Saturday 13 October 2012

The Arsenal against the Forces of Darkness

This is a new post for my Halloween countdown. I recently asked to my francophone readers what arsenal they would have in a horror movie/story, or if they were living in a world with monsters and supernatural, to fight them (and win). I gave it a good thought and I have decided to write my own list, based on years of reading and watching horror stories and my knowledge of folklore. Here it is:

-The usual weapons against vampires: crucifix, holy water (albeit we do not see holy water in the classic written fiction I read), holy wafers, wild roses, garlic (plenty of it, including garlic flowers AND in the diet), stakes (well of course) and so on. A lot of the holy objects might be useful against other creatures than vampires. And human servants, especially servants of vampires obviously, might be repelled by the garlic breath. The weaponry against vampires is really versatile, come to think of it.

-Silver weapons against werewolves. As I have never used firearms I would not have a gun with silver bullets, that could kill innocent people by accident, beside the bullets get lost. So I would get myself a sharp object, like a knife in silver, and a blunt instrument with silver, like that silver headed cane in The Wolf Man. My take on the cane: a knobkerrie-type stick with a pointy silver tip and a silver head.

-PJ thinks one would need a sword sharp enough to decapitate. It is a a good idea, and it can work against many types of monsters. I would probably go for a large knife though, somewhat easier to conceal and to handle than a sword. Easier to find too.

-Salt. It is supposed to be good against witches, against zombies too.

-My own idea: a rowan tree branch and/or product made from rowan tree (a puree from the fruits and leafs?). Rowan trees are supposed to be good protection against witches, among other things.

-A flask of whiskey or other strong alcohol. In moderation, it is good against the nerves. It can also be used as an inflammable substance.

So that's it really. What would be your arsenal?

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

I would have my own apothecary of potions and herbs to cast protection spells and spells that repel and reverse evil.

I would have rowan on my door and on my person for protection against malevolant monsters and spirits.

Great post!

PJ said...

As I mentioned in French: an occult book (or better, an entire library of them). Yeah, it's technically not a weapon, but to defeat those ancient evils, it's the only way to find their weak points or one Achilles' heel. Or the convoluted ritual to cast them back from whence they came.

In modern movies, you can find some of that occult knowledge online sometimes, so an iPad might do. But I prefer the forgotten lore that is only available in rare print.

Guillaume said...

@Pumpkin Cottage-Thanks for commenting and following my blog! Good ideas, but in my case I know not enough about protective spells and I never did magic, so I would need to find something else.
@PJ-Le livre, je crois que ça peut en efet être une arme. Le kindle serait quand même pratique.

The Artful Gypsy aka Wendy the Very Good Witch said...

Hmmm...I know that I could never use a knife as a weapon...the whole thought of cutting someone and dealing with blood just disgusts me. I think I'd go with herbs, potions and a gun!