- “I am the Dark Lord of nightmares, the bringer of terror... Tremble before me! Fear me!”
- ―Gachnar[src]
Gachnar, self-styled the Dark Lord of Nightmares and the Bringer of Terror, was the demon of fear.[1]
Biography[]
- “Gachnar, of course. Its presence infects the reality of the house, but it hasn't achieved full manifestation.”
- ―Rupert Giles[src]
Gachnar was accidentally summoned in the Alpha Delta fraternity house after the Mark of Gachnar was painted as a decoration for a Halloween party. Oz's blood spilled on it, activating the mark.[1]
Gachnar upcoming presence caused mayhem among the partygoers, who became trapped inside the house, as well as the death of one of them. In an impulsive attempt to stop the demon, Buffy destroyed his mark before Giles informed her that the destruction of his mark would in fact bring Gachnar forth.[1]
However, the Scoobies were surprised to see that Gachnar was only a few inches tall. Both Willow and Xander commented on the demon's "cuteness" and size. Despite his attempts to scare his much taller rivals, Buffy squashed the demon by stepping on him, killing Gachnar.[1]
Giles later discovered that the caption to the illustration of Gachnar read: "actual size."[1]
Some years later, another Gachnar demon was being used by a coven of witches to try and gain power by generating fear through tours taken of the Galway murders of 1753 by Angelus and Darla. However, this plan was thwarted when the coven attempted to harness Fred's unusual power for themselves, unleashing instead Illyria to kill them.[2]
Powers and abilities[]
- “Gachnar's trying to manifest itself. To come into being.”
- ―Willow Rosenberg[src]
Gachnar's illustration.
Gachnar could be conjured by performing a summoning ritual, which involved spilling blood over a painted mark of Gachnar, a pentagram-shaped symbol. Once the demon was summoned, his presence infected the reality of the immediate environment in which the ritual has been performed.[1]
The effects of the infection ranged from — but were not limited to — transforming inanimate objects to animate, temporary reanimating corpses, as well as temporary hallucinations affecting those in the area.[1]
While the fear of the victims drove these effects, they empowered Gachnar to eventually bring himself forth, completing the summoning ritual. The physical destruction of the Mark of Gachnar was a quicker way in which the demon would be brought forth.[1]
Behind the scenes[]
- He was portrayed by Adam Bitterman.
Appearances[]
- "Fear, Itself"
- "All the Way" (Only mentioned)
- Note from the Underground, Part Two
- Fight or Flight