buffy

“This symbol, these two planks of wood. It confounds me. Suffuses me with mortal dread.”
―The Master[src]

A cross was an artifact effective as a weapon against vampires.[1] Like the Holy Bible[2] and holy water,[1] crosses burned vampires on contact, producing smoke[3][4][5][6][7][8][9] and sometimes flames.[10] For this reason, they were used to ward off vampires with moderate success,[11] as the mere sight of one could instill fear[12][13] and cause a vampire to recoil.[14][5][15][16][17]

Some exorcism rituals also required the use of a cross.[18]

History

1771

Monsignor Rivalli tried to ward Darla off with his cross necklace, but it had little effect — she easily pushed it aside and threw him against a wall.[19]

1996

In her first year as a Slayer, Buffy Summers burned Lothos using a cross and hairspray torch before staking him. She used the same technique to immolate Amilyn, a fire that eventually burned down the school's gym and the remaining vampires inside.[10]

Angel gave Buffy a silver cross necklace on her first night in Sunnydale, which she wore that evening. The pendant protected her from Luke by burning and repelling him before he could bite her.[1]

1997

Two vampires from the Order of Aurelius ambushed Rupert Giles in Sunnydale Cemetery, but he repelled them with crosses and sought refuge in the funeral home. Andrew Borba, a recently sired vampire and former religious zealot, recoiled at the sight of a cross but quickly threw it aside.[14]

While lecturing the Anointed One about fear, the Master described the cross as "confounding" and said it filled him with "mortal dread." However, he claimed that fear and pain existed only in the mind and could be controlled. To demonstrate this, the Master gripped a large cross, letting it burn his hand without reacting.[12]

Buffy used her cross necklace to interrogate the vampire Tara, forcing the pendant into Tara's mouth and holding it there to torture her.[4]

The du Lac cross was a relic designed by Josephus du Lac to decode specific mystical texts. Josephus eventually destroyed all copies, except one that was buried with him.[20] In 1997, Spike recovered the cross and used it to perform a vampire restoration ritual on Drusilla, wearing gloves to protect his skin.[21]

Alexander Harris freed Willow Rosenberg from a recently soulless Angel by surprising him with a wooden cross, causing the vampire to recoil and drop her.[15]

1998

Xander, Willow, and Cordelia Chase accompanied a flu-stricken Buffy on patrol, where they repelled a soulless Angel by brandishing crosses.[16]

During her Tento di Cruciamentum, Buffy wielded a wooden cross against the vampire Zachary Kralik, causing him to recoil. Kralik then pressed the cross against himself, laughing as it burned his skin.[5]

Willow attempted to use a cross to repel her vampire counterpart, but she knocked it from Willow's hands. When Wesley Wyndam-Pryce tried the same, the vampire ignored him.[11]

1999

Spike tested Harmony Kendall's immunity by holding a cross against her temple while she wore the Gem of Amara, causing no effect on her skin. Since the cross had previously burned him, he used a cloth to protect his hand.[22]

2000

Adam persuaded Boone and his pack to overcome their fear of the cross, allowing them to invade a church and take hostages in broad daylight.[13]

In Dracula's mansion, Riley Finn drove the Three Sisters away from Giles by brandishing a cross.[17]

2001

During a Watchers Council inspection of the Scoobies in Sunnydale, a Council member wielded a cross for protection while Lydia interviewed Spike.[23]

2002

While possessed by the spirits of the Prima Ballerina and Stefan, Angel and Cordelia kissed until she accidentally burned him with a cross necklace.[24]

After confessing to Buffy that he had earned his soul, a shirtless Spike draped himself over a large wooden cross, allowing it to burn his skin.[6]

After losing their memories, the Angel Investigations team passed around a cross to identify the vampire among them. Angel concealed his true nature by holding it, despite the smoke rising from his hands.[7]

2003

Seeking revenge for his mother's death, Robin Wood led Spike into his garage lined with crosses. Robin burned Spike's cheek with a hanging cross and tried to stake him, but Spike ultimately won the fight.[8]

In a duel for the Cup of Perpetual Torment, Spike knocked Angel across the room with a large wooden cross, despite the cross burning his own hands.[9]

Behind the scenes

Appearances

Canonical

Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Angel

Other

Episodes
Buffy the Vampire Slayer novels
Buffy the Vampire Slayer comics
Angel comics
Spike comics
Video games

References