Dr. Eleanor Visyak, also called Ellie, was a professor of Medieval Studies at San Francisco University.[1] She knew about the supernatural world, mainly about Purgatory. It was later revealed that she came from that dimension.
She had deep and vast knowledge about creatures and, more likely, anything that had to do with the Medieval Age. However, she did not seem to be egotistic when it came to sharing or giving information, if treated appropriately and if she had her own motivations - such as being able to stay on Earth. Speaking confidently about her own knowledge, she gave the exact information needed without a complaint.
Although she was brutal when she first came to Earth,[2] Dr. Visyak had since shown great resilience and control over her temper.[3] Her desire to remain peacefully on earth had caused her to be benevolent toward hunters and humans, even risking herself against more powerful adversaries such as Crowley and his demons and Castiel.[2]
History[]
Background[]
Virtually nothing was known about Dr Visyak's backstory, given her limited time on the series. It is known that she was about 900 years old, was one of the more benign inhabitants of Purgatory, was involved romantically with Bobby Singer, and told him she was from Milwaukee.
Season 6[]
With Bobby's advice, Dean sought her help to find information on dragons and how to kill them. She possessed a sword capable of killing dragons, the Sword of Bruncvik, which was stuck in a large rock in her basement. Dean blew up the rock using explosives, breaking the sword in the process.
Later, Bobby found out that she was in fact a creature from Purgatory. She told Bobby that she was 900 years old. The body she inhabited was the maid at a party thrown by horror writer H.P. Lovecraft, on the night he and his friends opened the doors of Purgatory and glimpsed beyond. When Bobby tracked her down, he warned her that Castiel was probably right behind him. Bobby asked her to let him protect her. She refused and tells Bobby she can protect herself. But as she was leaving, Castiel appeared behind her and grabbed her.
When she disappeared, Sam, Dean and Bobby went to look for her.[4] They found her and she revealed that Castiel and Crowley tortured her, claiming they did "everything", and she told them how to open the door. Bobby asked her how to open it and she replied they need blood of a virgin and blood of a creature from Purgatory before she died of her injuries. Her essence likely returned to Purgatory after her death.
Personality[]
She was mysterious, but seemed to be kind. She was living as a cultivated society woman with a love for collecting rare artifacts. She cared about her belongings, and actually worried about what could damage anything valuable she had (like the time when Dean used explosives to take the Sword Of Bruncvik out of the rock in her basement floor.)
She has a strong will as she was able to withstand torture by Crowley, though not Castiel.
Physical Appearance[]
She appeared as a woman in her forties, with mid-length blonde hair and green eyes. She lived in San Francisco, as the proprietor of an old wood-made house. She worked as a professor of Medieval Studies at a university, so she could use her vast knowledge to teach her students about what she had seen and gain a considerable amount of money.
Powers and Abilities[]
While her species is unknown, Dr. Visyak has shown a few remarkable skills, primarily her ability to have concealed her true identity from skilled hunters such as Bobby Singer and Dean Winchester, while establishing herself as a known scholar and occasional aid to the hunters.
- Possession - After her escape from Purgatory, she possessed the body of one of H.P Lovecraft's maids.
- Immortality - Dr. Visyak has been alive for at least 900 years. Her vessel has not aged at all while possessed.
- Superhuman Strength - She was able to easily rip apart a grown man, splattering his blood over a wall, and also implied she could withstand the torture dealt upon her by Crowley, a strong and ruthless demon and the King of Hell. However, Castiel, a seraph, proved too much for her.
- Supernatural Endurance - She was noted to have been capable of withstanding Crowley's attempts to coerce her for information on Purgatory and only broke when Castiel stepped in to continue.
- Supernatural Knowledge - Dr. Visyak possesses a vast knowledge of the supernatural (such as how to open a door to Purgatory) and the know-how to kill even rare and powerful creatures (such as dragons).
- Sigil/Spell Casting - She had a series of hideouts, with at least one of them covered with Enochian sigils for protection, likely against angels and demons.
Weaknesses[]
- Angels - Castiel was able to catch Eleanor by surprise and teleport her against her will.
- Severe Physical Trauma - While incredible durable, Eleanor could not withstand Castiel's torture, and eventually died due to the wounds he inflicted to her during said torture (although, she still survived much longer than a human would, and possibly died due to overexerting herself to manage to warn Bobby, Sam and Dean).
Appearances[]
- Bobby Singer's Guide to Hunting (non-canon; mentioned only)
- Season 6
Trivia[]
- In Bobby Singer's Guide to Hunting, Eleanor wrote a scholarly article about the origin of the Dragon-Killing Swords. Her article revealed that the swords were created by Eve, with the help of a willing dragon, to prevent other dragons from consuming the rest of Eve's children.
- In Supernatural: The Official Companion Season 6, Sera Gamble gave more insight to Visyak's origins. "She is a similar kind of creature to Eve, actually. She's a creature that originated in Purgatory. She is what came through the portal when Lovecraft and his cohorts did their little spell back in the day. She's a little less powerful, she was not as high on the food chain over there, but she is extremely old, extremely powerful, and not of this Earth."