cole truly nailed the Source vanquishing spell."

Don't we? The same spell used to vanquish the Source in Charmed and Dangerous was successful on the Source possessed Cole in Long Live the Queen. Also in Witch Way Now? Cole's spirit claimed that Phoebe and her sisters were successful, the Source was dead, devoured by the Beast of the Wasteland along with the powers he possessed. Isn't that proof the Charmed Ones, with the power of a power of three spell, were very capable of vanquishing the Source of All Evil?

The only time the spell was unsuccessful was on an invincible Barbas, who did possess a plethora of demonic powers from vanquished warlocks and demons alike which were collected by Cole. The only reason it may have failed then, could be because Cole collected enough varied demonic species powers to actually over power the power of three.

[vandergraafk]

Except that we know the spell cast in Charmed and Dangerous has no effect. The Seer has already stacked the deck against the Charmed Ones. She has orchestrated a ruse whereby it appears that the Source is vanquished. However, in Long Live the Queen you are correct in noting that the power of 3 spell plus the Warren line of witches, the Source vanquishing spell announced by Phoebe and Cole in Charmed and Dangerous, does succeed in vanquishing the Source cum Cole. It is always important to see these issues in a comparative context.

[vandergraafk]

Ljones pointed out in the Charmed Cafe that the notion of the Source as the source of all evil is certainly a vapid notion, one that should be banished from discussion. She noted, "I guess I have always found the idea of a demon being the source of all evil to be a little unbelievable . . . even for a fantasy story."

The issue is important, though, in several other respects. First, if the Source had been the source of all evil, then why does evil persist after he is vanquished? Second, as another contributor wondered, were there any upper level demons left when the TRIAD were finally disposed of in the Ultimate Battle?

As regards the first of these questions, vandergraafk speculated as follows:

"Suppose it is correct, as Piper surmised in Something Wiccan, that your side "evil" prefer disorder and chaos, as opposed to a structured hierarchy. Then, the Source - and the demonic throne he occupied - represent an effort by those loyal to him to impose an order amid this chaos. Of course, we know that his authority was never complete. The vampires were not included. Indeed, they were told to stay away. The TRIAD apparently were not loyal to the Source and merely represented an unconquerable, unvanquishable power group within the underworld, a group who had their own agenda that predated even the Source's attempt to wipe out the Charmed Ones. The TRIAD were not a rival to the Source. They simply chose not to interfere with him.

As a result, it is hubris to assert that he was the Source of All Evil. A vanquish of the Source would then have eliminated all evil. Rather, I take this to mean simply a title or an office from which emanated great power. Lesser demons traced their authority to this source and not, say, to the TRIAD.

The problem, it seems to me, stems from Apocalypse Not. Leo indicates that his bosses talk to their bosses and the problem, the missing Prue and War, needed to be resolved. The Source may have been responsible for the apocalyptos. He was not, however, responsible for solving the problem posed by Prue and War. There probably was a greater demonic council that suggested that the Source put a cork on this attempt at apocalypse."

With respect to the latter, vandergraafk noted:

"Well, no, I don't think we can assume that. After all, Barbas was certainly not vanquished. Worse: resurrecting the TRIAD made the whole demonic Underworld even more chaotic than before. If the Source were the source of all evil, why should the TRIAD be the ultimate threat? Unless we understand ultimate in its original sense as the "final" battle, then we become thoroughly confused.

And who knows what other demons were imprisoned still in the Source's dungeon. I assume that this place was carefully protected so that not even the Avatars could sense who was there and might still pose a threat. After all, they could only out demons they knew about!"

In response to whitelightertony's speculative thoughts that perhaps chaos in the underworld indicated that "the writers were probably hinting that the older demons simply no longer had an ironclad lock on the power hierarchy of Evil." In light of this comment, vandergraafk added briefly that "That's quite possible. There was no successor to the Source, i.e., the Seer. And, it may not have been in the interest of the TRIAD to encourage an aspirant to the demonic throne. Perhaps they hoped to thwart lesser demons from ascending to the throne and as such stood in their way. Hence, the complaint of the demon in Kill Billie, Volume 2, who proclaimed the need to push the TRIAD aside."