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{{Quote|Shanshu has roots in so many different languages. The most ancient source is the Proto-Bantu and they consider life and death the same thing, part of a cycle—only a thing that's not alive never dies. It says that you get to live until you die. It says the vampire with a soul, once he fulfills his destiny, will shanshu. Become human. It's his reward.|Wesley Wyndam-Pryce|To Shanshu in L.A.}}
[[Image:Scrolls_aberjian.jpg|thumb||The Shanshu Prophecy]]
 
  +
{{Object|Image = Scrolls aberjian.jpg|Caption = Page of the Shanshu Prophecy from the Scrolls of Aberjian|First = "[[To Shanshu in L.A.]]"|Name = Shanshu Prophecy|Alternative Names = The Prophecy|Users = *[[Angel]]
  +
*[[Wesley Wyndam-Pryce]]
 
*[[Circle of the Black Thorn]]|Related items = [[Scrolls of Aberjian]]}}The '''Shanshu Prophecy''' was a prophecy contained within the [[Scrolls of Aberjian]] and, as translated by [[Wesley Wyndam-Pryce]], foresaw the coming of a [[vampire]] with a soul that would play a pivotal role in the [[apocalypse]]. As a reward, he would be restored into a mortal human being. Translated from its oldest root, the word "shanshu" meant both to live and to die, thus meaning that Angel would "live to die" by becoming human and eventually dying a mortal death. It was assumed that Angel's role will be one of good, but many people pointed out that the prophecy did not specifically say so.
   
 
The prophecy became Angel's driving motivation. As the prophecy did not refer to a particular apocalypse, Angel determined that redemption rather than a scorecard of good deeds was the key to Shanshu. He maintained a constant battle against evil, rather than just trying to amass a demonic body-count. However, Angel's faith in his role wavered when he took on a more corporate, bureaucratic approach to fighting evil. He took control of the [[Wolfram & Hart (Los Angeles Branch)|Los Angeles branch]] of [[Wolfram & Hart]] and felt disconnected from his mission.
{{Quote|Shanshu has roots in so many different languages. The most ancient source is the Proto-Bantu and they consider life and death the same thing, part of a cycleonly a thing that's not alive never dies. It says that you get to live until you die. It says the vampire with a soul, once he fulfills his destiny, will shanshu. Become human. It's his reward.|Wesley Wyndam-Pryce|To Shanshu in L.A.}}
 
   
 
For years it was assumed that the prophecy was about Angel, even after [[Spike]] became the second vampire to have a soul, because Spike was not a Champion. However, after Spike died to save the world, becoming a Champion in the process, the subject of the prophecy came into question once Spike is re-corporealized. Angel's old foe, [[Lindsey McDonald]], briefly attempted to manipulate events to set Spike up as the true champion to discredit Angel. However, Spike's main interest in the Shanshu was generally a continuation of his rivalry with Angel rather than a specific desire to become human himself.
The '''Shanshu Prophecy''' is a prophecy contained within the [[Scrolls of Aberjian]], and, as translated by [[Wesley Wyndam-Pryce]], foresees the coming of a [[vampire]] with a soul that will play a pivotal role in the [[apocalypse]] and, as a reward, will be restored into a mortal human being. Translated from its oldest root, the word "shanshu" means both to live and to die, thus meaning that Angel will "live to die" by becoming human and eventually dying a mortal death. It is assumed that Angel's role will be one of good, but many people point out that the prophecy does not specifically say so.
 
   
 
This conflict came to a head when Spike was restored to corporeal status.<ref>"[[Destiny]]"</ref> Lindsey faked an addendum to the prophecy with the aid of renegade ex-Watcher [[Rutherford Sirk]] during a series of apparent distortions in reality caused by the existence of two "candidates" to the prophecy. He pitted Angel and Spike against each other to drink from the [[Cup of Perpetual Torment]] in order for one of them to be confirmed as the true subject of the prophecy. Although both Angel and Spike survive the fight and the Cup is exposed as a fake, Angel began to question his status as the vampire Champion when Spike defeated him for the first time in their long history. Despite Lindsey's efforts to discredit Angel and establish Spike as a Champion, his scheme was eventually defeated. Angel and Spike went on to become an effective, if argumentative, team until their final suicidal confrontation with the [[Circle of the Black Thorn]].
The prophecy becomes Angel's driving motivation. As the prophecy does not refer to a particular apocalypse, Angel determines that redemption (rather than a scorecard of good deeds) is the key to Shanshu; he must maintain a constant battle against evil, rather than just try to amass a demonic body-count. However, Angel's faith in his role wavers in the fifth season. He takes on a more corporate, bureaucratic approach to fighting evil when he takes control of the Los Angeles branch of Wolfram & Hart, and feels disconnected from his mission.
 
 
For years it is assumed that the prophecy was about Angel, even after [[Spike]] becomes the second vampire to have a soul, because Spike is not a Champion. However, after Spike dies to save the world, becoming a Champion in the process, who the prophecy is meant for comes into question once Spike is re-corporealized, with Angel's foe [[Lindsey McDonald]] briefly attempting to manipulate events to set Spike up as the true champion to discredit Angel (although Spike's main interest in the Shanshu generally appears to be a continuation of his old rivalry with Angel rather than a specific desire to become human himself).
 
 
This conflict comes to a head in ''[[Destiny]]'' when Spike is restored to corporeal status, Lindsey faking an addendum to the prophecy with the aid of renegade ex-Watcher [[Rutherford Sirk]] during a series of apparent distortions in reality caused by the existence of two 'candidates' to the prophecy to pit Angel and Spike against each other to drink from the [[Cup of Perpetual Torment]] in order for one of them to be confirmed as the true subject of the prophecy (although the Cup was revealed to be a fake); although both Angel and Spike survive the fight and the Cup is exposed as a fake, Angel begins to question his status as the vampire Champion when Spike defeats him for the first time in their long history. Despite Lindsey's efforts to discredit Angel and establish Spike as a Champion, his scheme is eventually defeated, Angel and Spike going on to become an effective&mdash;if argumentative&mdash;team until their final suicidal confrontation with the [[Circle of the Black Thorn]];
 
   
 
{{Dialogue a-b|Spike|What do you think all this means for that Shanshu boogaboo? If we make it through this, does one of us get to be a real boy?|Angel|Who are you kiddin'? We're not gonna make it through.|Angel and Spike discuss the Shanshu Prophecy|Not Fade Away}}
 
{{Dialogue a-b|Spike|What do you think all this means for that Shanshu boogaboo? If we make it through this, does one of us get to be a real boy?|Angel|Who are you kiddin'? We're not gonna make it through.|Angel and Spike discuss the Shanshu Prophecy|Not Fade Away}}
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[[Image:AngelShanshu.jpg|thumb|left|A vision of Angel's supposed role in the Shanshu Prophecy.]]
 
[[Image:AngelShanshu.jpg|thumb|left|A vision of Angel's supposed role in the Shanshu Prophecy.]]
   
Unknown to Spike, however, Angel signs away his rights to the Shanshu Prophecy in order to infiltrate the Circle, the Circle members wanting to ensure that Angel has genuinely forsaken his old life as a champion, Angel taking advantage of the Circle's inability to comprehend the idea that he would do good for the sake of it rather than for a reward. As Angel informs [[Marcus Hamilton]] during their confrontation after he rescinds his role in the Prophecy, "''People who don't care about anything... Will never understand the people who do''".
+
Unknown to Spike, however, Angel signed away his rights to the Shanshu Prophecy in order to infiltrate the Circle. The Circle members wanted to ensure that Angel had genuinely forsaken his old life as a champion. Angel took advantage of the Circle's inability to comprehend the idea that he would do good for the sake of it rather than for a reward. As Angel informed [[Marcus Hamilton]] during their confrontation after he rescinded his role in the Prophecy, "people who don't care about anything... Will never understand the people who do."
  +
 
During the [[Fall of Los Angeles]], Angel was transformed into a human by the [[Senior Partners]] to hinder him. Angel dismisses the idea that this was the Shanshu prophecy fulfilled. Later, Wolfram & Hart revealed through Wesley that they never filed his signature before the firm was destroyed and the Shanshu was still his and could still be fulfilled.<ref>[[After the Fall, Part Twelve]]</ref> Wesley stated that the prophecy had always concerned Angel alone. While Angel was near death after being badly beaten by then-vampire [[Charles Gunn]], Gunn speculated that he could be the vampire to Shanshu as the vampire ''with'' soul rather than the vampire with ''a'' soul. Angel then received a [[vision]] of the final apocalyptic battle.
   
 
The vision revealed that Angel's role in the Shanshu would be one of evil. It showed him as a vampire standing in a field of dead bodies. Angel chose to resign himself to death rather than let these events come to pass, but [[Connor]] and [[Cordelia Chase]] assured him that this future would not happen in any event, as Angel would never allow himself to become the man that he saw in the vision. Angel vowed to continue trying to help others even after his return from Hell and the restoration of his vampire status.
During the [[Fall of Los Angeles]], Angel is transformed into a human by the [[Senior Partners]] to hinder him. Angel dismisses the idea that this is the Shanshu prophecy fulfilled. Later, Wolfram & Hart reveal through Wesley that they never filed his signature before the firm was destroyed, and the Shanshu is still his and can still be fulfilled. Wesley states that the prophecy had always concerned Angel alone and, while Angel is near death after being badly beaten by the now-vampire [[Charles Gunn]]&mdash;Gunn speculating that he could be the vampire to Shanshu as the vampire ''with'' soul rather than the vampire with ''a'' soul&mdash;gives Angel a [[vision]] of the final apocalyptic battle.
 
   
 
For a time, Spike argued that he might be the "true" candidate of the prophecy, with Angel being merely a "smokescreen" to draw attention away from him. Subsequent discoveries forced him to recognize that he had been trying to hang on to Angel's glory rather than finding his own path, prompting him to abandon all thought of the Shanshu Prophecy and depart Los Angeles for Las Vegas to form his own team and find himself on his own without trying to compare himself to Angel.
The vision apparently reveals that Angel's role in the Shanshu would be one of evil, showing him as a vampire&mdash;specifically identified as being Angel rather than Angelus&mdash;standing in a field of dead bodies. Angel chooses to resign himself to death rather than let these events come to pass, but [[Connor]] and [[Cordelia Chase|Cordelia]] assure him that this future will not happen in any event, as Angel would never allow himself to become the man that he saw in the vision. The long-term consequences of this new interpretation on the prophecy are unclear, but Angel has nevertheless vowed to continue trying to help others even after his return from Hell and the restoration of his vampire status.
 
   
 
Angel, in his guise as [[Twilight]], demonstrated a significant increase in strength and power.<ref>''[[Twilight (story arc)|Twilight]]''</ref> He was also able to have sex with [[Buffy Summers]] while flying during the daytime without losing his soul or burning up. This was apparently a "superior" reward to the Shanshu, with the higher power that informed Angel of his recent upgrade dismissing the Shanshu as nothing compared to what he had become.
For a time, Spike argued that he might be the 'true' candidate of the prophecy, with Angel being merely a 'smokescreen' to draw attention away from him, but subsequent discoveries forced him to recognise that he had been trying to hang on to Angel's glory rather than finding his own path, prompting him to abandon all thought of the Shanshu Prophecy and depart Los Angeles for Las Vegas to form his own team and find himself on his own without trying to compare himself to Angel.
 
   
  +
However, given that the final resolution of the Twilight crisis resulted in Angel apparently defying his "destiny" to create a new world, Angel himself doubted that he was entitled to the Shanshu anymore. He told Faith that fulfilling the Shanshu Prophecy was "out of the question" and that all he had to look forward to was a stake to the heart. However, Faith was certain that, with the [[end of magic]] having effectively prevented any more [[Hellmouth]]-spawning [[apocalypse]]s, Angel had indeed earned the Shanshu.<ref>''[[Freefall]]''</ref>
During the events of [[Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight|''Season Eight'']], Angel&mdash;in his new guise as Twilight&mdash;demonstrates a significant increase in strength and power, along with an apparent immunity to sunlight and a permanent soul, judging by his ability to have sex with [[Buffy Summers|Buffy]] while flying during the daytime without losing his soul; this is apparently a "superior" reward to the Shanshu, with the higher power that informed Angel of his recent upgrade dismissing the Shanshu as nothing compared to what he has become.
 
   
However, given that the final resolution of the Twilight crisis has resulted in Angel apparently defying his 'destiny' to create a new world, it is unclear if and how the Shanshu Prophecy can be reconciled with his current status, or if he has lost the opportunity to reclaim his humanity. Angel himself now doubted that he was entitled to the Shanshu anymore, telling Faith that fulfulling the Shanshu Prophecy was "out of the question" and that now all he has to look forward to is a stake to the heart<ref>''[[Freefall]]''</ref>.
+
After magic was restored, and the [[Slayer Handbook]] gained the power to rewrite the rules of magic as a result, Spike briefly toyed with the idea of writing in the book that he, not Angel, was the subject of the Shanshu, but decided not to do so<ref>''[[Day Off (or Harmony in My Head)]]''</ref>. When cornered by the Scoobies, [[D'Hoffryn]] tried to bargain with his life by granting them each one wish; in Spike's case, he offered to make him the true subject of the Shanshu Prophecy so he could become human and live happily ever after with Buffy. The Scoobies all refused, knowing there would always be a catch<ref>''[[Own It, Part Five]]''</ref>.
   
==References==
+
== References ==
  +
{{Reflist}}
<references/>
 
 
[[Category:Terminology]]
 
[[Category:Terminology]]
 
[[Category:Books, scrolls and prophecies]]
 
[[Category:Books, scrolls and prophecies]]
[[Category:Angel]]
 

Revision as of 14:48, 22 October 2019

Shanshu has roots in so many different languages. The most ancient source is the Proto-Bantu and they consider life and death the same thing, part of a cycle—only a thing that's not alive never dies. It says that you get to live until you die. It says the vampire with a soul, once he fulfills his destiny, will shanshu. Become human. It's his reward.
―Wesley Wyndam-Pryce[src]

The Shanshu Prophecy was a prophecy contained within the Scrolls of Aberjian and, as translated by Wesley Wyndam-Pryce, foresaw the coming of a vampire with a soul that would play a pivotal role in the apocalypse. As a reward, he would be restored into a mortal human being. Translated from its oldest root, the word "shanshu" meant both to live and to die, thus meaning that Angel would "live to die" by becoming human and eventually dying a mortal death. It was assumed that Angel's role will be one of good, but many people pointed out that the prophecy did not specifically say so.

The prophecy became Angel's driving motivation. As the prophecy did not refer to a particular apocalypse, Angel determined that redemption rather than a scorecard of good deeds was the key to Shanshu. He maintained a constant battle against evil, rather than just trying to amass a demonic body-count. However, Angel's faith in his role wavered when he took on a more corporate, bureaucratic approach to fighting evil. He took control of the Los Angeles branch of Wolfram & Hart and felt disconnected from his mission.

For years it was assumed that the prophecy was about Angel, even after Spike became the second vampire to have a soul, because Spike was not a Champion. However, after Spike died to save the world, becoming a Champion in the process, the subject of the prophecy came into question once Spike is re-corporealized. Angel's old foe, Lindsey McDonald, briefly attempted to manipulate events to set Spike up as the true champion to discredit Angel. However, Spike's main interest in the Shanshu was generally a continuation of his rivalry with Angel rather than a specific desire to become human himself.

This conflict came to a head when Spike was restored to corporeal status.[1] Lindsey faked an addendum to the prophecy with the aid of renegade ex-Watcher Rutherford Sirk during a series of apparent distortions in reality caused by the existence of two "candidates" to the prophecy. He pitted Angel and Spike against each other to drink from the Cup of Perpetual Torment in order for one of them to be confirmed as the true subject of the prophecy. Although both Angel and Spike survive the fight and the Cup is exposed as a fake, Angel began to question his status as the vampire Champion when Spike defeated him for the first time in their long history. Despite Lindsey's efforts to discredit Angel and establish Spike as a Champion, his scheme was eventually defeated. Angel and Spike went on to become an effective, if argumentative, team until their final suicidal confrontation with the Circle of the Black Thorn.


Spike: “What do you think all this means for that Shanshu boogaboo? If we make it through this, does one of us get to be a real boy?
Angel: “Who are you kiddin'? We're not gonna make it through.
— Angel and Spike discuss the Shanshu Prophecy[src]
AngelShanshu

A vision of Angel's supposed role in the Shanshu Prophecy.

Unknown to Spike, however, Angel signed away his rights to the Shanshu Prophecy in order to infiltrate the Circle. The Circle members wanted to ensure that Angel had genuinely forsaken his old life as a champion. Angel took advantage of the Circle's inability to comprehend the idea that he would do good for the sake of it rather than for a reward. As Angel informed Marcus Hamilton during their confrontation after he rescinded his role in the Prophecy, "people who don't care about anything... Will never understand the people who do."

During the Fall of Los Angeles, Angel was transformed into a human by the Senior Partners to hinder him. Angel dismisses the idea that this was the Shanshu prophecy fulfilled. Later, Wolfram & Hart revealed through Wesley that they never filed his signature before the firm was destroyed and the Shanshu was still his and could still be fulfilled.[2] Wesley stated that the prophecy had always concerned Angel alone. While Angel was near death after being badly beaten by then-vampire Charles Gunn, Gunn speculated that he could be the vampire to Shanshu as the vampire with soul rather than the vampire with a soul. Angel then received a vision of the final apocalyptic battle.

The vision revealed that Angel's role in the Shanshu would be one of evil. It showed him as a vampire standing in a field of dead bodies. Angel chose to resign himself to death rather than let these events come to pass, but Connor and Cordelia Chase assured him that this future would not happen in any event, as Angel would never allow himself to become the man that he saw in the vision. Angel vowed to continue trying to help others even after his return from Hell and the restoration of his vampire status.

For a time, Spike argued that he might be the "true" candidate of the prophecy, with Angel being merely a "smokescreen" to draw attention away from him. Subsequent discoveries forced him to recognize that he had been trying to hang on to Angel's glory rather than finding his own path, prompting him to abandon all thought of the Shanshu Prophecy and depart Los Angeles for Las Vegas to form his own team and find himself on his own without trying to compare himself to Angel.

Angel, in his guise as Twilight, demonstrated a significant increase in strength and power.[3] He was also able to have sex with Buffy Summers while flying during the daytime without losing his soul or burning up. This was apparently a "superior" reward to the Shanshu, with the higher power that informed Angel of his recent upgrade dismissing the Shanshu as nothing compared to what he had become.

However, given that the final resolution of the Twilight crisis resulted in Angel apparently defying his "destiny" to create a new world, Angel himself doubted that he was entitled to the Shanshu anymore. He told Faith that fulfilling the Shanshu Prophecy was "out of the question" and that all he had to look forward to was a stake to the heart. However, Faith was certain that, with the end of magic having effectively prevented any more Hellmouth-spawning apocalypses, Angel had indeed earned the Shanshu.[4]

After magic was restored, and the Slayer Handbook gained the power to rewrite the rules of magic as a result, Spike briefly toyed with the idea of writing in the book that he, not Angel, was the subject of the Shanshu, but decided not to do so[5]. When cornered by the Scoobies, D'Hoffryn tried to bargain with his life by granting them each one wish; in Spike's case, he offered to make him the true subject of the Shanshu Prophecy so he could become human and live happily ever after with Buffy. The Scoobies all refused, knowing there would always be a catch[6].

References