Warning: Spoilers for the most recent season of the Netflix show The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina will be found in this article. It contains surprise characters, spoils twists, and reveals big plot points. If you have not watched the season in its entirety, know that several plot points will be spoiled below.
The show The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina has done a fantastic job during its first two seasons at exploring a new version of the story of a familiar and beloved character that many fans grew up with (either via the original PEP comics, the darker comics on which this show is based, or the popular sitcom version of the story from the 90’s) and tying in historical and mythological elements into its plot with ease. And the shows third season is no different.
In part three of the show, we find a young Sabrina once again torn between her duty to her friends and her destiny. She is forced to assume the throne in order to save Nick from hell, but she finds that ruling hell is no piece of cake. While trying to balance the demands of the mortal world and the world below us, she encounters several figures from classic literature, mythology, and history along the way. Today we will explore just who these people are and what they meant to Sabrina’s journey this season.
10. Pan
When a traveling carnival appears in Greendale, its younger population rejoices. But Sabrina and friends quickly realize that all is not what it seems and that there is something sinister going on. It is later revealed that each member of the carnival’s staff is not only members of a sect of Paganism that seeks to destroy humanity in order to allow the Green Man to assume rule but they are all also figures from Greek mythology in disguise.
The man who leads the carnival is truly Pan- a Greek God who can turn someone mad if they look at him for too long and are taken by his song. Agatha is sadly lost to his power during this season.
9. Circe
Another member of this mystical carnival is revealed to actually be the Greek goddess Circe. Circe has the power to turn anyone into an animal with a simple touch. She is a truly powerful figure and is not one to be trifled with.
When Hilda mentions that she keeps spiders as pets, Circe is horrified and promptly places a curse upon Hilda that will slowly turn her into a spider over the next few weeks. Hilda is not the only person who is bewitched by Circe’s magic. Harvey and his friends decide to trash the carnival to seek revenge for Roz being turned to stone and Harvey’s friends are quickly turned into pigs as punishment.
8. Barrabas
Not all of those who live in hell were ready to accept Sabrina as their queen. She was quickly challenged by a man named Caliban (explored later in this article) and is forced to compete in three trials in order to prove her worthiness of the crown. The second trial involves her having to steal the bowl belonging to Pontius Pilate but in doing so, she ends up placed under arrest and finds herself in a cell beside a man known as Barrabas.
Barrabas is a historical/biblical who was arrested by Pontius Pilate along with Jesus Christ. Pontius asks his people which of the two should be pardoned and they demand that Barrabas be pardoned and Jesus be kept under custody.
7. Hecate
In The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, the witches thank the devil for their powers and worship at the Church of Night. They believe that Satan has blessed them and they are eternally in his debt. Much of the earlier seasons of the show involve their debt to the Dark Lord.
However, once it was revealed that Satan truly did not have the witches’ best interest in mind, the witches start to distance themselves from him over the course of the third season. He punishes them for their “betrayal” by taking away their powers and Zelda ends up losing her life in a scuffle with the real Wardwell. While in the place between life and death, Zelda encounters her lost brother and realizes that they had been praying to the wrong person. Once awoken and saved, she prays to Hecate (who does not appear on screen but her powers can be seen) in order to restore her powers and pledges her eternal devotion to this figure.
Hecate is the Greek Goddess of witchcraft and magic. By the end of the season, the witches have severed ties with the devil and are devoted to Hecate, which one might argue is a better plan.
6. Pontius Pilate
During the second trial that Sabrina must undergo to prove herself worthy of being queen of hell, she travels to Jerusalem in order to steal the bowl belonging to Pontius Pilate. She is arrested but is able to trick her way out of trouble and escapes with the bowl in hand.
Pontius Pilate was known as the fifth governor of the area known as Judea which was under Roman rule. He is known as the man who demanded that Jesus be crucified.
5. The Gorgon
Via berrynerdy on Deviant Art
The Pagan carnival is filled with greek gods, goddesses, and figures in disguise. Many of them use their powers to enhance their carnival positions and performances. The snake charmer, for example, is actually a gorgon. Tensions brew between the witches and the pagans when a snake that bite Dorcas was slain after the attack.
In Greek mythology, Gorgons are typically depicted as women with snakes for hair. The most well-known gorgon is Medusa, who turned those who sought to destroy her into stone before this power was eventually turned back on her.
4. Robin Goodfellow
Those who know their Shakespeare were able to detect the subtle foreshadowing scattered throughout the season early on. It was quickly revealed that the quiet new students’ name was Robin Goodfellow and those who are familiar with Shakespeare’s work will know this character as the figure of “Puck.”
Puck is a trickster of sorts who plays with the humans in the play A Midsummers Night Dream.
3. Caliban
Caliban is the man who challenged Sabrina’s rightful claim to the throne. He is a confusing figure throughout the season as fans had a hard time predicting whether he was on Sabrina’s team, a possible new love interest, or was the new antagonist.
However, those who knew of the character from The Tempestunderstood his motivations right away. In this play, Caliban is considered one of the more evil characters and is known for wanting to eliminate the ruler and hurting his daughter. Since the ruler and daughter are both Sabrina, many people who were familiar with the play saw his betrayal coming.
2. Vlad The Impaler
In the final trial to become Queen of hell, Sabrina meets Vlad the Impaler in his tomb and is bitten by him (as he is a vampire) but he quickly stops due to her having celestial blood. She then lectures him on the importance of consent and takes Judas’s coins for herself.
Vlad the Impaler is a famous figure from history who is often associated as the inspiration behind Dracula and is known for his brutal techniques in battle.
1. Judas
In a fun twist of events, Sabrina is betrayed not by Judas himself but by someone wearing his face. Those familiar with the story of Christ will know that Judas is the man who betrayed him.
This is known as one of the most famous acts of betrayal in history. And, within the context of the show, is just another moment where Sabrina is likened to Christ. We are excited to see where this narrative leads in future seasons.
