- "Purgatory is a maze of temptation. If you are offered food or drink, you must not accept it. The reality you're presented with will seem entirely true, and every part of you will want to embrace it, but if you do, you will be trapped there for eternity."
- —Henry Parish to Ichabod Crane and Abbie Mills[src]
Purgatory, also called The World Between Worlds, is a spiritual realm that traps lost and tortured souls. Purgatory seems to act as a prison with Moloch as its warden. Souls that are "trapped in the middle" end up there as they await to go to Heaven or Hell. Although Purgatory is another dimension, it has been demonstrated to utilize contact with the mortal world via dreams or reflections.[1]
In order for a mortal to enter Purgatory, they have to be in a spiritual area. An incantation has to be spoken and a portal that resembles shattered glass in an open space will open. Temptation is one of Purgatory's many tests, used to distract mortals and keep them in an infinite oblivion. A mortal is capable of overcoming these illusions, thus entering Purgatory. The only way one soul can leave Purgatory is if another takes its place.[2] There is a loophole for this rule; the Gehenna Key, but it can only be demonstrated once since the key will be destroyed when it is used.[1] Despite this, it would seem that, with Moloch's death, Purgatory experienced an earthquake, allowing many souls to escape, including the angel Orion and the warlock Solomon Kent.
Description[]
Purgatory has taken on different appearances through visions. In Crane's dream, it was daytime and in the middle of a forest.[3] Presumably, this was to foreshadow where the gateway of Purgatory is located rather than it being a vision of Purgatory itself. In another, it resembled a dark, stormy forest.[4] The third time, Purgatory looked exactly how it did when Abbie and Crane finally entered; a vast forest that lacks sunlight and is full of wandering souls.
Lists[]
Locations[]
- Moloch's Lair: Moloch's Lair is a dark cave lit by torchlight and has a magic mirror shaped like an Inverted Pentagram used to communicate with others on Earth.
- St. Henry's Parish: Katrina claimed to visit this church once almost everyday to pray for her husband's soul.
- Dollhouse: When Abbie fled from Moloch in Purgatory, she fell into a dollhouse that looked like one she and Jenny found when they were younger. Inside the dollhouse were Abbie and Jenny's memories. The memories resembled Abbie and Jenny in their teenage years.
Inhabitants[]
- Moloch (formerly; ruled as warden until his death)
- The Golem (formerly)
- Orion (formerly, escaped after the death of Moloch)
- Solomon Kent (formerly, escaped after the death of Moloch)
- Katrina Crane (formerly, trapped in this world for over two centuries by the Four Who Speak As One, until her eventual rescue in 2013)
- Abbie Mills (temporary victim)
- Abbie and Jenny's lost memory (formerly)
- Andy Brooks
- Various monsters, demons, and tortured spirits (formerly, escaped after the death of Moloch and have yet to be identified)
Visitors[]
Trivia[]
Production Notes[]
- Purgatory is also described as a "maze of temptation."[2]
- A mortal must not accept food or drinks in Purgatory, or else they will be trapped forever.[2]
- Creatures in Purgatory, possibly demons, posses the ability to shapeshift into other people.[1]
- Souls, regardless of already being dead, can be killed again. It is unknown if they simply cease to exist all together, or respawn after a certain period of time.[1]
- When exiting Purgatory, the body is wildly tossed out.
- Witches possess power to trap one's soul in Purgatory.[5]
- Angels are also able to be trapped here.
- One of the entrances into purgatory is located in Peabody Woods.[2]
Cultural References[]
- In Roman Catholic bibles, Purgatory is a place of suffering, inhabited by souls of sinners who are expiating their sins before going to heaven.
Appearances[]
| Season One | |||||||||||||||||||
| "Pilot" | "Blood Moon" | "For the Triumph of Evil..." | "The Lesser Key of Solomon" | "John Doe" | |||||||||||||||
| "The Sin Eater" | "The Midnight Ride" | "Necromancer" | "Sanctuary" | "The Golem" | |||||||||||||||
| "The Vessel" | "The Indispensable Man" | "Bad Blood" | |||||||||||||||||
| Season Two | |||||||||||||||||||
| "This Is War" | "The Kindred" | "Root of All Evil" | "Go Where I Send Thee..." | "The Weeping Lady" | |||||||||||||||
| "And the Abyss Gazes Back" | "Deliverance" | "Heartless" | "Mama" | "Magnum Opus" | |||||||||||||||
| "The Akeda" | "Paradise Lost" | "Pittura Infamante" | "Kali Yuga" | "Spellcaster" | |||||||||||||||
| "What Lies Beneath" | "Awakening" | "Tempus Fugit" | |||||||||||||||||