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A possible depiction of the Great Father.

The Great Father is a god worshiped by some members of the Barrows Family, such as Theodore Barrows. Theodore had an abnormal fear of death and worshiped this evil god in order to gain immortality. The Great Father is mentioned in the Clock Tower novel.

The legend[]

The Great Father gave immortality to those who worshiped him and bestowed death on others, but this was an immortality of the spirit, not of the flesh. The idea differed slightly from the endless cycle of rebirth in which the Celts believed in that death of the flesh was necessary to gain this immortality; one gained deathlessness by dying. Through this immortality of the soul, even dead flesh could be animated as if it were once again alive. Terror was what fed this immortality - one escaped death by absorbing the spiritual energy known as terror. The one who bestowed this immortality upon the worshipers was known as a "son of the Great Father" - an entity apparently similar to the angels of Christian monotheism, but unlike angels, a child of the Great Father bestowed only death and terror upon the people.

The dark god demanded sacrifices, and so Theodore abducted children from the surrounding area and, after prolonged torture, butchered them in offering to his god. He soon lost his humanity. Rumors of Theodore's inhuman ways eventually spread among the populace, and, fearing they would reach the king's ears, his relatives poisoned him. It should have all ended then, but the dark god Theodore had summoned continued to haunt the Barrows clan.

Presence in the games[]

Despite the Great Father being introduced in the adventure novels, the concept fills many gaps in the games. The "sons of the Great Father" presumably are the demon children born from the Barrows bloodline, namely John Barrows, Bobby Barrows and Dan Barrows. When telling the fairy tale regarding John Barrows, Rick describes that John was immortal towards normal causes of death and his father Quintin Barrows had to use magic to dispose him. Bobby Barrows also demonstrated to be immune to drowning and fall damage, and Dan Barrows, to burns and firepower.

When Samuel Barton attempts to execute an unconscious Jennifer Simpson dressed as the Scissorman, he probably was mimicking a sacrifice ritual for the Great Father: he went to the trouble of capturing Jennifer alive and hanging her in a cross before finally attempting to kill her in front of Helen Maxwell. Whispers of the victims of John Barrows are also heard when Samuel is about to execute Jennifer, further suggesting a supernatural purpose on his act.

Another possible interpretation is that the Ritual of Engagement in Clock Tower 3 is part of the cult as a ritual that supposedly gives one immortality and requires a sacrifice, and the Entities in Clock Tower 3 may be the "children of the Great Father" mentioned in the legend, as well. This would connect Clock Tower 3 to the other two games featuring the Barrows Family.

There are many possible depictions of the Great Father, such as the religious paintings inside the Barrows Mansion or the skeleton-like creatures sculptured in the walls of the Barrows Castle. It's even possible that the Demon creature summoned by Darcy Barrows is the Great Father.

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