Hellmouth (Buffyverse)
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- For Hellmouth of medieval theatre, see Hellmouth
In the fictional universe established by Buffy and Angel, the Buffyverse, a Hellmouth is an area of massive supernatural activity.
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[edit] Definition
Hellmouths are places of increased supernatural energy. According to the mythology of the "Buffyverse", this is the area in which the barriers between dimensions are weak. The Hellmouth has a focal point which serves as a portal between earth and at least one hell dimension. For these reasons, the Hellmouth attracts demons and other supernatural creatures, becoming a "hot spot" for supernatural activity.
The energies emitted by the Hellmouth can have strange effects. Sunnydale High, positioned over the focal point, bore most of this supernatural phenomena. Buffy described the effects of the seal as, "in this school, over the hellmouth. ..Where the way a thing feels — it kind of starts being that way... for real". For example, a shy girl who feels invisible, becomes invisible and is taken away to a school for other invisible children. A boy suffering from stress literally explodes. The ghosts of dead high-school lovers haunt the school. In season 7, when the Hellmouth becomes more active than at any other time in the series, competitiveness between social cliques escalates into full-blown war. Inexplicable feats of science become possible. People (mostly teachers and students) become drawn to do evil things.
Buffy and Willow describe the seal as a "bidet of evil", expressing incredible evil energy into its surroundings. Standing directly atop the seal of the Hellmouth can cause someone's eyes to turn white as they are compelled to kill. There is evidence the seal can transform people into Harbingers of Death, at least during the period when its power was being tapped by the First Evil.
Where exactly the Sunnydale Hellmouth leads is a bit unknown. In both "Prophecy Girl" and "The Zeppo" a strange, tentacled demon seems to be immediately inside it, though in "Chosen" it seems to lead to a hell dimension filled with Turok-Han. It is possible that it could lead to different dimensions, based on how it is activated, or that the First arranged for the Turok-Han to replace the other demon because of its plans.
[edit] Opening the Sunnydale Hellmouth
The Sunnydale Hellmouth lies underneath the library of Sunnydale High school. The Seal of Danzalthar is the gateway, under the library in the old school and below the principal's office in the new school.
There have been many attempts by apocalyptic individuals/groups to open or utilise the Sunnydale Hellmouth, such as in the episodes "The Harvest", "The Zeppo" and "Doomed".
[edit] The Seal of Danzalthar
The Seal of Danzalthar is a fictional device resembling a demonic symbol, featuring an inverted pentagram and a goat's head.
The Seal is seen in Season 7 of the series, in the episode Conversations With Dead People. It is located over the Hellmouth in the basement of the rebuilt Sunnydale High School. Andrew Wells is seduced by The First Evil in the form of Andrew's dead friend Warren Mears into opening the Seal. The Seal can only be opened by a blood sacrifice, so Andrew brutally murders his friend Jonathan Levinson who, because he is anemic, doesn't have enough blood to open the Seal. Jonathan's body and the Seal are found by Principal Robin Wood and buried.
The First Evil sends its minions, The Bringers, to capture Spike. They bind him over the Seal and bleed him. The Seal opens sufficiently to allow one Turok-Han (a.k.a. "Ubervamp") to slip through. The first Turok-Han is killed shortly thereafter by Buffy.
Lissa, a minor demon, tries to open the Seal using the blood of Xander Harris but is unsuccessful.
In the episode Storyteller, the Seal is wreaking havoc on the Sunnydale student body, inspiring fighting, spontaneous combustion and students turning invisible. Five students perform a ritual over the Seal which causes it to emit white light. The students are transformed into Bringers. Buffy, stating that Andrew may be able to communicate with the Seal, takes him to it. Actually, Buffy and Willow have deduced that while blood opens the Seal, tears of remorse close it. Buffy forces Andrew to face up to his actions in murdering Jonathan and his tears fall upon the Seal, closing it and temporarily stopping its deliterious effects.
In the series finale, Chosen, Buffy, Faith and several Potential Slayers cut their hands and bleed on the Seal, opening it. They enter the Hellmouth itself and engage the forces of The First Evil on its own ground. After a pitched battle, an amulet worn by Spike begins to glow. A beam of sunlight shines down into the Hellmouth, focused and amplified by the amulet. The forces of The First Evil are destroyed, the Seal and the Hellmouth are collapsed and the entire town of Sunnydale is consumed in the destruction.
[edit] Hellmouth in Cleveland?
There is one confirmed Hellmouth in Buffyverse canon, located in Sunnydale, CA and possibly a second one in Cleveland, OH.
The location of another Hellmouth is first suggested in the episode "The Wish". In an alternative timeline, Giles mentions that "there is a lot of demonic activity in Cleveland", where Buffy is located due to the effects of Cordelia's wish.
After the final battle in "Chosen", and the characters express relief that their struggle is finally over, Giles humorously adds that "there's another one in Cleveland".
In the non-canon novel Queen of the Slayers, which takes place after "Chosen", Faith and Robin go to Cleveland to control the supernatural activity there.
[edit] Buffy-inspired Hellmouth-like concepts in other productions
- This concept of a "hellmouth" is being furthered by other writers, and was recently used to refer to an ancient artifact, in the SCIFI TV movie Phantom Force.
- In a 2006 two-parter of Doctor Who, "The Impossible Planet" and "The Satan Pit", within a planet there is a seal resembling the Hellmouth which contains a demon who claims to be Satan, referred to as The Beast.
- In Charmed, the Spiritual Nexus is used in a similar way to The Hellmouth. It is a place of great power, coveted by good and evil and wherever it is becomes a battleground between the two sides. Much like Buffy's Hellmouth being beneath the school, Charmed's Nexus is beneath Halliwell Manor.
- In the 2006 Doctor Who spin-off Torchwood, a spacetime Rift (which originated in its parent show) in Cardiff is used to explain the occurrence of a multitude of aliens and associated technology from different times and places.
