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Forces of Heaven

Individuals     Tools     Battle Prep     Resources

Forces of Hell

Hell     Mechanisms     Footage     Documents

Individuals

The Harrowers are a term used to describe individuals or groups of people banding together to fight the forces of hell.  Over the centuries there have been many that fought against evil both through prayer and occasionally in a more direct method by engaging in combat. The "original" Harrowing of Hades is a reference to Jesus Christ descending into Hades in the three days between his crucifixion and resurrection to save the willing souls of those that died prior to his reign on earth.  It is explained in the icon below, followed by explanations from the Hellraiser comics/books and finally actual spiritual warriors from the church's history.

Jesus Christ

Between Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection three days later, biblical references and holy tradition (teaching), tells us that he descended into Hades to save the souls that died prior to his arrival on earth. 


Jesus can be seen center labeled with the “Yahweh” around his halo.  He is reaching and grabbing the first man, Adam, by the wrist and pulling him up showing that Jesus is doing the saving.  Adam’s robe appears to be changing color from white to blue, almost like Jesus is bringing the life back into him.  Standing next to Adam is other notable people from the Old Testament including:  Eve (in red), Abel (youth with the shepherd staff), Isaiah and Moses.  On the opposite side is: St. John The Forerunner/Baptist (unkempt hair) along with King David and King Solomon. 


At the foot of the icon is Death and/or Satan which is shown bound by Jesus.  The two wooden rectangles are the gates of Hades which are shown broken and torn apart.  Next to them are keys, broken locks and shattered chains symbolizing that Jesus has entered and conquered both death and Hades.  They lie next to the empty tombs of Adam and Even showing their resurrection.

The Harrowers B.C.

The first mention of Harrowers, were a group that was locked into a tomb above their goddess Morte Mamme.  They didn't actually accomplish much but as the first mention of the term, they are included in the list. 

Their story can be found in:

The Harrowers and the Raiders of the Abyss

The first group of modern Harrowers were the Raiders of the Abyss.  The each has a blessed weapon and a special power that allows them to harm Cenobites.  The team is made up of:

-Vera Wyshak: Former convict masquerading as a priest with a blessed boomerang and "holy" spit that burns

-Ron Ringwood: blessed short sword with spiked hand guard and the ability for rapid healing

-Marty Sevenbirds: blessed sword and the power to shoot electricity

-Lucinda and Lavinia Claire with Cherub: sisters with a blessed rope and Ovid (a cherub guide who helps them)

-Winston Gage and Zinc: blessed axe and his kitten Zinc allows him to see what the cat sees as well as physically switch places with it in an instant

-Dublin Morse: blessed short sword and the power to turn invisible

Kristy Cotton and Her Harrowers

Kirsty Cotton forms her own group of Harrowers to destroy the mechanisms of Hell.  Her team is made up of Alexander Price (former Guardian of Hell who helped distribute Hell's mechanisms like the LeMarchand Box), Bethany Howard (former escort/prostitute) and Marcus Aimes (Priest who became heavily tattooed to ward off evil).  Kirsty's husband, Edgar is later added to the mix. 

They were successful in destroying many gateways to hell including boxes, a doll, a carousel, a sexton, a snow globe and more.

Tiffany and Her Harrowers

Tiffany (yes, the Tiffany from Hellraiser II: Hellbound) formed a team of Harrowers in order to find/rescue Kirsty from Hell.  Included in the team was private investigator Harry D'amour, former spy Andrew Norton, former purse thief Theo and Rajeev.  They would eventually be joined by the former Hell Priest, Elliot Spencer for a period of time. 

Tiffany has been known for taking things to the extreme including killing people who "might" make a gateway (i.e. engineers who are interested in Phillip LeMarchand's work).  Learning from Kirsty, who focused on destruction of boxes, they realized that when one is destroyed, another one would appear somewhere else.  So, rather than destroy the boxes and mechanisms they collected them to prevent them from falling into the hands of others. 

Supporting them is the blind Norma Paine who uses her powers to talk to the dead/ghosts and helps guide them on their journey.

Harry and His Harrowers

In a separate timeline from the comics, Harry D'Amour forms a team of Harrowers in the book The Scarlet Gospels.  If you are wondering if there is any overt reference to the Harrowing of Hades and the origin of the name "The Harrowers", it is specifically referenced in the Scarlet Gospels along with an explanation on where the name comes from (Jesus Christ).  Included on his team are:

-Kaz King: a six foot heavily muscled tattoo artist who helped cover Harry in tattoos that act as warnings and protection from evil forces

-Dale: a southern man with dreams that act as premonitions telling him where/when to be and sometimes what to do

-Lana: a friend of Kaz who is around five feet tall, very fit and also covered in tattoos

Just as with Tiffany and her Harrowers, they are supported by the blind Norma Paine. 

Notable Spiritual Warriors of the Church

While this is obviously not a comprehensive list, it is just meant to provide enough interest for you to do your own research.  Notable spiritual warriors have been a pat of church history since the beginning.  Here are some of the famous ones besides the apostles that physically walked with Christ during his time on Earth.  I also included one from recent history to show that this isn't a thing of the past but stretches through time via apostolic succession to modern day. 

St. Demetrius

St. Demetrius of Thessaloniki lived in the late 3rd century and early 4th century.  He was martyred by the Roman Emperor in the early 4th century.  He is often seen defeating the gladiator Lyaeus, a great persecutor of Christians, who he defeated in spiritual combat.  His relics are currently in the church in Thessaloniki, Greece and he is often referred to as myrrh-streamer due to the sweet fragrance and stick substance his relics emanate.


The icon of St. Demetrius is sometimes included on the iconostasis (screen separating the parishioners and the alter in Orthodox churches), as in Annunciation.  He can be identified from his image by his appearance as a soldier.  He is often seen paired with St. George and to differentiate between the two you typically need to read the Greek above the shoulders of each. 

St. George

St. George lived in the late 3rd and early 4th centuries.  He was a Roman officer of Greek descent.  He is known for saving a town from a dragon or serpent.  It is unclear if this was a literal "monster" or more a figurative monster that was terrorizing the town.  


St. George is the frequently prayed to via intercessory prayers as a protector of soldiers.

St. Anthony

St. Anthony the Great, lived in the last 3rd and early 4th century.  He grew up wealthy and taking the words of Christ literally from Matthew 19:21 (Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.) he sold everything he owned and moved into the desert.  

Sometimes called The Father of All Monks, he wasn't the first monk, he is one of the early ones and the one that is best well known probably due to St. Athanasius writing his biography "The Life of St. Anthony."  As a hermetic monk, he isolated himself in the desert of Egypt where he was known to have legendary battles with demons that would assault him.

St. John Climacus

St. John Climacus (of the Ladder) is best known for his work The Ladder of Divine Ascent, so much so that he is referred to as St. John the Ladder.  He lived in the 6th and 7th centuries at the Saint Catherine's Monastery in Mount Sinai.  Although written as a guide for monks, it provides steps that can be interpreted for laity to help bring you closer to God. 

The icon associated with his work is famous for showing priests, elders and monks being dragged down into hell via demons.  This shows that just because you are on a spiritual path there is always an ability to fall (unlike the concept of "once saved, always saved").

St. Paisios

Many people think Saints are a thing of the past, so I included the most recent Orthodox Saint St. Paisios who lived from 1924-1994. Prior to becoming a monk he served in the Greek military as a radio operator during the Greek Civil War.  He spent the majority of his life as a monk where he was known for his prophecy, knowledge and ability to make others better through intercessory prayer.

You can read about his life in Saint Paisios of Mount Athos

He also wrote several books and letters, which have been preserved.  Most noticeable is his work Athonite Fathers and Athonite Matters

Explore Deeper

If you want to know more about spiritual warriors of the church, here are a couple of book recommendations.
This book walks you through a lot of the saints of the Church providing brief stories about their life and death.  It is a great resource for those who want to read it start to finish or use it as a quick reference guide for finding out more about a particular saint.
If you want a mix of short stories about the saints that is accompanied by icons along with short explanations of the icons this is a great book.  It doesn't go as in depth as "Traveling Companions" but the pictures are a nice touch to help you retain the information provided.
 
This is a Hellraiser and associated properties fan site.  Videos and pictures are property of the original content producer. When possible, it is also meant to educate followers about the Orthodox Church by mixing in fiction (the world of Hellraiser) with fact (Orthodox Christianity).