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Welcome and Congratulations. You have been chosen to become one of the Nephilim. Soon, if you have not done so already, you will drink from the Mortal Cup, taking into yourself the blood of angels, and you will become one of the “Shadowhunters,” named for the founder of our order. Our eternal work is the battle against the forces of darkness that encroach upon our world. We also keep the peace in the Shadow World—the hidden societies of magic and magical creatures wrought by the demons we fight—and keep it hidden from the mundane world. And this now is also your charge. You are protector, defender, knight errant in the name of the angels. You will be trained to fight demons, to protect mundanes, to negotiate the complex landscape of the Downworlders—werewolves, vampires, and the like—that you will encounter. Your life will be spent in the pursuit of the angelic against the demonic. And when you die, you will die with glory.
(The Shadowhunter’s Codex, 9)
Shadowhunters in The Mortal Instruments
‘Shadowhunters’, also known as ‘nephilim’, are the prominent mythological beings of Cassandra Clare’s The Mortal Instruments series. They are introduced in the first book of the series, City of Bones. The book, set in the year 2007, is centered around Clary Fray, a 16 year old girl living in New York City. She and her best friend Simon happen upon the world of the nephilim when they witness a demon being slain by three teenage Shadowhunters in a nightclub. From that moment on, Clary is irrevocably tied to the world of the Shadowhunters, soon discovering that she herself is one of them. The series, which contains five books and is chronologically the third of five series in The Shadowhunter Chronicles, ventures beyond the bounds of fantasy and into the realm of mythopoeia. Clare creates a world that meets all of the requirements of a mythopoeic work - the world of the Shadowhunters, who have their own creation story, history, established societies, lands, and laws. There are other creatures living in this world, such as fairies, vampires, werewolves, and warlocks, but none compare to the thoroughness of Clare’s Shadowhunters.
Within The Mortal Instruments series, there is a sacred Shadowhunter book that every Shadowhunter must read - ‘The Shadowhunter’s Codex’. It contains all of the information that a nephilim would ever need to know. In 2013, Clare decided to bring this fictitious book to life and publish it as a companion book to her series. It’s a great resource for learning more about the world of Shadowhunters.
History of Shadowhunters
According to The Shadowhunter's Codex, the first shadowhunter was created rather than born. A warlock named Jonathan was distraught at the demons that were running amuck around the world. He summoned the Angel Raziel to ask for help - a way to defeat the demons. Raziel mixed some of his own angel blood with the human blood of Jonathan in a cup known as The Mortal Cup. When Jonathan drank it, he obtained the Shadowhunter abilities - super speed, strength, the sight, and the ability to yield blessed weapons - needed to fight and kill demons. He was given the new name of Jonathan Shadowhunter by Raziel, who decreed:
“I grant you the light and fire of angels, to illuminate your way in dark,
for you and your companions will be Hunters of the Shadows".
(The Shadowhunter's Codex 10).
The Mortal Cup is one of three Mortal Instruments that were
gifted to Jonathan Shadowhunter by Raziel. The cup has the
power to turn any person into nephilim, and that is exactly
what Jonathan Shadowhunter did. He turned more men into
Shadowhunters like him, who then passed on their angelic
blood to their offspring - and thus, the nephilim race was born.
The Mortal Cup used in
the Mortal Instruments
movie.
Shadowhunter Characteristics
A Shadowhunter's abilities are linked to their purpose - to fight demons and protect the earth from evil. Because of this, Shadowhunters are gifted with certain abilities. They have the Sight - the ability to see past magical glamours. This lets them see demons who are disguising themselves, or other magical being such as vampires, fairies, or werewolves who have glamours up as well.
Shadowhunters in Gear, from the Mortal
Instruments movie.
Shadowhunters often wear gear when they are hunting demons.
Gear is special clothing worn by Shadowhunters, made of black leather
"capable of protecting the skin from most demon venoms while
still allowing for swift and free movements" (Shadowhuter's Codex 32). It is an honor and a rite of passage for a Shadowhunter to recieve their first set of gear.
Jace and Alec slaying a demon in ABC Family's Shadowhunters TV series.
While Shadowhunters are gifted with endurance, they train from a young age in order to hone their strength and speed. Shadowhunters are capable of running for long distances without growingn tired, which is useful during a demon hunt. They have heightened strength, making them more powerful in battle. Every Shadowhunter uses weapons - Shadowhunter arms, which are made with material capable of killing demons. These generally are swords and daggers, but come in many other forms, such as a bow and arrows.
Runes
For someone with sight - the ability to see past magical glamours - spotting a Shadowhunter is pretty easy to do. Besides being decked out in Shadowhunter gear like weapons, they’re covered in marks called runes or seraphic marks. These are normally black, but fade over time. Runes themselves hold magic, and when drawn on the skin of a Shadowhunter, that magical effect works on the Shadowhunter for as long as the rune lasts. There are runes for healing, for extra speed, for strength, for increased hearing or vision - you name it, there is probably a rune for that.
In The Shadowhunter’s Codex, Clare published a few visuals of different runes.
Runes are drawn with a stele, a “wandlike instrument, made of pure adamas” - the blessed material used in most shadow hunter weapons (The Shadowhunter’s Codex 36). According to the Codex, “it is inert when not in use but when taken up glows and warms with the magic of the Marks” (The Shadowhunter's Codex 36).
Becoming a Shadowhunter
The majority of Shadowhunters are born into Shadowhunter families. Very rarely does a plain mortal become nephilim. Regardless of being a born Shadowhunter or not, there is a certain set of rules that one must follow in order to become a Shadowhunter. They cannot just drink from the mortal cup - they have to attend an ascension ceremony. This is a sacred Shadowhunter tradition.
During the Shadowhunter's ceremony of Ascension, they're required to memorize and recite The Shadowhunter Oath:
I hereby swear:
I will be Raziel’s Sword, extending his arm to strike down evil.
I will be Raziel’s Cup, offering my blood to our mission.
I will be Raziel’s Mirror; when my enemies behold me, let them see his face in mine.
I hereby promise:
I will serve with the angels’ courage.
I will serve the angels’ justice.
And I will serve with the angels’ mercy.
Until such time as I shall die, I will be Nephilim. I pledge myself in Covenant as a
Nephilim, and I pledge my life and my family to the Clave of Idris.
(The Shadowhunter’s Codex 10)
For more information on all things Shadowhunter, check out the Shadowhunter's Wiki.