- “Angel was meant to suffer. Not to live as human. One moment of true happiness, of contentment, one moment where the soul that we restored no longer plagues his thoughts, and that soul is taken from him.”
- ―Enyos[src]
The Ritual of Restoration was a curse to restore a vampire's soul. It was used on Angelus by the Kalderash people after the notorious vampire murdered their most beloved daughter.[1]
When Angel's curse was broken in 1998, Willow Rosenberg performed the spell a second time to restore his soul.[2] She repeated this spell in 2003 after Angelus had been deliberately set free again by his friends.[3]
History[]
The ritual was intended to curse a vampire by re-ensouling them, thus forcing the vampire to accept remorse, guilt, and torment for all the lives that they had taken as while soulless. As far as it was aware, Angel was the only vampire who has been re-ensouled in this way.[1]
Restoring a vampire's soul in this way was intended as a form of revenge or a curse.[1] If ever there came a time when the restored soul no longer tormented the vampire, the moment the vampire was not plagued by the guilt of their evil deeds, then in that instant the soul was taken from them.[4]
Whenever the curse took effect, the vampire would need a few moments to remember their actions while soulless.[5][2] When it was broken, the vampire suffered debilitating pain as his soul was taken from his body.[6]
While the Kalderash intended the spell as a curse,[5] when the Scooby Gang[2] and later Angel Investigations[3] had the ritual used on Angel again, it was intended merely to restore Angel's soul and bring him back to their side.[5]
For a long time, it was implied that the Ritual of Restoration would be broken if Angel ever had any kind of sexual intercourse. Because of this, the magician Magnus Bryce referred to Angel as an eunuch,[7] while Faith Lehane attempted to seduce Angel with the thought that it would break his curse.[8] However, Angel did so to no ill effect on several occasions: his "perfect despair" moment with Darla,[9] an implied sexual relationship with the Transuding Furies,[10] his liaison with Eve while under the influence of a sleep-deprived Lorne's mind control,[11] and his tryst with Nina Ash.[12] Under Twilight's empowerment, Angel also had sex with Buffy without losing his soul.[13]
Requirements[]
To perform the ritual, one needed four candles, animal bones, runic stones, burning incense, and an Orb of Thesulah. With these items, one created a sacred circle, then kneeled, stood, or sat in front of it. One initiated the incantation by casting some stones over the sacred circle.[5][2]
Rupert Giles once stated that performing the Ritual of Restoration required a greater knowledge of magic than he could claim. He also warned Willow — who was, at that point, still an inexperienced witch — that channeling such potent magic through herself could open a door she might never be able to close.[5]
Versions[]
The Ritual of Restoration was performed on three separate occasions; once by a Kalderash elder[5] and twice by Willow Rosenberg.[2][3] The ritual was spoken slightly differently each time, presumably because the translation made by Jennifer Calendar is not an exact replica of the original text,[14] though it seemed to have the same effect. Additionally, Willow's experience and abilities as a witch had increased greatly between her first and second instances performing the ritual.[3]
Kalderash version[]
The following was spoken by the Kalderash elder:[5]
- Este scris, această putere este dreptul poporul meu de a conduce.
- Nici mort, nici al fiinţei,
- te invoc, spirit al trecerii.
- Redă trupului ce separe omul de animal.
- Aşa să fie cu ajutorul acestui!
Translation:
- It is written, this power is my people's right to wield.
- Not dead, nor not of the living.
- I call you, spirits of the interregnum.
- Restore the body that separates man from the animal.
- So be it with this help!
Jenny's translation[]
Using a computer program to translate the original spell, Jenny reached the following text:[14]
- As the orb is round in nature, as the earth, is round in nature and the heavens are round in nature, so is the soul. Return from whence you were banished, using this orb as your guide — penetrate every ounce of the flesh, every sinew of the body and every tissue of the heart. Make what lays before you more than the empty vessel that is animal, that is beast — make it man as God created when he separated the firmament of the heavens from the earth.
- Come forth now, return, return. As the orb burns, let life burn.
Willow's first version[]
The following was spoken by Willow the first time she attempted the ritual:[2]
- Quod perditum est, invenietur.
- Not dead, nor not of the living.
- Spirits of the interregnum, I call.
- Gods, bind him. Cast his heart from the evil realm.
- Te implor, Doamne; nu ignoră aceasta rugăminte!
- Nici mort, nici al fiinţei,
- lăsa orbită să fie vasul care-i vă transportă sufletul la el.
- Aşa să fie! Aşa să fie!
- Acum! Acum!
Translation:
- What was lost, shall be found.
- Not dead, nor not of the living.
- Spirits of the interregnum, I call.
- Gods, bind him, cast his heart from the evil realm.
- I call on you, Gods, do not ignore this supplication!
- Neither dead nor living.
- Let the orb be the vessel to carry his soul to him.
- So be it! So be it!
- Now! Now!
Willow's second version[]
In her second casting, Willow first had to cast a spell to release Angel's soul into the ether, as it had been currently trapped by Jasmine. The following was spoken the second time Willow performed the ritual to restore Angel's soul:[3]
- Quod perditum est, invenietur.
- Nici mort, nici al fiinţei.
- Te invoc spirit al trecerii.
- Te implor, Doamne; nu ignoră aceasta rugăminte!
- Lăsa orbită să fie vasul care-i vă transportă sufletul la el.
- Este scris, aceasta putere este dreptul poporul meu de a conduce.
- Aşa să fie! Aşa să fie!
- Acum!
Translation:
- What was lost, shall be found.
- Not dead, nor not of the living.
- I call you, spirits of the interregnum.
- I call on you, Gods, do not ignore this supplication!
- Let the orb be the vessel to carry his soul to him.
- It is written, this power is my people's right to wield.
- So be it! So be it!
- Now!
Appearances[]
Canonical[]
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Other[]
- "Long Night's Journey" (Only mentioned)
- The Curse, Part One (Only in flashbacks)
- Barbary Coast, Part One (Only mentioned)
- Barbary Coast, Part Three (Only mentioned)
References[]
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