Moloch (Sleepy Hollow)

"I offer this warning: the Saint's name is a sign. When you know my meaning, War will take form. Then, the End of Days begins."

- Moloch prophesying the Apocalypse "There were Horsemen before you and there will be Horsemen after you. Be grateful for the chance to sacrifice yourself for my glory. Today begins my reign."

- Moloch forcing an injured Henry to get the Sword of Methuselah, revealing his true feelings towards Henry

Moloch is a demonic villain appearing on the FOX television series Sleepy Hollow, serving as the hidden but true primary antagonist of the show's first season and the first half of Season 2 (from Episode 1-11). He is also the primary antagonist of the whole series even after his death, due to his great posthumous effect on his domain, the Purgatory.

As a powerful demon, he is the leader of the Horsemen of the Apocalypse, as well as many other monsters and forms of evil. He is highly considered to be the most vile and most horrifying villains of the series ever, for his utterly diablolical, twisted, selfish, loveless, hateful, emotionless and corruptive personality. Responsible for sacrifise of numerous innoncence (including children), he intends to use human as his pawns and unleash the Apocalypse, bringing about the end of the world.

It is revealed that Moloch was one of the leaders of fallen angels during the rebellion in Heaven. His actions were described in John Milton's Paradise Lost. He is also the first of the Seven Disasters which the Witnesses must face.

In mythology
Main article: Moloch (mythology)

As a god worshiped by the Phoenicians and Canaanites, Moloch had associations with a particular kind of propitiatory child sacrifice by parents. Moloch figures in the Book of Deuteronomy and in the Book of Leviticus as a forbidden form of idolatry (Leviticus 18:21: "And thou shalt not let any of thy seeds (children) pass through the fire to Moloch"). In the Old Testament, Gehenna was a valley by Jerusalem, where followers of various Baalim and Canaanite gods, including Moloch, sacrificed their children by fire (2 Chr. 28:3, 33:6; Jer. 7:31, 19:2–6).

Moloch has been used figuratively in English literature from John Milton's Paradise Lost (1667) to Allen Ginsberg's "Howl" (1955), to refer to a person or thing demanding or requiring a very costly sacrifice.

In John Milton's Paradise Lost
"First MOLOCH, horrid King besmear'd with blood of human sacrifice, and parents tears, though, for the noyse of Drums and Timbrels loud, their children's cries unheard that passed through fire to his grim Idol. Him the AMMONITE worshipt in RABBA and her watry Plain, in ARGOB and in BASAN, to the stream of utmost ARNON. Nor content with such audacious neighbourhood, the wisest heart of SOLOMON he led by fraud to build his Temple right against the Temple of God on that opprobrious Hill, and made his Grove the pleasant Vally of HINNOM, TOPHET thence and black GEHENNA call'd, the Type of Hell."

- Paradise Lost

Psychological description
"YOU FAILED."

- Moloch, to Andy Brooks, before killing him (translated in English)

Moloch is a ruthless and relentless Fallen Angel whose one goal is to unleash the Apocalypse and destroy and subjugate all who live. Trapped in Purgatory, Moloch steadily corrupts humans to act as his servants, including Ichabod Crane's friend Abraham. Abraham becomes the Horseman of Death in return for Moloch promising him Ichabod's beloved Katrina, while Moloch imprisons Katrina in Purgatory. Throughout the years, Moloch turns humans into monsters and orchestrates murder after murder, punishing failure with brutal execution or torture. Moloch then steals Ichabod's son, Jeremy, turning him into the Horseman of War and setting him against his parents while informing Jeremy he is only a servant who should follow his will.

Moloch is pure, deliberate evil. He seeks to corrupt, destroy, and bring about the End of Days. His minions, whoever they are, are all but expendable pawns to him, and he does not suffer fools, being very unforgiving of failure. Any promises he makes mean nothing as he will break any if it suits him. He will make use of any method possible to meet his ends, no matter how deceitful and underhanded, and cares not how many lives suffer to achieve his goals.

Pre-series
After his fall from grace, the fallen angel Moloch doomed to hell and became a demon king. For centries, Moloch attempted to jump-start the Apocalypse many times even before the birth of the United States of America, such as sending the Horseman of Conquest to Roanoke in 1584. During the American Revolution, he had his demons and servants infiltrate the British forces, planning to use the war to bring the destruction he so craved.

Under Moloch's manipulation, many evil items were made or collected by his British pawns, like Tyrian shekels, bells for the Awakening Ritual and the dark magic book known as Lesser Key of Solomon. In 1774, he made a deal with Abraham Van Brunt in exchange for giving Abraham the woman he loved, Katrina Van Tassel. Abraham thus became the Horseman of Death, went on a rampage of killing spree. However, Death was defeated by Ichabod Crane, who beheaded him on the battlefield, sending Death into a state of suspension.

Afterwards, Moloch sent a Tree Monster after Katrina (who had become Ichabod's wife), who was staying at Fredericks Manor to give birth to her and Ichabod's child, Jeremy. In the 1800's, Moloch imprisoned Katrina in Purgatory indirectly by proxy (Katrina's former coven companions known as The Four Who Speak As One) so she could be given to Abraham when their deal was complete. He then spent centuries around Sleepy Hollow, sowing his plans and having the Hessians infiltrate the town so his servants were always on hand. The first recorded Sleepy Hollow sighting of Moloch was by a farmer who spotted him in 1882, when he appeared near four white trees in Pocantico Grove.

In 2000, almost 13 years before the resurrection of Ichabod and the Horseman of Death, Moloch arrived at Pocantico Grove and freed Ichabod and Katrina's son, Jeremy Crane (later known as Henry Parrish), from his underground grave and turned him into the Horseman of War, appearing with four white trees to act as an omen of his Horsemen. Due to his nearly murder by the Four who Speaks as One, his growing hatred towards his own parents who he believed to have abandon him, and not knowing Moloch is the source of his sorrow, a freed Jeremy regaded Moloch as his true father. At that time, the young Abbie and Jenny Mills was there and witnessed Moloch (in fact by fate due to Abbie's Witness identity), but the sisters was far too weak to confront and Moloch erased their memories, trapping them in Purgatory.

This event was the beginning of the girls' downward spiral in life. Abbie denied the experience and said she merely fainted while Jenny stated the truth until she was deemed insane, and was later institutionalized. It was here that she faced repeated possession by a demon. Both girls were later met by Sheriff August Corbin, who helped give both girls direction in life. In the case of Abbie, she was inspired to become a police officer.

However, Jenny was less lucky. For more than 10 years, Moloch had been haunting Jenny as a shadowing illusions all the time. Also, he sent his lieuteanent possessor, Ancitif, to control Jenny and take down Abbie. However, thanks to Sheriff August Corbin's exorcising on time, Jenny was saved from Moloch's claw again. She later aided Corbin by tracking down artifacts of importance.

A Plan Against the Witnesses
In 2013, the Headless Horseman of Death was reawakened to carry on Moloch's plans. However, Ichabod (who was linked by blood to the Headless Horseman after dealing him a fatal blow centuries earlier) was also awoken. Later, Moloch physically appeared to kill Andy Brooks, another servant of his, for failing him. He then raised Andy from the dead and gave him powers so he could serving him.

At the Christmas Eve, Moloch summoned Ichabod to Purgatory temporarily, to give him a warning, telling him that War would soon be coming, and that Ichabod would give him both his own and Abbie's souls soon enough.

Later, Andy contacts Moloch, telling he was weak in the past and that he will be a solider in the demon's army. Moloch, however, tells him that loyalty must be proven and sets thousands of insects upon Andy, turning him into a much more powerful monster which he then sends with other demons to reclaim George Washington's map to Purgatory.

In the season finale "Bad Blood," Moloch confronts Abbie in Purgatory. He grabs Abbie and hoists her into the air, declaring she is his. Abbie, however, presses Katrina's enchanted necklace into his shoulder, wounding him. Angered, the demon chases Abbie, who falls into another part of Purgatory, a place where Moloch placed her and Jenny's childhood memories.

Season 2
Coming Soon!

Powers and Abilities
As an extremely powerful demon and the bringer of the apocalypse, Moloch had several powers that were unique to him, which he used to get out of Purgatory and destroy all human beings.


 * Supernatural Awareness: Moloch was quite aware of the current situation, and that was the possible reason for him to know Henry's plan to summon Mary Wells as a ghost.
 * Spell Casting: Moloch had vast knowledge of magical spells and rituals. He was powerful enough to bring the Apocalypse to Earth.
 * Super Stamina
 * Super Strength
 * Super Speed: Moloch could run with great speed, and he could chase Abbie in Purgatory as fast as a quick wind.
 * Telekinesis: Moloch is able to move things with his mind. He was able to snap Andy's head.
 * Mind Control
 * Astral Projection
 * Teleportation: He could teleport himself from Purgatory into the human world. However, he could not summon the Apocalypse, for he did not reach his full power until he was brought into the world by Henry.
 * Demon Creation: He can turn humans into his demonic minions; the famous examples of this being Andy and the first two Horsemen.
 * Necromancy: Moloch has the power to raise the dead. He was able to bring Andy back to life as an undead servant and he was also able to raise Jeremy Crane from the grave he was buried in for two centuries.
 * Weather Control: Once burning down the first and the second of the four white trees, Moloch could summon thunderstorm and blood hails.

Moloch's Purgatory
"You must not take this lightly. Purgatory is a maze of temptation. If you are offered food or drink, you must not accept it. The reality you're presented with will seem entirely true, and every part of you will want to embrace it, but if you do, you will be trapped there for eternity."

- Henry Parrish

Moloch's Purgatory, also called The World Between Worlds, is a spiritual realm that traps lost, tortured souls. Purgatory seems to act as a prison with Moloch as its warden. Souls that are "trapped in the middle" end up there as they await to go to Heaven or Hell. Although Purgatory is another dimension, it has been demonstrated to utilize contact with the mortal world via dreams or reflections.

Purgatory has taken on different appearances through visions. In Ichabod's dream, it was daytime and in the middle of a forest. Presumably, this was to foreshadow where the gateway of Purgatory is located rather than it being a vision of Purgatory itself. In another, it resembled a dark, thundering forest.The third time, Purgatory looked exactly how it did when Abbie and Ichabod entered; a vast forest that lacks sunlight and wandering souls.

In order for a mortal to enter Purgatory, they have to be in a spiritual area. An incantation has to be spoken and a portal, that resembles shattered glass in an open space, will open. Temptation are one of Purgatory's many tests, used to distract mortals and keep them in an infinite oblivion. A mortal is capable of overcoming these illusions, thus entering Purgatory. The only way one soul can leave Purgatory is if another takes its place. There is a loophole for this rule, but can only be demonstrated once. Despite this it would seem with Moloch's death many souls have been able to escape Purgatory.

Purgatory souls

 * Katrina Crane (freed)
 * Abbie Mills (freed)
 * Abbie and Jenny Mills' lost memory
 * Andy Brooks
 * The Golem (escaped)
 * Orion (escaped)
 * Solomon Kent (escaped)

Others about the Purgatory

 * In Roman Catholic bibles, Purgatory is a place of suffering, inhabited by souls of sinners who are expiating their sins before going to heaven, while in Sleepy Hollow it is like a hell-like dimension.
 * Purgatory is also described as a "maze of temptation".
 * A mortal must not accept food or drinks in Purgatory, or else they will be trapped forever.
 * Creatures in Purgatory, possibly demons, posses the ability to shapeshift into other people.
 * Souls, regardless of already being dead, can be killed again. It is unknown if they simply cease to exist all together, or respawn after a certain period of time.
 * When exiting Purgatory, the body is wildly tossed out.
 * Witches possess power to trap one's soul in Purgatory.
 * Angels are also able to be trapped here, if they interfere with the demonic realm.

Henry Parrish/War
"YOU DO NOT PLAN. YOU DO NOT THINK FOR YOURSELF! YOU ARE A SOLDIER. A SOLDIER'S DUTY IS TO OBEY!"

- Moloch, to Henry (translated in English)

During the time he was buried alive in his coffin, Henry/Jeremy developed a great hatred towards his parents and desired vengeance. Moloch came to him and offered him the chance to exact revenge as the Horseman of War, and Henry accepted the pact and viewed Moloch as his true father, resenting his real parents.

However, Moloch did not return any sentiments to Henry, seeing him only as a soldier to follow his commands, as well as an expendable pawn. His cruelty towards Henry, however, led to his demise when Henry finally saw Moloch for what he was and stabbed the demon with the Sword of Methuselah.

Abraham van Brunt/Death
As Abraham lay dying, Moloch approached him and offered him Katrina in exchange for becoming the Horseman of Death, which Abraham accepted without question. However, Abraham had no value to Moloch except as a pawn to advance his plans.

Conquest/Pestilence
It is unsure when Moloch came to this man that became the Horseman of Conquest/Pestilence, but it is possible that this occurred sometime before or after the American Civil War. It is possible that this Horseman was acting under Moloch to spread his plague in order to enter the mortal realm to join up with Death, but was defeated by the Witnesses. He hasn't been seen since.

Ichabod Crane
Coming Soon!

Mills sisters
Coming Soon!

Katrina Crane
Even if Katrina is a bitter enemy of him, Moloch still wants Katrina alive - not for mercy, but for his evil purpose as his "Hellfire shard". While doing this, he does not even considering his promise to Abraham when the Horseman of Death took its form. After all, Moloch is a Prince of Lie who always break his promise. While thinking Abraham's failure, Moloch finally showed his true color by forcing Henry to kill Katrina. Moloch's diablolical attitude towards Katrina has shocked both of the two Horsemen and shakens their loyalties, eventually making Abraham to give out the whereabouts of Moloch to Team Witness, and Moloch's later death under the hands of Henry.

Quotes

 * Your death is assured, you and the Second Witness. I touched her soul once. Soon, it will be mine forever, then you will give it to me.
 * YOU DO NOT PLAN. YOU DO NOT THINK FOR YOURSELF! YOU ARE A SOLDIER. A SOLDIER'S DUTY IS TO OBEY!
 * COME AND SEE...
 * Rise, Purgatory... Come and see...
 * YOUR SOUL IS MINE...
 * He is nothing. You are NOTHING BUT WHAT I MADE YOU. Sacrifise your mother, NOW.

List of victims
This list is incomplete.

Throughout the centries, Moloch and/or his dreaded minions slaughter innoncent people or made them suffer forever ever.
 * The fanatic worship of Moloch had children sacrifising, costing lives of plenty children and making great melancholy throughout numerous families.
 * Numerous unnamed minions who failed Moloch would be tortured to death, slowly and painfully, with no exception.
 * Most of the wandering souls in the Purgatory were utterly deformed (most notably a faceless woman and a man with bleeding eyes) and seemed to fear Moloch greatly, hinting Moloch had add tormenting and torture on them.
 * Roanoke residents: He was responsible for sending the Horseman of Conquest to Roanoke in 1584, causing plague throughout the colony.
 * Pied Piper's victims:
 * Numerous unnamed victims
 * Numerous British soldiers
 * Lancaster family suffered a lot due to a curse caused by the Piper who took his murder by the hand of Daniel Lancaster as an Fruedian excuse. Lancasters had great loss of young girls caused by this, and the curse will took the death of all the other children if the Piper hadn't successfully slaughter his victim.
 * Numerous unnamed children
 * Beth Lancaster's sister
 * Sarah Lancaster and her adoptive brothers (survived)
 * Abraham van Brunt:
 * Lachlan Fredericks:
 * Katrina Crane:
 * Henry Parrish:
 * Lori Mills: Moloch sent Gina Lambert to Lori and caused her to suicide.
 * Ichabod Crane: Within the Team Witness, perhaps Crane had suffered the most due to Moloch's horrid action.
 * 1) Ichabod lost his friend Abraham van Brunt, who turned into the Horseman of Death.
 * 2) After turning into Death, Abraham confronted Ichabod and seriously wounded him. Later, thanks to Moloch, Abraham becomes the unforgettable nemisis of Ichabod.
 * 3) After Ichabod's death, Moloch put his wife into Purgatory and corrupted his son into the Horseman of Death, causing a family confilct that will never completly reversed.
 * 4) After Ichabod's resurrection, Moloch commanded Andy Brooks to ally the Horseman and track down the two Witnesses, almost killing them.
 * Andy Brooks:
 * Abbie & Jenny Mills:
 * 1) Moloch's murderous attempt against Mills sisters had already begun when they were children. He was the man behind Mills sisters' pain after Lori Mills' imprisonment.
 * 2) After Ichabod's resurrection, Moloch commanded Andy Brooks to ally the Horseman and track down the two Witnesses, almost killing them.
 * 3) Moloch trapped Abbie in Purgatory and attempted to harm her. He also chained the sisters' memories in Purgatory as he created his Horseman of War.
 * Frank Irving and his family: Frank's ordeals are mostly caused by Moloch. For example, Moloch sent his sadistic minion Ancitif to threaten Frank to give in Washington's Bible. He also ordered Henry to take Frank's soul, and therefore he is the key person to make Frank losing sanity and fall under Henry's control after his resurrection.
 * Benedict Arnold: The creation of the corruptive Tyrian shekels is one of Moloch's plan, including the one coin that corrupted Arnold into a infamous traitor as we know today.
 * Pied Piper's victims, including numerous British soldiers and child offsprings of Lancaster family.
 * The Headless Horseman's victims:
 * Numerous unnamed victims
 * Ichabod Crane (later revived)
 * August Corbin
 * Alfred Knapp
 * Four Masonic leaders
 * Benjamin Franklin (altered timeline only)
 * Joe Corbin:
 * The Sucubus' victims
 * Two unnamed victims
 * Nick Hawley (survived)
 * Ichabod Crane (survived)
 * If the apocalypse caused by Moloch succeded, the Purgatory will rise and numerous people will be kill or enslave by Moloch.
 * HIGHLY IMPORTANT: Moloch's posthumous effect is far more tremendous than all above. Moloch's death triggered the Purgatory's turbulance, causing numerous evil spirits inside it escaped - including demons who were planning to unleash perhaps another Demon King for them to serve, the angel Orion who demanded genocide and almost suceeded, and Solomon Kent who is the key influence to Katrina's fall from grace. Then, lives of millions of people around the world is now at stake.

Trivia

 * Moloch's three demonic forms were portrayed by D.J. Mifflin, Derek Mears and Marti Matulis, respectively.
 * His child form was portrayed by Grant Springate, and his teenager form was portrayed by Austin Filson.
 * He is, so far, the darkest and the most vital villain of the whole series.
 * Moloch's death shares similarities to the death of Aerys II Targaryen: Both of them ordered their most loyal minions (Henry Parrish for Moloch; Jaime Lannister for Aerys II) to slay their family members (Katrina Crane for Moloch; Tywin Lannister for Aerys), right before their order enraged their minions and they soon died under their minions' hand without honor.
 * Moloch's death is also similar to the death of Emperor Palpatine, as well as his corrupting influnce and heartless personality.
 * Moloch shares a plenty of similiarities with Isaac Ray Peram Westcott:
 * Both of them are Complete Monsters and crosses Moral Event Horizon very often.
 * They both want to destroy humanity and raise a living hell of despair on Earth.
 * Both of them are outright villains and completely have free will to do evil things like doing simple things, instead of being brainwashed, forced, tragic, delusional, affable, accursed, out of sheer rage, insane or even combined them all like many other villains in their respective stories.
 * They both have no empathy towards their minions and see them as expendable pawns that they can torture or even kill after these minions are useless or failed (Moloch to the Headless Horseman, Henry Parrish and Andy Brooks; Westcott to James A. Paddington, Jessica Bailey and Marina Arusu).
 * Both of them are "parents", since Moloch is the adoptive father of Henry Parrish and Westcott is the creator and "father" of Marina Arusu.
 * And yet, neither of them have fathering feelings. Moloch only saw Henry as a soldier that should obey and also views him as being expendable; while Marina, who wanted to feel care and love, only ended up dying and was not mourn or care by Westcott anyway.
 * Both of them does not destroy their bitter enemy at first and "spare" them until they have outlive their usefulness.
 * In Moloch's case, it happened two times, which both hid shocking truths:
 * In Season 1, Moloch ordered Andy and his minions to stop the Headless Horseman from killing Ichabod Crane, much to Ichabod's confusion. It soon turns out to be a evil plot when Moloch grabbed Ichabod into the Purgatory through a mirror, taunting him, "Your death is assured, you and the Second Witness. I touched her soul once. Soon, it will be mine forever, then you will give it to me." What is more shocking, the plan's real purposes soon turn out to be, none other than, both a seperation of the two Witnesses, and a plot in order to make the Horseman of War to take its human form.
 * In Season 2, Moloch forcefully ordered Henry to keep Katrina alive, for she was one of the "Hellfire Shards", a chosen vessel. Soon afterwards, Henry made Moloch to possess Katrina, and Moloch almost take his full form successfully. If Moloch rises through this way, Katrina will finally die at his own hand.
 * In Isaac Westcott's case, it happened when he manipuled Ratatoskr and was putting the lives of millions of people in a game. When Roger Murdoch was captured by DEM Forces after he tries to kill Isaac Westcott and destroy Tengu City, Ellen Mira Mathers asked to Isaac Westcott why he had allowed Murdoch live after what he did, however, was not exactly leave Roger Murdoch "live". Isaac Westcott said: "I want to congratulate him for his 'magnificent plan'. However, I also have other objectives to him."
 * Both of them bears demonic powers. However, Moloch is a fallen angel turned Demon King (therefore is a true demon), while Isaac Westcott is a human (as far as we know) who gained the power of an Inversed Spirit to become demonic (therefore is a Damned Soul).
 * Great_Red_Dragon.jpg picture of Moloch, which featured on Paradise Lost that Ichabod showed Abbie, might possibly be The Great Red Dragon and the Woman Clothed in Sun (see right), a watercolor painting drawn by William Blake that features the Prime Evil: Satan.
 * Also, while he does rank as a major demon, it was not Moloch who led the rebellion against Heaven but Lucifer/Satan.
 * In addition, Paradise Lost is a work of fiction, not a "theological text" as Ichabod states.
 * Moloch is also similiar to Malcom/Peter Pan in Once Upon a Time, for they were both heartless, loveless and ruthless Complete Monsters who has no fathering love. Also, both of their death were caused by their "sons" (Henry for Moloch and Mr. Gold for Malcom).