The Gormogon
Encyclopedia
Gormogon is a fictional character featured in a story arc of the third season of the FOX drama Bones
.
serial killer
in the third season premiere, "The Widow's Son in the Windshield", and has made appearances in the form of teeth marks on bones examined by the Jeffersonian scientists. He makes his first on-screen appearance in "The Knight on the Grid
" (episode 8), although his former master, Arthur Graves, appears earlier in that episode, and his late apprentice, Jason Harkness, appeared in the season premiere. Before the season finale "The Pain in the Heart", reviewers and fans speculated that the audience has actually already met him, perhaps being psychologist Dr. Lance Sweets
.
This belief was partially validated later in the season when the show's executive producer, Hart Hanson, stated in an interview with EW.com
suggested that either Gormogon or his apprentice is someone the fans are fond of. In the season finale, this statement is confirmed when Dr. Brennan
finds that Dr. Zack Addy
had lied about some of his earlier conclusions, leading Dr. Brennan
and Agent Seeley Booth
to realize Zack must be the apprentice. The team finally tracks down Gormogon with the information provided by Zack, and Booth kills Gormogon in his home; he has not been given a name, and he has been described by Sweets as "a nobody, an invisible man, angry at history for not seeing him". The stunt performer — Laurence Todd Rosenthal — who played the current (and presumably last) Gormogon went uncredited; the character had no spoken dialogue and appeared on screen only briefly.
and Seeley Booth
to a vault in an old bank, they discover tapestries, paintings, books, and other artifacts related to a number of mystical orders and traditions, including Kabbalah
, Freemasonry
, and Gnosticism
. The key feature of the vault is a silver skeleton arranged in a "widow's son" pose, a position known to the ancient Greeks
as one of sacrifice. Parts of the silver skeleton had been replaced with actual bone, which bear teeth marks from two different individuals, suggesting ritualistic consumption of flesh
. The vault also yields a tapestry whose pattern corresponds to specific locations in Washington, D.C.
and to tarot cards showing different archetypes, such as the Musician, the Bishop, and the Corruptor. The map provides a schematic
for Gormogon's activities, including the geographic location of the sculpture and of another, older sculpture and the residence of Gormogon's old master, and the order of archetypes which are being integrated, via their bones, into the sculpture.
were an anti-Masonic
order of the 18th century. They are mentioned in scattered writings of the era, and accusations of association with them may have been used as a political weapon, as the very existence of the order involved a rejection of Masonic ideas. However, only the name has any relevance on the show, as Hodgins
borrows it to refer to the killer for his dual reverence for and apparent dislike of secret societies and fraternal orders, including the Knights of Columbus
. Hodgins' and Sweets' understanding of typical practices among orders, such as the master-apprentice relationship, ritualistic meals, and sacred geometry
inform the ongoing investigation of the murders.
, and associated with the Knights of Columbus
.
Bones (TV series)
Bones is an American crime drama television series that premiered on the Fox Network on September 13, 2005. The show is based on forensic anthropology and forensic archaeology, with each episode focusing on an FBI case file concerning the mystery behind human remains brought by FBI Special Agent...
.
Background and development
Gormogon was introduced as a cannibalisticCannibalism
Cannibalism is the act or practice of humans eating the flesh of other human beings. It is also called anthropophagy...
serial killer
Serial killer
A serial killer, as typically defined, is an individual who has murdered three or more people over a period of more than a month, with down time between the murders, and whose motivation for killing is usually based on psychological gratification...
in the third season premiere, "The Widow's Son in the Windshield", and has made appearances in the form of teeth marks on bones examined by the Jeffersonian scientists. He makes his first on-screen appearance in "The Knight on the Grid
The Knight on the Grid
"The Knight on the Grid" is the eighth episode of season three of Bones which originally aired on November 20, 2007. The title refers to the victim's involvement with the Knights of Columbus, and his placement on a symbolic map of Washington, D.C...
" (episode 8), although his former master, Arthur Graves, appears earlier in that episode, and his late apprentice, Jason Harkness, appeared in the season premiere. Before the season finale "The Pain in the Heart", reviewers and fans speculated that the audience has actually already met him, perhaps being psychologist Dr. Lance Sweets
Lance Sweets
Lance Sweets, Psy.D., Ph.D. , is a fictional character in the American television series Bones. He is portrayed by John Francis Daley.Daley first made three guest appearances during the first eight episodes of Season 3, first appearing in "The Secret in the Soil"...
.
This belief was partially validated later in the season when the show's executive producer, Hart Hanson, stated in an interview with EW.com
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
suggested that either Gormogon or his apprentice is someone the fans are fond of. In the season finale, this statement is confirmed when Dr. Brennan
Temperance Brennan (Bones)
Dr. Temperance "Bones" Brennan, Ph.D. , is a fictional character portrayed by Emily Deschanel in the American Fox television series Bones...
finds that Dr. Zack Addy
Zack Addy
Zachary Uriah 'Zack' Addy, Ph.D is a fictional character in the television series Bones. He is portrayed by Eric Millegan. The character was introduced as Dr...
had lied about some of his earlier conclusions, leading Dr. Brennan
Temperance Brennan (Bones)
Dr. Temperance "Bones" Brennan, Ph.D. , is a fictional character portrayed by Emily Deschanel in the American Fox television series Bones...
and Agent Seeley Booth
Seeley Booth
FBI Special Agent "In charge" Seeley Joseph Booth is a fictional character in the US television series, Bones , portrayed by David Boreanaz. Agent Booth is a co-protagonist of the series alongside Dr...
to realize Zack must be the apprentice. The team finally tracks down Gormogon with the information provided by Zack, and Booth kills Gormogon in his home; he has not been given a name, and he has been described by Sweets as "a nobody, an invisible man, angry at history for not seeing him". The stunt performer — Laurence Todd Rosenthal — who played the current (and presumably last) Gormogon went uncredited; the character had no spoken dialogue and appeared on screen only briefly.
Modus operandi
When particles left on a victim's skull led Dr. Temperance BrennanTemperance Brennan (Bones)
Dr. Temperance "Bones" Brennan, Ph.D. , is a fictional character portrayed by Emily Deschanel in the American Fox television series Bones...
and Seeley Booth
Seeley Booth
FBI Special Agent "In charge" Seeley Joseph Booth is a fictional character in the US television series, Bones , portrayed by David Boreanaz. Agent Booth is a co-protagonist of the series alongside Dr...
to a vault in an old bank, they discover tapestries, paintings, books, and other artifacts related to a number of mystical orders and traditions, including Kabbalah
Kabbalah
Kabbalah/Kabala is a discipline and school of thought concerned with the esoteric aspect of Rabbinic Judaism. It was systematized in 11th-13th century Hachmei Provence and Spain, and again after the Expulsion from Spain, in 16th century Ottoman Palestine...
, Freemasonry
Freemasonry
Freemasonry is a fraternal organisation that arose from obscure origins in the late 16th to early 17th century. Freemasonry now exists in various forms all over the world, with a membership estimated at around six million, including approximately 150,000 under the jurisdictions of the Grand Lodge...
, and Gnosticism
Gnosticism
Gnosticism is a scholarly term for a set of religious beliefs and spiritual practices common to early Christianity, Hellenistic Judaism, Greco-Roman mystery religions, Zoroastrianism , and Neoplatonism.A common characteristic of some of these groups was the teaching that the realisation of Gnosis...
. The key feature of the vault is a silver skeleton arranged in a "widow's son" pose, a position known to the ancient Greeks
Ancient Greece
Ancient Greece is a civilization belonging to a period of Greek history that lasted from the Archaic period of the 8th to 6th centuries BC to the end of antiquity. Immediately following this period was the beginning of the Early Middle Ages and the Byzantine era. Included in Ancient Greece is the...
as one of sacrifice. Parts of the silver skeleton had been replaced with actual bone, which bear teeth marks from two different individuals, suggesting ritualistic consumption of flesh
Endocannibalism
Endocannibalism is the term which describes the practice of eating dead members of one's own culture, tribe or social group...
. The vault also yields a tapestry whose pattern corresponds to specific locations in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
and to tarot cards showing different archetypes, such as the Musician, the Bishop, and the Corruptor. The map provides a schematic
Schematic
A schematic diagram represents the elements of a system using abstract, graphic symbols rather than realistic pictures. A schematic usually omits all details that are not relevant to the information the schematic is intended to convey, and may add unrealistic elements that aid comprehension...
for Gormogon's activities, including the geographic location of the sculpture and of another, older sculpture and the residence of Gormogon's old master, and the order of archetypes which are being integrated, via their bones, into the sculpture.
Inspiration
The GormogonsGormogons
Formed by expelled Freemason Philip Wharton, the Ancient Noble Order of the Gormogons was a short-lived 18th century society which left no records or accomplishments to indicate its true goal and purpose. From the group's few published articles it is thought that the society's primary objective was...
were an anti-Masonic
Freemasonry
Freemasonry is a fraternal organisation that arose from obscure origins in the late 16th to early 17th century. Freemasonry now exists in various forms all over the world, with a membership estimated at around six million, including approximately 150,000 under the jurisdictions of the Grand Lodge...
order of the 18th century. They are mentioned in scattered writings of the era, and accusations of association with them may have been used as a political weapon, as the very existence of the order involved a rejection of Masonic ideas. However, only the name has any relevance on the show, as Hodgins
Jack Hodgins (Bones)
Dr. Jack Stanley Hodgins IV, Ph.D., is a fictional character in the American television series, Bones. He is portrayed by T. J. Thyne. Jack is introduced to the series primarily as an entomologist/forensic entomologist, but also as a mineralogist/forensic mineralogist, a palynology/forensic...
borrows it to refer to the killer for his dual reverence for and apparent dislike of secret societies and fraternal orders, including the Knights of Columbus
Knights of Columbus
The Knights of Columbus is the world's largest Catholic fraternal service organization. Founded in the United States in 1882, it is named in honor of Christopher Columbus....
. Hodgins' and Sweets' understanding of typical practices among orders, such as the master-apprentice relationship, ritualistic meals, and sacred geometry
Sacred geometry
Sacred geometry is the geometry used in the planning and construction of religious structures such as churches, temples, mosques, religious monuments, altars, tabernacles; as well as for sacred spaces such as temenoi, sacred groves, village greens and holy wells, and the creation of religious art...
inform the ongoing investigation of the murders.
Known Victims
Two skeleton sculptures have been found, one of which was constructed by Arthur Graves and the current Gormogon, the other by Jason Harkness and the current Gormogon. The former was completely made of bone, while the latter was still mostly silver. Not all the victims have yet been identified, but at least one bone in each sculpture was added for its significance to its owner. The three victims named below all lost their fathers at young ages, making them "widows' sons" and thus doubly symbolic as a sacrifice to Gormogon. They were all involved with a trip to the Anatolian region of TurkeyTurkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
, and associated with the Knights of Columbus
Knights of Columbus
The Knights of Columbus is the world's largest Catholic fraternal service organization. Founded in the United States in 1882, it is named in honor of Christopher Columbus....
.
- Gavin Nichols, a violinist. His little finger, essential for his art, is added to the silver skeleton, and he corresponds to the Musician tarot card on Gormogon's schematic.
- Father Douglas Cooper, a bishop. His kneecaps, essential in prayer, are added (by Brennan) to the silver skeleton, and he corresponds to the Bishop tarot card on Gormogon's schematic.
- Mr. Porter, a lobbyist. As would be expected judging by his profession, his mandible, being a component associated with speech, is sent to Brennan. He corresponds to the Corruptor tarot card on Gormogon's schematic. When Dr. Addy is revealed as the current apprentice of Gormogon, it is established that he had killed Porter. Later on in the fourth season, it is revealed that Zack is, in fact, not the original killer, but an "accessory" to the killing. Porter's actual killer is the Master's second apprentice, who the Master killed to recruit Zack, contrary to Zack admitting to the murder in the season 3 finale.
- An unnamed SWAT officer. When Booth and SWAT stormed the Gormogon's home, he threw a knife into the officer's chest, apparently killing (or at least wounding) him.
- An unknown victim. When Booth and SWAT stormed Gormogon's home, he was seen eating a piece of meat, which was most likely human. Zack told them that if they smelled meat cooking, it would mean Gormogon had claimed another victim. The identity of this person has not been revealed.