Why An Exorcist?
Why an Exorcist? What an interesting question. Let’s break it down into a few categories.
What Makes an Exorcist an Exorcist?
To answer that simply, it’s someone who is chosen by God to cast out demons. Most famously would be the kind you find in the movies, but Exorcists actually exist and have been around since before even Jesus was born. But let’s set a few examples. The apostles of Christ are known for banishing demons from the seemingly innocent, such as Paul, who notably banished demons in Asia. Another simple one is Jesus himself, who famously cast out a legion of demons into wild pigs. And in modern times, the Late Gabriele Amorth was the pope’s chief exorcist. He was known for mocking the devil: “ coocooo.”
. What makes an Exorcist stand apart from everyone else? Is it the simple faith in our Lord God? Is it those who just fill a job title in the Catholic Church? Or is it someone who simply declares his will to overcome a demon by the grace of God? To put it simply, what I would define as an exorcist is anyone with the amount of faith in God that can move mountains. But we are all short of that. God’s servants have such faith in him that the simple Faith and trust in YHWH, or, as you might know him, Jesus, or simply God. They speak his name, and demons shudder, as it says in the bible. That is the simplest form of an Exorcist.
Why I Chose an Exorcist over a traditional Hero.
The reason I chose to write a story about an exorcist. Particularly this one. Is partially from an old story idea from when I was a teenager. I made lots of story ideas back then. Ultimately, the first reason I stuck to the story of Death By Exorcist is simply that I love the name that much. I even came up with a theme song. But the choice to write this story the way I wrote it was to express not only my faith and interest in Celtic mythology. but also a dedication to God. Like every person of faith, God means a great deal to me. He comforts me and helps me grow. He inspires my actions. Even though I would normally say I’m a good person by his standards it much to aim for.
The Flaws of a traditional hero are pretty easy to understand. Most are great heroes, newcomers looking to prove themselves, and there are even those who don’t want to be involved and are just trying to survive. But let’s give a better example: if we’re thinking fairies, goblins, and demons, why not look at Link from The Legend of Zelda? He’s a blank slate straight forward goels save the princess, banish evil, the end. Oh, and chasing chickens while the princess is trapped by the Villain. Link being the pure spirit going up against the villain sounds similar to the task of young Jacob Kane in my story, but Jacob isn’t a blank slate hes’s full of emotions, doubts, anger, and bad memories. He’s a flawed hero, as are all who serve the greater good. Think about it: besides Jesus, name one hero of the bible who isn't severely flawed. Noah was a drunkard. Moses was a murderer, and King David was an adulterer and a murderer. They all fall short. Now you might say there are plenty of heroes who are flawed. And yes, you’d be right, but not the one in our minds, the one we imagine ourselves to be. If you want a flawed hero, see Jacob Kane, and just like Moses, he is held up to a higher purpose despite his flaws; that’s a biblical hero.
But why specifically an exorcist? Why not a crusader or paladin? Someone more warrior-like. Well, I kinda cheated at this because I created a warrior priest in two forms. You’d think I’d do the traditional path of a priest with a bible and cross, spraying holy water on a possessed girl. But no, I took it in two ways. First off, instead of just a Bible, I gave My Exorcist, Jacob Kane, A Sword and a binding chain. Because he doesn’t come across just Demons; he fights monsters as well, such as Goblins (yes, there’s a lot of goblins in my stories) and trolls. So yes hes’s your classic monster hunter like the Witcher or the Winchesters from Supernatural. But all the fantasy rules go out the window when it comes to the Demons. If you're fighting a fallen angel, A Sword is of little use; there’s only one way to banish a demon, because unlike the monsters and even us, they can’t be killed because they are immortal spirits. But what brings it together even Exorcists in real life failed to understand: it’s through Faith alone Christ alone, the Father Alone that can cast out a demon. So instead of the movie versions or the modern versions, I go way back to the Apostle Paul. In the name of God, I cast you out.” This is why I chose an exorcist: I wanted a high moral character versed in Scripture by the book instead of the fake stuff you see on TV. I also just thought it would be cool when I was a teenager to create a monster hunter/exorcist. With a Sword and whip, now a chain. But you rarely see a by-the-book exorcist except in the Bible. I read the King James if you want a recommendation on an edition. The best is to read the original Greek and Hebrew, and some Aramaic.
Inspirations: folklore and scripture
Now, what would be the best way to describe what inspired the world my exorcist lives in? Particularly this area. Well, mostly I wanted to mix the dark forest/ fairy forest themes from Irish mythology. So I created a little town full of people and Fae, though the pixie eating the crust off a pie in the window is rarely noticed by passersby, as is the way of fairies. Though the brunt of the danger is the surrounding forest. There lie creatures worse than pixies. Such as ogres and trolls and a coven of a sort of other creatures that you’ll have to read my book to find more about them. Though in this story it’s not just about Fae; it’s about a demon. A very nasty one at that. What better fighting ground for an exorcist than a dark forest, a corrupted church, and a town full of Fae. Fae basically means fairy folk.
The inspiration for the exorcist I’ve already explained, but where did I get my ideas for my Fae folk? Well, from here and there, such as works by authors like JRR. Tolkien, some Holly Black, and a few other pieces from here and there, like a book called The Falconer by Elizabeth May, which has been in the back of my head for a decade, inspiring the action elements. Highly recommend.
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Want to read the story that inspired this blog? I have begun separating the stories from the collection In A Dark Light into threre three distinct stories, starting with Death By Exorcist. You can find it on Amazon
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