![]() The Vacumama is a terrifying South American water creature that reportedly inhabits the mouth of the Amazon River and can engulf humans whole. Apep, a demon of the underworld and one of the most feared entities from ancient Egypt to present, could take the form of a monstrous snake if desired. The Native American Seminole tribe spoke of an ancient supernatural creature called Stikini that resembled tribes-people by day, but by night become terrifying undead owl-monsters that devour human hearts. A hideous Hindu entity of ancient origins, the Rakshasa, utilized supernatural abilities to help with their bloodlust of devouring humans. In Japan, the Yokai are a diverse type of beings/entities that can take many forms from a monster to even inanimate objects, bringing encounters that range from fatal malevolence to inspiring and rewarding. Here is a small sampling from around the world of the endless number of supernatural beliefs: In the Mesopotamian region, two ancient demons have been feared throughout history, Lamashtu and Pazuzu (the latter, best know from The Exorcist movie), both bringing unimaginable horrors if encountered. Real-life experiences and belief in the supernatural today extends much farther than one could possibly imagine and has been documented throughout human history in every culture in the world, including the oldest known documented culture Australian Aboriginal. In Supernatural, beings, monsters and entities of all manner, as well as witchcraft and magic, are among the many types of phenomena that Sam and Dean encounter on a regular basis. ![]() But these overwhelming global beliefs in supernatural phenomena and beings did not happen overnight and as it turns out are as intrinsic to humankind as life is itself. It is this deep-rooted fascination with the supernatural that has additionally helped captivate viewers of Supernatural. While these statistics are mostly from American polls and surveys, the belief in the supernatural is even greater in other countries around the world. When it comes to paranormal in itself, 75% of adults agreed that there are supernatural beings existing among us. A whopping 84% believe that you can contact the dead! About 32% of Americans believed that ghosts could hurt you, while 43% said ghosts are harmless. In a 2012 study, we found out that about half of the American population believes in ghosts. ![]() While it is thought that many do not give credence to the ghosts, demons, monsters, and other supernatural beings battled in the series, the real-life facts relating to these phenomena and belief in them say otherwise, which makes the subject matter of supernatural also a compelling draw. But we must also consider the compelling and ever-growing draw of the supernatural world itself. Creatively, some of the reasons Supernatural has done so well include the development of its main characters, its method of storytelling, establishing of relatable mythologies and its extreme fandom that are tremendously loyal to the series so much so that they were given a nod in one of the episodes. They battle everything from vampires to vengeful ghosts, and phenomena like witchcraft and black magic curses. The fictional series follows Sam ( Jared Padalecki) and Dean Winchester ( Jensen Ackles), two brothers that spend the entire series as “hunters,” seeking out supernatural beings and phenomena that are causing chaos throughout the U.S. The reason that Supernatural has become so successful may be equally due to the captivating characters and compelling story as well as the ever-growing fascination with real supernatural phenomena. Now with an extraordinary cult-fan following that rivals the most popular movies and TV series, complete with extensive merchandising, convention events and even board games Supernatural is entering its 14 th season with no end yet in sight. When Supernatural first aired in 2005, no one, including the producers themselves, could have predicted that the dark horror fantasy would end up becoming the longest running ‘supernatural genre’ TV series in history.
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